henrus

I've got several upcoming Air NZ bookings and have had a few issues with them... from June to October

One booking is a domestic one booked with Airpoints which has the airpoints number locked to it. When I rang they said they'd changed the number to the VA one but nothing seems to happen online in terms of seating.

Another reward booking is booked with SQ miles operated by NZ. Not only can they not change the frequent flyer number but all 4 people in the booking have the same SQ frequent flyer as the person who booked the flight.

Two more bookings were booked via the VA website (paid tickets) and I was able to get the NZ booking ref by using the search for booking when logged into airpoints. That would then change the number to a NZ number but I could at least change it back to VA and also select frequent flyer seats.

Finally, the other booking was a Trans Tasman NZ booked but VA operated flight. Not only did I but the VA number into the booking but before I had the chance to go to the Virgin website to get the VA pnr and make a call to VA about seats they'd already selected 3C (an Economy X seats as I'm Platinum on VA).

WaylonKenning

I had a recent weird experience. I submitted a Recognition Upgrade request, which meant I could no longer change my frequent flyer number online. At the Koru Lounge in Wellington, I used my Krisflyer Gold card to gain entry. Flying to Houston with Air NZ, and then Huntsville with United, I see that only my United flights were credited to Airpoints. Turns out my Air New Zealand flights were credited to Krisflyer! I called the Air NZ Contact Centre who said it would be the same on the way back, and it was. I still got a Recognition Upgrade though!

So, my Air New Zealand flights were credited to Krisflyer, my United flights were credited to Air NZ, and I had a Recognition Upgrade from IAH to AKL.

Was annoying, but I did get 7423 Krisflyer miles, so 100% miles!

ieuan1

Last week I tried twice (once at WLG and once at AKL) to have miles credited to UA FF number, but get lounge access on my OZ (Diamond-Star Alliance Gold) card. I was flying on NZ each time. Was told that this (being allowed in only on the same card as you were accruing) was a recent change. If so it hasn't been communicated to passengers and certainly was not reflected on the Star Alliance website, which I showed at AKL. (already quoted by NZ Karit above: As a Star Alliance Gold customer, you have access to any member airline lounge that displays the Star Alliance Gold logo. You will need to present your boarding pass for a Star Alliance flight departing from the local airport. If your boarding pass does not carry the Star Alliance Gold indicator, you will need also to show your valid Star Alliance Gold card. You are entitled to a maximum of one guest.). I have complained and am awaiting a response.

Thai-Kiwi

Did you try having accrual set to UA using the NZ website, and then just showing your OZ physical card at the lounge? Or were you trying to get FQTV/FQTS fields populated by staff? I appreciate that the former approach might mean that UA won't 'see' your *G status via OZ, and so this could affect things like seating options etc.

ukflyer1

In my recent experience neither will work.
The only way I have worked things is having my *G in my booking, entering the lounge, and then getting my FF number changed to the programme I want to accrue to. I'm not sure staff like that though...next time will try using the app to change number, but not sure if that works after checkin and close to flight departure.

ieuan1

I'd done my check in using my UA number (at both places) and tried to get into the lounges by showing my OZ card. In both cases I was told the FF scheme on the ticket had to match the card. I even tried to use a (NZ) lounge pass but was told that wasn't acceptable either. I was told that this was a recent change-in both lounges, and on a subsequent regional trip from WLG. In both AKL and WLG my boarding pass was changed to have the OZ number on it.

I am not very impressed by Air NZ changing the rules arbitrarily in this fashion.

ClanJ

My son who is my Elite partner recently flew Houston/Auckland return. He entered his UA FF number at time of booking (may last year) but when checked in at Houston his UA FF was changed to his AirNZ one without being told. Only found out when checked his account thus had to go thru the process of getting things reversed.. At the Premium check-in at Auckland they refused to enter his UA FF number even when he explained that he had entered his UA number at time of booking. When got to the lounge in Auckland they did change it for him only after a bit of negotiation. Are they allowed to just arbitrarily change FF numbers without informing the customer.

ieuan1

Air NZ seem to try and put everyone into their Airpoints scheme and you have to watch what's on your boarding pass. I have trouble flying WLG-AKL-HKG on CX (Cathay Pacific) tickets. Inevitably, if I put my NZ number on the WLG-AKL leg, they change the AKL-HKG leg as well (and generally I want CX miles and status points). A couple of times I've had to get CX to reverse the mileage. It's just a pain for all concerned-CX, me, and presumably someone at Airpoints.

ukflyer1

A further update - flying internationally with NZ*S on boarding pass, at international lounge showed my A*G card (not AirNZ) and was refused access unless I let them change my A*G number to be the one accruing points. Lounge staff were very rude and arrogant (opposite of most NZ staff) so had a bit of an "discussion" which led to speaking to another member of staff. End result was they said the rules hadn't changed but they are enforcing them now.

The relevant rules are under s10 of the Airpoints T&C:
For me rather frustrating as a while ago I would have likely credited some travel differently in order to end up in a different situation. I haven't found anything similar in *A rules - everything I can see implies that presenting a valid Gold card is sufficient.

Thai-Kiwi

I suppose you could have made the booking with you *G FFP info, and then once in the lounge changed to NZ*S if that is where you want the AP/SP to accrue to. I really don't see an issue with what you did (NZ*S in NZ's system, physical *G card for access), unless it is somehow problematic to NZ for recovering the lounge access charge from your FFP. But that is their problem I would have thought...

It does seems at odds with Star Alliance guidance - it'll be interesting to know what the alliance formal agreement actually is between NZ and Star Alliance rules are.

sbiddle

I know I've posted this numerous times on here in the last year or so that this has been happening (and others have strongly disagreed with my posts) but everything I've heard from NZ contacts is they're well within their rights to do this and FQTS/FQTV restrictions are all part of *A guidance and will ultimately extend across all *A carriers.

I may be right or I may be wrong, but ultimately the days of milking the system are probably now over. I know some see no issue with split FQTV/FQTS and believe they're not milking the system, but the airlines certainly see this very differently.

As for the *A quote "Star Alliance Gold customers: Customers holding valid proof of their Star Alliance Gold level status on either their Boarding Pass for a Star Alliance member airline operated flight in any class departing from the local airport or presenting a valid Star Alliance Gold card." - this assumes that FQTV and/or FQTS are one and the same or simply not loaded. Nowhere does that statement say or give inference to being able to split FQTV/FQTS.

ieuan1

UKFlyer quoted this:

The relevant rules are under s10 of the Airpoints T&C: AirNZ seems to be within their rights if you are using Airpoints benefits and/or accruing Airpoints. However, if, as in my case you are splitting two other separate airlines (UA and OZ in my case) then Airpoints rules aren't relevant as far as I can see. Air NZ is operating a Star alliance lounge, and therefore Star Alliance rules should apply. UKFlyer's second quote should apply and Air NZ aren't meeting their Star Alliance obligations.

ukflyer1

I never thought of it as milking the system and understood that was part of the benefits of the alliance - that may have been a misunderstanding, but one that has worked for me across many different *A carriers and many different countries and airports over a number of years. Now I have seen the written rules from AirNZ it seems reasonable that they are enforcing it - but they never used to mind, and with a lack of communication it has caused confusion. Every staff member has had a different story, some of which totally disagree with each other or actions of other staff (e.g. behaviour on a day return flight different to on the outgoing flight).

I haven't found any detailed rules for *A which infers or confirms the ability to split FQTS/FQTV, but similarly have never seen anything as explicit as the NZ rules quoted above.

Looks like I will have to change some mileage accrual to hit *G on AirNZ to stop this being a hassle (or join Koru I guess).

NZ_Flyer

At the end of the day NZ shouldn't really care. Essentially what people are trying to do is earn APD/SP for the NZ flight and gain access to the NZ lounge using another *G card - which leads to NZ billing that relevant carrier for the lounge access. So they are making some ancillary revenue from this. The other benefits (priority check-in, seat selection and priority luggage) don't cost NZ anything anyway as they already provide these services so someone accessing these with another *G card won't cost anything.

sbiddle

Not necessarily. Many would credit NZ flights solely to A3 as a super easy way to get *G status, and then reap the benefits of that. I don't think anybody could honestly say that this is not milking the system, despite being allowed.

It's really no different to NZ (and then many other *A carriers) clamping down on *A reward seats simply because certain carriers out there give away points and devalue the program. At the end of the day there is no such thing as a free lunch, and I think some people only realise that when the free lunch gets taken away from them.