Thompson says Air New Zealand is becoming less reliant on London for feed from other European destinations, thanks to European interline traffic connecting to its flights in Los Angeles and San Francisco. This has been particularly noticeable as the carrier has boosted its flights into the U.S. West Coast gateways.

The Cathay deal and the Hong Kong-London cut are the latest steps in a wide-ranging overhaul of Air New Zealand’s international operation. The carrier had previously hinted that new airline partnerships would be announced this year as part of the international review. Thompson says the carrier is not currently working on any other partnerships aside from the Cathay deal, but is always on the lookout for opportunities.