Freedom Air Airbus A320-200

"Really, really small fares".

That was the slogan of Air New Zealand's low cost subsidiary Freedom Air. Ahh, Freedom Air. Established in 1995 to compete against Kiwi International Airlines, Freedom Air lasted until 2008 and operated primarily international and a few domestic services. However, the domestic services would be cut on 22 September 2002. Freedom Air was a subsidiary of Mount Cook Airline, wo in turn was a subsidiary of Air New Zealand when they launched on 8 November 1995.
The airline was mostly known for their cheap trans-Tasman services on routes that Air New Zealand probably wouldn't operate, such as Palmerston North to Gold Coast, Hamilton to Brisbane, and Dunedin to Gold Coast, just to name a few.

Sadly, the airline would be no more, as on 6 September 2007, Air New Zealand announced overhauls to their trans-Tasman network, including starting from 30 March 2008, Air New Zealand would replace Freedom Air's trans-Tasman routes for better passenger comfort and better customer experiences. And so it was. On 30 March 2008, the final flights of Freedom Air took off and landed for the final time. There was only one A320 remaining in Freedom Air colours, ZK-OJO, however the final Freedom Air flights would be operated by ZK-OJM, who operated Wellington to Coolangatta as SJ0943, and Coolangatta to Hamilton as SJ0928. Once the nation of the long white cloud woke up the next day, the airline that helped reduce the cost of hopping across the ditch was no more.

ZK-OJK: 2005 Airbus A320-232 | Freedom Air | Currently: In active service with Air New Zealand

You can read more about Freedom Air on this really cool blog that covers most airlines in New Zealand here: http://3rdlevelnz.bl...-airscape.html
It's actually one of the biggest inspirations to create this album!