Air NZ accused of racism over questioning of Tongan mum at check-in

Air New Zealand is accused of racial profiling when a customer used Premium Check-in earlier this week. Photo / file.

Air NZ has been accused of racism after a woman said her mother was racially profiled while trying to use Premium Check-in for a flight.

The woman, who doesn't want to be named, wrote a Facebook post about the incident which she said left her mother in tears.

The post has received over 25,000 reactions, and been shared 4000 times.

The daughter said her mother had paid for a business fare for her flight to Tonga on Tuesday.

But when the pair walked to the check-in area, the daughter said they were immediately "confronted" by a staff member, who said they were in the wrong place.

"She was judged by the way she looked (skin colour and the way she dressed) she didn't have a suit on or have a briefcase or whatever but we do pay the same amount as those business people to travel and use the premium lounge," the daughter wrote.

The daughter said the staff took a long time double-checking the business class ticket, then still tried to direct them to the self-service kiosks.

At this point, the daughter said her mother began to cry.

"My mum is such a softie and she wasn't feeling too well, starts tearing up."

The daughter said she told the staff her mother was blind in one eye and needed help getting from the Premium lounge to the aircraft, but that they were once again met with resistance from staff.

"I was so disappointed. I was more shocked," the daughter wrote.

"This shouldn't be the way they treat customers despite what they look like or which class they fly."

An Air NZ spokesperson said they were concerned to see the Facebook post circulating, and have not only investigated the incident, but also been in touch with the family directly.

The spokesperson said the A320 aircraft the woman was travelling on didn't have a Business Premier cabin, but that the woman held a Works Deluxe ticket which included Premium Check-in.

"Our staff on duty at the time were very concerned to learn of the customer's concerns, they did not intend to be anything other than welcoming and do not recall any conflict or disagreement."

"The CCTV footage from the check-in area at the time gives no indication of any conflict taking place."

The spokesperson said they sincerely apologised for any miscommunication during check-in.