Deal alert: US to New Zealand for $898 roundtrip!

Air New Zealand flies a 777-300 like this on its LAX-AKL run (Photo: Air New Zealand)

Today Air New Zealand announced an astonishingly low fare for summer trips to cities throughout New Zealand. If you’ve been scared away from Europe due to the recent terror attacks, this might be the summer to head to the antipodes instead.

Fares to Auckland from Los Angeles and San Francisco are just $898 round trip. From Houston, they are just $1098 round trip. And for just $50 more, you can add on an additional city in New Zealand.

It’s rare to see fares to Australia or New Zealand dip below $1,000 round trip. These low airfares combined with a strong US dollar make for some of the lowest overall trip costs you’ll see in a loooong time. (Exchange rate is currently 68 cents per NZ$1.)

So if you’ve always dreamed of a trip to these mystical islands, this could be the time to make the jump! To get the deal, you must purchase your ticket by April 14. Here’s the link to the deal.

Regrettably, these low fares must be purchased from Air New Zealand in “G” class, which means that you cannot earn United MileagePlus miles on these flights.

Travel periods vary from city to city…and keep in mind that mid-summer here is mid-winter down there, which tends to be cold and wet. But November is warm and springlike. To get the lowest fares, you must travel on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday. Friday, Saturday and Sunday flights cost $50 more (still a great deal!)

Travel period from Los Angeles is July 10-19, July 24 – Sept 21 and Nov 8 – Nov 26, 2016.
Travel period from San Francisco is July 1 – July 18, Aug 5 – Sept 21, Oct 28 – Nov 22, 2016.
Travel period from Houston is July 5 – July 18, July 31 – Sept 18, Oct 28 – Nov 30, 2016.

More info here

Competitive response? Keep an eye on United, with SFO-Auckland nonstops that start in June and Qantas, which may match (or come close to matching) this low fare.

–Chris McGinnis

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about: Should I tip my Uber driver? + Boeing 747 nearing its end? + Bargain hunters travel guide for 2016 + World’s best airline lounge? + Fares to Europe tumble

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