Air New Zealand Air Points - GAS Gold Rush (or how I maintained NZ*G in 2010)

There was some recent discussion about how hard (or otherwise) it was to gain NZ Gold status by flying domestically. Many will recall that chap that gained gold through $1GAS flights.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/travel/news/article.cfm?c_id=7&objectid=10646911
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/air-new-zealand-air-points/1088144-serial-grab-seater-goes-public.html

There were a few others, self included, who managed to snag a fair few $1GAS flights. In my case it was to dove-tail onto my THAI ROP *G status which was due to expire (after 2 years) in Dec 10, and ensure *G status throughout 2011. I'd been 'comped' NZ*G previously expiring Dec 10 as well, so only needed 810 SP to re-qualify. I did end up flying 4 international sectors.

I've just spent a few hours at home last weekend reviewing that 'madcap' year and can provide the following stats:

Period: 24 Dec 09 - 12 Dec 10


GC map of the all the sectors click this (http://www.gcmap.com/mapui?P=wlg-akl-wlg;+wlg-akl-tbu-akl-wlg;+wlg-akl-wlg-chc-wlg-chc-wlg;+wlg-akl-chc-akl-wlg;+wlg-chc-wlg-chc-wlg;+wlg-akl-wlg;+wlg-rot-akl-wlg;+wlg-chc-wlg-chc-dud-chc-wlg;+wlg-akl;+wlg-chc-wlg;+wlg-chc-dud-chc-wlg;+wlg-akl-wlg-akl-wlg-akl-wlg;+wlg-chc-wlg-chc-wlg;+wlg-akl-wlg;+wlg-chc-akl-wlg;+wlg-akl-wlg;+wlg-chc;+wlg-chc-dud-wlg;+wlg-akl-mel-akl-wlg-akl-wlg)
21,316 miles flown
65 sectors flown, 61 domestic, 4 international
ave sector length 327 miles (near enough WLG-AKL at 297)
ave domestic sector length 255 miles (also near enough WLG-AKL)
840 SP earned
1643 miles the longest sector (AKL-MEL)
113 miles the shortest sector (ROT-AKL)



21 $1 Grabaseat sectors
14 Grabaseat sectors >$1 and less than $30
50+ sectors flown as 'same day return' or 'circle day' (WLG-AKL-CHC-WLG) event- including all international sectors.



14x AKL-WLG
13x WLG-AKL
13x WLG-CHC
10x CHC-WLG
3x CHC-DUD
2x DUD-CHC
1x AKL-MEL, MEL-AKL, AKL-TBU, TBU-AKL, WLG-ROT, ROT-AKL, DUD-WLG, AKL-CHC



47x Boeing 737
12x ATR-72
2x Boeing 747
2x Airbus 320
1x Q300
1x Beech 1900 (thank God)



22x seat 01D
11x seat 02A
9x seat 01A
5x seat 02C
3x seat 01F
1x seat 01K, 07K (744)
1x random others



3x NZ429 AKL-WLG
3x NZ482 CHC-WLG

2x NZ406, NZ418, NZ427, NZ455, NZ461, NZ473, NZ475, NZ5013, NZ5031


Mainly, it was all good fun. The 2am turnaround at TBU (Tonga) posed some timing challenges and utter disbelief by arrivals staff who worried over how many days I should get on my entry permit (zero or one....), before I was hastened through to departures, through security and back on the aircraft.

Don't ask how much it all cost..... I forget ;)

Cheers, TK

I no-showed a lot more $1 GAS's than I flew. Sorry to those I beat out for them. :(

Sometimes they were very handy-for instance I once had a $1 AKL-NPE booked, only I ended up needing to go to WLG that day. There were only flexis left for AKL-WLG, but a $79 fare for NPE-WLG, so I cancelled the return NPE-AKL leg and flew from NPE to WLG. I saved money and got 20 SPs instead of 12.

In the UK we call that binge-flying - very un-pc.;)
But like all our vices, it is taxed to death now.

I used to make MAN-LHR mileage runs on BMI. As Gold card you got fed too! All for £25 one-way (somehow it sounds cheaper than $55).

In the UK we call that binge-flying - very un-pc.;)
But like all our vices, it is taxed to death now.

I used to make MAN-LHR mileage runs on BMI. As Gold card you got fed too! All for £25 one-way (somehow it sounds cheaper than $55).

LOL, it was a bit like that. Most flights were Sat or Sun when Mrs TK was working and TK-high-school-son was still in a deep slumber.... so no different from playing golf.

Beech -1900D (thank god) only 1 flight?
Why is that as that is my favourite NZ aircraft looking into the cockpit etc.
Is there a safety concern or passenger comfort issue?

Having spent much time in the cockpit, looking in from just behind has less appeal than decent leg room .... besides it looks aerodynamically ugly!

I have to agree with Blackcloud on this one, B1900D is a great plane, ugly, but great!

well done TK on your Gold and for charting your progress. Just need to visit every NZ operated airport now ;)

I am looking at doing the same here in the UK, but the taxes (as pointed out earlier in the thread) are huge :(

Curiosity got the better of me so I decided to break down mine also.

I was starting from Jade, so had to get 900 SP:eek:

Period: March 11 2010 - Feb 7 2011

GC Map of all sectors flown (http://www.gcmap.com/mapui?P=akl-zqn-akl%3B+akl-kke-akl%3B+akl-wlg-akl%3B+akl-npl-akl%3B+akl-chc-dud-akl%3B+akl-wre-akl%3B+akl-nsn-akl%3B+akl-kke-akl%3B+akl-syd-akl%3B+akl-hlz-pmr-akl%3B+chc-ivc%3B+dud-akl%3B+akl-wlg-akl%3B+akl-chc-akl%3B+akl-nsn-akl%3B+akl-chc-ivc-chc-akl%3B+akl-wlg-chc-wlg-akl%3B+akl-npe-akl%3B+akl-chc-akl%3B+akl-chc-wka%3B+zqn-akl%3B+akl-wlg-akl%3B+akl-wlg-akl%3B+akl-wlg-chc-ivc-chc-akl%3B+akl-nsn-akl%3B+akl-pmr-akl%3B+akl-npe-akl%3B+akl-wlg-akl%3B+akl-pmr-akl%3B+akl-chc-zqn%3B+wka-chc-wlg-pmr%3B+akl-wlg-akl%3B+akl-npe-akl%3B+akl-npe-akl%3B+akl-syd-akl&MS=wls&DU=mi)

26,635 miles flown
77 sectors flown, 73 domestic, 4 international
ave sector length 365 miles
900 SP earned
1344 miles longest sector (AKL-SYD)
66 miles shortest sector (AKL-HLZ)
30 $1 GAS sectors



8x AKL-WLG
7x WLG-AKL
6x AKL-CHC
4x CHC-AKL, AKL-NPE, NPE-AKL
3x AKL-NSN, NSN-AKL, PMR-AKL, CHC-IVC
2x ZQN-AKL, AKL-KKE, KKE-AKL, DUD-AKL, AKL-SYD, SYD-AKL, IVC-CHC, WLG-CHC, CHC-WLG, AKL-PMR
1X AKL-ZQN, AKL-NPL, NPL-AKL, CHC-DUD, AKL-WRE, WRE-AKL, AKL-HLZ, HLZ-PMR, CHC-WKA, CHC-ZQN, WKA-CHC, WLG-PMR,



33x Boeing 737
23x Q300
11x Beech 1900D
4x ATR72
2x A320
2x Boeing 767
2x Boeing 777


The stupid things you do to pass the time as a student:p I justified it (to myself) by doing work in the lounge

Initially, I loved flying the 1900D as you could watch the pilots, but the novelty wore of very quickly with the frequent service delays.

Let's see what I can come up with from my spreadsheet of flight data.

Period: 29th Jan 2011 to 24th Jan 2012


33,323 miles flown.
74 sectors flown, 70 domestic and 4 international
Avg sector length, 450 miles.
908 SP
Longest - AKL to PVG, 5802 miles.
Shortest - CHC to NSN, 155 miles.



AKL-CHC x7
AKL-DUD x1
AKL-PVG x1
CHC-AKL x8
CHC-DUD x10
CHC-HLZ x5
CHC-NSN x10
CHC-PMR x1
CHC-SYD x1
DUD-CHC x9
HLZ-CHC x1
HLZ-WLG x3
NSN-CHC x10
PMR-CHC x1
PVG-AKL x1
SYD-CHC x1
WLG-CHC x3
ZQN-CHC x1



20 x Boeing 737
2 x Boeing 777-200
3 x Airbus A320
26 x ATR72
23 x Q300


As far as pricing goes, I don't have any details but I know for a fact there were no $1 GAS and I doubt I had a flight under $49 in there.

If I have status points that I collected on 10th March 2011, will I lose those points on the 10th or the 11th? I have a feeling I'd probably lose them sometime in the evening on the 10th. I'm currently 35 status points short of gold and have a 24 point return flight to be completed on the 10th, it just makes a difference as to whether I need to add either another 12 or another 24 to that.

If I have status points that I collected on 10th March 2011, will I lose those points on the 10th or the 11th? I have a feeling I'd probably lose them sometime in the evening on the 10th. I'm currently 35 status points short of gold and have a 24 point return flight to be completed on the 10th, it just makes a difference as to whether I need to add either another 12 or another 24 to that.

IME, you can't have two March 10ths count for your annual status haul... so I don't think the time of day matters much.

But I don't know how their computer system works and can think of many stranger scenarios (e.g. if you were to take a domestic US flight on March 9th, which would be March 10th in NZ).

Also, does anyone know if Air NZ considers a "year" to be 365 days? I've noticed that with the leap year, a lot of my "annual" contracts, particularly insurance, begun prior to Feb 29th expire 365 days later, not 366.

So if Air NZ does this, you'd also lose March 9th because February 29th took its place.

I have to agree with Blackcloud on this one, B1900D is a great plane, ugly, but great!

(

LOL. I took my last ever flight on one of these on Wed - AKL-GIS.

Never, ever again. (It was very turbulent).

I drove back to AKL rather than fly the return leg.

LOL. I took my last ever flight on one of these on Wed - AKL-GIS.

Never, ever again. (It was very turbulent).

I drove back to AKL rather than fly the return leg.
Try flying in one through a hail storm in a valley as it prepares for a landing, big hits on the windscreen and very turbulent. I and Mrs Blackcloud loved it! I think we were the only pax that did, but it was not as bad as the QF landing in WLG a few days before we did....WLG was hit hard by a number of storms that week.
Still my favourite, do not get the seats straight behind the wing as the wing spar goes through the cabin and limits legroom, that hump you must step over to get to the back.

I remain unconvinced, but maybe I'm just a bad 'pillion passenger'!!

Try flying in one through a hail storm in a valley as it prepares for a landing, big hits on the windscreen and very turbulent...

I had one flight from HKK to CHC where there was a buildup of snow on the windscreen!!!

I remain unconvinced, but maybe I'm just a bad 'pillion passenger'!!
As long as you are not a backseat pilot:p
Or is it a yearning to return to Seat 0A?