Auckland Airport welcomes Philippine Airlines to New Zealand

Auckland Airport and Philippine Airlines are excited to announce a new Manila to Auckland service, marking the first time the airline has ever operated in New Zealand.

The new Philippine Airlines service, scheduled to commence on 1 December 2015, will see an A320 operate four flights per week on the Manila to Auckland route, with a stopover in Cairns.

Norris Carter, Auckland Airport’s general manager aeronautical commercial, says he is delighted to welcome Philippine Airlines to New Zealand.

“This is great news for the New Zealand tourism industry and for our economy,” says Mr Carter.  “This new service will see 64,500 seats per year on the Manila to Auckland route, contributing an estimated $41 million per year to the New Zealand economy.”

“We have experienced solid growth from the Philippines market in recent years and the addition of a new carrier will certainly help to further stimulate this,” continues Mr Carter.

“Short-term arrivals to New Zealand from the Philippines have increased 9.4 per cent per year over the last five years.  Similarly, New Zealand travellers visiting the Philippines has been growing impressively at 11.6 per cent per year over the same period.”

“The largest market of visitors we have from the Philippines is travellers coming to New Zealand to visit friends and relatives, followed closely by travellers coming for leisure purposes,” continues Mr Carter.  “This new service will provide more options for these visitors when travelling to New Zealand and also for New Zealanders wishing to visit the Philippines.”

“As well as this, the stopover in Cairns is good news for Kiwis wanting to travel to Cairns or visitors from Cairns wanting to travel to New Zealand, as it increases the frequency of flights operating on this route.”

Philippine Airlines’ President and Chief Operating Officer, Jaime J. Bautista, says, “The route will stimulate passenger traffic along three travel streams - Manila and Cairns, Manila and Auckland as well as Cairns and Auckland.  The new service allows Philippine Airlines to cater to the travel needs of business and leisure travellers and showcase its distinct brand of service marked by Filipino warmth, charm and hospitality.  With close to 40,000 Filipinos residing in New Zealand, the new service is their convenient link to their home country - the Philippines.”

Flights on the new Philippines Airlines service will be available for purchase soon, subject to regulatory approval.  For more information, please visit www.philippineairlines.com

Houston on sale now!

Air New Zealand is pleased to announce its new Auckland – Houston service is now on sale!

From 15 December 2015, Air New Zealand will begin operating up to five return services per week,  Tuesday through Friday and on Sundays using the airline’s newly refitted Boeing 777-200 aircraft as follows:

Flight #NZ28
From AKL
Dep (local time) 1830
To IAH
Arr (local time) 1315

Flight #NZ29
From AKL
Dep (local time) 2025
To IAH
Arr (local time) 0555

More detail about Air NZ's new Houston service

Air New Zealand is thrilled to share the news that they will start flying to Houston, Texas from December this year, opening up a direct connection between New Zealand and America’s South for the first time.

Today’s announcement means Air New Zealand will be offering direct services to five popular North American destinations – Los Angeles, San Francisco, Vancouver, Hawaii and Houston. With a flight time of approximately 13 hours, the new route is set to become the fastest way for Kiwis to get to popular East Coast and Midwest destinations, such as New York and Chicago.

They will fly their completely refitted Boeing 777-200 aircraft between Auckland and Houston up to five times a week, opening up the state of Texas as well as popular nearby tourist states such as Louisiana and Florida.

They are excited to add Houston to their list of international destinations, particularly as the move comes hard on the heels of their recent announcement that they will begin flying to Buenos Aires, Argentina, in December.

Houston offers their customers direct access into the heart of the American south and a world of new tourism experiences. It’s a great part of the USA for visitors to immerse themselves in. It will have tremendous appeal for travellers.

Not only is Houston home to NASA’s Johnson Space Center and Mission Control and one of the world’s largest livestock shows and rodeos, it’s a great jumping off point for the home of country music in Nashville Tennessee; the jazz capital of New Orleans; and the resorts, theme parks and beaches of Florida.

Houston is also a key gateway for Mexico, the rest of Central America and the Caribbean. Air New Zealand also looks forward to welcoming more visitors to New Zealand from the Southern and Midwest states and major East Coast cities where the option to connect through Houston will make New Zealand’s tourism proposition more accessible than ever before.

Air New Zealand will code share from Houston to other key USA domestic destinations as well as Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean with Star Alliance partner United Airlines, which has a large Houston-based hub. United will code share on the Air New Zealand flight from Houston to Auckland and points beyond.

Tickets are expected to go on sale next month, with flights commencing mid-December.

Have you thought about Cuba?

As you may be aware, the relations between the USA and Cuba are improving and it’s looking increasingly likely that the restrictions that closed off Cuba will be relaxed or lifted.

We have been putting together packages for clients wanting to visit Cuba in its current state before any change occurs.

If you like Culture, revolutionary history, Eco-tourism, Sailing and Cruising, Diving and Snorkeling, Classic American Cars, Architecture, Food, Coffee or Cigars, then this is a must-visit destination. Check out this site which showcases some things you should plan for and definitely not miss.

Personally, Cuba has been on my list for a very long time. It has everything I'm interested in. So much history is encapsulated in this land. And of course James Bond has been there in spectacular fashion.

Our friends at Adventure World have tour packages from 8 days to 15 days, and right now they have a promotion where you will receive a free Cuban Tourist Card (valued at $95) when you book an Adventure World trip.

We’d love the opportunity to organise a trip of a lifetime for you.

Give us a call and we’ll get started!

Target Travel - Adventure World Special Experiences

Do you want to travel a little bit differently? How would you like to focus on an experience rather than a destination?

Our friends at Adventure World have released Special Interest Journeys.

Would you like to go on a Cruise? Explore a country’s Culture & Heritage? Go on a walking or cycling tour?

How about discovering a magical Winter destination?

Or follow your palate on a Culinary trip?

There are Festivals and special Events to tick off your list. Perhaps a Safari or getting up close with Wildlife in their natural habitat?

If you’re a keen photographer there’s a trip for you as well.

I’ve spent some time on the site and would LOVE to do some culinary touring. Vineyards in California? Eating through Vietnam or Turkey? Amazing.

Target Travel partners with Adventure World and we can put together the perfect holiday for you.

Call us for some options!

Destination Singapore

Singapore is becoming more than a stopover for our customers.

Lonely Planet has named it the world's top destination in travel for 2015. And for very good reason. It is a bustling city, full of culture, life and colour.

I've had the opportunity to visit several times and have grown to love this place. It ticks all of my tourist boxes!

The Chinatown enclave is heritage-rich and has pretty much everything you can think of. From fascinating temples (Hindu, Buddhist and Islamic) to food hawkers and bars.

If you're in Singapore during February, Chinatown is where the Chinese New Year celebrations are centered.

Singapore boasts a world-class performing arts centre which has a year-round line-up of shows. You can take a walk 22m above the ground at the Supertrees vertical gardens. Sentosa Island is known as the State of Fun. Check out Singapore's museums, cruise down the Singapore river.

My personal favourite is walking the Botanic Gardens and discovering the National Orchid Garden.

If you're a foodie, you won't be disappointed. Singapore has everything. I loved the outdoor food hawker market - the Malay crab I tried was amazing.

Traveling around Singapore is easy. The train, bus and taxi network is world class. 

There are lots of promotions available at present so if you've ever thought about giving Singapore a try, call us, and we'll help you put together an incredible experience.

Living on a Cruise Ship

We came across this article - it's a tale of an 86 year old woman who now lives on a Cruise Ship.

It may be Extreme Cruising, but we think it could be a fantastic way to live out your days.

In the meantime, if you're interested in dipping your toes into such a lifestyle, we are more than able to book you on Cruises - anywhere in the world. Have a think about where you'd like to go, and we can advise you.

NZTA - SH20A Construction

Work has commenced on the upgrade of SH20A at Kirkbride Road, Mangere, Auckland.

This will impact traffic flows to and from the Airport.

Key Messages for Air Travellers:

• Plan your journey to the airport
• Allow an additional 10 minutes travel time
• Use Montgomerie Road instead of Kirkbride Road to access off-site parking providers, rental cars and accommodation providers in the Airport Oaks business area.

More information can be downloaded here.

Happy Christmas from Target Travel!

We would like to thank you all for your business this year. We are very appreciative of you giving us the opportunity to look after your travel needs.

It's been an interesting year.

We saw the first Air New Zealand Dreamliner enter service. And with more on their way, you will probably get to experience first-hand how amazing this aircraft is quite soon.

Maridel returns from Maternity Leave on the 5th January. Join with us and welcome baby Nico to the Target Family.

2015 will see an increase in blogging activity. We're using this part of our website to give you detailed airline information, special offers and suchlike. We're also stepping up writing about Destinations that we have visited. South America and Melbourne were featured this year there will be more to come.

Keep an eye out on our Facebook page and Twitter feeds for links, and interesting tidbits. We also use these channels for information that needs to get out to you quickly.

We love interacting with people online so don't be shy.

Most importantly, stay safe through this Christmas period.

Our Christmas office hours are:

24 December - Closed (on call 021 343 318)
25-26 December - Closed (on call, urgent only. 021 343 318)
29-30 December - 9am to 3pm
31 December - Closed (on call 021 1541 229)
1-2 January - Closed (on call, urgent only. 021 1541 229)

Normal hours resume on 5 January 2015.

NOTE: a call-out fee applies on Public Holidays.

Here's to 2015. Bring it on.

Air New Zealand - New Regional Lounge opens in Auckland

From Air New Zealand:

Air New Zealand is pleased to advise we have today welcomed customers to our brand new regional lounge at Auckland Domestic Airport.

The new space is located at the regional end of the terminal building near the airline’s Valet Parking drop-off point and will offer customers travelling on regional services from Auckland who are entitled to lounge access a more streamlined journey through the airport.

We recently embarked on a significant lounge redevelopment programme and the Auckland regional lounge is the first of the new-look spaces to open.

The lounge boasts our distinctive look and feel and the design incorporates locally sourced products where possible.

Our lounge redevelopment programme continues with our Sydney International Lounge due to be completed in the second quarter of 2015 and Auckland’s International Lounge currently scheduled to open mid-2015.

The Auckland regional lounge complements the airline’s existing domestic lounge at Auckland Airport.  Customers travelling on regional routes are still able to use the domestic lounge if they prefer.