One-hour connection in AKL?
 

Any opinions on making a one-hour connection (2 different tickets) in AKL? We will be arriving from Cairns and will have to go through Customs. We can use the express lanes with US passports because we have Global Entry.

Thanks in advance!

To give decent advice please provide more detail about the flights you are booked on.

Assuming you are transferring from international to international, you will struggle to make your connection. If you are travelling with bags you will need to retrieve them, clear customs, re-check in and then clear customs again (this process can vary depending on how busy the airport is). Don't forget that the airline would probably close check in before you even cleared customs.

Travelling without bags, or if your bags are tagged to your final destination, you should be fine. However if you do need to recheck your bags in AKL, 1 hour is not long enough.

1 hour on separate tickets is risky.

If it is international to international and no checked luggage then just clear transfer security (do not go through immigration & customs).

If it is international to international and luggage is not through checked then immigration (smart gate is quick but doesn't always work), then collect bags (may have to wait for these to arrive) and go through customs (generally short wait but can be longish at busy times). Then to check in for onward flight, but by the time get there it will likely be closed for check in.

If it is international to domestic and no checked bags then as above but also change terminals (10 minute walk away or transfer bus), check in and clear security.

If it is international to domestic and checked bags then no chance of making domestic check in deadline (redeposit bags).

Fully agree.

Although, intl to dom even with no baggage will be quite tight. All it takes is a little bit of a queue in customs/maf and then you're buggered.

If OP gets in on NZ776 at 2035, it will be a bit better I assume as I don't believe there are that many flights arriving, afaik. The 1830 arrival I would say would be pushing it.

Good point! It's international to domestic.

Arriving NZ776 at 18:30, leaving NZ553 at 19:30.

Thanks for all the replies.

Assuming you have checked in bags there is pretty much no chance at that time of the evening. If you were carry on it's a possibility.

On two tickets, I wouldn't risk it. NZ will not put you on the next flight for free, they will be willing to sell you another last minute ticket which could be around $300.

I've done the international-domestic connection numerous times, almost always with carry-on, there is no way I would try and risk a 1 hour connection, there is too much that can go wrong.

Express lane, if you have checked luggage.... HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

Sorry but having just done this last week, immigration has somewhat an "express lane" but after that you are one of the masses and NZ takes their bio security seriously so after you wait for your bags, you will line up in one of multiple lines to be cleared (no express for bio security) and then may or may not have your bags xrayed.

On exit from the international, you turn right and have to find the transit desk/checkin in you need a boarding pass, then domestic gate.

If I was you, I would be very very very stressed at only an hour. You would have to be very lucky to make it.

Good luck!

I agree.

I would say it would take at the very least 45 min to get your bag and clear biosecurity.

BTW, MCT in AKL (intl to dom) is 1 hour 30min

Firstly, I absolutely agree with all of the above - 1hr scheduled time from international with checked baggage is recipe for disaster.

That out of the way, it might be worth pointing out that Air NZ do like to give themselves leeway with scheduled arrival times, and if you take a look at flightaware for your flight:

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/ANZ776

It will show you that when it leaves on time, it usually gets in around 18:00 rather than 18:30.

Does that change my first opinion? No. But an interesting (or not, you tell me) point nonetheless.