Air New Zealand outlines what to expect while travelling during changed alert levels

The announcement follows the Prime Minister's announcement last night that the Auckland Region will enter COVID-19 Alert Level 3 from 12.00pm today, for a period of at least three days, while the rest of New Zealand will move to Alert Level 2. 

The below outlines changes customers can expect to see:

• Customers on flights departing Auckland will be required to wear masks. They are welcome to bring their own, or these will be provided by the airline. It is also recommended customers travelling from other ports wear masks, however this will not be a requirement.
• Air New Zealand Auckland-based front of house employees and domestic cabin crew will wear masks and gloves, and pilots will wear masks when interacting with customers or moving through the terminal.
• Customers are encouraged to check in for their flight via the Air New Zealand app, and allow extra time to process through check-in and security.
• For those checking in at larger airports, every second self-service kiosk will be operating to support social distancing. There will also be floor markers for queuing at check-in counters, service desks, bag drops and departure gates, and fewer customers will be boarded and disembarked at a time
• Inflight, seating will be allocated to allow an empty seat between customers travelling alone from Thursday through to Sunday. The airline will aim to keep families and some travelling companions together, so there may be some people sitting together with no additional space between them.
• Food and beverage services on all domestic flights will not be available to minimise contact between customers and cabin crew. Customers should let cabin crew know if they would like a cup of water.
• The inflight magazine Kia Ora will be removed from seat pockets and Air New Zealand lollies won't be handed out inflight across the domestic network.
• Air New Zealand's Auckland lounges and valet parking will close at midday.
• Unaccompanied Minors with an existing booking will be able to travel. The airline is not accepting new bookings for Unaccompanied Minors at this time.

Air New Zealand Chief Executive Officer Greg Foran says the airline is requiring all customers travelling out of Auckland to wear masks.

"Customers are welcome to bring their own masks, otherwise these will be provided by the airline once on board. We're also encouraging customers travelling from other ports to consider wearing a mask, however this is not compulsory.

"We're working through our schedule at the moment and making sure we can continue to move people with social distancing requirements in place out of Auckland. There is currently no change to our international services.

"We'd appreciate if customers could exercise patience as everyone adjusts to the change in alert levels. We'd also advise allowing a little more time to navigate through the airport, as social distancing requirements will make things a little slower. Customers should not travel if they are unwell or have COVID-19 symptoms – flights can be changed free of charge if needed."

Customers who hold a ticket for a domestic flight within New Zealand and are scheduled to depart before 11.59PM Sunday 16 August may opt to hold their fare in credit and can do this via the airline's online booking tool.

Customers who are unable to manage their booking online and no longer wish to travel do not need to contact Air New Zealand immediately or prior to their flight's departure, and can be assisted at a later date to find an alternative flight option or be provided with a credit note.

The Air New Zealand contact centre and social media team are currently experiencing very high customer volumes. Air New Zealand is grateful to customers for their patience while it works through these changes.

For the latest information, customers can check the Air New Zealand COVID-19 information hub and travel alerts page.

Ends

Issued by Air New Zealand Communications.

Email: media@airnz.co.nz  │  Twitter: @AirNZMedia