Travel agents will be busy after Air NZ cancels Xmas flights
A travel agent says he's expecting to be flooded with calls after Air New Zealand cancelled flights over the holiday period affecting 14,000 people because of engine maintenance issues. A problem with some Rolls-Royce engines means they need frequent maintenance which has caused a significant backlog at its international plant. Air New Zealand says they thought the issues would be cleared by Christmas but it's still in the queue at the Rolls-Royce repair shop. It's been forced to cancel dozens of international flights in December and January between Auckland and Sydney and Auckland and Perth, and it has suspended its twice-weekly Christchurch to Perth service. Brent Thomas from House of Travel told Hamish Cardwell it will have a huge impact on a large number of customers.