High number of status customers - Nadi, Fiji (NAN)
 

I'm curious if anyone else has noticed the high number of "status" (i.e. Gold, Gold Elite and especially Koru) members on some flights. Seemed as though nearly every single bag on the flight had a priority tag and some kind of status tag attached also on my recent flight to NAN.

My mother flew back from NAN at the start of the month, and she mentioned that she was waiting for her bags for at least 15 minutes, despite them being priority tagged. Perhaps this was because that there was a particularly high number of "status" pax.

Even status pax need holidays :p Not that Fiji would be my first choice.

Well my return trip there the other week was completely full in Business both ways on a 77W, on return my bag came out pretty quick but plenty of Elite/G/Koru it seemed.

On an 77W short-haul service it wouldn't be hard to get at-least 150 people with priority tags.

If J/PE are full that almost 100 people alone with priority baggage, then there is all the status pax in Y which uncommon on short-haul.

On a short haul leisure route like that you'll always have busy premium cabins as everybody lodges upgrades.

And it certainly adds to the crowding in the FJ Tabua Club lounge which is being used by NZ while the new Koru lounge is being built, it's been really packed out the last few times I've been there when it's close to an NZ flight departing.

I'm exhausted with this experience. NZ management clearly dismissed my observation as a frequent weekly traveler both domestic and international. Even on ATRs finding streams of Elite and Koru members is quite common

Out of interest, what is your take as a FF (who I assume attains status by flying?) on NZ dealing with the increasing number of paid Koru memberships?
There seems to be a bit of animosity towards us lowly Koru members? I don't want to play the poor cousin here, but interested to know from a Gold/Elite perspective as we obviously dilute the "experience" for those who have a lot of bum-in-seat time.

I have no issue with people having lounge access whether they've obtained it via flying or paying for it.

The real issue is simply that the lounges simply aren't big enough to cope with the number of people who have status. I've been through AKL domestic twice lately where getting a seat was virtually impossible, and from photos and complaints I've seen from people traveling at peak time in the evenings it does seem that things are really bad.

I don't see Air NZ changing much while they're in the mindset that everybody loves them and every HVC is happy. They make far too much money selling lounge vouchers to the banks to care about the impact of doing this.

Can't argue with that.
Do you think there's any merit for AirNZ in having a seperate elite/business lounge in select locations? AKL international being he obvious first choice?

Yes there would be merit in separate lounge. They are already doing that for EP1. Also with the new Premium check in at Akld International they are separating the elites/G.

I agree with sbiddle on this. Certainly nothing wrong with NZ selling the Koru memberships. The main problem is that the lounges are overcrowded. If NZ are going to have so many "premium" passengers, then they need to expand the lounge capacity accordingly. It is particularly annoying when you pay a very high price for a business class ticket, and the lounges are so overcrowded that you can neither work or relax, and end up leaving. The best answer would be separate business class lounges or elite lounges in selected locations.

Sums it up. Don't sell access if there isn't capacity, ironically the best place to sit and relax after having meals is either in the toilets or outside at the gate, there is a problem. Possible idea for Koru members is to drop the price, retain the benefits but charge per entry based on lounge capacity.

I suspect with Koru they actually want people to pay all the money and then not actually fly enough to consume the cost of membership in food and drink, so profit from it.

With Wellington will be interesting to see how fully featured the regional lounge will be and what food they have. So regional people have no need to go to the main lounge save maybe a shower. As if the regional lounge has a full hot food offering particularly in the morning and the evening it will take the pressure of the domestic lounge. From what I understand the Auckland regional missed the opportunity for the full food offering to relieve pressure in the domestic lounge.