Air New Zealand Air Points - No domestic transfer desk @ int. from 10 April

Our domestic OTP is being affected by the inefficient process we have for International customers checking in and transferring to domestic services. Customers using the Domestic transfer desk in the International terminal are struggling to get to their domestic flights in good time, compared with those that check in at the Domestic Terminal having got there on the transfer bus.

To validate whether we should make a permanent process change and have all customers check in at the domestic terminal a trial will be run from Mon 10 April. The Domestic transfer desk in the International terminal will be closed and customers with domestic connections will check in at the domestic terminal.

The trial is expected to run for 2 weeks however this may either be reduced or extended based on its success.

How it will work:

AIAL will run the buses at an increased frequencies: between 0600 – 1200 every 10 minutes otherwise it’ll be every 20 minute intervals

During the trial physically capable Air NZ staff will be present kerb side at both domestic and international terminals to load and unload customer’s bags on and off buses. The need for this will be validated during the trial and may not continue if we make a permanent change.

Enough luggage carts available in both terminals to enable customers to get bags from kerb to check in desks and vice versa

Appropriate signage and staff to redirect customers directly to buses

Purser to advise customers on in bound flights of the process.

See below

Our domestic OTP is being affected by the inefficient process we have for International customers checking in and transferring to domestic services. Customers using the Domestic transfer desk in the International terminal are struggling to get to their domestic flights in good time, compared with those that check in at the Domestic Terminal having got there on the transfer bus.

To validate whether we should make a permanent process change and have all customers check in at the domestic terminal a trial will be run from Mon 10 April. The Domestic transfer desk in the International terminal will be closed and customers with domestic connections will check in at the domestic terminal.

The trial is expected to run for 2 weeks however this may either be reduced or extended based on its success.

How it will work:

AIAL will run the buses at an increased frequencies: between 0600 – 1200 every 10 minutes otherwise it’ll be every 20 minute intervals

During the trial physically capable Air NZ staff will be present kerb side at both domestic and international terminals to load and unload customer’s bags on and off buses. The need for this will be validated during the trial and may not continue if we make a permanent change.

Enough luggage carts available in both terminals to enable customers to get bags from kerb to check in desks and vice versa

Appropriate signage and staff to redirect customers directly to buses

Purser to advise customers on in bound flights of the process.

What a ludicrous solution. :td: How about redesigning the "inefficient process" rather than taking the service away? Another cost cutting exercise IMHO. How about asking the customers what they think?

Has anyone thought about how a high yield customer's view would be jaundiced, having experienced a very good product with the new NZ business class on a flight from LAX or other long haul port being told that there was no transfer desk, and he has to manhandle his own luggage to the domestic terminal.

Come on!

The following is probably OTT, but the operating of TransTasman NZ flights by Freedom crew is another major negative as far as the higher yielding PAX is concerned.

I guess we will wait and see what the proposed QF/NZ alliance on TransTasman flights turns out to be, but the Wellington based crew on TransTasman flights have been a major plus IMO, and they more than compensate for the lower standard of food and beverage service cf QF.

NZ needs to be very careful, otherwise they are going to lose their franchise, and they won't survive, or will be restricted to a regional carrier.

Wouldn't it be much, much more sensible to create a luggage belt after MAF/Immigration very similar to the situation at LAX.. if the bags are tagged to (say) WLG or KKE then just drop them with the helpful "physically capable" staff member and proceed over to the dom terminal. In my experience I've usually had my bags tagged and boarding pass issued already before arrival at AKL, so no need for a full check-in experience..

I guess the downside for the airline would be missing out on excess baggage charges if perhaps the bags had been checked by an overly helpful UA or SQ staff member somewhere and sep tickets used... but surely this whole trial exercise is just ludicrous? I don't see any benefit whatsoever to the customer, and not a whole lot to the airline..

Of course the reasoning ("on-time-performance") is bunkum - the int terminal will not accept bags beyond the 60 minute cut-off, and if they can't arrange timely bag connections to the aircraft in that time in an airport the size and complexity of AKL then perhaps they should just pull out of the business of selling connections. Plus, even walking *extremely* slowly along the blue line between terminals will never take anything near an hour.

Total rot, and its wiped the warm glow of getting excited by the new LHR services right off my face.

I wonder if the quote 'customers are struggling to get to their departing flights ontime' refers to them dawdling, stuffing around in the international terminal or popping up to the shopping mall, rather than any problem with the airport systems? I didn't write the release of course, and as crew I have no idea what their motivations for doing this are. I agree that premium customers may find it a bit off - what do QF/other airlines do in this area for arriving pax connecting?

Are you really that depressed by a 2 week trial that it cancels out the positive effect of daily 747 services to London through the Orient?! :confused:

I hope the trial is not viewed as a success. Painless baggage transfer makes a big difference when arriving after a long flight. Even much maligned SYD has baggage drop off at the international terminal for int->domestic QF connections.

I wonder if some of the misconnect issues are more to do with excessive immigration and quarantine queues? Apart from my latest flight when I was stunned to see a totally empty hall (apart from all the officers), the queues seem to be getting worse and worse (this at varying times of day so not just a peak hour problem).

The other possibility that I see is the inter-terminal bus sometimes runs less frequently than every 20 minutes. I have also seen instances of stupidity whereby 2 inter-terminal buses pull up at the same time. A helpful someone (cant recall if it was an airline representative or one of the airport volunteers) ferries people into the second bus, which just sits there (presumably for another 20 minutes) while the first bus drives off empty :rolleyes:

This trial is already causing confusion. The spiel given while we taxiied in was not well worded and took several goes at trying to explain. I doubt that many would have understood what to do.

This trial is already causing confusion. The spiel given while we taxiied in was not well worded and took several goes at trying to explain. I doubt that many would have understood what to do.

I'll probably be through AKL connecting to WLG next week, so I will be very interested myself. I'll be travelling very light, and will probably be thru customs and out the door very quickly, so I may not be able to see the pain and agony first hand.