Air New Zealand sorry after passengers removed from flight because of their size
Air New Zealand has issued an apology to two passengers who say they were kicked off a flight because of their size.
Angel Harding told 1News of the “trauma” she had experienced from a flight attendant on the Napier to Auckland service on March 8. She was returning back to Northland with friends after a hui in Hastings.
Harding said the plane was taxiing when she felt a pain in her left arm as a crew member was forcing the arm rest into her arm.
“I was kind of in shock and I moved forward, and she started yelling to me that the pilot can’t take off unless all the arm rests were down, and she was quite aggressive to me. She was speaking to me in an aggressive manner. I just couldn’t believe what was happening to me,” Harding said.
She was told she should have booked two seats. There had been no issues on the flight down to Napier from Kerikeri to Auckland, and then Auckland to Napier.
The plane soon turned back to the gate and all passengers were told they would have to leave due to an “inconvenience”. However Harding and a friend of hers were not allowed to reboard.
“My thoughts are they took me off because of my build, because of my size. As to myself and our build, our size had a lot to do with it. They didn’t say it [was], they said it was an inconvenience.”
Air NZ reportedly offered them accommodation and meals, and the airline paid for their seats, but the next flight wasn’t until two days later. However seats became available on a later flight on the Friday.
Their experience has now been splashed across worldwide media outlets including the New York Post and The Mirror.
Air New Zealand General Manager Customer Care, Alisha Armstrong said the airline “will continue to work with the customer directly to address their concerns”.
“We are committed to treating all customers with respect and dignity and we apologise that these customers received an inconsistent experience.
“We strongly recommend customers who require additional space get in touch with us before their flight to ensure a safe and comfortable journey. If there is space available on the aircraft and a customer requires extra room, our teams will reaccommodate them with an empty seat next to them. We work to ensure every customer has a safe and comfortable journey.“