Falling Standards AirNZ

[ooOO00OOoo]

I flew from Wellington to Auckland to Los Angeles to Guadalajara(Mexico) with a total of 16 hours flying and the ground was bobbing up and down making me dizzy for 3 days. good times that I will remember.

How long was the Ch-Heathrow flight? 16-20 hours?

[Kelburn]

Hmm all my experiences with Air NZ have been good. My last flight was from Sydney and that was a good flight.

[victor_alpha_charlie]

Sure ANZ is more expensive than ryanair. Ryanair has lots of competitiors for the same routes, while all ANZ has is Qantas on a couple. ANZ has New Zealand wrapped around its finger and they control prices. There's not enough people travelling here to make another airline viable thus bringing down prices. I'll be supporting any airline OTHER than ANZ... No reason why really i just don't like them...

[pois0n]

How long was the Ch-Heathrow flight? 16-20 hours?

Bloody long

The trip took around 28 hours total, plus I didn't get a hell of a lot of sleep the night before because of the excitement Flew CHC-SYD-BKK-LHR, 1 hour walking around sydney airport, same for bangkok. So I was awake like 36 hours I think, was so gross and nauseous for like a week after getting to London, that ground moving feeling is horrible!

[ooOO00OOoo]

ooOO00 wouldn't want to do that trip. It is quicker auck-LA-Lon now how both flights are close to 12 hours. Gee i would love first class seat if i was there. you could actually sleep(well as close to sleep you could get on a plane) were you in economy class? I can barely stand 12 hours in economy.

[G-HEVN]

Last time I was here I flew Qantas WLG - SYD - SNG - LHR. The 744 was broke, and I was stuck in Sydney for 5 hours while they got a replacement. The service and seat quality was markedly worse than the 'new' AirNZ 744 I flew out on this time.

Another time I flew BA, and got the front right aisle seat upstairs. That was fun cos I got to listen in on the pre-flight briefings B) and then we had to go around at the new BKK because the previous aircraft hadn't vacated. Flew a perfect visual circuit to land.

Now, if only they'd show the view through the cockpit window on the 'entertainment system'....

Oh, yes, I hate going through America. All the extra hassle and paranoia, and the way they treat you like a criminal means I'll take the extra flight time of an alternate route every time.

[ooOO00OOoo]

I know what you mean When i was in lax going to Mexico, 4 guards checked our passports, asked what we were doing in America, why we were there. My mum wrote on the visa's TRANSIT for purpose of visit and one lady(guard) came and said to me (all bossy and full of herself) where are you in transit to. Why did your mum come to America 3 months ago without you. (My grandmother was very sick) What was wrong with your mum(to my mum) They take your blimin finger prints. OMFG LOL at LAX on the boards where they say "U.S citizens" etc all they put up was"look at Los Angeles International Airport's NEW, that right new communications board! Now in multicolor with cartoons!!"

Mexicana has terrible pilots. Have you ever seen a mexican pilot sprinting down the Tom Bradley terminal 5 minutes before you are scheduled to board? That was hilarious.

[mailman]

I flew Malaysian from London to Melbourne a couple weeks ago...the flight to KL was in a pretty cramped 747 BUT the food was great and the service friendly.

Also Ive flown AirNZ a lot and havent had any real issues with them. Sure they have older planes but with time they will eventually phase these out and have in seat entertainment on most, if not all, routes.

The problems I have with AirNZ are with its rubbish airpoints program and the fact they wouldnt let me in the business lounge in LA even though I was a Koru club member...I ended up cutting the card in half and throwing it at the moron who wouldnt let me in in the end!

Otherwise Ive always had pretty good flights with ANZ. Are they my first choice? No they arent as generally their prices are bloody expensive! However if I can get cheap flights with them when looking around then Ill go AirNZ.

Mailman

[happytraveller]

I had a big clear out of old clothes a few days ago. I should have kept them and donated them to AirNZ for their new staff uniforms. Probably some fashion designer was paid a fortune to 'design' the new uniforms, but they could have had my cast-off clothes instead (look the same as the uniforms!!) and they could have saved themselves some money.


update on the above......
I changed in Hong Kong to another airline, and the difference was HUGE. Smart uniforms unlike AirNZ and staff that were actually helpful and friendly. The meal was MUCH better and they kept coming around with trays of fruit juices and water. Not only that but the service was prompt and efficient. The staff were around for the whole flight (not like AirNZ where they seem to disappear somewhere for the night) and it gave the impression of being a much better run operation.

Very interesting to compare the two airlines back to back, AirNZ loses by a long margin.

Smooth landings (not on autoland!!!).

[Bingobob]

Your judging Air New Zealand on one Flight with two Airlines?

I think in general customer service and customer expectations in the last few years is the problem. We expect more for less!
My first flight to england back in the early 1990s was far more expensive than now and and had less leg room than today plus NO in seat entertainment.
The return flight back to NZ was worst multi stopping in a Charter 767 even more cramped and nearly 36 hours in length. At the time they were the cheapest I could get

Prices are down and customers expect more.

[ooOO00OOoo]

I don't see what is so big about flight attendents taking a break. Would like to be walking round on a bobing floor pushing a trolly and waking up "sleeping" people? As long as i get my (used to be big) bowl of fruit thhen i'm fine.

One question about ANZ breakfasts. do they still have a carton of fruit? Are theyt still big? Qantas gave us all one and the had 2 aplle slices, 1 peach slice and some red coloured orange(yes it was an orange) My only breakfast that night/morning.


How do you people get through long haul. I can barely stand the first 6 hours(half of the flight) then the sencond half goes much faster, when you see the sun begin to "rise"

[towerguy]

I can't say much about the service etc on ANZ as it was so long ago that I flew international that Wilbur and Orville were the pilots!

"industrial comment self deleted"

This is an airline that you and I SAVED from extinction wih OUR money and the morons that run the place have done nothing but come out with hideous uniforms - both in looks and price and functionality (having talked to some of the poor types that have had to wear it) and proceeded to try and put out of work those that look after the airline and used their money to rescue it!

next time let the B@@@@d sink - if there is truly a gap in the market then someone else will fill it quick smart!

[happytraveller]

I do a lot of international travel (I used to enjoy the flights at one time!!) and I still say that AirNZ are well below par. True that customer expectations have risen, but also true is that standards on AirNZ are falling, and are below some other airlines.

No, I do not expect the stewards/stewardesses to walk around ALL night, but I do expect them to walk around OCCASIONALLY. I also expect a reasonably sized meal, not the small portions that they are trying to pass off as meals now.

I think that it is a combination of lack of staff motivation, and also cut-backs from above. Whilst I was loyal to AirNZ for many years, they have lost it now. Might even try Emirates next time and see how they are.

How about we start a new system, and pay AFTER the flight if we were satisfied with the service, just like in a restaurant. Bet AirNZ would improve then!!

smooth landings!

[Grumble]

Air New Zealand... p!ss poor food, ok-to-poor service, no inseat video, old plane. 168,000 yen at peak rate (but "discounted") (December 2006)

From multiple experiences with Air NZ on multiple different routes... they didn't deserve to be rescued from Bankruptcy.

http://www.airnz.co.nz/travelinfo/onthe ... efault.htm
http://www.airnz.co.nz/travelinfo/onthe ... s_menu.htm
http://www.airnz.co.nz/travelinfo/onthe ... nghaul.htm
http://www.airnz.co.nz/travelinfo/onthe ... efault.htm
I strongly suggest you do some research before you flame an airline.
I would rather have Kiwi food than singaporian food as i don't believe that an aircraft at cruising altitude is the best place to try a foreign meal.

I don't see how you can flame ANZ when you never fly them. When i was 7 they let me in the cockpit. They gave special kid menus consisting of McDonalds. Sure a lot has changed but they have upgraded. Airlines don't don't buy new Aircraft just because they are 5 years old. They fly them until they have passed the maximum flights.

Might want to ask before you start making posts like that - do some research... heh. I speak from extensive first-hand experience and usually DO look at such details before choosing a flight, but thanks all the same.

I've flown Air New Zealand many, many times, on both short and long-haul routes. but choose not to anymore, where I have the option. The last time I did so was Osaka-Auckland return last May, which admittedly was a little over 11 months ago - I assume things have not improved overly much since then. It wasn't a great flight, but was followed by a Nagoya-Hong Kong-Auckland flight on Cathay Pacific later last year which *was*. I've flown Air New Zealand on this route at least five times in the last six years, and a few times on a couple of others as well - and that's NOT including those flights where other airlines code-sharing with Air New Zealand. Prior to that I flew with them more frequently until they began to drop noticeably in standard.

As far as food goes, I'm not really interested in the business-class menu - allthough comparing Air NZ business class with that offered by Cathay, Singapore, Emirates et al would probably disappoint you ( yes I've flown those too so again, first-hand recounting, not research - hope that's ok with you). That said, all the airlines I mentioned offer a choice of western food or that of their "home nation" - a service which, funnily enough, is mirrored by Air New Zealand on routes to non-western destinations.

In-seat video and flight entertainment? Sure... Air NZ DOES offer it, but only on selected routes. And they sure weren't offering it on the Osaka - Auckland flight. Or the Seoul - Auckland flight. Or the Nadi-Auckland flight....hmmm. Gotta find me one of those selected routes one day and try it out.

Service? Well here's an interesting comparison for you - both from the last three years:

1) My wife is thirsty, at 3pm, on the flight from Auckland - Nagoya. It's in-between meal time, and the cabin crew are not busy. She pushes the call button. No response for 5 mins. Try again. No dice. Third time lucky... stewardess comes up from the rear galley (we're in a 767) with a teed-off look on her face and asks what we want. Wife asks for orange juice Stewardess flounces back to the galley, brings back the juice, plonks it down on the tray without a word and walks away.

2) Same situation, 330am Singapore - Auckland. Steward comes within a minute of being called, smiles, asks what we want, comes right back with the juice AND some snacks for me as he had noticed I was awake and watching a movie. He also brought a blanket for my wife because he thought she looked cold. Smiles again, and he's gone.

The above is a fairly typical comparison. Funnily enough, the STEWARDS on Air New Zealand have been good when I've flown with them over the last few years. The STEWARDESSES have not.

Aircraft? I'm aware that airlines don't turn them over every year. But the 767s and 747s I've flown on with Air New Zealand suffer in comparison to the equivalent aircraft of most of the other airlines I've flown on in the last ten years, and just plain don't measure up in comparison to the A340s and Boeing 777s other airlines also offer.

FYI this is not just me talking. My parents (veteran travellers) visit me here in Japan with some regularity. They were sworn Air NZ patrons until a couple of years back. Now they too, have decided to choose another carrier.

[kiwiflyboy]

Havent had good experiences with Air NZ, have had good experiences on Austrian Airways/Lauda, Singapore and the best food by far was Air Caledonia. Canada 3000 was shocking for service, but they are no longer.... so they got what they deserved...

[Alex]

Flown with United out of Auckland before they stopped, there was great service, not just hiring bimbo's but people who actually can do the stuff well.

Alex

[ooOO00OOoo]

Ok i'm not trying to stand up for ANZ, i'm just saying my opinion. Grumble sorry for sounding snappy but just posting my opinion and what has happened lately. I know most people think ANZ are despicable but i would rather fly them than Qantas or united anyday. Frontier have been my best airline, they talk to you, walk all the time. people are always at the front or at the back, the told us after the snax had been given out that you request more at the front ehre the trolly was. they give nice hot chocolate, they changed my mum and my ticket to the very front just because someone was between us. They were cheap tickets and the staff were funny(Funny americans?) enjoyed there job and were helpful. I haven't flown ANZ for 7 years but i would still fly them over Qantas!

[firefly]

Internationally, I've only flown on Air NZ, Gulf Air, Air Pacific, Freedom, Singapore, and Thai airlines. Personally from that list I found Thai and Singapore to be the best in so far as entertainment goes and service.

I would not say Air NZ's standard of service is bad - the staff were friendly etc - its just I felt the Singapore and Thai was better. For the bucks, if I was going to aussie I would fly freedom over air NZ, the staff were great and it made an enjoyable fight.

I've heard good things about Emriates, so maybe next time we go somewhere.....

[Grumble]

Ok i'm not trying to stand up for ANZ, i'm just saying my opinion. Grumble sorry for sounding snappy but just posting my opinion and what has happened lately. I know most people think ANZ are despicable but i would rather fly them than Qantas or united anyday. Frontier have been my best airline, they talk to you, walk all the time. people are always at the front or at the back, the told us after the snax had been given out that you request more at the front ehre the trolly was. they give nice hot chocolate, they changed my mum and my ticket to the very front just because someone was between us. They were cheap tickets and the staff were funny(Funny americans?) enjoyed there job and were helpful. I haven't flown ANZ for 7 years but i would still fly them over Qantas!

Fair enough. It's actually a sticking point for me. I strongly recommended Air New Zealand to a couple of associates a while back, basing my recommendation on the standard of service as opposed to the standard of the actual aircraft. They returned after experiencing similar treatment to what I describe above, asking me why on earth I would recommend such a terrible carrier. I was sceptical until I flew Air New Zealand again; at a time when I was on other airlines frequently (at least once a month) I was frankly appalled!

My flight last year was also interesting. I had to return to New Zealand urgently for the funeral of a family member. Called Air New Zealand because they were the only carrier with any seats left (wonder why?!) at what was a peak season for that route, and they supposedly offer a compassionate discount for people in such circumstances. Huh. Turns out the discount only applies to "selected" routes Anyway, they offered me a discount anyway, which was basically the price of the ticket tax; the reason given for not offering the discount as advertised was that it was peak season and the flight was full.

Well - not only was the flight not full, it was half empty. On top of that, they ended up NOT giving me the discount because the person who had offered it hadn't calculated properly. I had to take it anyway - by that stage I had cancelled the seat holds I had on other carriers and was due to fly the next day.

[merlin]

My experiance with Air New Zealand International has been positive and Negative. Few months ago we flew to London via Los Angeles in Economy Class the flight was not the best from Auckland to LAX and as for the gestapo in the paranoid USA well dont go there. I dont take much notice of inflight entertainment as I have discovered a row that has a advantage to it namely get either B or J you get a window seat with no seat at the window B) .
Now this was my problem because even though I pre booked that seat some mouthy American was given it. The result was I was stuck in front of a screen with a mother and two screaming Kids all the way to LAX
Now credit to the flight crew they informed the next leg of the flight of my plight and upgraded me to Business premier up on the top deck Oh I was stocked
The return Trip was incident free and I was able to sit in my favourite seat and slept the majority of the trip only being waken for food considering the majority of the final leg was at night I found the flight crew did not disturb us which was good.
Would I fly Air New Zealand again? ell yes unless of course there was a cheaper deal and I got the seat I wanted.