11 p.c. rise in air fares to London

Press, 21 January 1983, Page 2

11 p.c. rise in air fares to London

PA Auckland New Zealanders bound for London face one of the biggest air fare rises yet. 11 per cent. The increases will apply from February 1 on all firstclass. business, and economy fares, but not on cheap promotional fares. They are almost wholly a result of the falling international value of the New Zealand dollar, and have been agreed on by a meeting of the International Air Transport Association. Airlines, including Air New Zealand, began charging at the new’ rates yesterday for travel beginning on February 1. The rise increases the oneway Auckland to London economy fare from $2094 to $2328. The business class oneway fare goes from $2408 to

$2679. and the first-class fare from $3583 to $3984. The increases, which apply whether the passenger flies via North American. Australia. Singapore, or Hong Kong, have been approved by the New Zealand Government. The 11 per cent rise also applies to the same fares through to most other European destinations. Because of currency reasons, however, it is less to a few destinations, notably Athens (4 per cent) and Istanbul (3.8 per cent): In spite of the stiff increases. it will still be possible to buy most of the cheap promotional fares at the old prices. Most of those are return fares.

For example, the cheapest of the Air New Zealand promotional fares, the off-

season early payment (epici return fare of $lBB4. will remain in force. A spokesman for the Ministry of Transport. Miss Dianne Clayton, said the rises were introduced by the I.A.T.A. to bring about standardisation on international fares. It was decided they had to be brought into line with the expressed currency values of other countries, she said. The New Zealand dollar is now worth less than threequarters of the Australian and American dollars. Air New Zealand sources have said for some time that because of the low value of the New Zealand dollar, travellers on the AucklandLondon route were paying less in real terms than equivalent services elsewhere.