Air NZ is working through major disruptions to its operations caused by extraordinary flooding in Auckland.
Air NZ Chief Operational Integrity and Safety Officer, Captain David Morgan said that "following the heavy rain, flooding and closure of Auckland Domestic and International terminals, Air New Zealand is working through significant flight disruptions on its network.
"As Auckland is the hub of its operation, the airline is working through what its schedule will look like from midday today when Auckland Airport is scheduled to reopen.
"Overnight the airline saw 12 international services due into Auckland divert to other ports. This will cause significant flow-on effects while the airline works through getting customers on those services to their original destinations and our crew and planes back where they need to be. This may take a few days to recover.
"The airline is advising those with non-urgent travel between now and Monday 30th January 2023 to make use of the flexibility policy. Customers can either hold their fare in credit or rebook in the same class of travel between Saturday 28th January 2023 and Monday 6th February 2023 without fare difference, penalty or service fees."
The airline said that customers can easily opt into credit via the Air New Zealand app or website in the Manage Booking tab, by selecting request a credit. They can also use the app or website to change their flights to another date and have their change fee waived, though a fare difference may apply.
Advice for customers booked to travel:
- The Air New Zealand app is the easiest way for customers to stay up to date with flight details and changes
- Most customers are able to self-serve via the Manage Booking tab on the Air New Zealand website
- Impacted customers will be notified and rebooked to the next best alternative over the next 48 hours
- As the contact centre is experiencing extremely high volumes of calls we ask that only those with travel over the next 24 hours contact us directly.
- The airline’s travel alerts page has the most up-to-date information on operating flights - our contact centre team do not have any more information than this
- If you are travelling out of Auckland, please do not travel to the airport until you receive an update that your flight is going ahead
Customers who booked through a travel agent or third-party online agent should contact them directly about making changes to their bookings or credit validity.
Air New Zealand said it would like to thank customers for their patience and support while it works through these significant disruptions.
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