Home for the holidays: Air New Zealand prepares to move 1 million travellers this season
Air New Zealand aircraft takes to the skies
Air New Zealand is preparing for a busy holiday season. In a recent press release, the airline said that more than a million passengers were expected to travel on the domestic network while the national carrier expects to see an additional 700,000 passengers travel to international destinations between December 15 and January 31.
According to Air New Zealand Chief Operating Officer, Alex Marren, the airline has been working hard to ensure a seamless journey for passengers during the holidays.
"Ensuring a smooth travel experience for our customers in the days leading up to Christmas requires a coordinated effort across all our teams, from flight planners to airport staff, pilots, and cabin crew – remarkably this means that nearly 1200 tasks such as loading bags, monitoring weather, and ensuring the weight and balance of the aircraft. Up to 40 people across the airline come together on any given flight to do this and ensure that we deliver our customers to their destinations safely and on time.”
The airline's busiest day of the year will be Friday, December 22, with nearly 50,000 people planning to take off to destinations across Aotearoa and overseas. The airline’s busiest domestic route is Auckland to Christchurch, with Wellington and Queenstown being a close second.
One million customers will be travelling across Aotearoa during this holiday season. Australian cities are the most popular destinations for Kiwi customers visiting friends and family according to the airline, with more than 350,000 passengers booked to travel to Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane over the holiday period and 330,000 travellers headed to destinations around the remainder of the international network.
Marren said Air New Zealand is well equipped to handle the Christmas rush but urges customers to plan ahead to ensure smooth and uneventful travel through the airport.
"It's such a special time of year, so we are thrilled to be connecting customers with each other and the world, helping people get where they need to be and reunite with their whānau,” Marren said.
"From our frontline airport teams and holiday hosts, to our crews on board to our behind-the-scenes engineering, baggage loaders, ops planners, supply chain and many others, our teams are doing everything they can to get you to your destination. We know that travelling can be stressful for many people, so we want to remind customers to give themselves plenty of time for check-in and getting through airport security."
According to the airline, domestic travellers should plan to be at the departure gate 30 minutes before their flight's departure, while international passengers should arrive at their departure gate 45 minutes before departure.
Ahead of the holidays, the airline is also reminding passengers to check their tickets for information on their baggage allowance. Travellers with pets, oversized bags or requiring special assistance are asked to allow more time for the check-in process.
In its press release, Air New Zealand also encouraged passengers to take out travel insurance, so they're covered in any unexpected situation and to sign up for Air New Zealand's Travel Alerts to receive notifications in the event of travel disruption.
"We look forward to serving you this season and wishing you happy holidays from all our Air New Zealand whānau to yours,” Marren said.
