Air NZ chief operational officer discusses operational details for Auckland-Chicago service

Air New Zealand chief operational integrity and standards officer David Morgan commented on operational details for Auckland-Chicago service scheduled to launch on 30-Nov-2018 (NZ Herald, 29-Nov-2018). Mr Morgan said the challenge will be the return service to Auckland, with an additional flight time of 90 minutes. He noted a preference to refuel and crew change at intermediary points such as Nadi rather than cancelling a service due to poor weather, as delays would put crew over their maximum work hours. Mr Morgan also suggested hotter temperatures in Chicago would require greater runway length and thrust, thereby potentially restricting cargo payloads.