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Source: ONE News -
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New Zealand already has very liberal trade policies with Australia but moves are underway to make it easier for people to travel between the two countries.
Customs departments on both sides of the Tasman are making plans to get rid of much of the red tape required to fly transtasman.
Flights between New Zealand and Australia may yet be re-classified as domestic travel and if that happens airfares could fall.
But aviation experts say the saving will not be anywhere near the 30% being touted in some circles.
"It costs money to fly a plan across the Tasman. It costs miles. Seat mile costs are fairly high. There's insurance, there's fuel," says Peter Clark, an aviation commentator.
But clearing Customs would definitely save you time.
"I think everyone likes to travel efficiently, whether they're business or leisure travellers. So I think for everyone concerned the easier it is to travel across the Tasman the better," says Keith Sumner of Gilpin Travel.
Clark points out there will still be other checks on passengers.
"There's still going to be agricultural checks. There's still going to be immigration checks for some people travelling. We're still going to have the international travellers travelling across the Tasman," he says.
Customs told ONE News it has been in discussion with its Australian counterpart for some time and all options are being considered, including a system like Europe where visitors can travel through countries freely.
Until about 28 years ago you could fly between Australia and New Zealand without a passport. But we are unlikely to see that again, largely because of global aviation security requirements.
"I remember before they brought passports in it was a lot easier," says one traveller.
A report is due out later this year but it will be some time yet before any of these plans get off the ground.
