More new Pacific Blue trans-tasman flights

[Steve Jones]

Pacific Blue ups the anti on flights to Aust

The scrap for travellers' dollars will intensify further, with Pacific Blue announcing it is to start new trans-Tasman services from September.

The Christchurch-based airline, a subsidiary of Virgin Blue, on Wednesday said it would be adding routes to Sydney from Queenstown and Wellington, and to Brisbane from Dunedin, to its timetable.

Last week it announced it would also be flying from Hamilton to Australia from September - three flights a week to Sydney and three to Brisbane.

The new services are two flights a week between Queenstown and Sydney, three flights between Dunedin and Brisbane, and three flights between Wellington and Sydney.

Virgin Blue Group CEO Brett Godfrey said that when the new services started, Pacific Blue would have international flights from six New Zealand airports - the others being Auckland and Christchurch - which was more than any other airline.

The airline's annoucement came on the same day as rival low cost airline Jetstar officially launched its entry into the New Zealand domestic market.