Air NZ to raise air fares.

[corsair67]

From The Australian.


Air NZ to lift fares due to fuel costs
Symon Ross | March 17, 2008.



AIR New Zealand will raise fares on its domestic, trans-Tasman and Pacific Island routes as result of high fuel prices.

New Zealand's national carrier, which is 76 per cent-owned by the government, said the cost of fares in all three markets will rise by an average of 3 per cent for flights booked from March 26.

Group general manager for short haul Bruce Parton said Air New Zealand regretted having to increase fares but needed to partially recover some of the increase in fuel prices experienced in recent months.

"This recent price escalation has left Air New Zealand with little option but to increase fares. A decision on the scale of long haul fare increases is expected to be made within the next" two weeks, Mr Parton said today.

[flyjoe180]

Does the increase in air fares come with free baggage loss? The last two flights I've made on Air NZ have resulted in them losing my bags THREE times. And that's just between Wellington and Auckland!

[corsair67]

Lightning never strikes four times! ;D

[Peter Lewis]

Maybe the higher fares could improve the service.
From today's NZ Herald:

Thorne family say Air NZ ruined Brisbane holiday
5:00AM Tuesday March 18, 2008
By Jarrod Booker

The family of former All Black and MP Grahame Thorne have lashed out at Air New Zealand for ruining their family holiday and treating them with "disdain".

The holiday to Brisbane was a special treat for Mr Thorne's son David, left unable to talk or fully function after being injured in a rugby tackle in 2006.

But the family say the airline's bungling made the trip "more stressful and worrying than if we'd just stayed home".

In a letter to Air NZ chief executive Rob Fyfe, Mr Thorne's wife Briony said the airline's handling of their baggage with important medicines for David had left him stressed and agitated when he should have been having fun.

"Worst of all, we've paid you to do this to us," Mrs Thorne wrote.

She and David had flights booked from Christchurch to Brisbane on Saturday, while her daughter Hannah was travelling from Auckland.

"We had our flights timed in such a way that we would meet up in Brisbane in a timely manner. That was, until we got a call on Friday night to say that our flight had been cancelled," Mrs Thorne wrote.

They opted to take an alternative 7am flight, via Sydney, and arrived at Christchurch Airport two hours before departure. Mrs Thorne said the terminal was packed and by the time they reached check-in, the flight was almost departing.

"The check-in clerk took our baggage, telling us it would go straight to Brisbane, but she didn't give us any baggage tags. I thought this was odd, and mentioned something to her, but she was in such a hurry, she fobbed us off. We found out later most of the other 30-odd passengers on the flight did not get tags."

When they got to Sydney, after a delay in the tarmac, they were met by an Air NZ staffer who asked for tags.

"Of course we did not have them. Nor did almost all of the other passengers. The attendant then told us we were basically out of luck.

"I was sick with worry during the entire flight to Brisbane, because David's medicines were in our luggage. Fortunately, I had a day's supply in my carry-on, because when we arrived in Brisbane, our luggage didn't."

An Air NZ spokeswoman said the airline was disappointed the Thorne family had an unsatisfactory experience "through an unfortunate sequence of events".

"We are currently looking into the issues raised by the Thorne family and will be talking with them directly about their experience."

The baggage turned up on Sunday.

www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10498793

Sounds like my experience on most Air New Zealand international flights recently. But then I'm not a former All Black, so it doesn't matter.

[ox]

flyernzl said:

I was sick with worry during the entire flight to Brisbane, because David's medicines were in our luggage. Fortunately, I had a day's supply in my carry-on, because when we arrived in Brisbane, our luggage didn't.

If Lamb Chop was stupid enough to pack the important medicine in checked luggage then he's an idiot - something that from my memory of him, he has provided plenty of evidence of before.

[corsair67]

I agree, that is is pretty stupid to be putting important medicine in your checked luggage.

I can't get over how hopeless Christchuch Airport is for international check-in. Often things seem to be so chaotic that two hours before departure is seldom enough time, so I always arrive at the airport about 2.5-3 hours before departure and generally get through okay.

Then I can relax, have a beer and something to eat, and go take some photos of aircraft.

Are the other international airports in New Zealand as bad as Christchurch?

[Bruce]

Of course, the best way to avoid having a bomb on board is to take one on yourself, after all, statistically its highly unlikely that there will ever be TWO on board!...