Air NZ criticised over flight

AUCKLAND: Passengers have reported spending $120 on taxis and missing a day’s work after an Air NZ flight to Queenstown wound up back in Auckland.

Last Wednesday, an Air NZ flight from Auckland at 2.20pm had to be redirected to Christchurch, after strong tailwinds prevented it from landing at Queenstown.

The plane then returned to Auckland five hours later.

Passengers accused the airline of poor communication and treating them ‘‘like cattle’’ after the debacle left them right back where they started.

After touching down back in Auckland about 7pm, the passengers of Air NZ flight 623 were booked into the Holiday Inn airport hotel for the night and put on a flight back to Queenstown for the next morning.

But passenger Barbara Sorensen said those living in Auckland were not compensated and had to find their own way to and from the airport.

‘‘We were told that Auckland residents were expected to return home and return to the airport the following day,’’ she said.

‘‘This meant for me a $120 taxi ride home and a 5.30am start back to the airport the following morning.

‘‘Although we arrived safely in Queenstown to whooping and applause, I lost a day’s work and was exhausted. No compensation for transport home in Auckland and back to the airport was offered.’’

Ms Sorensen said it was quite a ‘‘cavalier and arrogant attitude’’ for Air NZ to say it ‘‘appreciated the passengers’ patience’’.

‘‘I would expect better from such a lauded airline,’’ she said.

During the flight, however, attendants and crew were ‘‘terrific’’, she said.

Another woman on the flight said there had been poor communication during the flight.

An attendant told her row mate there was a one and ahalf hour wait for the domestic gates, and there also were not enough seats from Christchurch to Queenstown the next day for everyone.

‘‘With the return to Auckland, Air NZ could put on a full plane, which was the decision they went with.’’

However, none of this information was relayed to other customers, she said.

Back in Auckland, customers spent another hour waiting in line to arrange accommodation.

‘‘With the number of Air New Zealand staff employed, and the fact that there were no flights checking in at that time, I would have expected at least one or two other staff to be present.’’

She, too, said she was offered no compensation for organising accommodation with family, and missing a day of work. — NZH