Air New Zealand plans to add extra flights between Auckland and Los Angeles after Qantas announced today it has been forced to close the same route as a cost-cutting measure.
Qantas will end flights between the cities in May because of financial pressure, that is also resulting in job losses, delayed orders for new aircraft and the early retirement of others.
Air NZ currently operates 12 direct services a week between Auckland and LA.
Today the airline confirmed plans to "add further capacity on the route'' as a result of the Qantas announcement.
The number of additional flights had not yet been decided, spokeswoman Marie Hosking said.
Grabaseat deals to LA would continue and Air NZ had no intention of raising airfares as a result of the announcement, she said.
The Qantas moves were announced by chief executive Alan Joyce in results that showed a A$215 million (NZ$261.72 million) fall in underlying pre-tax profit in the six months to the end of December.
Mr Joyce said that with a volatile world economy and soaring costs disciplined financial management was vital.
"That means taking hard decisions today to ensure that we can secure jobs and success for the future," he said.
The decision to withdraw from Auckland-Los Angeles flights from May 6 was one of a number of routes hit by the pressures on Qantas' struggling international operations.
The airline will also drop flights between Singapore and Mumbai, India, in May, adding to previously-announced withdrawals next month from the Hong Kong-London and Bangkok-London routes.
