Access to NZ Business Class lounge for UA Polaris customers
Jan 1, 2019, 12:48 pm
#31
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They're not. I'd actually go as far as saying they're pretty generous compared to plenty of other airlines
What goes on inside the US or on US carriers isn't what happens anywhere else in the world. Try and take a carry on bag with more than 7kg in it on any Australian airline and you'll learn the true meaning of stickler.
What goes on inside the US or on US carriers isn't what happens anywhere else in the world. Try and take a carry on bag with more than 7kg in it on any Australian airline and you'll learn the true meaning of stickler.
But on that trip, I believe I had an award ticket to AKL and bought separate tickets to WLG and back from ZQN to AKL.
I suppose I could run into this on my return at ZQN but the weight of my suitcases should be much lighter on the return, unless I try to bring back several bottles of wine or something. I found J saver awards all the way through WLG on the outbound but for some reason, on the return, I couldn't find space on a NZ ZQN-AKL direct flight. It did some weird kind of routing, including maybe go back over to Australia. So I booked AKL-SFO on the direct flight and figured I'll deal with a separate ZQN-AKL ticket.
I flew MEL-AKL-SFO last year on NZ and it was good. Lot of MP elites seem to still prefer NZ J over Polaris. Of course we MP members can't book NZ J awards.
Jan 1, 2019, 1:02 pm
#32
Join Date: Feb 2007
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Jan 1, 2019, 2:46 pm
#33
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I can’t recall if it was the checked bag or the carryon.
i was *G but the long haul was via DL award. The NZ flight I paid for separately.
it was about $30-40 USD IIRC for the overage.
i was *G but the long haul was via DL award. The NZ flight I paid for separately.
it was about $30-40 USD IIRC for the overage.
Jan 1, 2019, 3:40 pm
#34
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: YYZ/SFO/AKL
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Jan 1, 2019, 8:52 pm
#35
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I've had overweight carryons on many airlines worldwide without getting weighed; it's definitely an issue of whether you look like you are carrying something too big. I agree with sbiddle that Australia has among the more stringent checks I've seen, but even they don't stop to think whether my reasonably compact backpack could be over 7kg (which, packed with books and my laptop, it definitely was 
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Jan 3, 2019, 1:11 pm
#36
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FYI when I dropped off my checked bag at AKL, the kiosk flagged it as over 23kg and had me put on a tag.
then as I arrived to board AKL-WLG flight, the PA mentioned something about 7kg limits being strictly enforced. Pretty sure I was over. I was thinking I’d put on my travel vest and throwin some camera lenses in there.
But they never checked, so it must have been for another flight in a nearby gate. Maybe one of the Embraers?
then as I arrived to board AKL-WLG flight, the PA mentioned something about 7kg limits being strictly enforced. Pretty sure I was over. I was thinking I’d put on my travel vest and throwin some camera lenses in there.
But they never checked, so it must have been for another flight in a nearby gate. Maybe one of the Embraers?
Jan 3, 2019, 1:24 pm
#37
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: BLQ / TRG
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In AKL they often play the messages on the PA about carry on weight. It goes through the whole terminal and is not regarding a specific flight.
No Embraers at Air NZ. Prop planes are ATR's and Q300's, which depart from a separate area at AKL in the domestic terminal.
No Embraers at Air NZ. Prop planes are ATR's and Q300's, which depart from a separate area at AKL in the domestic terminal.
Jan 3, 2019, 3:13 pm
#40
Join Date: Jan 2016
Posts: 2,638
I have seen at the gate once in 2018. Was before the boarding call, and the staff walked up to a person and asked them about their bag. It was tramping pack (smaller end of tramping packs but bigger than a backpack) and did look big and out of place/out of what normally see. From what I could even with some squashing it didn't fit into the scales and think it was also over weight as staff member pointed at the number. Not sure what happened as I was on another flight and they were still talking when I boarded.
Moral with carry on don't take the piss, don't call attention to yourself and make sure your body language doesn't show that it is heavy.
Moral with carry on don't take the piss, don't call attention to yourself and make sure your body language doesn't show that it is heavy.
Jan 3, 2019, 10:57 pm
#43
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I was tempted to get into a discussion on what authority these Auckland Airport employees (i.e. non-airline branded) actually had to stop passengers and ask to check bags - but kept it simple by saying I had a higher allowance as a *G. I was waved on......
No idea why I was stopped, perhaps I was subconsciously scowling
Jan 4, 2019, 12:25 am
#44
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: YYZ/SFO/AKL
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Even that might not work - I was stopped at AKL international for a random carry-on size/weight check. Bag was a hardshell small roll aboard (i.e. it'd fit in an ATR), that was probably 5-6 kg.
I was tempted to get into a discussion on what authority these Auckland Airport employees (i.e. non-airline branded) actually had to stop passengers and ask to check bags - but kept it simple by saying I had a higher allowance as a *G. I was waved on......
No idea why I was stopped, perhaps I was subconsciously scowling
I was tempted to get into a discussion on what authority these Auckland Airport employees (i.e. non-airline branded) actually had to stop passengers and ask to check bags - but kept it simple by saying I had a higher allowance as a *G. I was waved on......
No idea why I was stopped, perhaps I was subconsciously scowling
I usually have my headphones in from check in until I hit the lounge anyway....
Jan 4, 2019, 1:55 am
#45
Join Date: Apr 2013
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A few years ago bag checks at AKL International were happening fairly frequently. They were doing these just after you went through the old entry area so if you were taking the Air NZ Premium lift you'd bypass it.