Air NZ passengers asked to share hotel rooms in Valentine’s flight disruption

Air New Zealand passengers were left with awkward situation when their Valentine's day flight to Kerikeri was cancelled. Picture / NZME

A group of 50 Air New Zealand passengers had a rude Valentine’s Day shock when they were asked to share replacement accommodation in an Auckland airport hotel after their flight was cancelled.

Flight NZ8270 to Kerikeri was cancelled on Wednesday afternoon by a mechanical fault.

After some delay and limited replacement flights, the airline was unable to source a driver for a replacement bus service.

With no transport to Northland the following day, passengers were booked into airport hotels for the night. However, at check-in, the passengers were asked to pair up with the other passengers as they would have to share rooms.

It was a Valentine’s surprise that passengers were not expecting.

Jontel Kiwikiwi from Paihia was among the travellers booked into the Pullman Auckland Airport, while others were given vouchers for the Sudima hotel.

“We were told ‘make friends because you are sharing’. There were no other options,” she said.

Fellow passenger Vanessa Bennett from the Bay of Islands said she refused on “safety and privacy” grounds. However, she was certain other passengers, tired from travel and the stress of the situation, would have just gone with what they were offered.

Bennett said the hotel’s general manager contacted the airline on their behalf, saying they couldn’t allow people that don’t know each other to go into a room.

Eventually, at 11pm, Bennett and Kiwikiwi and two other passengers she had been asked to share with were offered separate rooms.

Passengers were offered $90 food vouchers and a replacement coach service to Kerikeri at 4pm, a three-hour journey departing 24 hours after the original flight.

“When we’re paying $300 for a flight, if you can’t honour that flight give us our money back. I told them they need to refund it and I would sort my own room, but they said there were no refunds,” said Bennett.

Bennett says that she faces losing business and was due to be hosting an event for clients in Northland on Thursday.

“Two of the women here need to get back urgently, they need medication,” says Bennett.

“Everything is wrong about this.”

Travellers who were able to get replacement flights to Kerikeri were shocked to see empty seats onboard.

Passenger David Beattie, whose trip to north was delayed overnight, said there were six seats on his 11.10am service, after other passengers had been told nothing was available.

Under New Zealand consumer rights and conventions, airlines are required to provide replacement transport, and provisions for food and accommodation in the event of a cancellation.

According to the New Zealand Civil Aviation Act, passengers should also have the right to ask for a full refund and any other reasonable expenses up to 10 times the value of their ticket.

The passenger who has been affected by previous disruptions on the route says it has been difficult to reclaim expenses and even ask for adequate replacement transport.

The Te Arikinui Pullman Hotel at Auckland International Airport.

Ongoing travel woes for Northland commuters

The traveller said she was informed of the cancellation by text claiming there were “engineering” issues.

Kiwikiwi, who travels at least once a week for work, says that she is used to being disrupted and seeing the same message.

“My reaction was ‘Oh God, not again!’”

The passenger who was holding a flexi-fare ticket said she was able to book onto a flight departing at 11.10am to Kerikeri. However, she was aware of other passengers who had booked a replacement flight to Whangārei instead, as nothing else was available.

Others were still waiting for the replacement bus on Thursday afternoon.

Last month, the Northern Advocate reported that Air New Zealand cancelled 6.5 per cent of flights in and out of the region.

Northland commuters say they are used to disruption, but having to share rooms in replacement accommodation was a new one.

“You can imagine if Shane Jones was on the flight and he was asked to share a room with someone. He flies back every week,” said Bennett.

Those who were not able to book alternative travel were expected to catch the 4pm replacement coach after being booked shared accommodation overnight.

“I can afford to pay for my own room but it’s not right that Air NZ get away from this”.

A spokesperson for Air New Zealand said that it was not the airline’s policy to book shared rooms for parties not travelling together.

Customers impacted by the cancellation were distributed travel vouchers customers in line with its policy, said Air New Zealand’s general manager for domestic Iain Walker.

“We know accommodation was limited in Auckland last night but secured rooms for a number of customers. Those travelling together were offered shared rooms,” he said.

“Our policy is not to ask customers who aren’t travelling together to share rooms and if this appears to have been miscommunicated, we’d encourage the affected customers to reach out to us so we can address this directly.”

Walker said that where possible passengers were given the option to rebook on the next available service, opt for a fare refund or airline credit.

Due to limited availability of flights to Kerikeri passengers were also offered road replacement transport on Thursday afternoon.

“We apologise for any inconvenience caused by this disruption and acknowledge that disrupted travel plans are frustrating for customers.”