gratn

I agree with others that Elite is not what it was. I've been Elite for about 10 years (except one - don't get me started why NZ didn't comp me up that year despite what they knew of my circumstances) and think the "specialness" has definitely decreased. There are some awesome FSMs and many ok ones, but the poor ones (yes, I mean you one dreadful LAX-AKL FSM) really lower the tone. I find too many flights where I am ignored, including every domestic flight, and others where interaction seems like a chore. More than service, drinks and food seem worse too, except in the newer Koru lounges. I find them better than before.

dadig

I'd rate Luxton 2/10 when it comes to the experience as an Elite. Getting to Gold with Credit Card makes sense. Unless you are paying GST on the card, SP beyond that would be reaching over 6 figure spend.

But the number of Elite and Koru passengers are pandemic. There are hardly any Gold members

Kamadan

A friend of mine once said, how "similar personalities attract other similar personalities", in this case, I think there is a "bias" that Elites feel they always see/bump into other Elites, thus feeling that there are... way too many Elites amongst the ranks.

Of course that just my view and in no way scientific. But in other threads we have somewhat established that the number of Elites is perhaps 1%-1.5% of the NZ FFP base. To *me* I don't feel that there has been a swelling of the ranks over the years...


Also I think it's not as "easy" to get to Elite as we here on FT boards might think (again, we *are* the travel/flying savvy).

I constantly hear b!tch!ng from the sales exec. at work how they barely get to Gold on company dime, despite being sent Trans Tasman/main domestic NZ trunk route every week almost + 2-3 long hauls to the States a year. In fact apart from our CEO, I would be the only Elite, despite the fact I self-fund my travels (not in a travel/customer facing position) and fly no where NEAR as much as those sales execs.

Of course I seek the maximum $/SP (which means sometimes paying for premium cabins & tons of domestic Grab-a-Seat with minimum 8SP earn) along with any... tricks possible.

The point I am trying to make is that if even if company pays for Flexi-fares, in Y the earn is actually rather poor... which might help with culling the Elite herd a bit...

Kiwi Flyer

Don't forget elite fly much more than average, so wouldn't be a surprise to be 15% of passengers. Probably more on peak hour flights between the main centres - I see many of the same people each time.

Shelleybgood

Thanks for your replies re:credit card. I can't even make silver and I've flown to Europe, Australia & Fiji in the past year 😬 I guess I'm a cheapskate with fares! Hopefully my trip to the States will get me to silver in a few months 😳 Gold or elite is completely in the fantasy realm for me.

Aqua_3380

I'm a flying gold, all air nz except a single codeshare with VA. I went back to silver in 2014 after two years at gold, and got back earlier this year.
I've noticed a couple of things. One is that there are so many more elites these days, the other is that air nz are not as good at looking after me as they used to be. The big picture is I'm grateful for what I get, but disappointed that it's not as much as it used to be.

apjsmith

I agree. Can sometimes come accross as arrogance and almost caste like. Loyalty to the card brand is the same as loyalty to the airline. Chosing Westpac over ASB .. Airnz over Jetstar. I'm a bit over it like you seem to be. There isnt two tiers to Elite or two tiers to Gold.

apjsmith

The cats will come out over this one...

poopbunny

Pre-Luxton - about 90% of my flights were with NZ
with Luxton - maybe 40% NZ
I'm flying NZ less, but he must be doing something right cos NZ made a record profit.

I prefer access to a-la carte dining found in some OW First Lounges over EP1 "benefits". There could be a glass ceiling, beyond which, the ultimate EP1 status could be attained, but I like benefits to be a bit more tangible and goals more defined.

+1
I remember the old days when FA's could heat my beef fillet medium on a 767 oven. Today, it's a big ask on a modern 787 oven, that is, if fillet is even on the menu.

+1
I noticed a slip in service/catering shortly after Luxton started.

Also noticed some very good crew and some average, which has not changed despite the countless email surveys I have been invited to fill out after the flight.

As a frequent flyer, I have to credit Luxton making me try other airlines!

I would not hold my breath. IMO, out of AKL, EK has best (also expensive) wines so far. Some of the red wines, decade old vintages that can't be easily bought.
You can roughly gauge how much an airline spends on catering with the after dinner chocolate.
EK = Godiva
NZ = Cadbury
...enuf said.

mad_atta

Was the UK based crew different and better or different and worse? Back in the day, the conventional wisdom was that the LHR crews gave more uneven service than the AKL ones - I wonder whether that still applies?

msnz

United have Godiva choc too so not sure that holds water, sorry!

Kamadan

Well, NZ does have Whittaker's sticks as/for their premium cabin as in-flight snacks. And I view Whittaker's as both superior to Godiva and Cadbury
And now cue an argument over which brand is perceived as the "best" or "more premium" :P

(Chocolate snobbery can be as bad as... coffee bean snobbery... IMHO)

sbiddle

Yip the NZ based crew were far superior.

The fact that mixed levels of service are occuring really makes we wonder how much of a focus there is on understanding why this happens or how it can be improved. Is part of the problem maybe the fact Air NZ execs or management who fly are well known so are treated like royalty or those that might be slightly down the food chain are drinking the koolaid so don't care or notice? Staff are flagged on the manifest so it's not like they can fly anonymously.

I'm sure there are people on here that have unrealistic expectations and expect Elite to be a DYKWIA kind of club but the simple reality is when you fly a lot there are lots of things that you pick up on or small things that annoy you.

I only took 50 Air NZ flights last year but this year that'll be closer to 60. I know people flying 100+ flights per year who have different views to me but I think there is something we all (or at least most) have in common and that's the fact we're (mostly) passionate about Air NZ and want them to be great. We all pick up on things the average flyer doesn't even notice as a result, and IMHO Air NZ are missing out on many lost opportunies by not being able to leverage the experiences many of us have happen to them.

I spent around 70 nights in hotels last year and will have about the same number this year. It's safe to say there are now aspects of many hotels that start to really annoy me now, most of which would seem to be minor or not even be noticed by the occasional traveler. Companies failing to take onboard feedback, or actively prompting feedback to improve their products or services really are doing so at their own peril.

Air NZ have their own externally hosted forums for customers yet I'm only aware of one person on here who has access. It wouldn't surprise me if FT wasn't even used as a resource, I certainly know of an exec who wasn't even aware of it's existance.

sbiddle

I'm a chocolate snob but I'm not a Godiva fan. Cadbury don't even make chocolate - they just make something that resembles a chocolale bar.

Whittakers FTW.

ruff00

My experience has been that the service levels have been reduced.
Also, like many here, I find that the crews vary enormously. This is very apparent when flying the longer routes.

The wine served is pretty much an insult. For this reason alone, I started flying with other carriers.
(I re-qualify pretty quickly each year, and now, instead of sticking with AirNZ, I fly with other carriers. I never used to do this, but I find the cost cutting has gone to far).

Recently, Qantas Business has been my preferred carrier. I had a flight up to Hong Kong with them from Brisbane. The cabin was excellent, the seats and bed and screen much, much better than the Air NZ BP. There was actually an excellent selection of Champagnes and Wines, the food was great and the crews were excellent.
Flying Air NZ BP for the return Hong Kong to Auckland. A sparkling wine before take off, one Champagne offered, average wines offered, poor food, small, cramped seat and bed, small screen that must be kept latched closed for the take off, uninterested cabin crew.

I would have blissfully stuck with Air NZ, but, they reduced the quality far too much, and I now enjoy the other carriers. It does not seem to bother them with their record profits, but I do find it ironic when they brag about their amazing Kiwi crew and their levels of service. When, it is just not true.