Star Alliance members United Airlines and Air New Zealand have deepened their relationship with the formation of a joint venture business.
The carriers said it would come into effect once United launches its San Francisco-Auckland service in July.
The flight will initially operate three times a week and then increase to a daily service in November.
The airlines have struck a revenue-sharing agreement and will coordinate their sales and marketing functions and flight schedules on trans-Pacific routes, according to a joint statement.
"The US is New Zealand’s third largest tourism source market, contributing almost a billion dollars to our economy in the past financial year. We know this is just the tip of the iceberg though, with around 30 million Americans actively considering New Zealand as a holiday destination," Air NZ chief executive Christopher Luxon said.
"To have a strong home market carrier like United Airlines working with us to grow this market through its extensive sales and distribution channels in the US will provide a significant boost to inbound tourism."
Air New Zealand currently flies from Auckland to San Francisco, Los Angeles, Houston, Vancouver and Honolulu.
Air New Zealand and United have been cooperating for more than 15 years on codesharing and frequent flyer agreements.
"Together, United and Air New Zealand will offer customers more seamless connections between New Zealand and cities across the US than any of our competitors," said United’s chief revenue officer Jim Compton.
