Watch: Air NZ flight experience as you never knew it

14th May 2020 By Staff Reporter | news@tourismticker.com | @tourismticker

Travellers on Air New Zealand flights around the country will experience a different level of service compared with pre-Covid-19 days.

Queuing, seating, eating – all will involve distancing and hygiene.

“We’ll be encouraging customers to check in for their flight via the Air New Zealand app,” general manager customer experience Nikki Goodman said.

When flyers arrive for check-in they will find that only every second self-service kiosk is operating to ensure social distancing.

There will also be floor markers for queuing at the check-in counters, service desks, bag drops and departure gates, and fewer travellers will board and disembark at a time.

“Inflight, we’ll be allocating seating to allow an empty seat between customers travelling alone,” Goodman said.

“We’ll do our best to keep families and some travelling companions together, so you may notice some people sitting together with no additional space.”

Food and beverage services will not be available until at least 25 May on flights within New Zealand to minimise contact between customers and cabin crew.

Nor will customers see the inflight magazine Kia Ora in seat pockets, or lollies.

Domestic lounges will re-open after May 25, but the self-service buffet will not be available, in favour of packaged snacks along with beverages and coffee stations.

Hand sanitiser will be available across the airport, kiosks, service desks and all aircraft for both customers and staff.

“High touch surfaces will be cleaned regularly, and we are taking extra steps to ensure all our aircraft, lounges and airports are cleaned throughout the day.

“Our jet aircraft are fitted with hospital-grade air systems that filter out viruses,” Goodman said.

The airline plans to operate about 20% of its usual domestic capacity during alert level 2, with flights to the majority of its domestic airports.

“It would be appreciated if customers could exercise a bit of patience as everyone gets used to this new way of travelling,” Goodman said.

We’d also advise allowing a little more time to navigate through the airport process and be mindful of social distancing requirements.

“Customers should not travel if they are unwell or have Covid-19 symptoms – flights can be changed free of charge if needed.”

Further details for alert level 2 can be found on the Covid-19 hub on the Air New Zealand website.

Customers travelling in the coming weeks will receive an email on their day of travel outlining what to expect before they fly and while onboard.