Air New Zealand will commence flights between Auckland and Houston in December, opening up the first direct connection between New Zealand and America’s South. The new service will be operated with a completely refitted Boeing 777-200 aircraft up to five times a week, creating the fastest way for New Zealand business travellers to reach East Coast and Midwest destinations, such as New York and Chicago. Houston joins Air New Zealand’s other North American destinations, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Vancouver, and Hawaii. The airline also announced in December it would soon be flying to Buenos Aires in Argentina.

Air New Zealand will code share from Houston to other key USA domestic destinations as well as Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean with Star Alliance partner United Airlines, which has a large Houston based hub. United will code share on the Air New Zealand flight from Houston to Auckland and points beyond. www.airnewzealand.com