Why Qantas sees Auckland as its “eastern hub”

Early afternoon is crunch time at Qantas’ newly-opened Auckland lounge.

Flights to Sydney, Melbourne and Dallas Fort Worth (on Oneworld partner American Airlines) have just left, but a bigger wave is rolling in.

3pm sees the arrival of QF3 from Sydney, which in two hours’ time will embark on a non-stop 15-hour trek to New York.

Review: Sydney-Auckland-New York in Qantas business class

Also on the departures board: more red-tail flights back to Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Brisbane, American’s big 777 to Los Angeles, Cathay Pacific’s daily A350 to Hong Kong (savvy CX flyers prefer the Qantas lounge over that of Kiwi partner Air New Zealand), and a Jetstar flight to the Gold Coast.

Qantas' new Auckland lounge.

It’s a testament to how Cam Wallace, CEO of Qantas International, positions New Zealand’s largest city.

“I see Auckland as a growing eastern hub for us,” Wallace tells Executive Traveller, framing the City of Sails as a compass counterpoint to the airline’s West Australian hub of Perth – although he rules out adding more non-stop flights from Auckland to North America.

In addition to Qantas’ own flights, “we have our partners American Airlines, who go to LA and seasonally to Dallas, and so we do have a strong kind of underlying network proposition which supports the investment in the Auckland lounge.”

That investment – part of a broader $100 million spend across Qantas’ domestic and international lounge network – has resulted in what now ranks as the airline’s best international business class lounge.

There’s room for over 300 passengers, a two-tier dining option which includes à la carte meals for Platinum-grade frequent flyers, 15 spacious shower suites, and convenient charging points pretty much everywhere you look.

Qantas' new Auckland lounge.

“I think our lounge network is one of the things Qantas does superbly well” says Wallace, a Kiwi who clocked up almost 20 years at Air New Zealand, rising to become the airline's chief revenue officer and then chief commercial officer, before joining Qantas in 2023.

“Lounges are a really core part of our offering, they’re something that we get tremendously positive feedback from our frequent flyers on, and so they will continue to be something that we focus on.”

Hawaiian Airlines, which will join Qantas and American Airlines as a member of the Oneworld alliance in April, also has a seasonal service connecting Auckland to Honolulu across November-April.

“We’ve got a great relationship with Alaska and we’ve spent quite a bit of time with their team,” Wallace adds.

Also read: Alaska Airlines to begin non-stop Seattle-Sydney flights?

The Sydney-Auckland-New York route will run in parallel to direct Sydney-New York flights.

Sydney-Auckland-New York will ramp up to daily flights over the northern summer, and Wallace says the route will remain once non-stop flights from Sydney and Melbourne to New York kick off from the second half of 2027.

“It will be complementary to the direct services. So when we start Sydney-New York, for example, we’ll offer two ways to get to New York, both for the local Auckland market as well as the Sydney, Melbourne and other (Australian) ports.”

“We’ve been growing our trans-Tasman connectivity, starting up Adelaide and Perth, so we’re funnelling more connectivity into Auckland, which obviously makes the stability of those (New York) services more compelling.”

Air New Zealand is rising to the challenge.

Air New Zealand's new 787 business class is headed for New York.

The Star Alliance member will soon take delivery of new Boeing 787s sporting a more competitive business class cabin – crowned by private Business Premier Luxe suites – and also innovative Skynest bunk beds for economy passengers.

Air New Zealand's innovative 787 Skynest economy bunk beds.

These will elevate the airline’s own Auckland-New York route, while also adding an exclusive premium lounge at Auckland for business class passengers and top-tier frequent flyers.

Air New Zealand is overhauling its flagship Auckland lounges.

Review: Auckland-New York in Air New Zealand business class

But Wallace remains eager to win a larger slice of Air New Zealand’s business and leisure pie. 

“New Zealand is a strategic, important part of our network.”

“As a group we’re building really strong momentum in New Zealand, and we’re seeing that in our numbers and the returns we’re getting from this market, so we want to continue to grow and provide a really strong alternative (to Air New Zealand).”

“And we want to be quite ambitious about growth, to provide the market here with more options – and we’re doing this hand in glove with Jetstar (which is also) growing in New Zealand, so we’re building a bank of opportunities here in New Zealand

“We’re sensing out (more) opportunities, and we’re trying to grow smartly,” Wallace adds.

“As you see the A321XLRs start flowing into the fleet renewal plan, that frees up 737 capacity and provides us ‘back of the clock’ opportunities, which means that we can capture these opportunities as they arise.”

Also read: What’s next for Qantas’ 787 business class?