Insure your domestic trip, says Air NZ
Air New Zealand is warning passengers to consider taking out domestic travel insurance and turning up early during the summer peak during which it will put on 90,000 more seats.
Some passengers and crew missed flights last summer after congestion at Auckland Airport.
“It’s still wise to double check your itinerary and leave plenty of time not just to get to the airport, but also to process through security and arrive at your boarding gate in plenty of time,” said chief strategy networks and alliances officer Nick Judd.
Air New Zealand will operate 2.2 million seats across its domestic network over the peak DecemberJanuary period, 90,000 more than the same period last year.
The carrier has added more than 180 extra flights between December 21 and 31.
The busiest flying days are expected to be Thursday, December 21 through to Christmas Eve, with passenger numbers peaking on Friday, December 22.
Judd asked domestic customers booked to travel during this busy period to consider taking out travel insurance.
“Every year events outside our control such as bad weather mean travellers’ plans go awry,” he said.
Most customers took out insurance for overseas trips, but that was often forgotten for domestic journeys.
The same went for major sporting and concert events this summer.
“For example, Air New Zealand is operating 60 extra one-way flights to get Ed Sheeran fans from Auckland to Dunedin in March, 2018.”