Air ticket sales from Auckland to Queenstown spiked yesterday. Photo: ODT filesAir fares took off yesterday when Air New Zealand released extra seats following a shift in rules on social distancing from the government. There were 180,000 tickets released yesterday, with 160,000 available for under $50, leading to a record sales afternoon following Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announcing social distancing measures aboard aircraft were no longer required. Air New Zealand said more than 110,000 were "snapped up" compared with an average 31,000 per day before Covid-19. “As soon as the Government announced the removal of physical distancing demand was strong, with 70,000 seats sold in the first six hours."

Source: Otago Daily Times September 15, 2020 00:33 UTC