Air New Zealand Air Points - OT: New AKL international arrivals area

Opened a few days ago and today was my first time through. There is a lot of extra walking, only partly alleviated by 2 narrow moving walkways (these are not wide enough to walk past someone who is stationary/slower).

Now only one duty free store (so expect prices to rise), which you have to walk through. The duty free checkout counters are in the direct line to the NZ and Australian immigration lines. So if duty free is busy you have to walk the long way around all the counters. Today it was not busy when I arrived so I walked through an empty check out line.

Immigration area is much wider than before, but desks seem to be a bit bigger so not sure how many extra staff there would be at busy times. Come out at the opposite end of the baggage hall to previously. Which means those that have no luggage to collect have to pass several carousels to reach the arrival card check.

Despite no queues at immigration or customs, and minor queue at xray, my PTE (plane to exit) time was a poor 10 minutes.

So, now both departures and arrivals have a horrible zigzag course through the terminal.

Thanks for the feedback, i just read the article on NZHerald last night but the pictures dont load.

I can't stand the queues getting back into new zealand at immigration, after arriving on the last of 3 emirates flights that afternoon plus 3 other large flights the queues went back to the stairs (the old passport check), took 20 minutes or so for me but people at the back were there for 40. This is the biggest problem with AIA, i hope the expansion resolves this. Ill be flying back in on the 22nd April so ill see what its like there and take some pictures myself.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/3/story.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10501992&ref=rss

Also: http://auckland-airport.co.nz/Expansion/ - Few pictures there

Now only one duty free store (so expect prices to rise), which you have to
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So, now both departures and arrivals have a horrible zigzag course through the terminal.
But only one duty free store to zigzag through, rather than the shopping concourse that is departures?

Sounds interesting - I guess I'll have a look next time I'm into AKL. Can you still order from dutyfreestores.co.nz and pick up in AKL, or has that gone too?

There was a duty free collection point before the turn left into the new bit of the terminal. I'm not sure if that covered all the other duty free stores, or just one. Signage wasn't great and I was in a rush to get past as many of the ICN and HKG pax as possible.

The walk through the duty free shop is fairly straight and not as cluttered as for example the one at MEL where I'm always wondering if I'll knock something over as I walk through. The zig-zag bit is that where before there was short left and right, over the bridge, right for immigration, right again for baggage and u-turn for customs ... now it is left, a walk the full length of the new part, right through duty free, left to bypass check out, hard right then left for immigration, right and left and down for baggage claim and straight ahead for customs.

Oh yeah I forgot, we waited 10 minutes for someone to move the airbridge.

I wonder what is happening with the space where the old arrivals duty free shops were? It would be nice if it is part of extension to the NZ lounge (and preferably also an exit direct to the top level instead of the stupid down and round and round and back up course currently).

From my arrival on Sunday.
But only one duty free store to zigzag through, rather than the shopping concourse that is departures?

Sounds interesting - I guess I'll have a look next time I'm into AKL. Can you still order from dutyfreestores.co.nz and pick up in AKL, or has that gone too?
The arrivals collection point, for dutyfreestores.co.nz, is still in the same area and there is no intention to move it. Note they still have not fixed the buzzer and they actually do not hear the door automatic buzzer. I was standing setting off the buzzer for 10 minutes on Sunday. Regency Duty Free (Yellow one) has set up a collection only point front of this. Travlex is still there.

I wonder what is happening with the space where the old arrivals duty free shops were? It would be nice if it is part of extension to the NZ lounge (and preferably also an exit direct to the top level instead of the stupid down and round and round and back up course currently).

I do not know about the upstairs part but MAF/Customs will be taking/expanding into the old immigration area. The pity is there will be more room but not staff I bet. Oh why do they hire those strongs guys at the xray who refuse to help anyone put bags onto the xray. I had to help a mother travelling with two kids load the bags on.:td:

I just emailed AIA and the reply i got was that whats going to happen to the old arrivals area is not yet available to the public.

I do not know about the upstairs part but MAF/Customs will be taking/expanding into the old immigration area. The pity is there will be more room but not staff I bet. Oh why do they hire those strongs guys at the xray who refuse to help anyone put bags onto the xray. I had to help a mother travelling with two kids load the bags on.:td:

Ah, knew I forgot something. There are now signs in front of all the x-ray machines saying pax must load their own bags. Makes me wonder what the person standing there is for.

I just emailed AIA and the reply i got was that whats going to happen to the old arrivals area is not yet available to the public.

My understanding is the downstairs old immigration area will be part of an extended customs area (didn't look like it was in operation yet but as I escaped secondary this time a bit hard to tell past the partition dividers).

It is the old duty free arrivals shop area that I am most interested in.

Ah, knew I forgot something. There are now signs in front of all the x-ray machines saying pax must load their own bags. Makes me wonder what the person standing there is for.
I was pondering this yesterday with the delay of my QF flight SYD-WLG; and I found it amusing that the people with the heaviest bags were always those the least able to lift them.

IIRC in Melbourne the people standing around the X-ray machine load them for you.

Until a few days ago they used to lift them for you in AKL too, although I generally lifted mine on because it is quicker that way.

Ah, knew I forgot something. There are now signs in front of all the x-ray machines saying pax must load their own bags. Makes me wonder what the person standing there is for.

Gotta keep unemployment low somehow - you know Labour loves that. :rolleyes:
I think it is terrible when you arrive into AKL and there is three or four people huddled around each x-ray machine and pax are struggling with their bags while four people stand there seeing who can be the first to take your arrival card and put it on a conveyor belt. And don't get me started on the interrogation experts that they hire as customs officials. I get sick of being harassed almost every time I come through the airport! Their favorite question: "How can someone your age afford business? Who pays for your ticket? What do you do?" So rude...:mad:

I get sick of being harassed almost every time I come through the airport! Their favorite question: "How can someone your age afford business? Who pays for your ticket? What do you do?" So rude...:mad:
Wow - I've never had any sort of experience like that. I always get the impression that at NZ Immigration they really couldn't care less about NZ passport holders.

I had one prick at the passport counter that insisted i put my cellphone away and my ipod headphones that were around my neck... otherwise everyone at the airport has been good.

After being a long time Regency customer they ran promo a few months ago offering something (Rum I think) at $1 a bottle but you couldn't buy it for collection only departure and of course with intermediate stops you cant take it through so it was sort of a Clayton's promo, only ok for a single sector flight.

So out of curiosity I checked prices in SIN and found they were substantially lower then Regency. As an example Bailey's was something like $34 in NZ and under $30 in Singapore and if you are SQ PPS you get another 10% off. Its been that way on several other items I'e compared also.

With just one game in town At AKL there is only one way for prices to go but well worth shopping around and its quicker getting through customs on arrival no need to collect or buy.

Their favorite question: "How can someone your age afford business? Who pays for your ticket? What do you do?" So rude...:mad:Given I had time to waste on a secondary, my answer would be "Nunya bloody business, sunshine!" :p They can't prevent a citizen from returning to his own country.

justakiwi

Thanks for the feedback, i just read the article on NZHerald last night but the pictures dont load.

I can't stand the queues getting back into new zealand at immigration, after arriving on the last of 3 emirates flights that afternoon plus 3 other large flights the queues went back to the stairs (the old passport check), took 20 minutes or so for me but people at the back were there for 40. This is the biggest problem with AIA, i hope the expansion resolves this. Ill be flying back in on the 22nd April so ill see what its like there and take some pictures myself.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/3/story.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10501992&ref=rss

Also: http://auckland-airport.co.nz/Expansion/ - Few pictures there

Arrived back yesterday and had the same scenario; huge number of flights arrived, with only 9 immigration staff on hand. It took 30 minutes in the NZ/AU queue, and I dare say a lot longer for the others in the "All Passports" queue.

The worst part was that MAF had four X-Ray machines running and the queue flowed back out past the second to last baggage claim area. Utter chaos.

As for the immigration comments in this thread; Although I've had a good run with immigration staff lately, I have also had a few problems with their attitude towards returning NZ PAX.

Given I had time to waste on a secondary, my answer would be "Nunya bloody business, sunshine!" :p They can't prevent a citizen from returning to his own country.

justakiwi

Yup, and then you get to waste more time having a "friendly interview"! I just try to ignore them and not react.

Yup, and then you get to waste more time having a "friendly interview"! I just try to ignore them and not react.

Same here. I know from experience that my attitude and responses can make a big difference in how long I'm kept there. Except there was one time a newbie officer was really chatty. I couldn't read her so well and ended up there for almost 2 hours, by which time the terminal was locked up. The really annoying bit, was I had to go to work just a few hours later, before leaving the country again later the same day.

Same here. I know from experience that my attitude and responses can make a big difference in how long I'm kept there. Except there was one time a newbie officer was really chatty. I couldn't read her so well and ended up there for almost 2 hours, by which time the terminal was locked up. The really annoying bit, was I had to go to work just a few hours later, before leaving the country again later the same day.Yikes! After 10 minutes, I'd be at the "Either call a cop to arrest me (Free ride into town! Bonus!) or I'm leaving" stage. The last time I looked, customs officers were still categorised as public servants, and are not employed to harass taxpayers for s*#@s and giggles! :mad:

That having been said, I've always breezed through when using the green lane, and security is such a pleasure compared to the minstrations of the Thousands Standing Around. The only time I've gotten close to aggro was while outbound a few years back, during one of those ridiculous checked baggage "secondaries" prior to checkin, when the officer didn't care to wear gloves. Ewwww!! BTW, do they still do those at AKL?

justakiwi

Traveled extensively out of NZ over the past few years, but only had my first ever secondary in NZ when arriving AKL recently. I'm somewhat relieved to read the comments here that it was not that unusual. What criteria do they use to select pax? Had two 'officers' and a supervisor ask questions about where I'd been, what I did, did I travel these routes often etc. Must have reasonable files on pax as they seemed to know quite a bit...

Almost sounds like they had a tip-off... Either that or they were REALLY bored...

deleted

nah - anything that strikes them as unusual* gets flagged even before you arrive, plus the immigration officer can additionally flag based on discussion with them


*which might not be unusual at all to FTers

The new arrivals area is a bloody long walk, not helped when (a) the travelators are broken; or (b) if they're not broken, people stand on them like giant lumps in the middle. The only good thing is that it is possible to speed past a bunch of people as they shuffle along the new concourse; I must have overtaken half the people on the 747 flight ahead of me. There was still a queue at immigration (about 5-10 mins for NZ passports?)

The layout is incredibly retarded, but then again, what else is new?

The walk is fairly long, i flew business class so i managed to reach the customs desk first and there was no lines. The layout at customs looks good but will see how it goes when its busy.

I haven't yet had broken travelators at AKL (whereas at LHR it seems to be compulsory to have several).

Got lucky with the fog spacing the flights out much more than normal thus no queue (and second off the a/c). Still, the days of 5 minutes plane to exit are gone.

The entrance to customs has now been moved to the far end of the baggage claim area. Not only further to go, but will also be chaotic at the times of day when lots of international flights arrive as will need to push past the queues at every belt in order to reach customs.

It sucked a lot on Saturday (19th) at 10:30am - one of the longest gate-to-exits I've had in a while, getting on for 75-85 minutes. Immigration, customs, MAF, all huge lines.

Kiwi Flyer - you're right... you have to push through/past/around everyone, and it's not always obvious where the lines for Customs start, so people will cut into the lines etc...

The entrance to customs has now been moved to the far end of the baggage claim area. Not only further to go, but will also be chaotic at the times of day when lots of international flights arrive as will need to push past the queues at every belt in order to reach customs.

On the upside if you are delivering on reclaim 1 you won't need to retrace your steps (as much). There is also an increased queuing area "inside the boards", before you reach the biosecurity checkpoints where they inspect your arrival card. I would have thought that more biosecurity check stations would have been included though - I counted 5 last time (maybe 6) but in the old one they had 6 (or maybe 7). The biosecurity area is also under expansion and renovation, if I remember AKL's masterplan correctly (prior to it all shifting to the first floor, which is a dumb idea in itself).