The Market Has Spoken: New South Pacific Competition Drives Business Class Fares Down to Unprecedented Lows

Remote parts of the world are tailor-made for monopolies. One carrier controls or two carriers split the route and they charge a premium because there’s no other choice.

This has long been the case with New Zealand, where Business Class fares (even advance-purchase ones) from the U.S. to Auckland have generally run $6,000+, and almost never went on sale. Why? A monopoly of one, Air New Zealand, controlled the route non-stop from the U.S.