Regional airlines Barrier Air and Kiwi Regional Airlines will join forces to provide alternative flying routes between the South and North Islands, including a route to and from Dunedin.
Barrier Air, currently flying routes between Auckland, Kaitaia, North Shore and Great Barrier Island, is extending it's services from 8th February south to Hamilton on a daily basis.
Kiwi Regional Airlines passengers, flying routes between Nelson, Dunedin and Hamilton will be able to connect in Hamilton with Barrier Air flights to Auckland, and on to Great Barrier Island, North Shore or Kaitaia around midday on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, starting 15th February.
Passengers booking on Kiwi flights to Hamilton will be able to 'add on' a connecting Barrier Air flight to one of these destinations at a concessionary rate; and Barrier Air passengers will be able to land in Hamilton, and transfer to a connecting Kiwi flight to Nelson and Dunedin.
In a joint statement from the airlines, Kiwi chief executive Ewan Wilson and Barrier chief executive Mike Foster said they were "very pleased to be able to help ordinary kiwis living in regional areas to fly from north to south, and vice versa, on fully regional services."
Mr Foster said the NZ Civil Aviation Authority was in the process of certifying his airline's new route between Auckland and Hamilton, following a proving flight on 28th January.
"We want Hamilton passengers to be able to continue flying to Auckland when Air New Zealand stops that service on 7th February, and we want to give all regional passengers more choice and better access to our services in the north."
Mr Wilson said he was "happy that we can offer new destinations through Barrier Air that were very difficult to access in the past."
Each airline's reservations staff will be able to act as 'agents' for the other airline's flights, with tickets for the new connections due to go on sale next week.
Both men explained that this agreement is not a codeshare service, but an agreement to sell each other seats with each separate tickets, but coordinated schedule.
