Air New Zealand passengers can now link My Vaccine Pass to mobile app

AirNZ passengers will be able to upload their domestic My Vaccine Pass to the airlines' updated mobile app. Photo / Supplied

It's no secret many Kiwis are looking forward to December 15, when Auckland's borders lower and people can be reunited with family and whānau around Aotearoa.

If you're hopping on a flight, you'll notice a lot has changed when it comes to air travel with new restrictions and regulations in place.

Fortunately, Air New Zealand is determined to make summer travel as safe and seamless as possible. From today customers can upload their domestic My Vaccine Pass to their Airpoints profile, verifying their vaccination status so they're ready to fly.

From December 14, the airline will require either proof of vaccination or a negative Covid-19 test taken within 72 hours of departure for domestic flights.

Air New Zealand Chief Customer and Sales Officer Leanne Geraghty said although travel will look different his summer, the updated app feature would make it easy for Kiwis to get around.

"We're one of the first airlines in the world to develop a digital solution for customers to upload their vaccination status to their loyalty profile which is incredibly exciting," she said.

Check it could still be done via airport kiosks or online but Geraghty said uploading the domestic My Vaccine Pass to your Airpoints provide would be the easiest way. Even better, it only has to be done once.

For those curious about how safe it is to share their My Vaccine Pass on an app, Geraghty said security had been a priority.

"We've applied a privacy lens across the whole digital solution," she said. "The QR code or domestic My Vaccine Pass itself is not retained by Air New Zealand; we're just verifying the Pass is valid."

As more than 300,000 Kiwis are booked to fly Air New Zealand between December 15 and 31, nailing an efficient vaccination checking system will be a win-win for the airline and it's fliers.

Air New Zealand's top travel tips for the summer:

1. From 14 December, everyone aged 12 or over will need to show proof of full vaccination or a negative test taken within 72 hours of departure. So, have your My Vaccine Pass, or a negative Covid-19 test result ready. This process will be soft-launched on December 13, but won't be required on flights until the following day.

2. Want to skip airport queues? Download the latest version of the Air NZ mobile app and upload your vaccination status there to avoid doing so at the airport. If you are an Airpoints member, you'll only need to do it once.

3. Upload your domestic My Vaccine Pass, not your International Travel Vaccination Certificate.

4. For those providing proof of a negative Covid-19 test result, whether it's a Nasopharyngeal swab, saliva or supervised rapid antigen test, it will pay to arrive at the airport earlier than usual as you'll need to check-in at the airport and show airport staff your result confirmation well in advance.

5. December will be a busy month for flights, so try to arrive 60 minutes before your flight in case things take a little longer.

6. Snacks are back! Leave the packed lunch at home because from 14 December, Air New Zealand is launching a new food and beverage offering.

7. When you're not snacking on the flight you'll need to wear face coverings on the flight so don't forget your mask (but if you do, don't sweat, they have spares).

8. Summer is all about getting out and adventuring, so check out Air New Zealand's experience website, which lists more than 465 Qualmark-endorsed sustainable tourism operators.

9. Go back and read point number one again… then complete number two!

10. Lastly, leave your passport at home. International borders aren't open just yet!