Air Asia X has enriched the world’s growing list of budget airlines and is very likely to please many in the Nelson Tasman area, as well as a number of Europeans going to New Zealand.
A very pleasant side effect for cities without the experience of low-cost airlines is that tourists tend to flock to these cities and take advantage of low traveling costs. This is the case now for Christchurch, New Zealand, which would have been attracting far more visitors in recent years if it were not for the distance and, subsequently, for the cost of getting there.
Air Asia X will be offering something New Zealanders have never had the chance to experience before: return trips to Europe for around a thousand US dollars. This also means that Europeans will be able to get to New Zealand for a fraction of the price they used to have to pay. The trip generally costs more than double.
It will soon be possible to get to certain Asian cities for under a hundred US dollars, meaning that the emerging huge Chinese market has more reason to visit Christchurch and, subsequently, other areas of New Zealand.
The new budget airline will be offering special prices for the trip alone. Meals and extra baggage will be charged at other rates. This is unlikely to bother New Zealanders hoping to cash in on inbound tourists and Asian and European tourists hoping to visit New Zealand.