Am I being punked by Air New Zealand?
 

We are on a mini rwt with a 2 week stop in New Zealand

Booked a lot of flights within on aeroplan

KKE-AKL-NPE

Get to the Kerikeri Airport, check in our golf clubs one carry on

and then walk to the plane

Bags loaded on the plane NO SECURITY

We walk to the plane NO SECURITY

WE CONNECT IN AKL Watch our bags transfer between planes NO SECURITY

we get on plane NO SECURITY

WE FLY FROM NPE to WGN NO SECURITY

HAD TO ASK I was told only if you are flying on a jet, not a twin prop

YIKES!!!!

Why are you so worried?

Happens in Canada too for the small planes. Unless they've changed something recently - you can board a plane at YVR South Terminal without going through security. Flights to Victoria on Pacific Coastal were kept separate as they landed at YYJ and you deplane into a secured area.

You can also board trains and subways without you or your bags going through security...

I wish the whole world were still like that.

As this an NZ topic it's been relocated to the NZ forum for further debate.

tcook052
Air Canada Forum Moderator

I had a similar experience flying NZ out of WLG on a prop. I'd characterize it as refreshing though.

On a side note, the domestic Koru Lounge at WLG is the finest *G lounge I've ever visited -- much better than TK's highly touted lounge at IST, for my preferences anyway. Other Koru Lounges were nice, but WLG was a notch above.

Under current New Zealand Law, only flights over 90 seats are required to be screen anything less than 90 seats is optional. They looked at it a couple of years back, and NZ decided the cost out weighted the risk. Back in 2001 no domestic flights had screening at all, you used to just walk straight from check-in to the plane.

Most regional airports, are still just an tin shed. So to setup any form of screening, the cost would be huge.

Funny you find WLG great, shows how spotlit we get down here at times. It can be pretty average at times and over crowed.

Something odd to you? We are an island. How far do you think you can get if you high jack a prop? Halfway to Australia or Fiji?

Suppose I was lucky. The lounge was near empty, the staff were very friendly, and the food and drink selection was good. I was on vacation though, so I may have seen it through a rose-coloured lens.

And in the US in some places.

Yes, and I wish it was still like that for the larger aircraft too.

When were you in WLG? If it was in the last few weeks the lounge is quieter than normal due to very limited business or government travel at this time of year (and also the large exodus of locals to other places to spend their holidays).

I love the WLG lounge. It means I am going somewhere away from WLG!

It's worth noting that very similar rules apply in Australia. I recall reading a while ago they screen somewhere around 70% of total passengers, with many small airports and small aircraft having no screening just like New Zealand.

I recall prior to 9/11 that people in other parts of the world struggled to grasp the concept that there was no screening at all in New Zealand!

So you got away with it this time. Count yourself lucky! :D

It was during a January just after the holidays - always a less busy time for business travel.

A bit surprised to hear people aren't so keen on that lounge, though I didn't experience the crowding issues myself admittedly. If that's not a good airline-run *A Gold/Business lounge, what is?