Brook Lester

What are people’s thoughts on couples status points if AirNZ offered it. Would anyone be interested?
my idea was that couples could get to silver/gold/elite faster or easier but their benefits might be slightly reduced. Maybe priority checkin and boarding and lounge access but without the recognition upgrades? etc
I travel a lot with my wife, but never enough to get to silver, but our status points together would have us there easy. I also use the Amex platinum card but the status points are only good for half.
just a general discussion. Would love to hear others ideas.

nzkarit

Silver doesn't really give you anything. If you fly together it would be better to pool the APD and get Koru (can pay in APD), which IMHO is more useful and beneficial than silver, particularly as will always be +1 into the lounge which halves the cost. Think the Aussie airlines allow the direction the family members status points to one person. But they have competition between QF and VA.

Also two people getting half way to silver would cover a lot of the population. I know tons of people halfway to silver a trip to Aussie and a few domestic and a credit card will put you there pretty much. The credit card is mostly to stop APD from expiring.

Also status is to lock in business travellers who buy last minute and/or flexi fares due to higher profit on those tickets. People travelling for pleasure don't usually do that

And then got to remember the Koru lounges are close to overflowing currently, so is there need for more status pax? May be would be worthwhile if VA or QF reenters the NZ domestic market and offers a lounge product, so there would be actual competition for pax. JQ doesn't compete with NZ for NZ's money making paxs. If anything JQ takes the once or twice a year flyers who don't know how to board a plane and slow boarding down (yes I get grumble at the people who have to rummage around for the their BP at door of the plane, struggle to put their bag in the overhead, and rumble through their bag in while standing in the aisle for a couple of things before putting it in the overhead without realising they are holding people up and making the plane late).

SeaProf

Sounds very unfair to single people. Perhaps they should cut requirements in half for us then?

Brook Lester

Yes joining Koro is a fair point, and something worth considering. I also appreciate that there would be a lot of couples that would have enough status points, hence the discussion. Thanks for your feedback

Brook Lester

Would it be unfair if couples didn’t receive all the same benefits as singles? And perhaps the SP requirements for couples could be slightly higher, but still within reach?

wayoutwest

Try getting into Raro lounge as a Koru guest and no show. They nearly always say full, unless you a local then come on in

Bub001

No benefit to airnz, therefore it won’t happen.

Xiaotung

As if the lounges are not crowded enough.

VA has family status pool but I don't think they would be able to offer it had they been in an alliance.

jeffrocowboy

to be fair and to cast a glance the other way - there are pelnty of FF who also do this - take of suit jackets, rummage around for laptop or other items etc, all while standing in aisle and blocking people getting on

Brook Lester

nzkarit

More people with status that gives them access to the lounge means more people in the lounge making the problem worse.

nzkarit

A few years back there was a sign or announcement (think mainly Auckland) saying take jackets etc off before getting on the plane, put small bags under the seat as is faster etc.

Brook Lester

Xiaotung

Not to mention we now have some dodgy lounge sharing app hanging around.

The removal of VA as a partner will make it better but AKL is having record growth meaning more Business customers and *G card holders from other *A carriers. UA will be year round from next year and according to Grant Bradley we may add AC soon as well.

nzkarit

Yes more with higher status means more people who will be eligible to enter the lounge than currently. If you could pool status points like say VA, you end up with more eligible people so more strain on the lounge from people with status. So if AirNZ was to offer SP sharing with their current lounge sizes it would make things a whole help worse from a current customer viewpoint.

Elites already get elite partner which is basically a free Koru membership for one nominated person. I think the VA system works with one nominated person in a family group, I don't think you can chop and change to keep multiple people topped up.

What is benefit to AirNZ? How does it help their business to make the already overcrowded lounges (at peak times) even worse? And how will sharing SP help their bottom line? They have no competition domestically. Are two people half way to silver worth spending some money on (food and drink in lounge etc and paying *A partners for reciprocal benefits)? Giving status to people is about keeping the big spender loyal. It is a balance e.g. will giving them lounge access with Gold mean they will spend more with NZ opposed to picking cheapest flight than they will eat and drink. If the lounge gets full the perk of lounge access becomes less appealing, so takes $25k+ spend (plus other none status people from same company) somewhere else.