Hola - Why Air NZ went with Spanish charter operator Wamos Air

Air New Zealand staff flew to Madrid to check out a new wet-lease operator that will fly from Auckland to Perth to help reinforce its schedule over summer.

The airline has contracted Wamos Air, a near 20-year-old Spanish lease and travel charter operator that has used Airbus A330 aircraft for dozens of clients around the world.

Air New Zealand's schedule was badly hit by a lack of staff and planes during the July school holidays, compounded by illness, and the airline then decided to try to avoid a repeat over the busy summer period by bringing in reinforcements.

Wet lease operators provide the plane, cabin crew, pilots, maintenance staff and operational insurance and are expensive, especially now as many airlines struggling to meet high demand are competing for them.

Air New Zealand general manager short-haul airline Jeremy O'Brien said leasing from Wamos was "an investment" in certainty of the schedule.

"We believe the right thing to do for [our] customers is to keep that schedule robust through northern winter."

Wamos Air will operate daily return Auckland–Perth services from November 15 to February 16 next year.

He said Air New Zealand had assessed three lease operators and Wamos ticked the boxes for aircraft and crew. Although its 280-seat A330-200s are 15 years old, the one used out of Auckland during summer had its interior refreshed in 2020.

"One of the things we were really conscious of is previously with some of these wet leases, you can get a bit of a variation in that type of quality you get both from an onboard product perspective, but also in terms of service delivery."

Wamos Air Airbus A330's Business Class seats convert to a lie flat bed. Photo / Supplied

In the summer of 2017-18 the airline wet-leased aircraft from specialist Hi Fly from Portugal to plug gaps caused by the grounding of Boeing 787 Dreamliners which needed engine repairs. The 20-year-old planes used parked complaints from some passengers.

O'Brien said Wamos crew had experience in high-end charter operations and they would have two days' training in Air New Zealand procedures - and Māori greetings - when they arrive in Auckland. Wamos cabin crew would operate the flights although some Air NZ staff would be on hand to monitor service delivery and act in a coaching role.

Winners and losers

The 260 economy section seats in the Wamos plane are arranged 2-4-2 with similar legroom to Air New Zealand's Dreamliners now being used on the route. There's seat-back entertainment with a near-nine-inch screen.

There will be no Buy on Board (Inflight Bites) facility on the Wamos Air flight as these items are usually transacted via the Air New Zealand inflight entertainment system but everyone will receive a full meal service.

There's no Skycouch and those who have booked it will be moved to an Economy seat. The cost of Skycouch will be refunded.

There's also no Premium Economy on the Wamos plane.

O'Brien said all affected passengers were being contacted and they could fly economy (with the fare difference and a $150 payment) or get a full refund or put their flights in credit.

"All customers wishing to book during this period will be notified during the booking process that the flight will be operated by Wamos Air on behalf of Air New Zealand and will be given the option to opt-out or book at a later date."

Air New Zealand wanted lie-flat beds for the 20-seat business class cabin for the 7.5-hour flight, which from Perth operates overnight.

The seats in a 1-2-1 configuration will give Air NZ Business Premier customers a taste of what the airline will fit into new long-haul planes from around 2025. The Wamos seats are forward facing and because they're not a herringbone design, offer more privacy.

There are 260 Economy seats on Wamos Air's A320. Photo / Supplied

O'Brien said food and wine on board would be from Air New Zealand's suppliers.

Unions have previously expressed reservations about using charter operators. O'Brien said there had been consultation over bringing in the Spanish operator.

He said the airline always preferred to fly its own planes with its own crew but this was a temporary measure.

''They of course want us to get as many Air New Zealanders onboard as quickly as possible and we continue to be really committed to doing that.''

E tū union says the lease arrangement is a short-term measure and Air New Zealand needs more crew, pilots, and aircraft, but it did not expect it will limit the number of cabin crew jobs available in the future.

Aviation team leader, Scott Mackie said the airline is continuing to hire and train more crew, and it is good to see more crew returning to flying.

''In the past, when the lease was operated by Hi-Fly in 2018, many customers were disappointed not to be on an Air New Zealand crewed flight. It highlights how much the travelling public value Air New Zealand crew.''

O'Brien said about 1000 cabin crew and 500 airport staff had been hired since the start of the year and several hundred more would be employed by the end of the year.