By Lorna Thornber of 
Photo: 123rf
Some 55,000 people are set to fly into or out of Auckland Airport on the busiest days over the July school holidays, with this weekend expected to be especially hectic for both international and domestic departures.
Friday, Saturday and Sunday are shaping up to be the busiest days for international departures, and Thursday, Friday and 12 July for domestic departures, the airport said.
The busiest dates for international arrivals are towards the end of the holiday period, from 19 to 21 July. Domestic arrivals will be particularly busy on Thursday, Friday and 12 July.
Auckland Airport chief operations officer Chloe Surridge said Australia is by far the most popular international destination over the holiday period, followed by China, the US and Fiji.
"That's driven by a mix of people using the school holiday break to go further afield to catch up with friends and family, or to hit the northern hemisphere tourism sights where the weather is warm.
"Locally, Christchurch, Wellington and Queenstown are the top three destinations from Auckland."
Wellington is also gearing up for a busy school holiday period, with head of operations Matthew Palliser saying around 290,000 seats are expected to be available on aircraft operating over that period. An airport spokesperson said flights are expected to be "pretty full".
Friday, 12 July looks set to be the airport's busiest day, with 21,000 seats operated.
The most popular international destinations from Wellington over the school holidays are Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne.
Palliser said the airport had seen a big increase in demand for Brisbane these school holidays, with 80 percent more seats than during the same period last year.
"The new Qantas service is proving very popular," he said.
The most popular domestic destinations from Wellington are Auckland, Christchurch, Queenstown and Dunedin, and there is increased demand this year for seats to Gisborne and Taupō.
Jetstar expects to fly more than 120,000 people across its domestic and international networks over the July school holidays.
The Gold Coast is a popular destination for people flying with Jetstar. Photo: 123rf
The low-cost carrier's most popular international routes are Auckland to Brisbane, the Gold Coast and Melbourne. Its most popular domestic services are Auckland to Christchurch, Wellington and Queenstown.
Air New Zealand had not yet responded to a request for comment on its passenger numbers over the school holidays by deadline.
Meanwhile, Flight Centre said bookings for families for the July school holidays are 10 percent higher than they were for the same period last year, although a government crackdown on truancy had led to lower bookings during term time.
Flight Centre New Zealand general manager Heidi Walker said that, while stage one of the government's plan to crack down on attendance had only recently come into place, many parents appear to be following the rules already.
"Family bookings over the school holiday period always skyrocket, but what's most interesting is the decline in bookings from this segment during the school term.
"What some of our customers are telling us is that many schools across the country now have firm rules against taking kids out of school for travel that's not deemed as crucial."
The most popular destinations for Flight Centre customers over the holidays are perennial family favourites such as Fiji, Rarotonga and the Gold Coast.
"Bali, London, LA and Hawaii also have strong booking numbers from our family customers," Walker said.
At Auckland Airport, construction of the new domestic jet terminal has led to temporary access changes.
"Shutting up shop isn't an option for an airport, so we've got to get the work done while staying fully operational," Surridge said. "That means temporary changes to access in and around the terminal. We are working hard to minimise the disruption as much as possible and we appreciate your patience as we upgrade the airport."
Recent changes include a new walkway between terminals, which skirts building works, and the opening of the ground floor of the Transport Hub at the international terminal with its separate lanes for public drop-offs and pick-ups, taxis, shuttles and rideshare services, and buses and valet services.
New walkways connect the international terminals to the pick-up zone for taxis, shuttles and rideshares. Some have found these overly long - if you think you might struggle, you can catch the blue shuttle bus outside arrivals door 11.
A shuttle bus also operates every 15 minutes between the domestic and international terminals.
- This story was originally published by Stuff.
