As part of its joint venture alliance with United Airlines, Air New Zealand will begin new nonstop service between Auckland and Chicago.
Kicking off on November 30, 2018, Air New Zealand will fly the route three times weekly year-round using Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft.
Flight time is between 15 hours and 16 hours.
"We expect the addition of Chicago to our network to be an attractive option for Americans keen to explore New Zealand and Kiwis wanting to visit Chicago or head on to other North American destinations," says Air New Zealand Chief Executive Officer Christopher Luxon.
Luxon expects the route to boost the NZ economy by about $70 million a year.
"We’ll be working alongside our colleagues at United Airlines to grow the route and visitor numbers in both directions."
The United-Air NZ alliance will be strengthened further from April 2019 when United extends service from its San Francisco hub to Auckland to three flights a week year-round.
Auckland offers 20 connecting flights domestically and across the Asia Pacific region.
United currently offers 26 international destinations direct from its San Francisco hub.
