Koru club and fast track at AKL
 

Hello,

I'm new to Koru club and am wondering if there are any fast track immigration privileges in AKL when I travel WLG-AKL-HKG this weekend, all flights being in economy on Air NZ.

Thanks in advance.

Yes. Take the lift up from premium check in area. Air NZ ticketed flight still applies

Thanks dadig!

The last newsletter mentioned premium check in was closing 1st may for an upgrade? Not sure where the interim area will be but there is still an express lane if you have to use the main escalators to go up instead of elevators. It's on the far right to clear security etc

That explains why last week the customs counters had been removed after the lift, and there we're now shared with other airlines.

I wonder the the premium check-in area will disappear completely? I notice recently that Qantas premium check-in has now become there Y check-in zone.

Priority airport check-in is a Star Alliance gold benefit - http://www.staralliance.com/en/gold-status. So Air NZ shouldn't really be removing it totally.

That changed months ago. When the new smartgate exit machines were installed (the one step ones), premium immigration lane for other airlines was moved from the left hand side to the right and shared with NZ.

Unfortunately the new system isn't working properly. Last week there was only one officer on the shared premium immigration and she directed all non-NZ pax to join the regular immigration lane (non smartgate). Thus actually slower than just going directly to the regular lane or to using smartgate.

Which make me wonder why they couldn't just install a couple of Smart Gates in the premium immigration area? the latest version were you just insert your passport are pretty quick, and if not quicker than the officer at the Premium Desk.

A couple years back there was one of the new model there as a trail and it was great.

While its an benefit, it doesn't say what it has to look like e.g. doesn't say it needs to be an massive room seperate from the rest of check-in.

The way it looked last night when I walked past was the premium check in was going to be to the right of the existing automatic machines, no longer inside a separate room, should have taken a photo to show what I mean.

They aren't exactly cheap, and it's difficult to get airports to foot the bill for SmartGate.

I guess Air NZ is looking to save cost yet again rather than having dedicated premium check in area. I see it is as a value add product differentiator but guess bottom line maters

Be careful... The last time I quoted listed *A benefits I was accused of the most heinous act of DYKWIA known to human kind!

Was this in the Koru Club newsletter or elsewhere? I must have missed it.

May be the first *A Gold Track airport down under?