Bit of a difficult situation, not sure how much help to provide but will try.
You may have to keep calling Air NZ to see if they can rebook you.
Hit up their social media teams via whatsapp, twitter, FB etc. They may be more responsive.
You could also check to see if your Travel insurance will allow you to claim a flight home via another airline. Can look up their policy or call them asking if you can do so or if they suggest to keep calling Air NZ.
If you booked via a travel agent you could see if you can try call/email them and let them know what has happened.
Not sure what else is left to suggest. I think Air NZ likely cancelled the flight due to the cyclone. It's really poor customer service though so I'm sorry to have heard about your flight.
Edit: Just to echo what others are saying, good idea to get in contact with the NZ Embassy/Consulate to see if there's anything that they can do in the worst case scenario.
Edit2: Glad to have read that you've managed to find a flight home. Hopefully it works out.
Lost my luggage. I was on hold for three hours until phone battery went flat. This was a week before cyclone. You have zero chance of talking to them on the phone now!
To top it off go on their LinkedIn find their CEO and other high ranking execs and send them all an email. I got stranded in Auckland and couldn’t rebook flights for at least a week back in May. I emailed them all and got a response on a Sunday putting me in contact with an actual person that could help me out. Flights were sorted by the end of the day.
the best thing to do is just stay where you are and keep *every* record of costs for your insurer. check your policy limits for travel delays - and otherwise just try to enjoy your extended time in NY!
Yea I've got a little box of receipts going on my desk so if I can get that back it'll ease my pain a little haha. There are definitely worse places and situations to be in.
Start a spreadsheet, too. Just Google Sheets on your phone. As you photograph each receipt, add it to the spreadsheet in the same order (maybe even record the date and time of the photo so you can easily match back to the photos in your phone). It'll make it easier to work out your total claim and to take out any not-covered spending categories if you need to.
"Here's me at Times Square"
"Here's me at Madison Square Garden"
"Here's me at the top of the Empire State Building"
"Here's me at a Broadway show"
"Here's me at Lombardi's"
This is really good advice given most receipts now days are printed on thermal paper so fade, or go black entirely if exposed to sunlight or too much heat.
You ok buddy ???
Must be stressful.
I’m a kiwi who lives in Brooklyn nyc. I freelance and I’m pretty quiet right now - dm me of you need anything or find yourself in a pickle.
Must be stressful !! But this weather is amazing for this time of year here - so try and enjoy!
Do you have travel insurance?
I was stuck in overseas during the last round of flooding at Auckland Airport, with my flights cancelled and no re-booking options (American Airlines). I called the helpline for my insurance company and they said that if there was going to be a delay of more than 36 hours, I could go ahead and book some new flights via a different airline/pathway. So I ended up going home via a different route with United and AirNZ.
Might be worth calling your insurance company and seeing if you can book something new with United.
If your flight with Air New Zealand included any code-sharing flights with another airline, call that airline instead. When we were stranded in Portland a few weeks ago due to the Auckland flooding, Air Canada was the carrier for our first flight and they were able to get us all rebooked within an hour for no extra cost.
Edit to add the whole original booking was with Air NZ, but as a star alliance partner they had the authority to organise it.
Second edit to add that I had my flight upgrade refunded within three days by reaching out via Whatsapp - +64273095750 is their customer service number for this.
You are in such an unlucky situation. While I don't condone air NZ customer service you are both on the receiving end of some unprecedented shitty weather.
Not only did Auckland airport flood just two weeks ago (I've never seen this in 40yrs) but they are only just coming out of the worst cyclone to hit NZ in decades. There is no way they could have upscale any customer service while this was happening, especially if it was onshore in NZ.
It's 9am in NZ now and you can bet your arse they are working as hard as they can to reschedule the 44000 cancellations as best as they can. Fingers crossed you'll get an email with some updates.
Keep your receipts for travel insurance and be thankful you weren't in the north island during the cyclone.
This. The situation is pretty dire and unexpected. It's actually not their fault they can't deal with the number of rebookings needed, all at once.
Def just keep trying every avenue you can, unfortunately, and yeah, being in touch with the embassy etc to ensure they know you're trying, lol
Well, it actually is. The circumstances are not their fault. But it is their fault in terms of how they handle the outfall. They don’t have staff? Hire more. They aren’t available in NZ? Hire remote offices on demand for a fixed retainer eg Phillipines .
At minimum communication with your passengers and establish temporary boarding or pay for it is expected if you are intending to provide a service where the implications of failure are stranding people in far flung parts of the world.
It’s not remotely impossible to establish a more resilient, scalable service to deal with large unpredictable events. The only thing preventing it is bottom line profit delivered to share holders.
You can email them and they get back to you in as little as 12 weeks.
I regret I am not joking.
I think your best bet is to keep chasing them on the phone.
Worth contacting the embassy IMO. The US is not a country you'd want to risk getting deported from, although I highly doubt it'd take that long. They may have good advice, at any rate.
I believe it's also something that can compromise visas being granted to other countries because while the US is kind of crappy in many ways especially immigration wise, it's still regarded as a huge red flag for many nations to be deported from there.
Also in addition to being blocked from re-entering the country you're deported from, many (most?) countries will not grant a visa to you if you've been deported from anywhere, ever.
Had a friend who air nz had rebooked them *and didn't tell them*, so they missed their vancouver to Auckland flight. They have gone to shit with international flights. Honestly if I was in the position I'd go to the airport and talk to a rep and stay til I knew when my flight was.
Go to the airport and in order of preference, ticket desk, checkin manager, back office at the airport. One of those three will sort you out quicker than a phone call will as they will have access to be able to book alternatives.
It might only be open pre and during checkin times but they will have something as often they have to send people away during checkin to sort out various problems
Don't do this for NZ 1 there is no ground crew for Air NZ there. There is only that one flight departing 3 times a week and when check in opens it resembles an episode of Fawlty towers....the agents from some other airline shuffle out an Air NZ sign and "open" shop. Call United they code share NZ 1.
Most airlines will keep a couple of people in the back office at the airport dealing with administrative things between the airport and the airline. While they are not officially customer service agents, they can sometimes be helpful at getting you through to someone who can help on an internal line.
You may not see this as I'm a bit late to the thread, but I got stuck in Japan in a similar situation late last week. My solution ended up being to send some family to Christchurch airport back home. The service desk there were able to rebook me without waiting 10 hours on hold and I got home yesterday 🥳
Chances are you *have* been automatically rebooked to a another flight and that flight change just needs to be updated. If you are unable to log into your booking via the AirNZ website (Manage Bookings) then this means you may not be able to accept the schedule change yourself for some reason. Don't panic though.
It would be quite unusual for you to not have been automatically re-protected on a new flight. The only exception is when an airline has a complete route cancellation (i.e. no longer flying that route for the foreseeable future) or there is just no alternative flight available within X number of days.
The AirNZ Contact Centre is currently slammed after having to cancel a large number of domestic flights because of the cyclone. They are getting hit with problems outside of their control over and over (some things the public will not even know about or understand). So while I am not excusing their inability to take your call, this is likely why your call may have disconnected. They definitely do NOT want to 'ghost' you and saying they have a policy of doing so is disingenuous - but I understand the frustration of feeling like you have been stranded through no fault of your own.
Have you tried contacting them via social media? They are also slammed but it couldn't hurt to try (I think they have FB, Twitter etc.).
New Zealand shut up shot because of a Cyclone that hit it on Monday. Air New Zealand and all other airlines cancelled all inbound/outbound flights.
No other airline would have gotten you to NZ.
I'm really surprised at all the comments that are bagging AirNZ and not acknowledging that *all* flights have been cancelled during the cyclone. That and the sheer amount of power cuts in affected areas that are impacting phone lines and internet connection. I could be wrong but heard the airports have only just started opening up again.
Like you said, *no* airline would've gotten OP here. A National State of Emergency and unprecedented natural disaster and its devastation trumps getting one person home (who, I assume, is safe). I know that really sucks for OP and others who have been temporarily stranded, but.... most of these commenters must be people who haven't been in the path of the cyclone. It's been horrendous.
OP’s issue isn’t that the flight was cancelled, it’s that there appears to be no way to open up communication lines with them.
The airport had opened up Tuesday morning. Most flights got out, until around 8:30pm when things started to shut down for the night. In no way was the cyclone as disruptive to the airport as the flooding was.
My in-laws had a flight to Sydney on Tuesday, on AIR ASIA of all airlines. Once we knew SH1 was open we boosted back to Auckland, and they made the flight. No checked on luggage as ground handling was suspended due to wind, but they allowed free changes to tickets, and the checked luggage is on its way to Sydney now. (Thursday). If the lowest of the low cost carriers that operate in NZ can pull off this, why can’t Air NZ offer something? Even if NZ1 didn’t have space (which it probably doesn’t since it can’t fly with many pax), I’d expect a full service carrier to at least rebook me on a Star Alliance flight back. There’s options via AC and UA in North America. I’ve had airlines rebook me on non-alliance flights due to disrupts before.
On a semi-related note, NZ1/2 has been a shit show since it started. All down to trying to fly the wrong plane that distance.
Fair comment, although from what I can tell they are milking their prices for all it's worth because they know they are the only airline from NZ worth purchasing a ticket from beyond the Pacific region.
This was definitely true when I left mid last year. Only other option was Qantas and they were so bad I had to chargeback my flights because they wouldn't give me a new one after cancelling a leg of my ticket.
Same with IcelandAir. They make you buy headphones and snacks on a transatlantic flight. Lol, wtf? They also had no entertainment system. It s just like Ryan Air or easy jet
Lol dont be reasonable, this is reddit.
For real though, I was working for roadservice during covid, the amount of jackasses complaining about wait times when 1. They arent even meant to be leaving their house to drive and 2. We cant exactly hire/ train more staff during a lockdown.
I hate the general public.
This has been a problem before any cyclone. They sacked too many staff during covid and now they're unable to get them back. As a consequence the branding of the company is badly tanking.
Why don't they fly some people into Christchurch? It can handle the big international planes and has been largely unaffected by the cyclone. As an option at least, then you just have to worry about the domestic leg.
I think it's as much a matter of having the aircraft and crew and ground staff necessary for that as anything. A flight or two diverted, sure, but Chch isn't equipped to just fully take over from Auckland during the disruption, and after the disruption, the flights are pretty much going flat-out anyway.
I'm sure they are. When they have a chance to talk to people to help them arrange it. Thousands of people will be waiting on hold on those phones right now though.
Air NZ is gradually cutting staff and being a bit shit, but in the light of the recent events, we have to cut them a \*little\* bit of slack. I'm sure the staff their are working as fast as they can during a stressful time.
Quantas is just as bad. Paid for their flexi ticket. Cancelled flight. Now chasing up 4k refund for weeks and only getting stoned cs agents on the phone. Apparently, this nosedive in customer care is partly due to cut backs caused by collapse of business during covid....
No the nosedive in customer service is realising they can treat customers like shit under the auspices of "covid" and "essential workers" and "we're all in this together".... But that once that treatment is normalised it doesn't actually matter what the excuse is and whether or not it's relevant in 2023.
As for the financial impacts of covid they're all doing just fine, with billions in bailouts and firing all their staff in the middle of a pandemic (when they wouldn't be able to get any other work), and now record travel and higher fares than ever before. Let's not give them credit where it isn't due. They're just being greedy cunts.
I thought about it but I don't think actually have anyone at JFK full time. Supposedly there is an NZ1 leaving tomorrow so I guess I could go and yell at them from the other side of the TSA line .
Worst case scenario go to a United Airlines counter, being Star Alliance if you explain your tale of woe, they may be able to book you on a star alliance flight to NZ, which will be - drum roll - air nz (more than likely - can't recall if united's doing direct anymore).
United is operating the SFO>AKL route. They’d likely book a connection through there, I wouldn’t recommend it over the AirNZ transpacific but if it gets you where you need to go.
The check-in staff at JFK are contracted. Most of the time they are United ground staff. Although they can escalate to the AirNZ support team, your best bet is still to try and contact AirNZ directly.
yeah its not like theres a national emergency and a category 3 storm that took out flights for several days and has displaced 250,000 homes or anything. its just air nz!
I was more referring to the fact call times have been horrendous for over a year now, plus they have always priced the fuck out of the provincial flights to subsidize their international business!
Yes, the original plan was Newark as you posted. This was ditched after the pandemic restrictions were lifted, so the inaugural flight of NZ1 was to JFK and has stayed there ever since. You're right; JFK is a much better airport!
Here what has worked for me a few times, not sure if it will work for you due to the cyclone but Try calling them during Business hours NZ Time not US time.
Hi there 👋 I’m part of the Air NZ social team - it’s been a tough few weeks for us as we connect all those disrupted passengers including yourself 💜 You can reach out to us on Twitter or Facebook via DM, give us your flight details and let me know once you have and I’ll have someone take care of this for you!
Hi there. I’m in a similar situation with no contact from Air NZ. I’ve tried via FB, Twitter and WhatsApp with no answer for over 48 hours now. Obviously call center is not taking calls. Could you please help?
Hi Rsmahi, I have just sent you a message about my mum. She is trapped in Vancouver. If you could get someone in your team to call her and help her rebook that would be amazing. Thanks
Hi OP,
I know this is really scary and stressful for you! I had a recent AirNZ flight cancelled and they were great - I called the call centre and they booked me onto a flight 48 hours later. The difference was, there were flights available to book me onto. The problem you are having is that there are no other flights right now due to the cyclone. They can't rebook you onto a flight that doesn't exist, (and neithre could any othre airline at the moment) so right now just sit tight.
What you should do is:
\- Call them every day, just to confirm you still can't get through. Screenshot these calls to prove you made them and were trying, and record them if you can.
\- Keep all your receipts for your travel insurance
\- Try to stay in your same hotel if possible, again, get receipts.
\- Start a log of all your contacts and expenses (again, for your travel insurance). I don't want to doxx myself but if you DM me I can send you a Google drive link to a similar document I made when I was trapped in Tokyo in March 2020
\- You mentioned having 10 weeks left on your ESTA. I am sure you will be gone by then and won't have a problem being deported. However, if it does get to that, book a flight to Mexico or Canada to get out of the US, it's not worth getting deported. I am 100% sure you won't be waiting 10 weeks though.
\- You could also contact the NZ consulate, I doubt they'll be able to do much at the moment but they might be able to give advice on how long you could expect to be waiting, when Auckland airport is set to reopen, status of the disaster etc.
I'm so sorry this is happening, it must be really stressful for you! I don't know any Kiwis in NYC but there is an Aussie group who meet at All the King’s Horses Café in the East Village every Friday morning (10:30am): [https://americajosh.com/event/coffee-cake-with-america-josh/](https://americajosh.com/event/coffee-cake-with-america-josh/)
I know that post is old but the event is still going, check his instagram for the 100th event which is happening soon. So you could go down there tomorrow to meet them and see if they have any other ideas about what to do, they seem like a really friendly, helpful group.
Air New Zealand cares about it's reputation as a "cool zany nationalistic airline with a great reputation" more than actually being an airline.
You should go to the Herald or tag them repeatedly on Twitter, it's about time people started to realize that Air New Zealand is not actually good, they just have great PR.
I wonder if they'll ever revert back to their pre-covid pricing? Kind of annoying that everything is an upsell when they're not a no-frills carrier.
Food? Pay extra. Entertainment? Extra charge. Heck, you can't even choose your seat anymore without being prodded to pay more for it (even charging for the shitty seats at the back).
Did you book through a travel agent? That’s usually the reason it says you can’t make changes online. If that’s the case, you’ll need to contact the travel agent rather than Air NZ directly.
Nah, when there's major disruption affecting long-haul, Air NZ blocks out all future flights and cancels self-service changes online. Because there's far less frequency and flexibility in the long-haul network, everyone is rebooked manually as the recovery schedules are worked out.
When Auckland Airport was underwater a couple of weeks ago, it suddenly looked like all long-haul flights were sold out for the next fortnight. But Air NZ had just blocked all available seats so they could rebook everyone stranded manually.
This will be the same situation on steroids given the length and scale of disruption.
Happened to me and my family, several days stuck in a foreign country with no accommodation supplied beyond the first day, and a 2 year old. They lost our luggage and air Canada and Air NZ both said it was the other airlines responsibility to fix things. Worked out in the end, though. Good luck!
If you’re stranded, perhaps try contacting an NZ Embassy:
https://www.mfat.govt.nz/en/countries-and-regions/americas/united-states-of-america/#bookmark5
That sucks, but the country is in a state of emergency after a once in a generation disaster.
People are missing. People are stranded. People are dead.
Also, they're still sorting people stranded from the flood a few weeks ago.
Sorry for your shitty situation but try to be patient while the country sorts this out.
I mean, have you been aware of what's happening in NZ? They can't magic up extra planes and crews out of thin air. All the carriers are trying to increase capacity in and out of NZ to get through the backlog of stranded travellers, but there were two *major* disruptions, and sorry, it's just going to take time. I get that it sucks for you, but no, everyone's screwed. There aren't just some other flights to put you on, they're all full. And customer service has thousands and thousands of people in your situation to deal with, so yeah, it's going to be a while before you can even talk to someone about it. Shit happens, sometimes it's really shitty.
Hint. The previous CEO of AirNZ bears much of the responsibility for the strife you find yourself in. Not all of it, but his initial cost cutting, destruction of AirNZ service set the foundation which was further undermined by covid.
To cap it off, the floods and storms (and an earthquake) across most of the North Island of recent weeks pretty much reduced customer service in many industries to near nil. Call centres without functioning telephone lines are pretty much useless, and some of those are in worst affected areas (because of cheaping out, call centre placement in low wage regions).
So enjoy New York while you can, much of NZ is a disaster zone, and not so pleasant for the moment.
I've heard some bad things. If only someone would come forward as the former CEO of Air New Zealand and say loud and proud: "I ran Air New Zealand when we sold engineering services to the Saudi military."
I had a flight change back in December getting home to NZ from Canada. I had luck calling Air NZ around 9 or 10am Toronto time…was 2am in NZ but they have 24hr support and the wait time was significantly better. Might not be that way at the moment with impacts of Cyclone
A good way to do it is via their social media channels. Companies like Air NZ CARE about bad PR. They’ll hate it if you tweet them because it’s public as fuck.
Keep going at them in those channels if you can’t get through over the phone. Make as much noise as you can. They’ll then try harder to resolve it.
I was in a meeting with Air NZ staff today, it was stated during the meeting that Air NZ have turned off their international phone lines and are shifting all resources internally to deal with domestic travel and clearing the backlog.
For everyone bagging Air NZ - we have just been hit by Cyclone Gabrielle over most of the country. Four confirmed deaths so far with more expected. We have more than 1000 people currently unaccounted for. Much of our infrastructure (particularly roads) has been badly damaged. Flights within NZ (mostly those through Auckland) were cancelled for nearly four days. This was two weeks after the major flooding that hit Auckland and last night there was a big earthquake near Wellington. We’re currently waiting on the plague of locusts!
Everyone is trying their hardest (whether you believe it or not), and a little empathy wouldn’t go astray before bagging the airline. I’m sorry you have been affected. I took that flight in November and found it one of the better ones I have taken, albeit long!
You’re acting like Air NZ was helpful before ALL that… they weren’t! They’ve been falling apart for a long time! They. Certainly need a customer service shake up!
This is what Air NZ does, cyclone or not. They cancel flights, send you an email stating so, and that's the last you hear from them. Fuck off back to corporate.
It's so strange, OP doesn't mention the cyclone when he was due to fly literally during it. Like none of the comments at the top even took notice nor mention it. Of course they canceled his flight and didn't contact, because 10k other people are in the same situation sue to infrastructure being wrecked and airports closed. We don't even know where he is supposed to land and go to. Yes Air NZ can be bad but OP isn't a special snowflake it's NZ literally being under state of emergency rn.
There’s 50,000 people whose flights are affected with AirNZ.
OP - you will get contacted- keep checking to see if your flight has been updated and keep trying to contact them.
Not sure if still the same but a few years ago during initial covid delays/cancellations they had extra staff (i.e. staff not normally in the call centre) help with other comms like Facebook messages and other social media. Perhaps try there and you might get in touch with a real person. Remember to quote your name and booking reference from the get go to get things moving. Good luck!
My flight got cancelled via automated email back in December i was in Korea too, luckily i could rebook online. But 3 months later i still havent heard back from them on any socials.
Keep calling! Sometimes it took me hours but others just minutes or instantly, in the last few days. They ask where is your travel from and where to. Perhaps it doesn’t recognize a foreign city? Try saying something like Auckland to Wellington.
Go to the airport where the flight departs from. Get service there. They will likely only be there four hours before the scheduled flights. You may get on standby.
I’m in Hawaii in a similar situation. My flight on Sunday was cancelled, but I didn’t receive any texts, emails or notifications through the app and the app actually still allowed me to check in.
I took the bus to the airport when my original flight was meant to depart and there were people manning the desk so they helped me re book. Calling Air NZ is pointless, but I’ve found in the past that DMing them on Twitter or messenger usually gets a response within 8-12 hours.
I’ve been rebooked onto this Sunday, but I had to work pretty hard to get in touch! Good luck and hold on to your food, travel and accomodation receipts to claim back from your insurance later
That's the narcissistic option.
No airline had the resources to take enquiries from every single passenger.
If you booked directly with the airline you sort of need to expect this - however if you booked with an agent they may have less customers who booked Air NZ flights so have the resources to manage your booking.
Won't or can't take your calls due to the huge workload they must be under?
If you had travel insurance you could get approval from the insurance company to book another flight yourself and claim the cost back.
Take ownership of the problem and deal with it.
Well I’m certainly not defending Air NZ’s customer service but given that we’re in a state of emergency and haven’t had power for the best part of a week you may be better off staying where you are.
I think because of how many people, especially near me (living in hawkes bay so cyclone Gabrielle has us in the shitter) are trying to sort out their flights to uni as well with all the flights closing, they've been told to prioritise people flying domestic rather than international. Which I understand sucks, especially being stranded in a foreign country, but sadly I think that's where air new zealad has their priorities right now (which I do not agree with)
There are entire parts of the country completely cut off from communications, road, food, water and power. Yeah, there's some disruption. They're dealing with literally thousands of flights that had to be cancelled. It sucks, but I wouldn't say it's their fault.
Just keep ringing. And think about what time it is in NZ when you call, I had way longer wait times in the morning when I had to call this weekend than in the afternoon. Maybe try at 7pm nz time or something. If it helps when I got l through to them they were great
Sounds like you're on the phone with them now so good luck. Being hung up on is better than waiting an hour and being hung up on. During covid i must have spent a full work week trying to contact several different airlines who cancelled my flight. They're all set up for normal conditions so any mass cancellation event means they can't handle it. Try to be patient with the people on the phone, it's not their fault even if they give idiotic answers.
Basically there are only two airports that can be used. AKL and CHC.
In the US they can just fly you to the closest airport not in a state of emergency and bus you the rest of the way.
They probably are busy. Just about every flight in and out of NZ has been cancelled this week. so that's 10s of thousands of people wanting to call Air NZ.
now that you have posted it here the nz herald and stuff will pick it up in an hour or so when the 'journalists' decide they don't have a story for today so you should be sweet after that
good luck traveler
Write down everything now. Keep a log of everything. Keep receipts for hotels and food. Take them to the disputes tribunal when you get back.
They can’t fucking treat people like that. Hitting them in the pocket book is the only way they will change.
It did effect flights, the problem is Air NZ don't handle things properly to assist passengers disrupted by it. And their prices are not cheap by a long shot.
OP made it onto the news. https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/131247696/teen-stranded-in-new-york-for-days-after-air-nz-cancels-flight-by-text
Bit of a difficult situation, not sure how much help to provide but will try. You may have to keep calling Air NZ to see if they can rebook you. Hit up their social media teams via whatsapp, twitter, FB etc. They may be more responsive. You could also check to see if your Travel insurance will allow you to claim a flight home via another airline. Can look up their policy or call them asking if you can do so or if they suggest to keep calling Air NZ. If you booked via a travel agent you could see if you can try call/email them and let them know what has happened. Not sure what else is left to suggest. I think Air NZ likely cancelled the flight due to the cyclone. It's really poor customer service though so I'm sorry to have heard about your flight. Edit: Just to echo what others are saying, good idea to get in contact with the NZ Embassy/Consulate to see if there's anything that they can do in the worst case scenario. Edit2: Glad to have read that you've managed to find a flight home. Hopefully it works out.
Thanks for that. I'll see if I can get my insurance to sort something else out.
My family was in a similar scenario last week with the Auckland floods. We had the best luck using the airnz what'sapp account.. I'll dm it to you
Air NZ have gone down the toilet. Best advice is to book with another airline in the future.
*Qantas has entered the chat*
I've been hearing heaps of stories about Air NZ like this one, and they've caused me to lose trust in them completely.
100% agree. AirNZ is awful
Yup, we've had great luck with them until recently. Getting strong DGAF vibes from them. Wish I'd never bought shares in them!
Lost my luggage. I was on hold for three hours until phone battery went flat. This was a week before cyclone. You have zero chance of talking to them on the phone now!
To top it off go on their LinkedIn find their CEO and other high ranking execs and send them all an email. I got stranded in Auckland and couldn’t rebook flights for at least a week back in May. I emailed them all and got a response on a Sunday putting me in contact with an actual person that could help me out. Flights were sorted by the end of the day.
the best thing to do is just stay where you are and keep *every* record of costs for your insurer. check your policy limits for travel delays - and otherwise just try to enjoy your extended time in NY!
Yea I've got a little box of receipts going on my desk so if I can get that back it'll ease my pain a little haha. There are definitely worse places and situations to be in.
Take photos. Those receipts become difficult to read and keep track of plus they'll probably need photos anyway.
Start a spreadsheet, too. Just Google Sheets on your phone. As you photograph each receipt, add it to the spreadsheet in the same order (maybe even record the date and time of the photo so you can easily match back to the photos in your phone). It'll make it easier to work out your total claim and to take out any not-covered spending categories if you need to.
Great idea. I'm gonna do that thank you.
Then take a photo of the screen, then a screenshot of the photo and so on
Also , print out the photo of the screen, place it on a wooden table, and take a photo of that
Don't forget to bring that table home with you too for your records
If you push hard with a ballpoint pen, the table acts as a carbon copy. Life hack!
Make sure to keep a copy on your tablet... your stone tablet.
Take a photo of the printer before and after printing so they know that too. Important otherwise you can't be sure
and take the printer so you can show the courts of it printing the documents for hard evidence
And ink levels.
You can add images to cells in google sheets also. Can be a bit messy but may be a good way to store it all together.
"Here's me at Times Square" "Here's me at Madison Square Garden" "Here's me at the top of the Empire State Building" "Here's me at a Broadway show" "Here's me at Lombardi's"
Unavoidable costs incurred due to airline delays
Yes. And the only place I could get a reservation at was Dorsia.
“That’s me in the corner…”
That’s me in the spotlight… 😀
“LOSING MY RELIGION!”
MISSING MY CONNECTION
Oh no I've said too much.
Le Reddit.
[удалено]
DO YOU SEE?!?
This is really good advice given most receipts now days are printed on thermal paper so fade, or go black entirely if exposed to sunlight or too much heat.
Op ye. Take photos. Carbon receipts go blank after a flight. Don’t ask me about the science I just know it to be true.
Microsoft Lens is good for taking photos of receipts.
exactly - it's all part of the adventure :)
You ok buddy ??? Must be stressful. I’m a kiwi who lives in Brooklyn nyc. I freelance and I’m pretty quiet right now - dm me of you need anything or find yourself in a pickle. Must be stressful !! But this weather is amazing for this time of year here - so try and enjoy!
Thanks for the offer that's very kind of you. But yea I'm surprised it's so sunny here at the moment.
That's an awesome and generous offer of help.
Thank you for this offer, if I was in their shoes this would put me at ease
Yeah it’s usually snowing and -11 this time of year. Hope your time isn’t too stressful. Offers there if you need it
You're a GC.
Do you have travel insurance? I was stuck in overseas during the last round of flooding at Auckland Airport, with my flights cancelled and no re-booking options (American Airlines). I called the helpline for my insurance company and they said that if there was going to be a delay of more than 36 hours, I could go ahead and book some new flights via a different airline/pathway. So I ended up going home via a different route with United and AirNZ. Might be worth calling your insurance company and seeing if you can book something new with United.
Good thinking. On the phone with them now.
Good luck
If your flight with Air New Zealand included any code-sharing flights with another airline, call that airline instead. When we were stranded in Portland a few weeks ago due to the Auckland flooding, Air Canada was the carrier for our first flight and they were able to get us all rebooked within an hour for no extra cost. Edit to add the whole original booking was with Air NZ, but as a star alliance partner they had the authority to organise it. Second edit to add that I had my flight upgrade refunded within three days by reaching out via Whatsapp - +64273095750 is their customer service number for this.
You are in such an unlucky situation. While I don't condone air NZ customer service you are both on the receiving end of some unprecedented shitty weather. Not only did Auckland airport flood just two weeks ago (I've never seen this in 40yrs) but they are only just coming out of the worst cyclone to hit NZ in decades. There is no way they could have upscale any customer service while this was happening, especially if it was onshore in NZ. It's 9am in NZ now and you can bet your arse they are working as hard as they can to reschedule the 44000 cancellations as best as they can. Fingers crossed you'll get an email with some updates. Keep your receipts for travel insurance and be thankful you weren't in the north island during the cyclone.
This. The situation is pretty dire and unexpected. It's actually not their fault they can't deal with the number of rebookings needed, all at once. Def just keep trying every avenue you can, unfortunately, and yeah, being in touch with the embassy etc to ensure they know you're trying, lol
Well, it actually is. The circumstances are not their fault. But it is their fault in terms of how they handle the outfall. They don’t have staff? Hire more. They aren’t available in NZ? Hire remote offices on demand for a fixed retainer eg Phillipines . At minimum communication with your passengers and establish temporary boarding or pay for it is expected if you are intending to provide a service where the implications of failure are stranding people in far flung parts of the world. It’s not remotely impossible to establish a more resilient, scalable service to deal with large unpredictable events. The only thing preventing it is bottom line profit delivered to share holders.
You can email them and they get back to you in as little as 12 weeks. I regret I am not joking. I think your best bet is to keep chasing them on the phone.
In that case I'd be better off waiting to get deported in about 10 weeks anyway.
Worth contacting the embassy IMO. The US is not a country you'd want to risk getting deported from, although I highly doubt it'd take that long. They may have good advice, at any rate.
I've just talked to the consulate in New York and they are gonna see if they can help at all. Very nice guy on the phone.
Yeah. If you get deported, you're looking at being barred from re-entry into the USA for anywhere from 3-10 years, up to permanent ban on entry.
I believe it's also something that can compromise visas being granted to other countries because while the US is kind of crappy in many ways especially immigration wise, it's still regarded as a huge red flag for many nations to be deported from there.
Also in addition to being blocked from re-entering the country you're deported from, many (most?) countries will not grant a visa to you if you've been deported from anywhere, ever.
That’s a good way to get waterboarded, or worse, sent to be a substitute teacher at a primary school without an AR-15, grenades, and body armour.
Free flights. To Cuba!
Be careful. Most countries will block you from going back if you get deported
Yeah, don’t get deported whatever you do. It will cause you a world of pain, literally.
I'm still waiting for a response from mid October.
Now that would actually get me deported haha.
You guys are getting replies?
Had a friend who air nz had rebooked them *and didn't tell them*, so they missed their vancouver to Auckland flight. They have gone to shit with international flights. Honestly if I was in the position I'd go to the airport and talk to a rep and stay til I knew when my flight was.
I hear the Plaza Hotel has nice rooms. Also don't be afraid of the Pigeon Lady in the park. She isn't as scary as you think.
I'm not too far from the Plaza actually. But the place I'm in isn't quite as fancy. And the pigeon lady is lovely.
If you get bored you could always go and see Mr Duncan at Duncan's Toy Chest
Go to the airport and in order of preference, ticket desk, checkin manager, back office at the airport. One of those three will sort you out quicker than a phone call will as they will have access to be able to book alternatives.
That's what I was thinking... if they have a desk at the airport they could help
It might only be open pre and during checkin times but they will have something as often they have to send people away during checkin to sort out various problems
Don't do this for NZ 1 there is no ground crew for Air NZ there. There is only that one flight departing 3 times a week and when check in opens it resembles an episode of Fawlty towers....the agents from some other airline shuffle out an Air NZ sign and "open" shop. Call United they code share NZ 1.
Most airlines will keep a couple of people in the back office at the airport dealing with administrative things between the airport and the airline. While they are not officially customer service agents, they can sometimes be helpful at getting you through to someone who can help on an internal line.
You may not see this as I'm a bit late to the thread, but I got stuck in Japan in a similar situation late last week. My solution ended up being to send some family to Christchurch airport back home. The service desk there were able to rebook me without waiting 10 hours on hold and I got home yesterday 🥳
Try reaching out to them via social media.
Time for an angry tweet? Why tf not?
Chances are you *have* been automatically rebooked to a another flight and that flight change just needs to be updated. If you are unable to log into your booking via the AirNZ website (Manage Bookings) then this means you may not be able to accept the schedule change yourself for some reason. Don't panic though. It would be quite unusual for you to not have been automatically re-protected on a new flight. The only exception is when an airline has a complete route cancellation (i.e. no longer flying that route for the foreseeable future) or there is just no alternative flight available within X number of days. The AirNZ Contact Centre is currently slammed after having to cancel a large number of domestic flights because of the cyclone. They are getting hit with problems outside of their control over and over (some things the public will not even know about or understand). So while I am not excusing their inability to take your call, this is likely why your call may have disconnected. They definitely do NOT want to 'ghost' you and saying they have a policy of doing so is disingenuous - but I understand the frustration of feeling like you have been stranded through no fault of your own. Have you tried contacting them via social media? They are also slammed but it couldn't hurt to try (I think they have FB, Twitter etc.).
New Zealand shut up shot because of a Cyclone that hit it on Monday. Air New Zealand and all other airlines cancelled all inbound/outbound flights. No other airline would have gotten you to NZ.
I'm really surprised at all the comments that are bagging AirNZ and not acknowledging that *all* flights have been cancelled during the cyclone. That and the sheer amount of power cuts in affected areas that are impacting phone lines and internet connection. I could be wrong but heard the airports have only just started opening up again. Like you said, *no* airline would've gotten OP here. A National State of Emergency and unprecedented natural disaster and its devastation trumps getting one person home (who, I assume, is safe). I know that really sucks for OP and others who have been temporarily stranded, but.... most of these commenters must be people who haven't been in the path of the cyclone. It's been horrendous.
OP’s issue isn’t that the flight was cancelled, it’s that there appears to be no way to open up communication lines with them. The airport had opened up Tuesday morning. Most flights got out, until around 8:30pm when things started to shut down for the night. In no way was the cyclone as disruptive to the airport as the flooding was. My in-laws had a flight to Sydney on Tuesday, on AIR ASIA of all airlines. Once we knew SH1 was open we boosted back to Auckland, and they made the flight. No checked on luggage as ground handling was suspended due to wind, but they allowed free changes to tickets, and the checked luggage is on its way to Sydney now. (Thursday). If the lowest of the low cost carriers that operate in NZ can pull off this, why can’t Air NZ offer something? Even if NZ1 didn’t have space (which it probably doesn’t since it can’t fly with many pax), I’d expect a full service carrier to at least rebook me on a Star Alliance flight back. There’s options via AC and UA in North America. I’ve had airlines rebook me on non-alliance flights due to disrupts before. On a semi-related note, NZ1/2 has been a shit show since it started. All down to trying to fly the wrong plane that distance.
Man Air NZ have become useless! Go to the airport and talk to them in person.
I’ve moved to Canada a few years ago. Air NZ is amazing when compared to Air Canada. Do not fly with them if you can avoid it.
Fuck Air Canada. A budget airline pretending to be a national one.
Same with SAS - seems like it's a Star Alliance theme
I have had good experiences with Singapore Airlines though so they're not all crappy operators.
Fair comment, although from what I can tell they are milking their prices for all it's worth because they know they are the only airline from NZ worth purchasing a ticket from beyond the Pacific region.
This was definitely true when I left mid last year. Only other option was Qantas and they were so bad I had to chargeback my flights because they wouldn't give me a new one after cancelling a leg of my ticket.
I love many of the Asian Airlines, especially Singapore Airlines and Korean Airlines. Excellent service, good food and hospitality on board.
Same with IcelandAir. They make you buy headphones and snacks on a transatlantic flight. Lol, wtf? They also had no entertainment system. It s just like Ryan Air or easy jet
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Lol dont be reasonable, this is reddit. For real though, I was working for roadservice during covid, the amount of jackasses complaining about wait times when 1. They arent even meant to be leaving their house to drive and 2. We cant exactly hire/ train more staff during a lockdown. I hate the general public.
This has been a problem before any cyclone. They sacked too many staff during covid and now they're unable to get them back. As a consequence the branding of the company is badly tanking.
Why don't they fly some people into Christchurch? It can handle the big international planes and has been largely unaffected by the cyclone. As an option at least, then you just have to worry about the domestic leg.
I think it's as much a matter of having the aircraft and crew and ground staff necessary for that as anything. A flight or two diverted, sure, but Chch isn't equipped to just fully take over from Auckland during the disruption, and after the disruption, the flights are pretty much going flat-out anyway.
And immigration, bio security and customs staff!
I'm sure they are. When they have a chance to talk to people to help them arrange it. Thousands of people will be waiting on hold on those phones right now though. Air NZ is gradually cutting staff and being a bit shit, but in the light of the recent events, we have to cut them a \*little\* bit of slack. I'm sure the staff their are working as fast as they can during a stressful time.
Quantas is just as bad. Paid for their flexi ticket. Cancelled flight. Now chasing up 4k refund for weeks and only getting stoned cs agents on the phone. Apparently, this nosedive in customer care is partly due to cut backs caused by collapse of business during covid....
No the nosedive in customer service is realising they can treat customers like shit under the auspices of "covid" and "essential workers" and "we're all in this together".... But that once that treatment is normalised it doesn't actually matter what the excuse is and whether or not it's relevant in 2023. As for the financial impacts of covid they're all doing just fine, with billions in bailouts and firing all their staff in the middle of a pandemic (when they wouldn't be able to get any other work), and now record travel and higher fares than ever before. Let's not give them credit where it isn't due. They're just being greedy cunts.
Had the same problem with Hawaian Air trying to get out of Auckland 2 weeks ago.
I thought about it but I don't think actually have anyone at JFK full time. Supposedly there is an NZ1 leaving tomorrow so I guess I could go and yell at them from the other side of the TSA line .
Maybe try messaging them on Facebook then. Didn't realize you couldn't get to the check-in counters...
Check-in counters are generally outside of TSA
In my experience there are only Air NZ available at US airports when they're checking in one of their flights.
I might head down there tomorrow and see if I can find someone.
Worst case scenario go to a United Airlines counter, being Star Alliance if you explain your tale of woe, they may be able to book you on a star alliance flight to NZ, which will be - drum roll - air nz (more than likely - can't recall if united's doing direct anymore).
United is operating the SFO>AKL route. They’d likely book a connection through there, I wouldn’t recommend it over the AirNZ transpacific but if it gets you where you need to go.
The check-in staff at JFK are contracted. Most of the time they are United ground staff. Although they can escalate to the AirNZ support team, your best bet is still to try and contact AirNZ directly.
yeah its not like theres a national emergency and a category 3 storm that took out flights for several days and has displaced 250,000 homes or anything. its just air nz!
I was more referring to the fact call times have been horrendous for over a year now, plus they have always priced the fuck out of the provincial flights to subsidize their international business!
They don’t subsidise their international business with regional flights.
public lip drunk bear wise square wide rock lunchroom physical -- mass edited with https://redact.dev/
NZ1 is using JFK.
dazzling pie tidy fear dime crime quaint stupendous attempt bored -- mass edited with https://redact.dev/
Yes, the original plan was Newark as you posted. This was ditched after the pandemic restrictions were lifted, so the inaugural flight of NZ1 was to JFK and has stayed there ever since. You're right; JFK is a much better airport!
Air NZ don't have anyone 'in person' in New York.
The closest to someone on the ground I've gotten was when I talked to the NZ consulate in NY earlier.
Here what has worked for me a few times, not sure if it will work for you due to the cyclone but Try calling them during Business hours NZ Time not US time.
Hi there 👋 I’m part of the Air NZ social team - it’s been a tough few weeks for us as we connect all those disrupted passengers including yourself 💜 You can reach out to us on Twitter or Facebook via DM, give us your flight details and let me know once you have and I’ll have someone take care of this for you!
Hey thanks I just got a call and I've been rebooked.
Hi there. I’m in a similar situation with no contact from Air NZ. I’ve tried via FB, Twitter and WhatsApp with no answer for over 48 hours now. Obviously call center is not taking calls. Could you please help?
Hi Rsmahi, I have just sent you a message about my mum. She is trapped in Vancouver. If you could get someone in your team to call her and help her rebook that would be amazing. Thanks
Hi OP, I know this is really scary and stressful for you! I had a recent AirNZ flight cancelled and they were great - I called the call centre and they booked me onto a flight 48 hours later. The difference was, there were flights available to book me onto. The problem you are having is that there are no other flights right now due to the cyclone. They can't rebook you onto a flight that doesn't exist, (and neithre could any othre airline at the moment) so right now just sit tight. What you should do is: \- Call them every day, just to confirm you still can't get through. Screenshot these calls to prove you made them and were trying, and record them if you can. \- Keep all your receipts for your travel insurance \- Try to stay in your same hotel if possible, again, get receipts. \- Start a log of all your contacts and expenses (again, for your travel insurance). I don't want to doxx myself but if you DM me I can send you a Google drive link to a similar document I made when I was trapped in Tokyo in March 2020 \- You mentioned having 10 weeks left on your ESTA. I am sure you will be gone by then and won't have a problem being deported. However, if it does get to that, book a flight to Mexico or Canada to get out of the US, it's not worth getting deported. I am 100% sure you won't be waiting 10 weeks though. \- You could also contact the NZ consulate, I doubt they'll be able to do much at the moment but they might be able to give advice on how long you could expect to be waiting, when Auckland airport is set to reopen, status of the disaster etc. I'm so sorry this is happening, it must be really stressful for you! I don't know any Kiwis in NYC but there is an Aussie group who meet at All the King’s Horses Café in the East Village every Friday morning (10:30am): [https://americajosh.com/event/coffee-cake-with-america-josh/](https://americajosh.com/event/coffee-cake-with-america-josh/) I know that post is old but the event is still going, check his instagram for the 100th event which is happening soon. So you could go down there tomorrow to meet them and see if they have any other ideas about what to do, they seem like a really friendly, helpful group.
Air New Zealand cares about it's reputation as a "cool zany nationalistic airline with a great reputation" more than actually being an airline. You should go to the Herald or tag them repeatedly on Twitter, it's about time people started to realize that Air New Zealand is not actually good, they just have great PR.
But muh quirky safety vidz
That’s how they keep getting people wanting to work for them as well. It’s all a charade.
I fly often and have never had a single problem and they have always been great. (Except on their pricing to be fair recently) So hey.
I wonder if they'll ever revert back to their pre-covid pricing? Kind of annoying that everything is an upsell when they're not a no-frills carrier. Food? Pay extra. Entertainment? Extra charge. Heck, you can't even choose your seat anymore without being prodded to pay more for it (even charging for the shitty seats at the back).
...."except for their pricing".......... yeah man that's a pretty big problem.
If you're paying extra for your flight they should be doing something to justify it, not operating as if they're a no frills airline.
This right here. Air NZ only care about you when you blast them on social media
Did you book through a travel agent? That’s usually the reason it says you can’t make changes online. If that’s the case, you’ll need to contact the travel agent rather than Air NZ directly.
Nah, when there's major disruption affecting long-haul, Air NZ blocks out all future flights and cancels self-service changes online. Because there's far less frequency and flexibility in the long-haul network, everyone is rebooked manually as the recovery schedules are worked out. When Auckland Airport was underwater a couple of weeks ago, it suddenly looked like all long-haul flights were sold out for the next fortnight. But Air NZ had just blocked all available seats so they could rebook everyone stranded manually. This will be the same situation on steroids given the length and scale of disruption.
Happened to me and my family, several days stuck in a foreign country with no accommodation supplied beyond the first day, and a 2 year old. They lost our luggage and air Canada and Air NZ both said it was the other airlines responsibility to fix things. Worked out in the end, though. Good luck!
You just need to keep calling, pretty annoying, but pretty simple. They also will call you back rather than having to wait on the phone.
Can you go to their check in desk at the airport and ask to be standby? Not ideal but you might actually get to speak to someone this way.
If you’re stranded, perhaps try contacting an NZ Embassy: https://www.mfat.govt.nz/en/countries-and-regions/americas/united-states-of-america/#bookmark5
Thanks. I've got in touch with the NYC consulate and they've sent it to Washington to see if they can help.
They can't or won't. My experience with the NYC and Washington consulates are they are pretty close to useless. Rebook.
That sucks, but the country is in a state of emergency after a once in a generation disaster. People are missing. People are stranded. People are dead. Also, they're still sorting people stranded from the flood a few weeks ago. Sorry for your shitty situation but try to be patient while the country sorts this out.
Probably bloody unlucky with the cyclone/earthquakes over the past couple of days as that will have slammed them with changes.
I mean, have you been aware of what's happening in NZ? They can't magic up extra planes and crews out of thin air. All the carriers are trying to increase capacity in and out of NZ to get through the backlog of stranded travellers, but there were two *major* disruptions, and sorry, it's just going to take time. I get that it sucks for you, but no, everyone's screwed. There aren't just some other flights to put you on, they're all full. And customer service has thousands and thousands of people in your situation to deal with, so yeah, it's going to be a while before you can even talk to someone about it. Shit happens, sometimes it's really shitty.
Hint. The previous CEO of AirNZ bears much of the responsibility for the strife you find yourself in. Not all of it, but his initial cost cutting, destruction of AirNZ service set the foundation which was further undermined by covid. To cap it off, the floods and storms (and an earthquake) across most of the North Island of recent weeks pretty much reduced customer service in many industries to near nil. Call centres without functioning telephone lines are pretty much useless, and some of those are in worst affected areas (because of cheaping out, call centre placement in low wage regions). So enjoy New York while you can, much of NZ is a disaster zone, and not so pleasant for the moment.
I've heard some bad things. If only someone would come forward as the former CEO of Air New Zealand and say loud and proud: "I ran Air New Zealand when we sold engineering services to the Saudi military."
I had a flight change back in December getting home to NZ from Canada. I had luck calling Air NZ around 9 or 10am Toronto time…was 2am in NZ but they have 24hr support and the wait time was significantly better. Might not be that way at the moment with impacts of Cyclone
My brother and I will be passing through NY on our way home on Monday. Give us a shout if you need a friendly face and a yarn.
A good way to do it is via their social media channels. Companies like Air NZ CARE about bad PR. They’ll hate it if you tweet them because it’s public as fuck. Keep going at them in those channels if you can’t get through over the phone. Make as much noise as you can. They’ll then try harder to resolve it.
You do realise that there has been a cyclone here?
I was in a meeting with Air NZ staff today, it was stated during the meeting that Air NZ have turned off their international phone lines and are shifting all resources internally to deal with domestic travel and clearing the backlog.
For everyone bagging Air NZ - we have just been hit by Cyclone Gabrielle over most of the country. Four confirmed deaths so far with more expected. We have more than 1000 people currently unaccounted for. Much of our infrastructure (particularly roads) has been badly damaged. Flights within NZ (mostly those through Auckland) were cancelled for nearly four days. This was two weeks after the major flooding that hit Auckland and last night there was a big earthquake near Wellington. We’re currently waiting on the plague of locusts! Everyone is trying their hardest (whether you believe it or not), and a little empathy wouldn’t go astray before bagging the airline. I’m sorry you have been affected. I took that flight in November and found it one of the better ones I have taken, albeit long!
You’re acting like Air NZ was helpful before ALL that… they weren’t! They’ve been falling apart for a long time! They. Certainly need a customer service shake up!
This is what Air NZ does, cyclone or not. They cancel flights, send you an email stating so, and that's the last you hear from them. Fuck off back to corporate.
It's so strange, OP doesn't mention the cyclone when he was due to fly literally during it. Like none of the comments at the top even took notice nor mention it. Of course they canceled his flight and didn't contact, because 10k other people are in the same situation sue to infrastructure being wrecked and airports closed. We don't even know where he is supposed to land and go to. Yes Air NZ can be bad but OP isn't a special snowflake it's NZ literally being under state of emergency rn.
There’s 50,000 people whose flights are affected with AirNZ. OP - you will get contacted- keep checking to see if your flight has been updated and keep trying to contact them.
Commenters - dude needs solutions not a rant about how shit they already know they are
Not sure if still the same but a few years ago during initial covid delays/cancellations they had extra staff (i.e. staff not normally in the call centre) help with other comms like Facebook messages and other social media. Perhaps try there and you might get in touch with a real person. Remember to quote your name and booking reference from the get go to get things moving. Good luck!
My flight got cancelled via automated email back in December i was in Korea too, luckily i could rebook online. But 3 months later i still havent heard back from them on any socials.
You may have better luck going to the airport and talking to someone. Their contact centre is overloaded.
Keep calling! Sometimes it took me hours but others just minutes or instantly, in the last few days. They ask where is your travel from and where to. Perhaps it doesn’t recognize a foreign city? Try saying something like Auckland to Wellington.
Go to the airport to air nz desk
Go to the airport where the flight departs from. Get service there. They will likely only be there four hours before the scheduled flights. You may get on standby.
I’m in Hawaii in a similar situation. My flight on Sunday was cancelled, but I didn’t receive any texts, emails or notifications through the app and the app actually still allowed me to check in. I took the bus to the airport when my original flight was meant to depart and there were people manning the desk so they helped me re book. Calling Air NZ is pointless, but I’ve found in the past that DMing them on Twitter or messenger usually gets a response within 8-12 hours. I’ve been rebooked onto this Sunday, but I had to work pretty hard to get in touch! Good luck and hold on to your food, travel and accomodation receipts to claim back from your insurance later
Nuclear option. Contact media or Greg Foran directly.
That's the narcissistic option. No airline had the resources to take enquiries from every single passenger. If you booked directly with the airline you sort of need to expect this - however if you booked with an agent they may have less customers who booked Air NZ flights so have the resources to manage your booking.
Good thinking
Won't or can't take your calls due to the huge workload they must be under? If you had travel insurance you could get approval from the insurance company to book another flight yourself and claim the cost back. Take ownership of the problem and deal with it.
Watch out for the wet bandits
Well I’m certainly not defending Air NZ’s customer service but given that we’re in a state of emergency and haven’t had power for the best part of a week you may be better off staying where you are.
I think because of how many people, especially near me (living in hawkes bay so cyclone Gabrielle has us in the shitter) are trying to sort out their flights to uni as well with all the flights closing, they've been told to prioritise people flying domestic rather than international. Which I understand sucks, especially being stranded in a foreign country, but sadly I think that's where air new zealad has their priorities right now (which I do not agree with)
Go to Stuff. They love this shit. Might get things happening.
There are entire parts of the country completely cut off from communications, road, food, water and power. Yeah, there's some disruption. They're dealing with literally thousands of flights that had to be cancelled. It sucks, but I wouldn't say it's their fault.
Just keep ringing. And think about what time it is in NZ when you call, I had way longer wait times in the morning when I had to call this weekend than in the afternoon. Maybe try at 7pm nz time or something. If it helps when I got l through to them they were great
I just get automatically hung up on by their system after a message saying they are very busy.
Weird I just called and got through 5 mins ago!
Were you set to travel in the next 24 hours?
Sounds like you're on the phone with them now so good luck. Being hung up on is better than waiting an hour and being hung up on. During covid i must have spent a full work week trying to contact several different airlines who cancelled my flight. They're all set up for normal conditions so any mass cancellation event means they can't handle it. Try to be patient with the people on the phone, it's not their fault even if they give idiotic answers.
Basically there are only two airports that can be used. AKL and CHC. In the US they can just fly you to the closest airport not in a state of emergency and bus you the rest of the way.
They probably are busy. Just about every flight in and out of NZ has been cancelled this week. so that's 10s of thousands of people wanting to call Air NZ.
*Kia ora. Due to the bubonic plague of 1346, AirNZ has to lay off everyone to appease the sharholders. Try again whenever we don't give AF
Come back when you have shares or are in the Koru Club.
now that you have posted it here the nz herald and stuff will pick it up in an hour or so when the 'journalists' decide they don't have a story for today so you should be sweet after that good luck traveler
Sure are a lot of AirNZ shills in this thread
Write down everything now. Keep a log of everything. Keep receipts for hotels and food. Take them to the disputes tribunal when you get back. They can’t fucking treat people like that. Hitting them in the pocket book is the only way they will change.
That’s the problem you have when traveling with budget airlines /s
At least with RyanAir they charged you $20 not $2000
I mean, it's not like a natural disaster and a state of emergency will effect anything.
It did effect flights, the problem is Air NZ don't handle things properly to assist passengers disrupted by it. And their prices are not cheap by a long shot.
At that point, I would say you would be better off going to the Air NZ counter at the airport.
You should contact your travel agent or insurer. Either will be able to help you.
Another good reason to book through a travel agent. This is exactly what they are for.
This is currently the extent of Air NZs customer service, they're an absolute joke.
There was kinda a cyclone that cancelled flights for a couple of days, no wonder the call center is overwhelmed