Air New Zealand Air Points - AZ dropping PPT

Sorry if it is there but I could not find any confirmation. I had book a RTW including LAX - PPT RAR -AKL and now I am told by Air Canada that NZ will no longer fly from LAX to PPT as of April 2. Is that right?

Alitalia (AZ) doesn't currently fly to PPT. But yes Air New Zealand (NZ) is dropping LAX-PPT and PPT-RAR from 2 April 2007. The only way to fly on NZ to PPT will be via AKL.

If you already have a confirmed booking for LAX-PPT on NZ for a date after NZ drops the route, I imagine NZ will rebook you free of charge on either Air Tahiti Nui (TN) or Air France (AF). Most likely TN given NZ has a new codeshare agreement with them.

yes Air New Zealand (NZ) is dropping LAX-PPT and PPT-RAR from 2 April 2007. The only way to fly on NZ to PPT will be via AKL.

If you already have a confirmed booking for LAX-PPT on NZ for a date after NZ drops the route, I imagine NZ will rebook you free of charge on either Air Tahiti Nui (TN) or Air France (AF). Most likely TN given NZ has a new codeshare agreement with them.

Thanks. Ticket was not issued; I guess it is no longer possible to include PPT in a RTW ticket.

If not ticketed, and assuming you are looking at a standard *A RTW, then you may just be lucky (possibly for a limited time). As mentioned, NZ has a codeshare on TN flight. As long as this flight number is not in the exclusion list within the *A RTW rules, then you can still include it.

Of course this doesnt address mileage earning (won't be any on most schemes since operating airline is not *A nor a partner of the FFP), different schedule, etc.

Thanks. Ticket was not issued; I guess it is no longer possible to include PPT in a RTW ticket.
So the RTW rules will not allow the NZ codeshare?
I guess the touted benefits of a codeshare arrangement are not as good as we are told? :rolleyes: Oh Air Points accrual will also be reduced as they are no longer NZ operated flights so yeah I am so happy about the virtual NZ under Fyfe....(OK more sarcasim but I have slowly been turned off NZ and have booked my next long haul not with them and I really love their long haul)

So the RTW rules will not allow the NZ codeshare?

I haven't seen what the NZ codeshare flight number will be, and whether that is included in the list of excluded codeshares for *A RTW. It is quite possible it will still be allowed, but I do not know for sure.

Join the club.

Even though this route (LAX-PPT) has enormous business class demand, Air NZ was not prepared to put an appropriate aircraft on the sector and instead put on an aircraft with far too many Economy seats and far too few Business seats.

Like you, I'm waiting to find out what Air NZ will do for my booking. At present they are claiming that every flight will simply have a "3" inserted in front of the existing number, so my NZ 23 is supposedly NZ 323, even though I know Air Tahiti Nui doesn't operate such a flight.

I still can't quite believe that the airline axes its fourth most profitable sector (it was PPT-RAR-AKL which leaked red ink) and then does so on the basis that it was unprofitable, but continues the unprofitable sectors!

That's dogma for you.

Thanks DCF

NZ 323 & 328 (flight numbers for PPT-LAX and LAX-PPT with a 3 in front) are not in the *A RTW rules (http://members.shaw.ca/deercroft/StarRTWrules.doc)' excluded codeshare list (yet) and so still allowed on *A RTW for both past bookings and current ones. It remains to be seen whether it gets added to the exclusion list.

Thanks DCF

NZ 323 & 328 (flight numbers for PPT-LAX and LAX-PPT with a 3 in front) are not in the *A RTW rules (http://members.shaw.ca/deercroft/StarRTWrules.doc)' excluded codeshare list (yet) and so still allowed on *A RTW for both past bookings and current ones. It remains to be seen whether it gets added to the exclusion list.

This code share does not show up in Star Alliance Schedule nor in * A RTW calculator after April 2007.

And Air Canada won't allow it.

So I guess it is just a question of not having posted the exclusion yet.

Also the lost of milleage would have been an issue.

I think the codeshare numbers aren't yet finalised. Keep an eye open in the NZ forum for news of the codes, or recheck regularly using the schedule lookup on www.airnz.co.nz Once the codeshare is finalised, if it does not appear in the rules at the time then it is not too late to book. However nothing you can do to get the miles credited to your Aeroplan when you actually fly it.