View Full Version : Air New Zealand 777 HKG layover?
Yorkielondon
10th Nov 2009, 20:01
Sorry in advance for a bit of a nerdy timetable following question...Air New Zealand cut their HKG-LHR 777 service to 5 p/week for winter sched from daily but the AKL-HKG remains daily...all timings remain standard. My question is that by my estimates they must now layover a 777 for almost 36 hours twice per week in HKG?
Anyone know if this right-seems amazing to leave an aircraft downroute for that long (as a good ex network planner!)
Hartington
11th Nov 2009, 08:35
Who does the maintenance on ANZ aircraft? Could the time be used to put it into HAECO for some work?
Oh, and when I went that way back in January (09) it was a 747, not a 777 but that's a niypick.
rgsaero
11th Nov 2009, 16:06
Don't know about the maintenance etc, but it IS a 777 on that route now. They stopped using a 747 sometime before April when I booked through to AKL on that route - traveling next week. And it's a pain!:confused:
Premium economy was well worth it on the 747 as one was on the top deck. Now in the 777 there are a few seats in the main (only) cabin and I suspect that it won't be such a good experience, and having done LHR - AKL return 24 times in the last 26 years a good experience is VERY MUCH better than an average one!
rgsaero
If you look at the schedules you see that the aircraft remains on the ground for the same amount of time it would have taken to travel to Heathrow and back. I think this is the only way that they can maintain daily service AKL-HKG-AKL (at common departure/arrival times) while reducing HKG-LHR-HKG to 5X.
If the Tuesday AKL-HKG service came back without the ground stop you would end up with 2 flights HKG-AKL on Wed. and nothing on Thursday.
There could also be some crew issues and, as suggested, an opportunity for some regular maintenance.
Pax Vobiscum
12th Nov 2009, 22:17
NZ regularly switch between 777/747 on this route and also the NZ1/2 (LHR-LAX-AKL) in line with predictable seasonal traffic patterns.
PV (timetable nerd)
Wycombe
13th Nov 2009, 09:52
Yep, the switch this time was at the start of the Northern Summer season (end of March).
I travelled RTW with NZ back in Jan/Feb, and it was the 777 on LHR-LAX-AKL on the way out and the 744 via HKG on the way back. At that time the aircraft continued to LHR daily.
Did it all in Economy (and with 2 kids), all quite bearable if you adopt the correct mindset. Very good AVOD IFE and economy legroom on NZ :ok: