Air New Zealand Air Points - Things Air NZ does well

Hi all,

As an employee it can get a bit dispiriting reading this forum. So I'd like to dedicate this post to find out what you think Air NZ does well. It could be as major as route structure or as minor as the boiled sweets on descent.

Please keep negativity completely out of the thread.. I'd really appreciate it.

Only ever flew with Air NZ once, but was pleasantly impressed with the piloting skills - especially the nice, sharp takeoff from WLG :)

I also think the overall artistic spirit seen in the lounges & airline paraphernelia design is fresh and very pleasant.

Though I haven't experienced them, the new Recaro seats in long-haul Y seem very comfy...they certainly have a better ergonomic design than any other airline's Y.

What Air New Zealand does really well......is Customer Service.......no doubt.........especallly in flight. Sure, there ''product' until recently was not up to par but there in flight service made up for it. It has always been consistently good.

Ground staff have always been pretty good IMHO

For me it's the crew first and foremost - you do a fantastic job and make each flight a pleasure, whether long or short. The other things on my list of things AirNZ does very well would be:
- the lounges, especially the new refurbs (food, wine & ambiance)
- the new seats in biz (fantastic) and Y, and the new IFE
- the route network (love the Pacific destinations, LHR-HKG will be great)
- food & wine onboard
- lack of delays and cancellations

But basically it's the genuinly warm service coupled with an excellent onboard product that put AirNZ head and shoulders above the competition. Don't be dispirited! :D

Cheers, Zac

Excellent lounges
Excellent seats - the new ones!
Good customer service from friendly people - have only ever found one who wasn't in thousands of miles so well above average
There's something else - oh, yes, the crew - some of the best in the business so don't get disheartened - you're among the best - just do you part to make sure it stays that way!

As an employee it can get a bit dispiriting reading this forum.

Dont get too dispirited - its just human nature to post talk more about the one thing that went wrong than the six other things that went right. Also dont forget some of the most positive comments dont end up in this forum, but in trip reports or in personal correspondence to NZ.

Here is a link to reference: australia, NZ and south pacific trip reports (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=321579) (needs updating for the most recent ones).

As for what's best - for me its the crew ^

The people the people the people.

In all my NZ flights, I have only experienced one poor crew person.

The staff are Air NZ's greatest asset.

I have great confidence in the skills of the Air NZ pilots and feel very safe in a NZ aircraft - many safe landings into WLG during terrible weather are testament to that.

many safe landings into WLG during terrible weather are testament to that.


That airport is downright freaky! Does anyone know why they chose to build it precisely there, in the midst of all the Antarctic wind action?

That airport is downright freaky! Does anyone know why they chose to build it precisely there, in the midst of all the Antarctic wind action?

Don't know why they built it there, but I have had some exciting landings/aborted landings over the years.

The gusting northerlies are the worst, not the southerlies IMHO.

The "Why we like Wellington thread", huh? The NWester is generally much more demanding for pilots (and uncomfortable for pax) since RWY 34 experiences more cross-wind and and greater turbulence as the wind 'tumbles' over the hills. Approaches to RWY 16 typically experience less crosswind and less turbulence - but this is all relative. It's a tough working environment, with short,difficult sectors in the main. So well done!

Being born and raised in WLG, I'm biased (not saying which way though). Being a pilot, I'm also biased - always enjoyed the challenge that WLG posed, even if the pax (and cabin crew)were less enthused.... :D

Almost makes me homesick, but I'll have to make do in BKK for now ;)

Hmmm,

Staff and customr service
The IFE (on refurbished long haul aircraft)
The food
The lounges (looking forward to trying SYD having tried AKL and LAX)
Nice treatment of *A gold's from other carriers
The pie (yes, that pie).

Sure, there ''product' until recently was not up to par

Please keep negativity completely out off the thread! ;)

Kiwiflyer's right in that a lot of the more positive stuff ends up in trip reports and the NZ forum tends to be a bit more critical (although hardly to be honest...nz_crew, have a read through the KLM/Flying Blue forum to see what real dispiriting criticism looks like...)

What I like most are the lounges and the 20-odd types of beer they stock! :)

Yes - for me its the boiled sweets
and the desert wines (not a lot of airlines do this).

And the new business class - wonderful stuff

Great staff - at the front they are always there with a drink when necessary.

- The staff, especially in the air. The worst onboard service I've ever experienced on NZ was still adequate, but it's usually excellent and quite often truly fantastically friendly and personalised.
- A320 Y class seats are prob the most comfortable short haul Y seats in the world
- Legroom on the 744s
- Fabulous spreads of food and drink in the domestic lounges... in fact the lounge products overall, tho not cutting edge in terms of gimmicks, are very good in the areas that count IMHO
- Skilled pilots - in many hairy weather situations, esp in and out of WLG, I've always been impressed by their effortless control
- Quite funky design of many elements of the airline, eg FF cards, marketing collateral, lounges, menus (older ones) etc
- Food and wine (for the most part)
- Trans-Tasman J class: for shorthaul, narrowbody J it is really very good
- Printing your passport on the boarding pass
- Usually effortless domestic check-in
- AKL's premium check-in facility
- Boiled sweets on descent
- Warming the bread rolls, even in Y (do they still do this?)
- Olive oil to go with your bread in J
- Kapiti ice cream and yummy pies trans-Tasman
- The new manuka handwash in the lavs
- Lindauer special reserve in the lounges, + Monteiths beer
- Decent inflight magazine
- Recognising the importance of frequency over aircraft size on many domestic routes
- Generally very punctual, in my experience
- The new business premier looks fantastic but unfortunately I have yet to try it :(
- The Sydney lounge aka my second home :) + WLG domestic
- The BHE regional koru lounge - when they finally get around to building it ;)

- The BHE regional koru lounge - when they finally get around to building it ;)

I knew that would enter in somewhere :D

That airport is downright freaky! Does anyone know why they chose to build it precisely there, in the midst of all the Antarctic wind action?

Perhaps because the nearest other spot to have an airport (enough flat land and safe approach) is way up the Kapiti Coast (before Rongotai, Paraparaumu was the capital's airport), and that location is hardly immune to strong winds either.

- The BHE regional koru lounge - when they finally get around to building it ;)

Perhaps the MEL "bach" is really a kitset BHE lounge - ironing out the kinks first? :p

Don't know why they built it there, but I have had some exciting landings/aborted landings over the years.

The gusting northerlies are the worst, not the southerlies IMHO.As Kiwi Flyer noted, there isn't really a better spot.

The northerlies (like all winds coming from land) are gustier as the wind twists and bends around the land masses, therefore acting much less predictably... By contrast, southerlies blow unimpeded over open water for a while, so they are steadier in terms of velocity and direction...

How do I know this? Take a look at my handle ;)

Perhaps the MEL "bach" is really a kitset BHE lounge - ironing out the kinks first? :p

I like your thinking! :D

Air NZ seem do seem to look after their customers pretty well.. I don't know if it's because I'm NZ*G, although there was no way for the checkin staff to know that....

Two recent examples:

1) I flew WLG-AKL-CHC-WLG recently. On the AKL-CHC leg, I misplaced my corporate ID cards, which are also access cards to buildings, a number of which are reasonably high security. I recalled taking it off in the AKL Koru Club, but couldn't find it where I thought I had put it - my pocket.

Assumption was it had either come out in the K.C., or the aircraft. I realised this at the baggage claim in CHC. A quick call to the 0800 Gold number, and they got a hold of the AKL Koru Club who looked around where I had been sitting, but didn't find it. They promised to contact me if it was found.

I went to the checkin staff who were still around, who called to the gate, and got the flight crew to check around the aircraft... no sign of it.

They definitely went through all the motions and processes to search for it. I eventually found it had been eaten by a book in my laptop bag, so it had been in my possession the whole time. Very embarrassing. :(

2) I emailed flightcomment after my WLG-AKL-PER-AKL-WLG flights in Feb/Mar, as discussed in another thread. I just got a reply today... while a little belated, I was very surprised to read:
Dear Mr ajnz

Thank you for your recent email regarding the in-flight service on your Auckland to Perth return trip .It was pleasing to read that you enjoyed our business class service and the crew were so obliging on this flight.

However I was concerned to read that you found the meal size inadequate and the drinks service ran out of wine on the return flight. On behalf of Air New Zealand I apologise for this lapse in our service. Please be assured your comments have been forwarded to our Service Delivery Manager. As a gesture of goodwill we have arranged for 30 complimentary Airpoints dollars to be credited to your account.

Mr ajnz, thank you for taking the time to write to us and express your views. The meal service is constantly under review and your comments have been noted. We trust our services will meet your expectations in the future.

Yours SincerelyWhich was very nice to read and see. I hadn't been expecting any 'compensation', so it was a very nice gesture for Air New Zealand to make. Certainly made me feel better about being a little under-fed. :)

aj

- Boiled sweets on descent

Boiled sweets? I tried to look this up, but was not able to get any examples of what this might be...possibly a NZ Specialty?

Boiled sweets? I tried to look this up, but was not able to get any examples of what this might be...possibly a NZ Specialty?


Hard candies.