Air New Zealand Update – Customer flexibility guide for International flights affected by COVID-19

20 January 2021

Confidential, Flight, News, Transportation

13 January 2021

Customer flexibility guide for International flights affected by COVID-19

Three options exist for customers ticketed on Air New Zealand ticket stock between 24 January ߝ 31 March 2021.

1. Change date of travel

Change flexibility is available to a customer prior to their original date of travel.

For travel until 31 March 2021 or before the original date of travel,

whichever is earlier, the following change flexibility applies for

voluntary customer changes under the COVID-19 flexibility policy.

Date changes are permitted with the change fee waived; change is permitted within system range.
Fare differential applies where the same booking class is not available.

Change flexibility for passengers unable to obtain a Managed

Isolation Allocation System (MIAS) voucher:

One FOC change permitted to an alternative date, no additional collection applies. Book the same or next best available class in the same cabin and/or product type. If the change requires a requote or a reissue any additional taxes must be collected, please contact Agency Sales for an authority.
For travel on other airlines, the same booking class originally booked must be rebooked, if this is not available please contact Agency Sales.

Alternatively, from 1 April 2021 where Air New Zealand has cancelled or re-timed the flight the long-term schedule change policy applies as follows:

One change is permitted with the change fee waived, change must be within + or – 7 days of the original travel dates.
For travel on Air New Zealand operated flights, no additional collection applies. Book the same or next best available booking class in the same cabin and/or product type. If the change requires a requote or a reissue any additional taxes must be collected.
For travel on other airlines, the same booking class originally booked must be rebooked, if this is not available please contact Agency Sales.
Where an alternative route is not available on Air New Zealand, Agency Sales can assist with a surcharge for travel on another airline. e.g. ticket was booked AKLCNS, customer now wishes to travel AKL (NZ) BNE (QF) CNS.
Rebooking via an alternative route is permitted where the origin and destination remain the same i.e. was WLGNAN now WLGAKLNAN.
Enter OSINZ booked out of class due SC on NZ*** and enter SKCHG into the endorsement and restrictions box.

Tickets issued between 5-31 March 2020 for any travel period, have unlimited changes without change fee. Any fare difference applies.

2. Hold ticket as a credit

Customers with flights during 24 January-31 March 2021, due to COVID-19 can hold their ticket in credit.

The following applies to tickets held in credit as a result of the

COVID-19 flexibility policy:

All credits must be rebooked by 31 December 2021 for travel by 31 December 2022.
All credits are non-refundable.

The Virtual Card ߝ Credit Solution is now live for customers who have

tickets held in credit for travel between:

Domestic travel: 24 January – 30 June, 12 August-12 December 2020*
International travel: 24 January – 12 December 2020*

*Subject to meeting phase 1, batch one-six criteria.

Please visit here for more information.

For all other travel an interim process has been developed to utilise credits key points to note are:

A credit can be used towards any Air New Zealand airfare.
No change fees apply when using the credit.
Travellers from the original ticket(s) do not need to travel on the new tickets. One traveller (e.g. primary traveller) from the original booking can now authorise new travellers to utilise the value held in credit.
New tickets issued from a credit will take on the new fare rules with exception to refunds all tickets remain non-refundable.
New tickets issued must be of equal or higher value than the original fare held in credit.
The interim process for this can be found here.

For tickets held in credit outside of the COVID-19 flexibility policy, the

standard tickets held in credit process applies.

3. Check eligibility for a refund

There are some exceptions to the fare rules for refunding, these are listed below. If the customer is not eligible due to one of these reasons, normal fare rules apply.

For travel between 24 January-31 March 2020:

A refund is permitted where travel was restricted by a government imposed travel restriction regardless of the route or government issuing the restriction.

Customers booked on a non-stop AKLEZE flight for travel from

20 March 2020 are eligible for a refund.

For flights cancelled for travel to, from or via the USA, please check to

see whether the ticket is eligible for a refund under US DoT

Regulations here.

For flights cancelled for travel to and from Europe, EU regulations

state that customers can request a full refund in the following

instances:

When a flight is cancelled with departure from a European country regardless of the operating airline.
When a flight is cancelled by a European airline (listed below), arriving into a European country where Air New Zealand is the ticket issuer. No refund is permitted if arrival into EU country is operated by non-European airline e.g. Singapore Airlines, United Airlines, Cathay Pacific.

Please visit here for the full Q+As for refunds due to EU regulations

We are assessing customer requests for refunds based on financial hardship or compassionate reasons, to be considered for this relevant documentation and request must be emailed to Agency Sales to review.

An Airpoints Dollars incentive is available to customers with refundable tickets who choose to hold their ticket in credit instead of receiving a refund. Click here for more information.

*Flexibility regulations subject to change following global Covid-19 situation, please visit below link for the most updated information regarding Air New Zealand customer flexibility guide.

https://www.airnzagent.com.sg/