Freedom Air lauches services from Palmerston North, NZ to Fiji

Business

By Glff Johnson

Value-based airline Freedom Air International has announced a new service from Palmerston North, New Zealand to Fiji, effective March 29, 2000. With the new service. Freedom Air’s Palmerston North operations will have more than trebled to a total of 10 weekly return (round-trip) flights to Australia and

Fiji.

The airline’s general manager, Wayne Dodge, said the new route, which is subject to approval by the Fijian government, had been selected after a review of the airline’s customer surveys which identified Fiji as a highly desirable destination.

Freedom Air plans to operate two services a week to Fiji - on Saturdays and Wednesdays. To celebrate the new service, Freedom Air had an introductory bargain airfare of $399 return, valid for travel between March 29 and May 31, but excluding Easter and school holidays.

Bookings for the introductory airfare had to be made by December 3 last year and seats were limited. During June, the return airfare will start at $499, and

between July and September - the high season - airfares will start at $599 return.

The airline has no immediate plans to fly to Fiji from its other New Zealand gateways of Hamilton and Dunedin.

Freedom Air, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Air New Zealand, in October last year said it would take delivery of a second Boeing 737-300 in December, and start

flying to Melbourne from Palmerston North and Hamilton from December 15 last year. In addition, it was to have launched a Palmerston North - Gold Coast service in December.

The airline already operates from Hamilton, Palmerston North and Dunedin to Sydney and Brisbane, and from Hamilton to the Gold Coast. ■

From this year, Fiji will be added fa Freedom Air's list of destinations