We frequently travel to New Zealand and we love it there. In fact we have our permanent residency there. However, we wanted to warn people about some very unfriendly policies of Air New Zealand so you don't get zapped with hundreds of dollars of additional surprise fees. Air New Zealand makes big money off unsuspecting tourists- so here is a warning to you.

Air New Zealand will charge you lots of money for every pound of over-age that you have and their baggage limits are pretty low- 44 pounds or 20 kg.

They will weigh everything- your purse, laptop bag, back-pack, diaper bag - all carry on baggage and your checked baggage is included in this 44 pounds. Anything you bring to the counter when you check in- is weighed and included in this limit.

If you are overweight even a pound or more, you may have to pay many hundreds of dollars for baggage overage- so beware. The cost seems to vary depending on the mood of the person who checks you in. We have been hit up for at least $200 every time we fly into New Zealand.

If you are flying in on Qantas or United or a Non Air New Zealand flight and you happen to miss your connection out of Auckland or Christchurch... they will not put you on the next flight for free or a nominal fee. You are likely to have to pay $300 US or more for a brand new flight.

Unfortunately, you have no option but to fly Air New Zealand, internally, at this point. So make sure you have plenty of time to connect from your international flight and pack light! Or be prepared to donate some of your hard earned cash to Air New Zealand!

If you have had a negative experience and need someone to contact, we have had to look long and hard to find a contact person ( are we shocked that they don't want to talk to us?) - the email address is flightcomment@airnz.co.nz, and the contact person is Judy McDermit.

Have a wonderful trip to New Zealand- it is a great country and most of the people are very warm, and friendly, with a few exceptions.

I am sure that AirNZ is like all airlines, meaning some people have great experiences and some people have nothing but terrible experiences. That said, coyote, I fall into the same category as you. I've only tried to fly AirNZ once, on an internal flight from Auckland to Wellington. My friends and I arrived at the airport early to find that Wellington had been fogged out (as often happens, due to the fact that its runway is on reclaimed land and is surrounded by water, making it difficult to land in the best of weather). The AirNZ terminal was an absolute disaster, with people everywhere, none of whom really knew what was going on. We waited in line for quite a while before getting up to the counter about 15 mins before our flight was to take off.

At this point, my friend had already tried to call the AirNZ service number to get us booked into another flight. All flights until the end of the next day were booked, and we had to be in Wellington by 2.30 the next day to catch a ferry across to Picton. It didn't matter though, because AirNZ still had not canceled our flight, so we weren't allowed to rebook unless we bought all new tickets. The same was the case when we got to the counter; the flight hadn't been canceled, so they wouldn't do anything for us. All they could give us was a $6 voucher to eat in the terminal.

The people on the AirNZ hotline were exceptionally rude and refused to give us any sort of refund or voucher for our flight. We either had to fly on the plane we were booked on or lose our money completely. We ended up not flying and just gave up on getting back our $89; it was only when we called 2 months later and harassed them that we got vouchers, good for the price of the flight, which could only be used on domestic AirNZ flights in the next year. Not too useful, given we'd already left NZ to study in Australia for the semester, and then were going back to America, but at least we got something out of them.

We ended up having to hitchhike to get to Wellington in time. It was a fun experience, and we're glad we got to meet the people we did and see places like Taupo on the way, but damn, AirNZ didn't make things easy for us. Qantas, on the other hand, had incredibly short, organized lines in their terminal; people walked up to the desk, quickly rescheduled their flight, and left the terminal. One of the guys that we hitchhiked with was on a Qantas flight; I don't remember exactly what his compensation was, but it was either a full refund or a voucher for the amount of the flight valid on any Qantas flight, regardless of what route.

I was treated very well by Air NZ. My backpack was one kilo overweight, and the check-in lady said "why don't you put a few things in your carry-on." I moved my books, and squeezed in beneath the weight limit.

Decent coffee on the flight too...

Ah overweight baggage! I am used to only being allowed 20 kg, and when I get to fly american airlines I tend to wonder how the heck you could need more than 20kg!

That said, last time I flew Air NZ and had over 20kg (about 5kg) I had to pay AUS$50 I think.

As far as I know (?!), 20kg is pretty standard outside north america, maybe just not so harshly enforced.

I think it also depends on the flight. If a lot of other people have had overweight luggage, then yes you will get charged. Especially on internal flights, as there is not so much leeway on weight.

Sucks to have a bad experience with any airline. Hope its better for you next time.

A 20KG limit is pretty standard, except for some international flights on certain airlines which offer 25KG.

Only have travelled once with AirNZ, my experience with them was one of very pleasant and friendly people, from the "over-the-phone" worker to the "on-the-airline" staff.

One thing I really liked about AirNZ, was the two children who came up the aisle towards the end of our flight, carrying a cane basket filled with lollies, which they offered to everyone on the plane. When asked the reason for this, I was told this was to help combat the ears from getting blocked caused by the plane's descension.

Have a nice day. Whistler.

TRavel broadens the mind and Fattens tJe waLLer. .SMC.

TRavel broadens the mind and flattens the wallet.

I have always had a good time fling with airnz. The 20kg is pretty standard for most airlines.If booked on line it states that twhat the limit is.If you take more then you will end up paying for it.

They make children work as cabin crew? Well, I guess the kids were just having a laugh. Dishing out sweets before the descent is pretty standard though.

What I'm surprised about is that they weigh the carry-on luggage. I've never seen this done before. Otherwise, 20kg is standard and I would expect to pay extra for overweight luggage.

Also, stomps' experience is pretty bad--especially since delays are not uncommon there. I had the opposite experience with Air Asia (massive delays left everything in chaos, but the ground staff bent over backwards to re-book the flights. I don't think they succeeded, I may have ended up on the same flight anyway, but them trying made the delay much easier to deal with). Maybe AirNZ should send their people abroad to study how it's done.

quote:

Originally posted by whalewatcher:

What I'm surprised about is that they weigh the carry-on luggage. I've never seen this done before. Otherwise, 20kg is standard and I would expect to pay extra for overweight luggage.

They did not weigh my carry on. In fact, the ticket counter agent TOLD me to put heavy stuff in my carry-on to avoid the extra charges.

and some good press for Air NZ

Air New Zealand Biofuelling Through The High Skies