Practical tips
- If you are flying to Auckland from abroad, you will most likely land at its main international airport—Auckland Airport
AKL— the largest and busiest airport in New Zealand, located 20 kilometres south of Auckland's city centre.
Domestic and international terminals are located approximately 500m apart. There is a complimentary terminal transfer bus for passengers with pick-up locations just outside the Terminal doors offering a comfortable transfer every 15 minutes. Alternatively, you can stretch your legs by taking our inter-terminal walkway indicated by a green line painted on the footpath (approximately a 10-minute walk). To get from the airport to Auckland city you can choose from the SkyBus, AirportLink bus, or a taxi and ride-sharing services - available outside of the terminal.
AKL located near Māngere, a residential suburb 21 km (13 miles) south of the Auckland city centre. Three other airports in Auckland area — Ardmore Airport AMZ, RNZAF Base Auckland MHB, and North Shore Aerodrome — are smaller airports primarily used for private and charter flights, flight training and other aviation-related services.
Flights to Auckland
from United States and Canada
- There are no direct flights from the US or Canada to Auckland. However, most major hubs in Asia have non-stop flights to Auckland, as do some larger airports in the Middle East – your journey will have at least one stop. Direct flights from the US and Canada to Auckland are about 13-18 hours long (or just about 9 hours if departing from Honolulu). When opting for a nonstop flight, American travelers can only choose from a limited range of flight operators: Air New Zealand (from Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, and Vancouver), Air Canada (from Vancouver), American Airlines (from Dallas and Los Angeles), United Airlines (from Chicago, Houston, New York, and San Francisco), Delta Air Lines (from Los Angeles), Hawaiian Airlines (from Honolulu), and Qantas (from Dallas)
- Auckland is well-served via one-stop flights from North America. Flights to Auckland with one layover depart from most major North American airports, including Atlanta
ATL, DallasDFW, DenverDEN, ChicagoORD, Los AngelesLAX, Las VegasDFW, MiamiMIA, SeattleSEA, HoustonIAH, New YorkJFK, and San FranciscoSFOin the United States and TorontoYYZ, VancouverYVR, CalgaryLAS, and MontrealYULin Canada. - The best airlines to fly to Auckland from the US and Canada are: Air Canada, Air New Zealand, Air Tahiti Nui, American Airlines, ANA, Cathay Pacific, Emirates, Fiji Airways, Hawaiian Airlines, Korean Air, Qantas, Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines, and United Airlines. They are top full-service carriers, offering exceptional customer service, in-flight comfort, a generous checked baggage allowance, and reliable customer support channels – all included in the ticket price.
40–80% off flights to Auckland
from North America
Get SuperDeals curated by our travel experts:
What is the best time to book flights to Auckland?
The best time to book flights to Auckland is between 2 to 8 months before your travel date. The prime booking window (the most likely time to find the bargains) for Auckland flights is 4–6 months before takeoff. Book when you notice a significant drop in price.
Airfare prices for Auckland flights fluctuate due to demand, seasonal trends, and competition, causing numerous price drops and increases as your departure date approaches. The airlines use sophisticated revenue management systems to adjust pricing for optimal seat sales.
Generally, as seats are sold, prices tend to become more expensive.
Don’t book too early
Most airlines start selling their flights 9–12 months in advance. However, booking a ticket too early in that window can be an expensive mistake – airlines typically start by setting prices at a relatively high level to capture early demand from those willing to pay more to secure their seats.
Peak seasons are expensive
Peak travel seasons are always expensive – due to higher base prices set by airlines for dates they expect to be popular. Try to avoid the high season during summer and major holidays including holidays in New Zealand. If you must travel during peak times, book your flight well in advance.
Avoid last minute
Avoid booking flights to Auckland less than 30 days before takeoff. Prices spike sharply then, as airlines are taking advantage of any last-minute travelers who have no choice but to pay up.
Prime Booking Window
For long-haul flights to Auckland, the best time to book your ticket is around 4–6 months before departure. This is the “Prime Booking Window.” After some seats have already been sold, airlines start dropping prices to stimulate demand. They may also offer promotions and sales. This is the ideal time for bargain hunting.
Fly on weekdays
It makes a difference which day of the week you board the plane. Midweek travel (especially Tuesdays and Wednesdays) is less busy and likely cheaper than flying on weekends. Airlines charge higher prices for weekend travel due to the high demand from people going on short getaways or visiting family and friends.
Opt for early morning flights
To save on airfare, select a late night or early morning (1–5 a.m.) flight. Airlines often offer discounts on their first flight of the morning (up to 15-20%) simply because of lower demand—most people are not willing to go to the airport so early. Moreover, morning flights tend to have fewer delays, and airport queues are usually shorter.
Flights to Auckland from Europe
- There are no direct flights from Europe to Auckland — you’ll need to get a connecting flight from elsewhere in the Middle East or in Asia. It's a long trip from Europe to Auckland (over 18,000km/11,000 miles and 25-35 hours of flight time), so all airlines plan at least one stop en route. Choose your airline wisely - look for exceptional in-flight experience and comfortable seats. For the long-haul flights from European countries to Auckland we recommend Air New Zealand, Cathay Pacific, Emirates, Qantas, Singapore Airlines, and Qatar Airways.
- Airlines that frequently fly from the UK, Germany, France, and other European countries to Auckland include Air New Zealand, American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, China Southern Airlines, Emirates, Korean Air, Malaysia Airlines, Qantas, Royal Brunei, Singapore Airlines, Qatar Airways, and Thai Airways.
- Consider departure airports in neighboring countries to increase your chance of spotting the best deal. Especially look for large airports that serve as hubs for multiple airlines. For example, if you live in Western Europe, check air tickets to Auckland from Amsterdam, Frankfurt, London, Madrid, Paris, and Rome. Leverage frequent promotions from European budget carriers like RyanAir, EasyJet, and Eurowings to reach a major hub; from there, take a cheaper long-haul flight to your final destination, potentially saving hundreds of euros.
40–80% off flights to Auckland
from Europe
Get SuperDeals curated by our travel experts:
The cheapest time to fly to Auckland
The cheapest time to fly to Auckland is during the low season – June through October. These months are considered the winter season in New Zealand, with shorter daylight hours and much lower temperatures than during the summer months of December, January, and February (high season). The off-peak tourist season sees fewer visitors, and because prices are dictated by supply and demand, typically, you can find some fantastic deals on airline tickets to Auckland, accommodation, rental vehicles, and activities.
The shoulder months from March to May and September to November are also good options to fly to Auckland as they offer pleasant temperatures and mostly sunny days but still thin tourist crowds and lower airfares.
To travel in peace, try to avoid school holidays – the two-week periods at the end of July and October, and popular “red days” such as Waitangi Day (8 February), Anzac Day (26 April), Easter, Christmas, and New Year’s Day. If you really have to travel to Auckland during these peak periods, it’s wise to book the flights well in advance.
South Pacific time travel (the international date line)
The international date line (IDL) is an imaginary line on the Earth’s surface that stretches from the North Pole to the South Pole, running through the middle of the Pacific Ocean. It roughly follows a 180-degree longitude and defines the border between one day and the next.
When you cross the ID westward, you gain a day, and if you are traveling eastward, you lose a day. It may seem like you are moving forward or backward in time, but obviously, you’re just adjusting to a different time zone.
IDL is not a straight line, though. It zig-zags back and forth across the Pacific Ocean, so it is not always at the same longitude. Starting from the north, it passes west of the Hawaiian Islands and east of the Marshall Islands. As it moves further south, it reaches the Pacific island nation of Kiribati and makes a major deviation east to encompass the Kiribati and Line Islands. Then it passes between Samoa and American Samoa, keeping the former west and the latter east of the IDL. It then stays parallel to the meridian, keeping to the east of the line so that Fiji, Tonga, and New Zealand are all west of the IDL.
Prearrange your New Zealand visitor visa
Passport holders from most countries need a visa to come to New Zealand, even if they are just visiting the country for a short holiday. You might even need a visa to transit through New Zealand to another destination.
The visa must be obtained before traveling to Auckland from abroad. You can do this electronically via the New Zealand Immigration website, or your travel agent can arrange this for you.
Book domestic flights on airnewzealand.co.nz
When booking Air New Zealand flights, always use its website located at the co.nz domain – irrespective of where you are based.
It’s surprising, but often the domestic flights listed at airnewzealand.co.nz are much cheaper than on the .com, .eu, .co.uk and com.sg sites (sometimes you can save 50% of the ticket price or more). Book your flight on airnewzealand.co.nz when flying to Auckland!
Qantas Explorer Pass: discounted domestic fares in New Zealand
Are you planning to visit more destinations after arriving in Auckland? The Qantas Explorer Pass can be an excellent way to save some money. With this pass, you can book multiple domestic flights in Australia or New Zealand at discounted rates – great for hopping between some of the region’s most iconic cities, beaches, and landscapes.
The Qantas Explorer Pass allows travelers to create their personalized itinerary with multiple stopovers, choosing from over 30 destinations, including major cities such as Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane, as well as Auckland, Christchurch, and Wellington. However, the pass is only available for domestic flights within Australia or New Zealand – you can’t use it to fly internationally between the two countries.
To access the Qantas Explorer Pass, you must be traveling from overseas to Australia or New Zealand with Qantas. Use the airline website to book your international flight to Auckland, and choose the multi-city option to get access to Explorer Pas cheaper fares.
Traveling from Auckland to Micronesia, Melanesia and Polynesia
The Pacific Islands can be divided into three main groups based on physical geography and cultural significance:
- Micronesia (“small-islands”). Located north of Papua New Guinea. It includes Federated States of Micronesia (the Caroline Islands), Guam, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Northern Mariana Islands, and Palau.
- Melanesia (“black-islands”). Anchored north of Australia, and bordering Indonesia to the east, this region includes Fiji, New Caledonia, Norfolk Island, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu.
- Polynesia (“many-islands”): This large triangular area of the east-central Pacific Ocean includes American Samoa, Cook Islands, Easter Island, French Polynesia, Hawaiian Islands, Line Islands, New Zealand, Niue, Samoa, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, Wallis and Futuna.
Hawaii, Fiji, French Polynesia, and Easter Island are the most well-connected Pacific Islands and act as hubs when flying from Asia (especially Korea, Taiwan, and Japan), Australasia and the USA. The poorly connected island countries like Samoa, Tonga, Kiribati, or Tuvalu are best visited via these main hubs.
Please note that the whole region is expensive to get around. Once you get there, costs can quickly add up to well above that in your home country, especially if you require comforts and imported products (on islands everything comes by plane or by ship).
Arriving and transiting in Auckland, the easy way
Arriving in Auckland with Air New Zealand is pretty straightforward (see this guide).
When transferring to a domestic flight, there’s no need to drag your bags to the domestic terminal. Instead, after collecting them off the plane and exiting customs and immigration, you can check them in at “Zone A” of the international terminal. The bags will be transferred to your domestic flight.
Likewise, if you are flying abroad from an NZ domestic airport, you can ask for your bags to be checked through to your final destination.
Long waiting times when calling the helpline?
Social media is usually a faster way to reach the airline when a problem arises. Use Twitter or Facebook Messenger to contact the airline customer service and get a response and solution within minutes (see detailed guides for Air New Zealand, Qantas, Virgin Australia, Jetstar, and others).
When it comes to Twitter there’s one more trick to get in touch with the airline faster: mention the airline in a tweet about your issue (add “@airline_handle”, for example: “@FlyAirNZ” if contacting Air New Zealand). The social media team will often notice it immediately, ask you for a direct message, and respond privately.
Domestic flights from Auckland
Most domestic routes in New Zealand are operated by local carriers. When traveling to popular tourist destinations such as Queenstown, Wellington, and Christchurch, Rotorua, Dunedin, Nelson, Napier from Auckland Airport, you’ll likely fly with one of these domestic airlines: Air New Zealand, Jetstar, Sunair, Barrier Air, Stewart Island Flights, Air Chathams, Golden Bay Air, Origin Air, and Sounds Air.
This is often the best transportation method, providing speed, convenience, and cost-effectiveness. Local airlines often offer multiple daily flights to key destinations, providing flexibility in scheduling and competitive pricing. They also serve smaller regional airports, enabling access to a wider range of New Zealand destinations.
Flights to Auckland
from major hubs in Asia
- Many popular tourist destinations in Asia Pacific have convenient direct flights to/from Auckland: Bali
DPS, GuangzhouCAN, Hong KongHKG, Kuala LumpurKUL, SeoulICN, ShanghaiPVG, SingaporeSIN, TaipeiTPE, and TokyoNRT - Asia is probably the best continent for short-haul and mid-haul flying. The sheer scale of this most populous region on Earth is reflected in the type of aircraft operating many shorter routes: intra-Asia flyers benefit from comfortable, wide-bodied aircraft by the likes of Boeing 777, 787 or Airbus A350, A330, and A380. When booking your flight to Auckland look for these bigger planes as they will almost always give you the best experience in every cabin, including better seat pitches, higher ceilings, and larger overhead bin space.
- Asia is also home to most of the world’s best airlines. There are only ten airlines that received the prestigious 5-star mark of quality from Skytrax, and all of them are from Asia: ANA, Asiana Airlines, Cathay Pacific, EVA Air, Garuda Indonesia, Japan Airlines, Korean Air, Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines. Choosing one of these airlines for your trip to Auckland will guarantee a pleasant journey – delicious meals served during the flight, great in-flight entertainment, and above-average airline customer service.
- Asia is extremely well served by low-cost regional airlines. If you are visiting New Zealand and want to see several other countries on a tight budget, they often have great sales with rock-bottom prices, while still offering a relatively comfortable flight experience. Among the best Asian budget airlines you can book without hesitation are AirAsia, Cebu Pacific, Citilink, FlyDubai, Indigo, Jetstar Airways, Scoot, SpiceJet, and VietJet Air. The cons? Being no-frills airlines they may not provide free baggage allowance, inflight meals, or onboard entertainment. The departure times may also be quite inconvenient as they try to save money by flying at off-peak hours.
40–80% off flights to Auckland
from Asia
Get SuperDeals curated by our travel experts:
Flights to Auckland dataset
