Air fare wars: Jetstar unveils 75,000 domestic fares for $25

Brian from New Lynn

Jetstar has struck back at Air New Zealand's pricing shake-up by slashing its own fares - offering 75,000 domestic flights for just $25.
The airline is offering a range of cheap fares from March 1-8 to destinations around the country. This promotion comes in the same week that Air New Zealand announced its biggest pricing shake-up in a decade. Earlier this week, the national carrier confirmed that it would offer 750,000 seats a year for less than $50 each. Jetstar's response today set the stage for an all-out price war between the two airlines - with customers the big winners. "We've been the low fares leader for domestic fares in New Zealand for nearly a decade," Jetstar chief customer officer Catriona Larritt said. "Last year we sold nearly 600,000 domestic fares for under $50." Flights included in the latest Jetstar promotion include $25 fares between Christchurch and Wellington, Auckland and Christchurch, and Wellington and Nelson. "Whether it's visiting family and friends or exploring somewhere new in New Zealand, this is a chance for Kiwis to grab a really small fare in a really big sale," Larritt said. This move also comes off the back of Jetstar reiterating its pledge to beat any fares by a competing airline on a similar flight by 10 per cent - meaning that astute deal hunters could get an even better deal than the prices promoted by the likes of Air New Zealand or third-party flight search sites. In addition to the shake-up of regional flight pricing, Kiwi travellers also got some good news on the international front this week, with the announcement that Air Canada would be operating a seasonal direct route between Auckland and Canada. The flights on Air Canada will operate out of Auckland on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday. A special introductory deal sees the fares selling as low as CDN$1387 (NZ$1541) for a round-trip.
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