 About 20,000 passengers are grounded as Air New Zealand cancels flights

 Airline said trans-Tasman flights to Australia to be scrapped until December 31 

 Move was prompted after Arden government said travel restrictions won't lift 
By BRETT LACKEY FOR DAILY MAIL AUSTRALIA
PUBLISHED: 06:31 GMT, 22 November 2021 | UPDATED: 07:49 GMT, 22 November 2021
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Air New Zealand has cancelled 1,000 flights to and from Australia until December 31
due to 'continued border uncertainty' between the two countries. 
At least 20,000 travellers have booked tickets on the flights, all of them expecting the
countries would reopen to each other before Christmas.
Jacinda Ardern's government has made recent statements that they would be unlikely
to lift harsh travel restrictions before the new year, throwing travel plans for families
and holidaymakers alike into chaos. 
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New Zealand's travel ban has been in place since July after Jacina Ardern slammed the
borders shut to Australians 

Air New Zealand chief customer and sales officer Leanne Geraghty said the airline
was left with little choice but to cancel the flights - dashing long-awaited reunion plans
for thousands. 

'This will be particularly tough news for families and friends who were hoping to catch
up over Christmas,' Ms Geraghty said. 

'I appreciate how difficult this news will be, but our hands are tied until border
restrictions ease, and we receive further clarity from the New Zealand Government.' 

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Customers who are affected should be able to get a refund or hold the fare cost in
credit for when flights resume, which the airline is banking on being in January. 

The airline's current flight schedule beyond December 31 remains in place and the
airline will continue to offer a very limited number of flights to and from Sydney and
Melbourne for those with travel exemptions or hotel quarantine places. 

New Zealand will adopt a new system of living with the coronavirus in the community
from December 3. 

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 Holiday reunion plans for thousands of Australian and New Zealanders with family across
the Tasman have been dashed by the refusal to lift travel bans despite high vaccination
rates (pictured: Sydney Airport in November)

Tough restrictions within the country are expected to be loosened and will allow
businesses to operate in its biggest city, Auckland, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said
on Monday.

New Zealand remained largely free of Covid cases until August but has been unable to
beat an outbreak of the Delta variant. 

Ms Ardern then abandoned an elimination strategy.

Auckland has been in lockdown for over 90 days, although some measures have
already been eased in recent weeks.

'Delta is here and not going away, but New Zealand is well set to tackle it because of
our high vaccination rates and our latest safety measures including the traffic light
system and Vaccine Pass,' Ms Ardern said in a statement.

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Ms Ardern (pictured) is lifting some of the toughest restrictions inside New Zealand on
December 3 but won't open the international border to Australia
The new system will rate regions as red, orange or green depending on their level of
exposure to Covid and vaccination rates. 

Auckland, the epicentre of the Delta outbreak, will start at red, making face masks
mandatory and putting limits on gatherings at public places.

Ms Ardern said about 83% of eligible New Zealanders are fully vaccinated, while 88%
have had their first shot.

The government previously said the country would drop lockdown measures and move
to the traffic-light system to manage outbreaks after 90% of the eligible population was
fully vaccinated.