KEY POINTS:
Air New Zealand customers can net big savings on flights simply by using an overseas version of the company's website.
Liz Brooker of Napier told the Herald on Sunday she was amazed to save $165 on a one-way ticket from Brisbane to Auckland.
The cheapest seat available on flight NZ136 on June 13 would, as of last Friday, have set her back at least $418, according to the airline's Kiwi website. But a quick check of the Aussie version saw Brooker nab a seat on the same flight for A$208 ($253), including her bank's foreign currency charge.
She checked the Aussie site only because she was paying with an Australian-issued credit card. "I'm not quite sure how it can be nearly 40 per cent cheaper for the same flight with just one click," she said.
"It's virtually the same website, just different currency."
Air New Zealand confirmed that anyone holding an accepted credit card could book through overseas versions of its site, wherever he or she lived. It "frequently" offered promotions in overseas markets "to stimulate travel and tourism into New Zealand".
The airline claimed it would be unusual for a Kiwi customer to find such a bargain because the "vast majority" of customers using the New Zealand site would be booking return flights from this country.
Brooker said she was flying to Australia with Emirates because its flight times suited her better.
Qantas regional websites displayed similar variations.
The South Pacific site, which includes New Zealand, offered a seat on QF322 from Auckland to Sydney on July 30 for NZ$208.
But customers who booked a return ticket from Australia, using the .com.au site would be paying a minimum of AU$337 (NZ$412) for the Auckland-Sydney leg of the journey.
