Air New Zealand domestic trunk service timetable 1986/1987

Although domestic airline services had been liberalised, there was no serious competition on the "main trunk" route that was always the backbone of New Zealand domestic airline services - Auckland-Wellington-Christchurch.

Air New Zealand, then a fully NZ Government owned company, was the sole operator, using Boeing 737-200 series (by 1986 a mix of the advanced series and even one QC model) in a single class configuration.  This timetable depicts the frequency of its services over the summer season 1986-1987 excluding the Christmas-New Year holiday season (through till late January). 

The timetable depicts most of the 737 routes, namely Auckland-Wellington, Auckland-Christchurch, Wellington-Christchurch, Auckland-Dunedin (note only one of those services was non-stop), Christchurch-Invercargill, Christchurch-Dunedin (one service operated by Fokker F-27 Friendship, which operated on all regional routes), Wellington-Dunedin. 

What else is notable is the use of international LOPA (Layout of Passenger Accommodation) Boeing 767-200s and Boeing 747-200s on occasional services between Auckland and Wellington, Auckland and Christchurch, and Wellington and Christchurch. As Boeing 747s cannot operate commercial services from Wellington, this meant 747s operated Auckland-Christchurch only, but 767s would operate the other routes. I did, once, fly Christchurch-Wellington on a 767, which was my very first flight on a wide bodied jet (in economy class).

Interesting also is Air NZ was selling business class (branded Pacific Class at the time) on those services, before Ansett New Zealand started flying in 1987 (which Air NZ matched by quickly introducing business class on domestic 737 aircraft).  Pacific Class at the time was a product that today resembles premium economy class, at least in terms of seating, and was reminiscent of most business classes at the time, which very much was intended to bridge the gap between first and economy class (and was relatively new). 

Two questions I don't know the answer to are:

• Was the First Class cabin on domestic Boeing 747 flights ever used if loadings justified it, or for high value customers in Pacific Class (it seems unlikely many such seats would have been sold).
• Was domestic Pacific Class anything more than just the larger seats (i.e. any catering to match)? This also seems unlikely to be justified for flights that operated at a low level of regularity.

This was very much the twilight period before competition emerged on the main trunk, which would change everything

Air New Zealand main trunk domestic timetable Oct86-Mar87

Air New Zealand main trunk domestic timetable Oct86-Mar87