Domestic Passenger Rights under the Civil Aviation Act 1990 (NZ)

We will not have any liability to you under the CAA for delays or cancellations outside of our control. These include events such as weather, air traffic control events, certain strikes and epidemic/pandemic.

Yes, if we took all reasonable measures to avoid the damage caused or if it was not possible for us to take such measures, we will not be liable to you under the CAA for your domestic flight.

Whilst this will often be determined on a case-by-case basis. Some common types of damage may include:

• Refund of costs paid for ticket (e.g. where reasonable alternative travel was not possible)
• Accommodation costs (e.g. you are required to overnight until a next available flight); and/or
• Reasonable transport costs.

There may be more types of damages which you may be able to claim depending on whether the cost is proven and reasonable loss caused by the delay, up to the maximum liability under the CAA.

Even if your domestic flight has been delayed or cancelled due to an event within our control, there are still some costs which you may not be able to claim under the CAA:

• Indirect damages e.g. damages which are not directly caused by the delay or cancellation or which are too remote
• Compensation for loss of time or inconvenience or distress e.g. from time spent on the telephone/online to arrange new flights or claim damages
• Exemplary damages e.g. 'penalty' compensation
• Damages that:
  • You cannot prove have been incurred by you; or
  • Result from your fault or negligence or from failing to mitigate your damage e.g. declining a reasonably alternative flight or not cancelling accommodation within the time period to receive a refund; or
  • Are unreasonably incurred by you e.g. seeking to claim reimbursement for top-end accommodation when reasonable alternatives were available.

No, you are not automatically entitled to receive compensation of ten (10) times the price of their ticket for every domestic delay or cancellation. See examples of when Air NZ may not be liable under CAA above.

If you have a valid claim under the Act, you will only be entitled to proven and reasonable costs caused by the delay to your domestic flight. The compensation figure of ten (10) times the price of the ticket is simply a maximum amount that we can be liable to you for under the Act.¹

Generally, you will only be entitled to claim damages caused by the delay to your domestic flight under the CAA which:

• You have incurred reasonably. We will look at what a reasonable person would do in your situation (expensive and excessive accommodation, transport and food expenses will not be claimable); and
• You can prove that you have incurred such damage as a result of the delay e.g. you must be able to show that you have suffered out-of-pocket expenses through receipts, invoices and other reasonable documentation which we may request.

If you have rights to a refund under the CAA for your domestic flight, you can request a refund from us.

We have made requesting refunds easier with our online Refund Request Form. You will need to be authorised to request a refund and will need to provide the information requested on the form.

In addition, you can request a refund by making contact with our refunds team via email to refunds@airnz.co.nz.

Passengers with refundable fares booked directly with Air New Zealand can cancel their booking and receive a refund via the Manage Bookings webpage. You will need the booking reference and the family name associated with the booking. This can also be done through our Air NZ app.

For any claims for damage (except ticket refunds) under the CAA, please use our online form here.

You will need to ensure that you provide us all information so we can determine your claim. All claims must include legitimate invoices/receipts and a clear description on what the claimed damage relates to.

We will consider any claims for damage in accordance with the CAA. We may ask you for more information while we process your claim to allow us to properly consider your request.

If you fail to provide any required information, we may decline your claim for damage.