Xmas flight service reduced
A Timaru man has questioned a decision by Air New Zealand to cut a daily commuter service between Timaru and Wellington over the Christmas period.
Air New Zealand says it is normal to reduce flights over the period of low demand but Ken Wilson, who relies on the service to do his job, said there was no warning.
‘‘They are leaving Timaru with a vastly degraded air service during the holiday period.’’
The cut was confirmed as Timaru and surrounding districts focused on attracting people to the region and as the district council prepared for a million dollar redevelopment of Timaru’s Richard Pearse Airport.
Wilson is a master (captain) on a Bluebridge Cook Strait ferry. He books his flights from Timaru in advance, often months ahead.
Two weeks ago he paid for a return ticket from Wellington to Timaru, returning to Timaru at 7.15pm on December 28. He paid $89. Last week, he was told in an email the flight was cancelled.
Air New Zealand offered another flight at 10.10am on the same day. But because he did not finish work until midday, he would not be able to make the flight.
He claimed Air New Zealand suggested he stay the night in Wellington for a flight the next day. He would only do so if it would put him up for the night, but the airline would not pay, he said.
Wilson said it offered to change to a flight to Christchurch for $129, but only if he paid the difference of $40.
He opted for a cheaper flight later that evening for $69, which was less than the original price, but was told he would not be refunded the difference. ‘‘I just feel it doesn’t matter what you do, they just quote ‘terms and conditions, terms and conditions’,’’ he said.
If the airline ‘‘bumped’’ passengers onto another service, it should pay for it, Wilson said.
His wife usually picked him up from Timaru Airport, which took 15 minutes. Now she would have to do a five-hour round trip to Christchurch Airport, he said.
Timaru District Mayor Damon Odey said he was confident of the partnership between Timaru and Air New Zealand. He did not expect businesses to run services when there was low demand. The airline made a ‘‘business decision’’ that still provided for a service over a quieter period, he said.
An Air New Zealand spokeswoman confirmed it cut one of its two daily return flights to Timaru from Wellington for two weeks between December 25 and January 8, 2017. During that period, passengers can leave Timaru at 12pm and fly into Timaru at 10.10am.
The Timaru-Wellington route catered for a mainly business market, and because of reduced demand over the period, it was normal to reduce the schedule for a short period to match capacity, she said.
She said Wilson was reaccommodated on an alternative service from Wellington to Christchurch free of charge. ‘‘Air New Zealand apologises to Mr Wilson for any inconvenience caused by the schedule change,’’ she said.