Every cloud has a silver lining and for people wanting to travel between New Zealand and Australia, it turns out to be airfares as low as $NZ69 ($US43.30) one-way.
Air New Zealand has slashed fares to fill some of the seats left empty by Asian customers staying home because of the coronavirus for travel from mid-March 2020.
The cheapest advertised fares, available until the end of Monday, include Auckland-Melbourne and Christchurch-Melbourne for $NZ69.
READ: Air New Zealand unveils revolutionary economy sleep pods.
There’s also Auckland-Sydney, Auckland-Brisbane, Christchurch-Brisbane and Wellington-Sydney for $NZ79.
Air New Zealand is slashing the price of Tasman airfares to stimulate travel in the wake of softening demand due to the coronavirus.
“Customers are going to get some ridiculously good deals on flights across the Tasman,’’ said Air New Zealand chief revenue officer Cam Wallace.
“Like all airlines, we have seen some softness in demand on routes like the Tasman where we now have some empty seats due to travelers mainly from Asian destinations not connecting between New Zealand and Australia.
“Kiwis and Aussies are going to be able to head away for holidays or to see family and friends or do business for cheaper than a night’s accommodation at most hotels.
“We’d encourage customers to get in quick as the cheap seats are likely to sell faster than tickets for this weekend’s $50 million dollar Lotto draw.’’
Air New Zealand is cutting flights and expects to take a full-year earnings hit of up to $NZ75 million as a result of the virus.
It recently announced it would reduce flying to Asia by 17 percent until June, allowing it to redeploy Boeing 787s, as well as targeted reductions on some Tasman and domestic services.
The cuts included the suspension of flights to Shanghai and the new Seoul route as well as reductions in capacity to Hong Kong and Japan.
Meanwhile. Korean Air announced Friday it would be checking the temperatures of all passengers on its US-bound flights after the coronavirus spiked in its home country.
Those with a temperature of higher than 37.5C would be denied boarding as fever is one of the symptoms of the virus.
The airline is also using the heavy-duty MD-125 disinfectant, known to be effective against coronavirus, to sterilize its aircraft cabins.
"Korean Air plans to expand these procedures to other routes,'' it said.
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