Air New Zealand Air Points - Q about lounge access by virtue of ticketing class

Please post if the following info regarding koru club access is correct:

LAX/AKL C - Yes at LAX
AKL/CHC Y - may be Yes at AKL domestic teminal, with the C arrival from LAX?

CHC/SYD C - Yes at CHC
SYD/AKL C - Yes at SYD
AKL/SFO C - Yes at AKL

I understand Koru Club at LAX has nice shower facilities. If we can use the lounge at AKL, is there shower facility at the domestic terminal lounge?

Does NZ provide amenity kit with eyeshades? Does it also has the same policy regarding the liquid/gel stuff as the TSA here?

Thanks to everyone who replies.

You're spot on with all lounge questions, including shower at AKL dom KC. IIRC, no full amenity kits now but eyeshades etc. still offered. Yes to silly liquid restriction from March 31. Enjoy your flights. :)

Correct on the lounges. LAX, AKL dom, AKL int, CHC & SYD all have showers.

Early in the morning the AKL dom showers are in high demand (lots of pax connecting from all the early international arrivals). Just to check is AKL-CHC on NZ303 by chance? If so that flight leaves from international terminal. All other AKL-CHC flights leave from domestic terminal

Yes there is a, fairly basic, amenity kit. These are in clear bag which is suitable for the liquids rule. Yes eyeshades.

For flights to US the same liquids rules apply. I notice duty free shops advise you need to purchase 90 minutes before departure (on US bound flights). Of course if continuing on another flight from SFO then you'll need to put it into your checked luggage at SFO as cannot connect with NZ duty free as carry on.

For other international flights, only from 31 March will the liquids rules come into play. For domestic flights you can bring liquids.

Thanks Kiwi Flyer for the details.

The AKL/CHC flight is NZ 509 at 9am, because the UA agent felt it was saver eventhough the arrival was at 6:15am. I suppose we would have enough time to take a shower at the club.

The weight restriction on NZ is difficult to meet... I am not sure how to make the rollaboard down to 7kg ... am thinking to have an empty, folded bag... that I can redistribute the weight into 2 carry-ons, if check-in agent insists to enforce the rule.

If you can change to an earlier flight I would do so. 2:45 is way too much time for a connection IMHO.

If you can change to an earlier flight I would do so. 2:45 is way too much time for a connection IMHO.

Agree. I would have thought NZ 509 with a 2 3/4 connection time is more than ample, even for AKL, although I have had some bad experiences on a rainy day with bus transfers, when two hours can be tight if anything goes wrong.

I guess though that if the bags are checked through at the transfer desk at international, the position on the AKL/CHC flight is protected, and NZ will have to get you on a later flight if there is a cock up with the bus transfer anyway.

I believe we passed the window to change flights without fee.

Would NZ allow stand-by on award tix if there are seats on earlier flight?

We have not done Int'l to Domestic connection on arrival before - prior trips were all having AKL as first destination. We did once fly back from CHC to AKL and then connect to AKL/PPT. My memory was, we walked between the domestic and the int'l terminals. There were shuttles but we opted to walk.

How are the procedures for the Int'l arrival then domestic connection? I assume we would get the luggages, go thru Immigration/Custom, and then re-check the luggages and either take the shuttle, or walk over, to the domestic terminal for the domestic departure.
Or you do the re-check in at the domestic terminal?

How are the procedures for the Int'l arrival then domestic connection? I assume we would get the luggages, go thru Immigration/Custom, and then re-check the luggages and either take the shuttle, or walk over, to the domestic terminal for the domestic departure.
Or you do the re-check in at the domestic terminal?

You go through immigration, get luggage, go through customs, and then recheck your bags in the int'l terminal. No need to lug them over to the domestic terminal.

Oh, and BTW, I had no problem getting into the domestic AKL Koru Club coming off an int'l NZ flight in C and going onto a domestic flight in Y. Different tickets, even. Told the lady at the door the situation, she sent us right in, no muss, no fuss. Tasty hummus, too.

NZ are most unlikely to allow stand-by unless it suits them (ie the flight you're on is oversold - which is unlikely).

NZ sticks fairly strictly to the ticket conditions (most of the time - bad weather etc being exceptions). I've had times when on semi-flexible tickets, in the lounge waiting for flight, real bad weather coming so no guarantees my flight will actually operate, politely asking if I can take an earlier flight which I know has room. NZ says sure, but only if you pay the change fee and fare difference.

On arrival go through immigration. If have Australia or NZ passport then have a choice between upstairs (just before the bridge) or downstairs - although at quiet times upstairs is closed. Otherwise only downstairs immigration.

Collect any checked bags. Trolleys are free. Go to customs and quarantine - get all bags x-rayed (including carry-ons). There are amnesty bins after baggage claim if you want to dump some food.

Once landside you can use the domestic transfer desk (hard left on arrival) - although this had huge queues when I passed through early yesterday and only seems to cater for NZ not QF - or transfer yourself to domestic and re-check there. Bus stop is out the exit in front of arrivals and just a little to the left. Otherwise if walking go past the length of the terminal and follow the signs.

QF domestic is the closest part of the (now integrated) domestic terminal, then NZ jet services, then NZ prop services at the far end.

With that amount of time you may want to shop, shower, go to the observation decks (international one is accessed from landside of the departure level - ie upstairs above arrivals, domestic one is accessed from between the jet baggage claim and check in).

Would NZ allow stand-by on award tix if there are seats on earlier flight?
Officially the answer would be no unless you have a flexible ticket or if there are delays/cancellations etc and they need to rebook you.

However I had a similar scenario last year with an Intl->Dom transfer at AKL and at the domestic transfer counter in the international terminal at AKL (where you can drop your luggage after customs) I was actually offered to take an earlier flight even though my ticket was not flexible.
They couldn't do the rebooking for me there but it was taken care of in the domestic terminal a few minutes later.
So it's definitely worth a try if you have a long transfer, otherwise the domestic Koru Club is very nice with plenty to eat and drink and free internet.

I want to thank everyone who is so kind to offer information and advices.

If we could get an earlier flight, it would be great. If not, we will surely enjoy the lounge and will have a good time. :)