Travel alerts

Check if your travel is impacted by these major events.

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April Travel Tips

Airports will be busier than ever this April with many opportunities for holiday breaks. Here are our top travel tips to help you prepare.

Rabbit Make sure you are travel-ready. This means making sure you have the Air New Zealand app downloaded, we have your contact details in your booking and you’re carrying photo

Front facing baby chick Please remember your carry-on bag needs to weigh less than 7kg and be small enough to fit under an aircraft seat. We have different sizes of aircraft so please make sure you read the requirements here. Don’t wait until the last minute to purchase an extra bag or a preferred seat. You can do this online. It’ll save time and you won’t have to queue.

Sunflower If you're travelling out of Auckland Airport, there are some important changes taking place which you should know about. Please visit the Auckland Airport website for the latest information.

Hatching chick Children travelling as unaccompanied minors are precious cargo. Remember we need you to remain at the airport until their flight has departed. Please make sure that whoever is collecting them at the other end has their ID with them. Your tamariki are treasures and we won’t deliver them to anyone who can’t provide an ID.

Rabbit The safety and comfort of your furry whānau members is important to us. Their carrier must allow them to naturally stand, sit up, turn around and lay down, and should be fitted with a small water container that is easily fillable from the outside. You can find more information on travelling with pets here

Luggage Make sure you know the contents of your checked-in bag and ensure it doesn’t weigh more than 23kg. Are you travelling with a bulky stroller or a wheelchair? Make sure you add a bag tag. You can still take this through the airport and to the gate if you need to. Just let one of our team know so we can help you at the gate and take it from there.

Watch Plan to be at the departure gate 30 minutes before departure for a domestic flight or at least 45 minutes for an international flight. Some gates are further away than you might realise, our Airport team are here to help you. Please ask for assistance if you’re worried about making it to the aircraft to board on time.

Sun Do you need extra time and a hand to help you on board? It’s a good idea to arrive at the gate early. Let a team member know and they will help you board a little early.

Bunny Finally, check you haven’t left anything on the aircraft. Don’t leave passports or valuables in the back of the seat. If you do discover you’re missing an important personal item, you can register your details here for lost property.


Check out our new Check-In area at Sydney Airport

Our Sydney check-in area is making the short move from our current location at Zone A to Zone B1-9 from 5:30am, on Sunday 31 March.

Why the change?
We're always looking for ways to make things easier and more efficient for our customers on their travel journey.At our new location, you'll find that it's closer to the departure areas and Express Path for Business class customers and we have 10 dedicated Air New Zealand kiosks for speedy self-service.

We look forward to continuing our care and welcoming customers at this new location 💜


Important information about travel to and from Chicago for April-October

If you hold a booking that includes travel from Auckland to Chicago and is impacted by our latest schedule change, an automated message was sent to you in error with the subject line 'Your flight has been cancelled due to COVID-19'. We kindly ask you to disregard the information in this message.

The following message was also sent to you and is correct:

We've made the difficult decision to pause our direct services between Auckland and Chicago from 31 March to 25 October 2024.

Ongoing global challenges with the availability of Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines which are used on our Boeing 787 aircraft operating the Chicago services, mean we have fewer aircraft available to fly.

This impacts your booking.

We will rebook your flight

We will rebook you on another service via a different US port within the next 72 hours. We know it is important for you to get to your destination on time so we'll align this as close to your original schedule as possible. Please be assured we will contact you directly with the new booking details, there is nothing further for you to do.

If you booked with a travel agent or third party, please contact them directly to discuss new flight options.

If you no longer need to travel

We understand that this change may not suit your needs:

You can choose to cancel your flight and request a credit through Manage Booking. You will have 12 months from the day your credit is processed to book a flight, and another 12 months to travel. For information about credits, please see our website.
You can request a full refund of your flight. If you have booked a refundable fare, you can do so through Manage Booking. If this option is not available to you online, please complete a refund request form to cancel your booking and receive a full refund.

 More information

We are confident we can get you to your destination on the same day as you planned.
If we are not able to rebook you on the same day as your original flight our schedule change policy applies for incidental costs and accommodation.
Information about your rights around flight disruptions can be found on our website.

Thank you for your continued support

We appreciate your patience and understanding through this period. Our team is working hard to ensure you have flexible options to make your journey with us as seamless as possible.


Disrupt Reimbursement Consideration

If your journey has been disrupted for a controllable reason, e.g. engineering, or crew shortages, and your new itinerary requires you to stay overnight in a place you do not reside, our airport team will be working hard to secure accommodation for you.

Over peak travel periods, availability is extremely limited and you may be required to source your own accommodation.

As a guideline, we recommend $250.00 per room and $90.00 per person, per night for meals. This is a recommended amount only, and all expenses must be reasonable and supported by itemised tax invoice receipts. Please retain all itemised tax invoice receipts, as they are required for reimbursement consideration.

To submit your reimbursement request, please visit here to do so. Alternatively, you can visit here for details on how to submit your claim through our messaging channels. 


Air New Zealand's flexibility for affected Boeing 737 Max 9 customers

Following the recent directive from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to temporarily ground certain Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft operated by U.S. airlines or in U.S. territory, Air New Zealand wishes to communicate that we do not operate this type of aircraft within our fleet. Our International airline partners may do so, however, and any Air New Zealand customers booked directly through us with travel on affected Boeing 737 Max 9 will be provided the following flexibility:

Change Travel Date

Customers ticketed through Air New Zealand and booked on a flight operated by a 737 Max 9 aircraft can change their travel without a penalty or service fee. A fare difference will apply if the same booking class isn’t available.

Change Destination

Customers ticketed for travel may change their travel to another destination as per the permitted fare rules without penalty and service fee. In this instance, any applicable fare differential will apply.

Refund/Credit

If you no longer wish to travel as planned, you may cancel your flight and either:

  • receive a full refund of unused tickets regardless of fair conditions,
  • hold the ticket in credit for a 12-month validity.

Incidental Costs

Any customer who opts to commence their journey as planned does so at their own risk. Air New Zealand will not be liable for any costs, such as accommodation and/or meals, associated with disrupted travel should you opt to travel as planned.

If you require assistance, you’re welcome to reach out to us. We’re here to help. If you’re calling from outside New Zealand, view our international contact numbers.

We encourage customers who are booked with and ticketed on other airlines to contact them directly for details on their policies.