NZ636
ZQN-CHC
Duration: 0:55.(0:44, on time).
733: ZK-NGI
M class (no C on NZ narrow bodies), about 70% load.
Seats 1E & 1F were pre-reserved but we ended in 7E & 7F
Our original intention for this flight, was to fly back to Auckland; directly. Unfortunately for some strange reason no direct flights were available for award booking on that particular day. It seems overall that award redemptions on NZ are hard to get by, and that I was rather lucky to score so many so easily. However for this particular segment the result was that we had to fly via Christchurch, which was fine considering we'd see new landscapes.
Our hope was to have a decent normal flight experience with NZ. Guess what? It wasn't.
First of all, the premium check in counter was not manned when we arrived. I asked the duty manager nearby if it would be, to what she answered we should wait a minute. As the queue at the machine and other counters were long, we waited. A few minutes later a gentleman came, apologising for the wait and starts proceeding to checking us in.
Check in area in ZQN
After a while and several discussion with the duty manager, they both come back to me, and tell me that despite me and my girlfriend being on the same reservation, she has a ticket and I don't...
Several days before that flight, and as mentionned earlier I had called Air New Zealand reservations number (as no one in the lounge or the airport could help). I acutally called twice. The first time to confirm the reservation; the second to pre-book seats as during the first call, the agent said she could not do it. I should have got the hint. In anycase, during both conversations I was confirmed by Air New Zealand that our reservation was ok, and seats were even pre-selected for us after the second call. They were not confirmed but pre-selected was the ebst the agent could do.
So I go and tell that to the Duty manager and check in agent in ZQN, and that there must be some mistake, since I cgot a confirmation by NZ, twice, that all was good with our booking.
Sadly, there was not, and both were unhelpful. I asked what should I do to make it right? The duty manager replied I should call the travel agent who issued the ticket to fix the problem. Alternatively I could call Air New Zealand and have them fix the problem.
I have to point out that at this time I was still calm and nice. So I respectfully requested that they do that, since from my point of view NZ messed it up as they confirmed something, twice, which apparently was not true.
The duty manager, then went all defensive and refused to help. She pretexted that she did not knew who I talked to, and basically she did not believe I had actually called. I pointed out that since seat reservations were made, and just as pre selection, I must have had talked to reservation at one point or another.
Again she refused to aknowledge the mistake on NZ's behalf and refused to help further. She then sent me off then told me to bugger off and called NZ reservations number.
So I did. At this time we still had one hour before the flight. On the phone I explain all of this, and the operator, understanding the emergency of the situation, apologizes for the mistake they made (she saw it at once as soon she opened our reservation file), and went on trying to fix it. After 30 minutes on the phone, she came to me explaining the situation. Basically after I had made a change in the reservation, USAirways "forgot" to re-issue both our tickets correctly. It was done properly for my GF, but not for me. So ultimately the fault was USAirways's, even though she apologized again on behalf of the NZ reservation for not spotting the mistake when I had called. She went on explaining she had talked to US Airways and that they would not reissue the ticket without me calling them directly.
So I did. Thank good US Airways reservation center is opened 24/7 (SAS's isn't; well only for Eurobonus Gold). I explain all of this, again, and stresses the emergency of the situation. The, for once, efficient US Airways agent puts me on hold and tell me to head off to check in so that we can check in as soon as the ticket is issued (time was running out).
At this point I had told my girlfriend to check in our bags under her name, which she managed to do, despite a rather reluncted check in agent (two bags for an economy ticket, and she has no * status). At that point I was getting really annoyed by the lack of service and willingness to help of that agent and particularly of the dity manager who was scrutinizing everything we did.
After a few minutes, the USAirways agent, said "check again sir". So the agent did. And this time all was good. I thanked the operator for her precious help and hanged up.
The NZ agent gave me my boardind card, and then I went bananas. Yes, I did lost my cool
I don't know if it was the pressure of the situation, the way the duty manager was antagonizing us, the lack of service and will at all to find a solution for us, or even explain what was wrong, or maybe a combination of all of that, but I started telling that duty manager that she was the worst check in agent I had ever met. I told her that from the start she had decided not to help and to be a major ..... and that it was unacceptable.
Looking back at it; I was right but way out of line. Of course it was USAirways fault, and of course she had nothing to do with it. However she poorly managed the whole situation, she had a bad attitude and showned poor skills for her position. She had a defensive approach even though we did not agress her, we just wanted to hear a solution. She was a ..... indeed but I had become an ... (Excuse my french). From her point of view, we were probably just another pain on a busy day. Still. If she reads this, I apologize for my behaviour. I just hope she realized during the argument that she was not providing a satisfactory service and that next time she will do better.
Anyway...
After I was done, we left and went for security control
That was a quick one as we had only minutes until we would board the plane. Fortunately for a domestic flight in New Zealand, iPads and liquids can stay in the luggage, only laptops must be taken out.
There is a lounge in Queenstown, but only for international flights, besides we really did not had time for that!
Our 737-300
Boarding went without priority line, but again an FA was helping out. We climbed the mobile staircase onto this 737-300 which is equipped with.an older cabin, but still is nice looking with a blue colour theme. Clearly one can see the hard product difference between a 737 without Sky Interior and an A320 which look much more modern.
That said, the aircraft was featured with drop down and overhead screens to show the
Hobbit safety video (again) and other NZ advertising / entertainment (quizz...).
Sadly, and most of all ironically, our seat selection was not preserved during that whole episode. We ended up in row 7, whcih was not that bad.
Cabin front view under boarding
Cabin back view
Row 6
Row 8
Leg room
Dropped down screens
Service on board was minimal for this short flight, with cookie or salty snack served with a glass of water. Towards the end of the flight a candy was served.
The crew was pleasant and smiling but obviously busy because of the short amount of time in the air.
We landed on time and there were cool views on the way to CHC.
Snack time
Airborne views
Candy
Tarmac view
Conclusion
I am not sure what it is with us and NZ but they seem to underperform in at least one area on every segment we've had with them. That particular flight was nice, but Ground Services in ZQN simply unhelpful and worst unwilling to help. From my point of view, that is unacceptable from a legacy airline. I had expected this kind of behaviour from a low cost, but not from a major airline. Am I wrong?