Air New Zealand- Not A Friendly Kiwi

[coyotewildwomen]

We have our PR here, and we love it-

However, we wanted to warn people about some very unfriendly policies of Air New Zealand so you don't get zapped with hundreds of dollars of additional surprise fees. Air New Zealand makes big money off unsuspecting travelers- so here is a warning to you.

Please spread the word so other expats and visitors- including your family and guests don't get zapped!

Air New Zealand will charge you lots of money for every pound of over-age that you have and their baggage limits are pretty low- 44 pounds or 20 kg.

They will weigh everything- your purse, laptop bag, back-pack, diaper bag - all carry on baggage and your checked baggage is included in this 44 pounds. Anything you bring to the counter when you check in- is weighed and included in this limit.

If you are overweight even a pound or more, you may have to pay many hundreds of dollars for baggage overage- so beware. The cost seems to vary depending on the mood of the person who checks you in. We have been hit up for at least $200 every time we fly into New Zealand.

If you are flying in on Qantas or United or a Non Air New Zealand flight and you happen to miss your connection out of Auckland or Christchurch... they will not put you on the next flight for free or a nominal fee. You are likely to have to pay $300 US or more for a brand new flight.

Unfortunately, you have no option but to fly Air New Zealand, internally, at this point. So make sure you have plenty of time to connect from your international flight and pack light! Or be prepared to donate some of your hard earned cash to Air New Zealand!

If you have had a bad experience and need someone to contact, - the email address is flightcomment@airnz.co.nz, and the contact person is Judy McDermit. Don't expect much, but it is worth a try.

Cheers,

Wendy

[kanatakiwi]

I assume you are talking about baggage limits on domestic flights, as the international ones are higher. You raise a good point, but dont think that Air NZ is the only airline that will do this. In Europe now. and I hear LOndon is the most strict about this, you can only have ONE piece of carry on, and that includes a purse. So you cant have a purse AND a carry on., never mind other items etc. they will make you repack. Long lines at Heathrow because of this. Dont know if this applies on the international flights but definitely flights to Europe.
I know you posted about this a month ago, and I assume you are talking about the same incident, but there is no getting around this, its one of the new aspects of travel. I just came through San FRancisco and was struck by how many people had not paid any attention to the new rules re carry on liquids and then wanted to argue with the security folks about their bottle of shampoo or whatever. Best to read the baggage rules and abide by them.
BTW, I find Air NZ is actually one of the better ones, they have let us go when we are just a bit over the limit, have always found them to be pretty easy going, but you have to show you have made a good attempt to abide by the rules.
And my reading of those rules is 20 kigs for checked baggage and 7 kgs for carry on. Limited to two items of carry on.

[Tanya]

Air New Zealand will charge you lots of money for every pound of over-age that you have and their baggage limits are pretty low- 44 pounds or 20 kg.

It does state very clearly that you will be charged for excess baggage. It costs more in fuel etc if everyone has more than the stated limit - so I am not sure why you would think that it is your right to go over. Its not only Air NZ that do this - if you check all the airlines - they all state the same.

BTW if you come from anywhere in the world via the US on Air NZ you actually get 46kg - so much more than coming via the East - which IMHO is very generous. If you book the domestic flight when booking the international - the 46kg still applies on the domestic flight. If you don't book them together then, no you dont ge the extra allowance - so the caution here really is - If you have a domestic flight and can travel straight through, then book them together.

They will weigh everything- your purse, laptop bag, back-pack, diaper bag - all carry on baggage and your checked baggage is included in this 44 pounds. Anything you bring to the counter when you check in- is weighed and included in this limit.

I have seen many people come onto flights with almost the same amount of carry on baggage as is allowed in the checked in baggage. You are allowed an extra 7kg which is not part of the 20kg - check their website - I am not sure why you think its part of the 20kg! Why again would someone feel that the rules do not apply to them. I for one would not want anything falling out of those overhead lockers that weights more than 7kg hitting me or a child on the head.
Again - they need to know the weight so they can judge the fuel they need. I for one would not fancy them calculating the amount needed wrong because people think they can take on what they like.

If you are overweight even a pound or more, you may have to pay many hundreds of dollars for baggage overage- so beware. The cost seems to vary depending on the mood of the person who checks you in. We have been hit up for at least $200 every time we fly into New Zealand.

http://www.airnz.co.nz/travelinfo/ba...ge/default.htm

If you check out this link you will find the amounts you will see there is a certain amount charged for each flight. Its not random depending on the mood of the check-in people.

If you are flying in on Qantas or United or a Non Air New Zealand flight and you happen to miss your connection out of Auckland or Christchurch... they will not put you on the next flight for free or a nominal fee. You are likely to have to pay $300 US or more for a brand new flight.

Well its not their problem if the flight is delayed. They dont know you are in another airplane being delayed as you are not in their system because you didnt fly Air NZ. You will come up as a no-show!

Unfortunately, you have no option but to fly Air New Zealand, internally, at this point. So make sure you have plenty of time to connect from your international flight and pack light! Or be prepared to donate some of your hard earned cash to Air New Zealand!

I find it hard to believe that this would not be the same for any other airline!

BTW, I find Air NZ is actually one of the better ones, they have let us go when we are just a bit over the limit, have always found them to be pretty easy going, but you have to show you have made a good attempt to abide by the rules.

I think you have hit the nail on the head there - if you come across rude,obnoxious,difficult, expect the rules not to apply to you, then you shouldnt expect them to go out of their way for you!
Maybe the person in question has been flagged as a difficult customer!

Tanya

[migratory birds]

Which airlines flying into NZ from abroad have the highest baggage weigth limits?

[Dougal]

[Familyofmonkeys]

We got 30kg hold luggage and 7 kg hand luggage for 4 of us, plus 10kg hold and 5 kg carry on for baby...plus pushchair and infant carrier car seat free with Sinapore Airlines, via singapore.

Emirates offered us 45 kg hold plus 7 kg carry on each for all 5 of us, via Dubai. Didn't go with them though...too expensive for 5 of us, plus they wanted to get copies of our visas etc to get increase in baggage allowance, which would have been a pain at short notice.

[Nathan]

If you are flying in on Qantas or United or a Non Air New Zealand flight and you happen to miss your connection out of Auckland or Christchurch... they will not put you on the next flight for free or a nominal fee. You are likely to have to pay $300 US or more for a brand new flight.
Wendy

Why should they? It seems to me if Quantas screwed up...or United, but we'd expect them to.... they should do the straightening out. Why is a Quantas delay AirNZ's problem?

As for weight limits...US limits are high by comparison to most places. That's just the way it is.

[katandbob]

well AirNZ have been nothing but helpfull to me, both at Invercargill and Christchuch

maybe you picked a bad day!

Kat

[urban78]

Hiya,

Sorry you had a bad experience with Air NZ.

I remember you posting a similar thread a few months back and I PM'd you with details for their customer support team, as they are the last resort to make a complaint regarding service.

It's very important to understand what you pay for and what the rules regarding luggage is when booking for a flight internationally regardless of the airline...and most important if you book through a travel agent or yourself online and also when booking something involving several other airlines. The point you mentioned about other airlines is valid, however when travelling with different airlines that have no agreement in between them, there is no obligation for Air NZ to comply with Qantas rules (and vice versa). In North America United and Air NZ do have agreements for baggage allowances and transfers of luggage, as well as rebooking in case of missed connections or disrupts.

Baggage is a sensitive issue for any airline, expecially excess luggage, the main point being security (balance of weight between cargo, passengers and luggage on the whole aircraft), even more so that sometimes excess luggage cannot be taken on the plane because it is already full.

Just my 2 cents worth

Jen

We have our PR here, and we love it-

However, we wanted to warn people about some very unfriendly policies of Air New Zealand so you don't get zapped with hundreds of dollars of additional surprise fees. Air New Zealand makes big money off unsuspecting travelers- so here is a warning to you.

Please spread the word so other expats and visitors- including your family and guests don't get zapped!

Air New Zealand will charge you lots of money for every pound of over-age that you have and their baggage limits are pretty low- 44 pounds or 20 kg.

They will weigh everything- your purse, laptop bag, back-pack, diaper bag - all carry on baggage and your checked baggage is included in this 44 pounds. Anything you bring to the counter when you check in- is weighed and included in this limit.

If you are overweight even a pound or more, you may have to pay many hundreds of dollars for baggage overage- so beware. The cost seems to vary depending on the mood of the person who checks you in. We have been hit up for at least $200 every time we fly into New Zealand.

If you are flying in on Qantas or United or a Non Air New Zealand flight and you happen to miss your connection out of Auckland or Christchurch... they will not put you on the next flight for free or a nominal fee. You are likely to have to pay $300 US or more for a brand new flight.

Unfortunately, you have no option but to fly Air New Zealand, internally, at this point. So make sure you have plenty of time to connect from your international flight and pack light! Or be prepared to donate some of your hard earned cash to Air New Zealand!

If you have had a bad experience and need someone to contact, - the email address is flightcomment@airnz.co.nz, and the contact person is Judy McDermit. Don't expect much, but it is worth a try.

Cheers,

Wendy

[Dave in NZ]

We have our PR here, and we love it-



They will weigh everything- your purse, laptop bag, back-pack, diaper bag - all carry on baggage and your checked baggage is included in this 44 pounds. Anything you bring to the counter when you check in- is weighed and included in this limit.


Wendy

Hi Wendy.
I have put the links here so you can check out, but the information you have been told is incorrect.
We reguarly travel now with Air NZ and find them excellent.They are more stricter on internal flights. You are allowed 7kg in hand luggage on top of your allowance plus a slim laptop, coat etc.
Heathrow airport is far worse and as others have said will insist you put everything into one bag. This applies to all airlines. If we could avoid Heathrow I would but most of the airlines to New Zealand go from there in our part of the UK except Emirates who go from Gatwick but that is 3 stops and dearer normally.

Hope this helps

http://www.airnewzealand.co.uk/trave...in_baggage.htm

http://www.airnewzealand.co.uk/trave...in_baggage.htm