Whafe

Naturally, us Gold Elites fly loads, well those that gain Gold Elite from flying, not from credit card points...


I would like to ask, have you seen a slip in service over the past 6 months?


Am not after a beat up session on Air NZ, would really like to know opinions out there and if you are still feeling values as a frequent flyer...


Opine away

WLGNZ

When Mr Luxton took over I noticed an immediate drop in quality on AirNZ.
Would not say it has dropped any further recently.
Even noticed an improvement ex NRT a few days ago with an excellent beef cheek dish offered. Finally a decent beef option again instead of burgers!

sbiddle

As other will point out lots changed when Luxon took over. The cost cutting mentality meant a lot of cutbacks and there are many on here who will have been Elite's at the time (I wasn't) who will be able to comment on this.

I wouldn't say I've experienced a slip in service in the last 6 months, but will say that over the past 2 years or so that I've been flying a lot more that I've received some very mixed service. To me the lack of consistency is one of the biggest issues - because for every amazing flight there has been another that's ben average. I've encountered longhaul in-flight service managers who are simply not good at their job.

When staff are simply rostered semi randomly you have to conclude that the management skills and style of the in-flight service manager play a significant part of the overall passenger experience, and I have to say there are short haul in-flight service managers who are a damn site more professional and customer focussed than some senior crew. I've even flown with a WLG based one a few times in recent months who even comes and says hi on domestic flights. Some of these people have the customer skills and should really be helping train senior crew!

When I flew BP from AKL->LHR last year the difference between the NZ based crew and the UK based crew was so significant I almost felt like I was flying on a different airline.

Coming back from Hong Kong last month I had a great flight in BP, meanwhile PE service on the way over was pretty average and there wasn't even an Elite welcome - something which literally takes 10 seconds but to me is something that's part of offering great customer experience.

Hopefully the new wine lists in BP are a sign of better things to come.

Whafe

Agree, has been more the last 2 years, not the last 6 months...


Flight Manager is very key, very rarely see a not great crew when the Flight Manager is great.


Naturally on BP, one always gets a welcome. On EC on flights to say Melbourne / Sydney, a welcome to Gold Elites is ever so rare.


I have been noticing far more of late, post not getting a welcome at all, again, relates hugely to the Flight Manager. But the excuses when I have bought the topic up to CS has been hilarious...


I don't say it lightly, but feel very non-valued as a Gold Elite and it is interesting to hear the views of others. ^

Kamadan

In the last 2 years... I'd say my experience have been generally above average, all things considered.
At the end of the day it does depend highly on the crew.

Surprisingly the stand-out service I got was a flight in (lowly) Economy AKL-HKG earlier this year, and the flight attendant working on my side of the plane clearly shows passion and the true love of the job.
Apologized a few times for not able to secure a spare Skycouch row for me (and being 90% full I wouldn't have expected it anyway), made sure I was served first during mealtimes (in fact I would have finished my meals way before the person sitting next to me), even grabbed a Business amenity kit and discretely handed it over with an extra pillow after take-off when the seatbelt sign was turned off.

As far as Trans-Tasman flights are concerned in an A320, apart from premium headphones and handing out of Express Path card, can't remember if the ISM had a personal greeting with me beyond "hi", not that I really cared to be honest for a short-ish hop.

sbiddle

Air NZ made a big deal about Elite welcome's in the Airpoints survey earlier this year. I find it ironic a few people have since noticed they're less frequent.

I've only been over to Aussie about 4 times this year but have a greeting every time ex WLG. I'd say on average there are probably 4-5 Elite's per flight so it only take a couple of minutes to quickly say hi to everybody.

Whafe

Great to hear this feedback...


I too am not overly concerned re a greeting on short hop flights, most of us have headphones these days and the Express Path card is slower than the machines these days.....

Whafe

Irony is in abundance, because Air NZ did indeed make it a bid deal.


Assure you that on a 6.30 PM flight MEL - AKL, there can be more than 20 Gold Elites

sbiddle

I have to agree with this.

IMHO seniority or years of experience does not automatically make somebody suitable for the job or mean they will be good at it. The job is all about people management, communication and customer service, and while some people may tick the box of 1 or 2 of those, not everybody is going to be able to tick the box when it comes to all 3.

I've still got trips to the US next month and Japan in November. It'll be interesting to see whether much else is changing apart from the odd expensive bottle of wine from next month.

WLGNZ

We are going to get expensive wine.....
When will this happen?
Next trip is in a couple of weeks.

macdo

I'll echo what others have said about the critical importance of the staff to the in flight experience and the sense that costs have been trimmed over the past couple of years.
I appreciate the service I get on the phone as Elite, short wait and unfailingly helpful. Don't know if it is special but it is good.
If I have a gripe it is my poor experience getting RUs but that is perhaps about my travel pattern as much as anything else. However I have had operational upgrades for me and fellow travellers from time to time (last a year ago) which was nice. And that sense of delight is part of what makes someone feel valued.

And at a tangent, a friend who flies domestically 1-2 times weekly who is Gold on their way to Elite has noticed they are increasingly seated well back in the plane, behind space+, which probably reflects plenty of Elites etc on the flight but also leaves them un-delighted. I point out that they have to keep us Elites feeling valued somehow but...

edmm

I have been an Elite (from flying, not credit card) for many years and unfortunately can echo the sentiments of most. Being an Elite has considerably decreased in value/importance over the years and the experience on the ground (eg: overcrowded Koru Clubs) and in the air has suffered from years of cuts. Much of it does depend on the staff, particularly the FSM, but years of cost cutting have impacted on their ability to do their job well. The real problem is not with the staff "at the coal-face" (or in this case in the air) but with senior management. What strikes me is with such strong competition that they don't value their most valuable customers more, particularly those who pay for premium cabins.

Shelleybgood

Sorry I'm not a gold elite, but what has a credit card got to do with it really? I spend plenty on my card but unless half your points come from flights, the credit card points don't do anything (apart from the odd lounge pass and some extra APD)...sorry if this is thread hijacking, I've just heard the credit card thing a few times now...

sbiddle

A credit card has a lot to do with it. Plenty of Elite's get their 50% of points from a credit card and getting the rest flying is pretty easy.

Air NZ make $$$ selling points to the banks so don't want to kill the golden goose even if it means inflated numbers of HVCs.

Kiwi Flyer

For Elite status a maximum of 40% of SP can be earned through credit card (due to requirement to earn 810 on Air NZ flights).

For other status levels, a maximum of 50% of SP can be earned through credit card.