Faster check-in coming to an airport near you: Air New Zealand rolling out "Next Gen" Kiosks
From this week, the new kiosks are being installed across Air New Zealand check-in zones, starting with Auckland Domestic Airport and rolling out to all New Zealand ports by the end of July.
Designed and built by Air New Zealand's own research and development team, the Next Gen Kiosks run on familiar, user-friendly technology, including iPads that enable intuitive touchscreen interaction and passport scanning using built-in cameras.
The kiosks were trialled at Auckland's domestic terminal from June to March, with four trial machines processing more than 30,000 customer journeys across the period.
One of the most significant improvements has been in check-in speed, with average check-in time dropping from more than two minutes to just 37 seconds. The fastest domestic customer completed check-in in a record 18 seconds, thanks to faster scanning and printing, and more intuitive prompts throughout the process.
One recent example saw a group of 21 customers checked in, with boarding passes and bag tags issued, in just 2.5 minutes. On the previous kiosks, the same process would have taken more than two minutes per customer, and groups of more than nine would have required manual check-in with a customer agent. As a result, check-in for larger groups is now up to 20 times faster.
The new kiosks also have cost benefits. Each unit costs around a third of the previous kiosk and the airline expects to save more than $1 million per year in upkeep, including reduced reliance on external technical support.
Air New Zealand's Chief Customer and Digital Officer Jeremy O'Brien says this initiative reflects the airline's ongoing focus on delivering practical benefits for customers by improving speed, simplicity, and reliability at every step of their journey.
"We focus our innovation efforts on better customer outcomes. The purpose of our research and development team is to make travel easy and frictionless. And no one knows our customers better than our frontline team. As a business, we've worked together to develop, test and launch the new kiosks."
The project moved from business case to rollout in 13 months, covering both kiosk hardware and digital development. It started with a specific check-in problem at the airport, with prototypes tested on site and refined using real customer and operational feedback. That allowed the team to identify issues early and improve the experience before scaling it.
Air New Zealand also showcased the technology at a global aviation conference late last year, attracting strong interest in the technology from airports and airlines.
"We're excited to see these roll out across our domestic network and improve the journey for our customers," says O'Brien.
ENDS
Issued by Air New Zealand Communications
Email: media@airnz.co.nz │ Phone: +64 21 747 320
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 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 9.9 years. Air New Zealand's global network of passenger and cargo services centres around New Zealand. In 2024, the airline flew more than 16 million passengers. Air New Zealand was named 2025 World's Safest Airline by the Australian rating service AirlineRatings.com, highlighting the airline's laser-focus on safety.
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, the Pacific Islands, Asia and North America, 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. Airpoints, Air New Zealand's loyalty programme, is seen as the most valuable loyalty programme in New Zealand with more than 4 million members. It allows members to earn Airpoints Dollars™ and Status Points for VIP benefits in the air and on the ground. 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
The Star Alliance network was established in 1997 as the first truly global airline alliance, based on a customer value proposition of global reach, worldwide recognition and seamless service. Since inception, it has offered the largest and most comprehensive airline network, with a focus on improving customer experience across the Alliance journey.
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 Air Portugal, THAI, Turkish Airlines, and United.
Overall, the Star Alliance network currently offers more than 16,000 daily flights to almost 1,200 airports in 186 countries. Further connecting flights are offered by Star Alliance Connecting Partners Juneyao Airlines and THAI Smile Airways.
For more information about Air New Zealand visit www.airnewzealand.com and for more information about Star Alliance visit www.staralliance.com