Air New Zealand Gets Ready For Half A Million Kiwi To Fly Around Aotearoa This School Holidays

Air New Zealand will be saying kia ora to over 500,000 customers travelling on its domestic network as whānau and friends connect during the upcoming school holidays.

Air New Zealand General Manager Domestic Scott Carr says the airline has added thousands of additional seats to its domestic schedule for the school holiday period.

“With the increased demand for travel between 27 September and 13 October, we’ve added 25,000 extra seats across 260 domestic flights to help Kiwi get to where they need to be.

“This Friday is our busiest day with over 34,000 customers travelling around the country. We’re also expecting to carry some very precious cargo, with 5,500 unaccompanied minors and more than 300 furry friends currently booked to fly. We can’t wait to see the heartwarming hugs and tail-wagging reunions in arrival halls across Aotearoa.

“With airports busy and thousands looking to take off on an adventure, we have some tips for those jet-setting this school holidays. Remember to allow extra time to check in if you’re travelling with the kids – whether they’re human or fur-babies.”

Big events are also keeping the Air New Zealand network busy. Wellington is a hot spot for travellers as the All Blacks take on the Wallabies at Sky Stadium and TSB Arena hosts the World of WearableArt Show.

Overseas destinations are also on the cards and with double the capacity to Bali and Niue, customers are taking the chance to escape for beach getaways. Others are heading over the ditch to Aussie where Sydney is the top pick with 25,000 customers travelling to or from the city.

As Air New Zealand works hard to get Kiwi customers to their destinations, the airline has shared its top tips for making school holidays travel as smooth as possible.

Air New Zealand's top tips: 

· Download the Air NZ app to stay up to date and check-in 24 hours before departure

· Make sure your contact details in your booking and Airpoints account are correct so we can keep you informed if anything changes

· If you’re travelling with a little extra baggage, prepay extra baggage online before you check in if your flight is eligible

· Allow extra time to get to the airport, check in and make your way through security as it may take a little longer

· Caregivers seeing off unaccompanied minors must make sure they stay at the airport until the flight is in the air

· Check that you have travel insurance – especially with the weather still being unpredictable

If you’re travelling this school holidays and need any support, whether it’s over the phone, through Live Chat or another messaging channel, the Air New Zealand Customer Care team is here for you 24/7.

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