Express Arrival Cards Australia
Dec 10, 2018, 4:47 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2015
Posts: 366
Express Arrival Cards Australia
Does anyone know whether the Express Arrival Cards entering Australia have been eliminated. I’m currently on NZ123 flying to Melbourne and didn’t get given one so asked a flight attendant. Was told they are now a thing of the past and “to save trees” the red sticker “Express Lane” which I believed was only to exit AKL also applies to entering AU. I doubted this was correct and asked the FSM who told me this had been the case for a year - funny I have had express arrival cards on the same flight number several times within that period including just 2 months ago. While these are often unnecessary I have found them extremely good on several occasions when there is a long queue after collecting baggage.
Dec 10, 2018, 4:53 pm
#2
Join Date: Feb 2011
Programs: NZ*E
Posts: 807
Does anyone know whether the Express Arrival Cards entering Australia have been eliminated. I’m currently on NZ123 flying to Melbourne and didn’t get given one so asked a flight attendant. Was told they are now a thing of the past and “to save trees” the red sticker “Express Lane” which I believed was only to exit AKL also applies to entering AU. I doubted this was correct and asked the FSM who told me this had been the case for a year - funny I have had express arrival cards on the same flight number several times within that period including just 2 months ago. While these are often unnecessary I have found them extremely good on several occasions when there is a long queue after collecting baggage.
Dec 10, 2018, 6:15 pm
#3
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: New Zealand (most of the time)
Programs: Air NZ Elite *G, Honors Gold, IHG Platinum Elite
Posts: 6,095
I posted last month about this. My understanding is both the card and FSM/ISM greetings were canned in October in part due to the excessive numbers of Elite's.
I got one on my recent trip to SYD by asking nicely, didn't end up needing it which is the case 80% of the time heading into Aussie.
I'm just cautious after having had two occasions where Murphy and his law came into play and there have been waits of 45+ mins to get out of MEL after collecting bags on a couple of occasions where they didn't hand them out onboard.
I got one on my recent trip to SYD by asking nicely, didn't end up needing it which is the case 80% of the time heading into Aussie.
I'm just cautious after having had two occasions where Murphy and his law came into play and there have been waits of 45+ mins to get out of MEL after collecting bags on a couple of occasions where they didn't hand them out onboard.
Dec 10, 2018, 6:50 pm
#6
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2015
Posts: 366
I posted last month about this. My understanding is both the card and FSM/ISM greetings were canned in October in part due to the excessive numbers of Elite's.
I got one on my recent trip to SYD by asking nicely, didn't end up needing it which is the case 80% of the time heading into Aussie.
I'm just cautious after having had two occasions where Murphy and his law came into play and there have been waits of 45+ mins to get out of MEL after collecting bags on a couple of occasions where they didn't hand them out onboard.
I got one on my recent trip to SYD by asking nicely, didn't end up needing it which is the case 80% of the time heading into Aussie.
I'm just cautious after having had two occasions where Murphy and his law came into play and there have been waits of 45+ mins to get out of MEL after collecting bags on a couple of occasions where they didn't hand them out onboard.
Dec 10, 2018, 6:56 pm
#7
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: New Zealand (most of the time)
Programs: Air NZ Elite *G, Honors Gold, IHG Platinum Elite
Posts: 6,095
When I asked the FSM myself he said he’d give me a couple - when I returned to my seat he had given me two ‘Express Departure’ cards which were definitely done away with years ago - he didn’t seem to know what he was talking about since when I disembarked he said he had asked “and everyone goes in the same line” - yet on exiting after collecting baggage there was an “Expess Psth” logo/sign by Disabled and Air Crew lines.
Dec 10, 2018, 9:14 pm
#9
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2015
Posts: 366
Yes when they are needed they can save much time and frustration. I was in J and am also GE so asked when wasn’t given one. In fact I didn’t see any given out. When I asked the FSM he said that there would have been 80 passengers on the flight - J passengers + Elites (20 in Economy) who would have previously got one but he only had 8 - it turned out that the passes he had were the old Express Departure ones and not Express Arrival. I hope that Air NZ hasn’t decided to do away with them as they can be very advantageous. It was very surprising that the FSM didn’t appreciate why they were useful and how they were used.
Dec 12, 2018, 12:33 am
#11
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Auckland
Programs: NZ Elite Partner/Silver (in own right), PR Classic, QF Bronze, UA Member, VA Red
Posts: 1,551
I seriously don't think some people at Air NZ who are responsible for things such as this and for writing arrival PA messages actually understand how things work inside some of the airports. The messages used for arrivals into SFO and LAX for example are simply out of date by years. Their messages about who uses kiosks and who needs to use a counter use are simply inaccurate and wrong.
Dec 12, 2018, 7:31 pm
#12
Join Date: Sep 2005
Programs: Lifetime *G (MP), Lifetime PE (Bonvoy)
Posts: 1,465
If you're an ePassport holder I doubt they save much time. I tried to flash mine after arriving from Bangkok a couple of weeks ago to go through Customs after collecting my baggage and was told "We don't use those any more"
Dec 12, 2018, 8:19 pm
#13
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2015
Posts: 366
Where was that? They have been useful for me in MEL in the past where there is a long line to clear the last stage before leaving the secure area (passport not looked at there as already cleared immigration so unclear how epassport helps) - there was still an express pass sign up at MEL Tuesday just gone. It is beside the disabled and air crew lines for exit and bypasses what is frequently a long line of passengers.
Dec 13, 2018, 1:14 am
#15
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: WLG/BKK
Programs: TG*G, NZ*GE, QF G, Accor Gold
Posts: 10,168
Are these the BP-sized blue and white cards? I have a couple I might use in May if they are still good.
Otherwise they can join the stack of cardboard QF and NZ lounge passes that became useless overnight many years ago....
Otherwise they can join the stack of cardboard QF and NZ lounge passes that became useless overnight many years ago....
