However, King believes the disruption won\u2019t be as bad for Kiwis. Unlike Australian flights to Europe, New Zealanders aren\u2019t limited to a stopover in Dubai; they can travel through the US and Asian hubs, including Singapore and Hong Kong.<\/p>\n
\u201cThose [airports] are still functioning … all of those routes are very far away from the conflict and war zone,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo yes, reorientate your flying, but it\u2019s not a big reorientation for most Kiwis.\u201d<\/p>\n
Although prices may rise in the short term, King also believes there will likely be \u201cattractive\u201d prices for routes over the Middle East up into Europe when the conflict is over.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you can defer your travel and think about those trips and wait for some price drops … there will be some very keen pricing from the Middle Eastern carriers because they are taking an enormous financial hit at the moment,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
King also expected security to be \u201ctweaked up a notch\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think you\u2019re going to have that increased awareness of who is travelling and why they are travelling,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
\u201cNew Zealand is relatively relaxed in the sense that we let visitors into our international airports, whereas around the globe, quite often there is a very strict quarantine and no visitors into airports, just passengers travelling. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe may well see that at a number of locations, particularly in the US, where clearly there\u2019ll be a period of heightened alert for anyone who is involved.\u201d<\/p>\n
King says it\u2019s unclear how long flight disruptions would last.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe reality is no one really knows,\u201d she says, adding that what gives her hope is seeing a resumption of some services out of Dubai and the use of highly advanced risk-assessment technology.<\/p>\n
While Kiwis will still be able plan holidays in Europe, King cautions risk levels \u201cwill be elevated because of what\u2019s going on in the Middle East\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe risk for New Zealanders is very different,\u201d she says. \u201cIf you\u2019re looking for safe-haven-type holidays … Asia, Australia and South America are very good at the moment. There are lots of viable options for people.\u201d<\/p>\n
Australian Industry Travel Association chief executive David Long also pushed back on comments that Australians should avoid booking flights to Europe, saying travellers should not cancel their trips. .<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are plenty of safe ways to get to Europe and the aviation sector has and will continue to adapt,\u201d he said in a written statement today. <\/p>\n
\u201cAsia is open and operating. We have flights coming out of the Middle East. There will be some delays and a bit more disruption than what we\u2019re used to but no one in the travel industry is going to put you in a place where it\u2019s unsafe.\u201d<\/p>\n
The New Zealand Government announced today it will pre-deploy NZ consular staff and two NZ Defence Force Planes to the region, to be ready to assist any civilian evacuation options when conditions allow.<\/p>\n