Though her boss chose her flight, she said it was a convenient and reasonable airline which allowed people more choice.

“It’s easier when you’ve got work stuff on,” she said.

“There’s more choice.”

Fellow passenger Glenn Hannah, from Kerikeri, said he was travelling to Auckland to pick up a car.

“I was going to book with Air New Zealand and my wife found this flight,” he said.

“It’s good to have competition.

“I will do it again and probably bring my son.”

Barrier Air will operate 22 trips each week between Kerikeri and Auckland, opening up competition and opportunities for Northland residents and visitors.

Barrier Air chief executive Grant Bacon said it was “an exciting thing for air travellers”.

A couple of days before the inaugural flight, it was already 80% full, which was “encouraging”, he said.

“We seem to be selling more and more seats every day.

“It’s quite a compelling option to fly as opposed to driving.

“The flight time is relatively short from Kerikeri.”

Bacon said the feedback from the market was that Bay of Islands residents wanted more choice, fair prices, and another option when Air New Zealand flights have been cancelled.

Kerikeri to Auckland fares start from $69 one way and voucher options are also available, he said.

The airline is best known in Northland for flying between Kaitāia and Auckland, after Air NZ stopped its northernmost service in 2015.

It flies almost 15,000 passengers a year between Kaitāia and Auckland and recently added extra flights on Friday and Sunday nights to allow for a weekend getaway.

“The reality is our Kaitāia service turned into a very strong route, and we have a lot of incentives we offer passengers to fly with us and avoid the Northland roads, and we want to do the same for Kerikeri,” Bacon said.

“The feedback we get from customers in Kaitāia is they are trying to avoid the roads.”

Bacon said if the Kerikeri service went well, the airline would consider expanding to Whangārei in the next 18 months to two years.

Air NZ regional affairs manager Jason Dawson said the national carrier welcomed competition and already competes daily on a number of domestic routes.

Jenny Ling is a news reporter and features writer for the Northern Advocate. She has a special interest in covering roading, lifestyle, business, and animal welfare issues.