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What happens to NZ? Very hard to get business class award seat nowadays!

What happens to NZ? Very hard to get business class award seat nowadays!

Old Mar 11, 2014, 7:52 am
  #1  
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Angry What happens to NZ? Very hard to get business class award seat nowadays!

Searched the next 335 days for the flights AKL-SYD, SYD-AKL, AKL-NAN, NAN-AKL, AKL-HKG, HKG-AKL, AKL-PPT, PPT-AKL, not even 1 single business award seat is available. Wonder what happens to NZ, it used to be a very generous airlines few years back! Now it seems the available routes with business class seats are NRT-AKL-NRT and PVG-AKL-PVG but PVG-AKL-PVG aircraft is downgraded from 777 to 767 non lie-flat seat (5 out of 7 days weekly).
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Old Mar 11, 2014, 7:54 am
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Nothing new unfortunately.... has been that way for at least 2-3 years.
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Old Mar 11, 2014, 8:30 am
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Thumbs down I Gave Up...

Did the same thing 2 years in a row with them. IMPOSSIBLE to find even ONE Biz class reward seat )-:
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Old Mar 12, 2014, 3:58 am
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Yup very difficult to get business awards on NZ (or any *A to/from NZ).

Exceptions PVG-AKL on NZ, SIN-CHC on SQ.
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Old Mar 12, 2014, 4:33 am
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It seems such awards in premium cabins are reserved for when NZ think they cannot actually sell a seat.

The one-up $$$ (premium seat auction) upgraders are their preference it seems.
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Old Mar 12, 2014, 10:35 am
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Originally Posted by Kiwi Flyer
Yup very difficult to get business awards on NZ (or any *A to/from NZ).

Exceptions PVG-AKL on NZ, SIN-CHC on SQ.
I find NRT-AKL to have business space from time to time as well.

Originally Posted by serfty
It seems such awards in premium cabins are reserved for when NZ think they cannot actually sell a seat.

The one-up $$$ (premium seat auction) upgraders are their preference it seems.
They probably make more money auctioning a seat off than whatever the partners pay for the award seat .
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Old Mar 12, 2014, 1:28 pm
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Originally Posted by GordonGordon
Searched the next 335 days for the flights AKL-SYD, SYD-AKL, AKL-NAN, NAN-AKL, AKL-HKG, HKG-AKL, AKL-PPT, PPT-AKL, not even 1 single business award seat is available. Wonder what happens to NZ, it used to be a very generous airlines few years back! Now it seems the available routes with business class seats are NRT-AKL-NRT and PVG-AKL-PVG but PVG-AKL-PVG aircraft is downgraded from 777 to 767 non lie-flat seat (5 out of 7 days weekly).
I don't think so, NZ had been very stingy for more than a few years back ! It had NEVER been generous.
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Old Mar 14, 2014, 11:15 am
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NRT availability has dropped significantly too

PVG is about the only way left.
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Old Mar 15, 2014, 11:58 pm
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Originally Posted by ORDnHKG
I don't think so, NZ had been very stingy for more than a few years back ! It had NEVER been generous.
That's strange, in 2011 (assuming we still mean 2-3 years ago, literally) my dad kept finding J seats from SFO-AKL-SYD or the latter. First one round trip was in May second round was only SYD-AKL-SFO in August (went on the latter).
That Sydney to Auckland flight only had 3 people in business...
Hoping that there'll be some room open in June!
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Old Mar 16, 2014, 10:05 am
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Originally Posted by prncssjenn
Hoping that there'll be some room open in June!
Not a chance. NZ opens literally zero J award space from the continental U.S. Suggest you start looking at other options.
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Old Mar 16, 2014, 8:24 pm
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NZ's "innovative" FFP structure means their own members can only redeem points on revenue seats not those I, X classes usually reserved for FFP redemption. So when they don't have their own members to answer to, there is probably no need to release I, X classes for others when they have good load factors.
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Old Mar 16, 2014, 11:19 pm
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This is where I wish Star Alliance would actually have some contractual teeth to make carriers release a percentage of seats to reward availability for some consistency across the network.

Some carriers like Thai play well, whereas others like SQ and NZ get away with reward seat availability mayhem.
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Old Mar 17, 2014, 1:48 pm
  #13  
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Originally Posted by prncssjenn
That's strange, in 2011 (assuming we still mean 2-3 years ago, literally) my dad kept finding J seats from SFO-AKL-SYD or the latter. First one round trip was in May second round was only SYD-AKL-SFO in August (went on the latter).
That Sydney to Auckland flight only had 3 people in business...
Hoping that there'll be some room open in June!
Was your dad using NZ miles ? Maybe that's why he could find it but we can't.
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Old Mar 25, 2014, 12:21 pm
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Originally Posted by ORDnHKG
Was your dad using NZ miles ? Maybe that's why he could find it but we can't.
We used ANA miles. (Still use them to this day)
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Old Mar 27, 2014, 9:03 pm
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Originally Posted by worldtraveller73
Some carriers like Thai play well, whereas others like SQ and NZ get away with reward seat availability mayhem.
Thai starts to tighten up the award seats this year. How do I know? Last year I had no problem to get award seat for Christmas/New Year holiday period on some particular flights (not all), but this year I can't get the same award seats at all, it has a black out dates from 25 Dec 2014 to 6 Jan 2015.

I wish Star Alliance would have some straight guidelines on award seats on its members.
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