Air New Zealand urges holiday travellers to keep calm and carry on this holiday season
Air New Zealand Chief Operational Integrity and Safety Officer, Captain David Morgan, says the airline is seeing a concerning trend in unacceptable customer behaviour, with nearly 200 reports a month. The severity and impact of these incidents have increased over time.
"Air New Zealanders who work both on the ground and in the air, work extremely hard to ensure our customers have a safe journey with us, but over the past few years, we've seen an increase in some customers not showing them the respect they deserve."
Holiday travel can be stressful, however, Captain Morgan says there is no excuse for taking this out on fellow passengers, Air New Zealand ground staff, cabin crew, or pilots.
"The large majority of our customers are fantastic and treat people with courtesy and respect, but unfortunately, there are some people who fly with us who refuse to follow instructions, verbally abuse other people, or are disruptive. We've recently also seen instances of people being physically abusive."
"We have zero tolerance for such behaviour and will take action to ensure that abusive customers are no longer able to travel with us if needed to ensure the safety of our team and customers".
These incidents not only pose challenges for Air New Zealand but also impact the comfort and safety of fellow travelers. The airline encourages customers to remember to be courteous and think of others this Christmas.
Air New Zealand also reminds customers that there can be consequences for disruptive and unruly behaviour and engaging in such actions. Adherence to safety and crew instructions is paramount for the well-being of all passengers and our crew.
"We want to thank all of those customers who go the extra mile to say thank you to our frontline staff and are considerate of others – this makes such a difference to what are often long, busy days for our people at this time of year."
Earlier this year, the International Air Transport Association released analysis outlining the global increase in unruly passenger incidents.
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Issued by Air New Zealand Communications.
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About Air New Zealand
Air New Zealand's story started in 1940, first taking to the skies between Auckland and Sydney on a flying boat - a Short S30. Known for its warm Kiwi hospitality, today, the airline has 104 operating aircraft ranging from Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners and Airbus A320s to ATRs and Q300s, offering customers comfort in the latest most efficient jets and turboprops. It's a modern fuel-efficient fleet with an average age of 7.3 years. Air New Zealand's global network of passenger and cargo services centres around New Zealand. Pre-Covid, the airline flew more than 17 million passengers every year, with 3,400 flights per week. Air New Zealand was recently named the World's Safest Airline by the Australian rating service AirlineRatings.com, highlighting the airline's laser-focus on safety. Last year, Air New Zealand won Best Corporate Reputation in New Zealand – 8th year in a row.
Air New Zealand has a well-connected domestic business, connecting customers and cargo to 20 different regions around New Zealand. Internationally, the airline has direct flights to major cities across Australia, Asia, the Pacific Islands and the US, and through its strong relationships with alliance partners, offers customers more choice and convenience to connect further afield to hundreds of destinations. Air New Zealand has a particular focus on sustainability and its Sustainability Framework helps guide the airline's efforts in tackling some of New Zealand's and the world's most complex challenges. Air New Zealand aircraft are proudly identified by its distinct tail livery of the Mangōpare, the Māori symbol of the hammerhead shark which represents strength, tenacity, and resilience.
About Star Alliance
Air New Zealand is proud to be a member of Star Alliance. The Star Alliance network was established in 1997 as the first truly global airline alliance to offer worldwide reach, recognition and seamless service to the international traveller. Its acceptance by the market has been recognized by numerous awards, including the Air Transport World Market Leadership Award and Best Airline Alliance by both Business Traveller Magazine and Skytrax. The member airlines are: Aegean Airlines, Air Canada, Air China, Air India, Air New Zealand, ANA, Asiana Airlines, Austrian, Avianca, Brussels Airlines, Copa Airlines, Croatia Airlines, EGYPTAIR, Ethiopian Airlines, EVA Air, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines, Shenzhen Airlines, Singapore Airlines, South African Airways, SWISS, TAP Portugal, Turkish Airlines, THAI and United. Overall, the Star Alliance network currently offers more than 18,500 daily flights to 1,321 airports in 193 countries.