Rugby league fans sell out special Air NZ Vegas flight in minutes – Australian Aviation

Victor Pody shot this Air New Zealand 777-300, ZK-OKQ.

A special Air New Zealand rugby league charter flight to Las Vegas has sold out in under 20 minutes.

Flight NZ1995, named for the New Zealand Warriors’ inaugural year, was available as part of a package deal including tickets to four rugby games to be held in Vegas early next year. Departing Auckland on 25 February and returning 4 March, it will be operated by a Boeing 777-300.

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Tickets went on sale at 11am New Zealand time on Wednesday and were gone just over a quarter of an hour later, said Air New Zealand chief customer and sales officer Leanne Geraghty.

“Our purpose is connecting New Zealanders with each other and the world… and, it turns out, the Wahs,” she said.

“It was fantastic to have such a great response from fans, with our Grabaseat packages selling out in a record 17 minutes.”

The four-game festival will be held at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on Saturday 1 March local time, and will feature four matches: Canberra Raiders vs New Zealand Warriors, Penrith Panthers vs Cronulla Sutherland Sharks, Wigan Warriors vs Warrington Wolves, and Australian Jillaroos vs England Women’s.

One NZ Warriors CEO Cameron George said the flight, which will include on-board activities for passengers, will give fans the chance to be “part of history”.

“Everyone knows how amazing our supporters are. They prove it week in, week out, no matter where we play,” he said.

“Now they have the opportunity to be part of what’s certain to be a truly special experience in Las Vegas.”

The Warriors-themed flight is not the first time that Air New Zealand has run a special-event service, with several trans-Tasman hops operating in February this year to carry Taylor Swift fans.

The carrier put on extra return flights – some of which bore the flight number NZ1989, referencing her birth year and one of her albums – from Wellington, Christchurch, and Auckland to Sydney and Melbourne, as well as adding seats on existing flights.

The move was made to cope with an anticipated surge in demand from Kiwis snubbed by the songstress’ Eras Tour, which bypassed the Land of the Long White Cloud entirely, and was followed by Qantas also adding 16 extra flights from Christchurch and Wellington to Sydney and Melbourne.