Yeah FT is not my favourite platform and it has been discussed before but they prefer to put airport stuff into the destinations area I think. But very few people bother checking those areas. Might work for the larger countries and airlines but it doesn’t work for the smaller countries and airlines like Air NZ. So don’t be surprised if a moderator moves it to another category This is why a different platform for NZ frequent flyers would be beneficial as there is much more to discuss than just the airline.

Don’t even get me started on this topic though. It’s beyond stupid and there are times I feel LAX. Is better.

For the express lane I’ve been trialling pushing stuff I can get through there so I don’t have to go down the longer queues. But sometimes I forget I’ve bought something and that stupid $700 question comes up. It really needs to be reworded. The border agents need a bit more training on what to ask as there are inconsistencies. (Also, does anyone know what happens when you declare a single item over $700? Do you have to pay NZ tax on it? #askingforafriend 😅 )

I’ve been going down the non express lanes (out of necessity) that I haven’t had a tonne of experience with the express lane but I’ve still been down there. It doesn’t seem pointless to go through the biosecurity lane, grab bags and then go through queues to have it checked off and then the dog queue. (you’re lucky you missed when they had the super long ramp exit after passport control!) Anyway, passengers need training and direction. I see a bunch of times where everyone ends up in 1 queue on one side of those barriers and I think people see a queue and think “that’s where the line is I”ll go there” but in reality you could use either line. So I”m always going to cut over to the next line without a queue and walk ahead of those people queueing cause it’s stupid. Either have one long line and 2 officers at the front checking OR have 2 queues each with an officer which is the current set up but, the passengers need herding until they get familiar with processes. But then you’ve got the infrequent or new travelers who will always need herding. As for the dog queue, everyone just naturally stops for the dog to have a good sniff but they are SUPPOSED to keep walking. But they don’t and need to be told to keep moving. The dog will catch up with them if they get a whiff of something delicious! Been a while since I departed LAX but they at one time made passengers queue up in 2 lines and then walk past the sniffer dog (s), which came down the middle. Not sure how effective that is, but one can assume if they’re no longer doing it, then it probably isn’t that good. Departures is different, that’s explosives and incoming for NZ is the other stuff. But you could still use the same process.

As for the “something to declare” etc lanes and other passports. I see no point in everyone going into separate queues only to get to the front of the queue and be directed to whatever biosecurity officer is available at the time. It makes no sense. LAX will open up barriers to direct people to different queues at times where it makes sense. The lines can get quite long. And yes, I’m still going to be on my phone responding, or listen to music cause I hate wasting time in queues doing nothing. Inefficiencies annoy the crap out of me and I like to make use of my time. Anyway, I have this small hope this is all temporary until AKL airport finishes its massive upgrades.

Also, given the cost of a Sydney to Auckland flight, is anyone choosing to fly into the other airports and then back up to Auckland? Sydney to Queenstown was 2hr10min - didn’t know it was the shortest hop TT. I have also flown AKL-WLG-SYD-MCY which cost less than AKL_MCY nonstop. Not really required as JQ is on the route now and exit row seats are awesome. But ZQN was half the price on QF than SYD-AKL. ZQN also a great layover. Get on the bus straight to town, shop, have a bite then back out to airport. Taxis are useless given the one road in and one road out issue so you all end up in the same traffic queue anyway. I’ve flown into WLG and CHC at times as well if I need to stop in and see someone or just because I want to fly EK cause I miss it. And no, EK won’t interline to JQ domestic on separate tickets, I have asked even when flying First! But anyway, flying into alternate airports can save you some money. The only question is whether people have time to do that and know how to manage their own disrupts etc. But those other airports are definitely nicer to arrive into than Auckland and I plan on making use of those other airports where I can. I’ve also done the same in Australia, sometimes flying out of Adelaide is cheaper eg $300 cheaper during covid, however I got caught in some of those border games and had spent time in Sydney just before their massive lockdown, and despite having a hotel booked in Adelaide, I got shipped off to hotel quarantine for a night. Fun times. Anyway, always check your alternates. It can save you money if you have time. It probably relates to airport taxes and thinner routes but I’m too lazy to go look.

X-rays aren’t 100% either. They’re operator dependent. I forgot I had a piece of fruit in my bag and it got through the X-ray process. Found it at home. There are a couple of times I’ve come through with something I forgot but I either call up and ask what to do with it or I bring a photo of it to ask about next time, but honestly, the answers and advice you get always depend on who you’re talking to. They could be junior staff and unfortunately sometimes juniors make things up when they don’t know the answer. They have a guess.

That question over $700 needs tweaking as well. A lot of those questions on the NZTD are just screening questions. They are not absolutes. But I think they’re deliberately quite broad questions in order to capture the targets they’re after and I just have to put up with the inconvenience of the lanes. I know the questions, I know the outcomes and that’s just the way it is. 95% of the time I have pictures of the stuff I’m declaring on my phone and store it in my customs folder to bring up whether it’s food or other items. Saves the hassle of going through bags etc. I group them together if I have time before departure and packing and take a quick photo. If it’s some new food thing I take a photo of the ingredients at the back cause that’s what they’re going to be after. Funnily enough that item I think was made by a NZ group but I was gifted it at my hotel in HKG and really wanted to try the rest. It’s still sitting in the cupboard 😬

So, yeah - fly into a different airport when it suits, cut over to different queues when you see them available and hopefully AKL airport has a different plan for the future?? Fingers crossed. 🤞