Airnewzealand Reviews 

Absolutely consistently terrible. Have flown multiple times over the past year and I can count on one hand when they’ve arrived on time. And for every delay they don’t communicate it to anyone well. They need to stop focusing on boring forever long safety ads and start looking at how they can take off on time

How can you tell people directly they'll get a refund, then turn around and say "thats not our policy" disgusting

I used to have good impression on AirNZ but not anymore.I was checking in with the Air NewZealand at Dunedin Airport last Saturday May 17 around 2 pm to board on NZ 660 to Auckland. I had two big bags that I was trying to check in. As I was trying to check in one of my big bags, an Air New Zealand staff member came over and just grabbed my carryon suitcase and weighed it. Then, she said it was overweight and I couldn't board. Ok, I told her that I will take care of my carryon once I finish checking in my bag. Then, she just followed me around in the airport and asked me how I am going to get rid of the extra kgs. She chased me around in the airport, weighed my suitcase and constantly asked me to take off extras. She pursued me no matter where I went in the building and forced me to weigh my carryon. It was an extremely stressful check in. I was surprised because I was a customer with some extra kgs in my carryon, not a criminal. But she was super aggressive like she was pursuing a criminal rather than asking a customer with extra kgs to get rid of her kgs. She said her name is Marie Degaunham: not sure it's her correct last name as she didn't allow me to take a photo of her name tag and hid away from my camera. Attached is a picture of her(from the back) and her colleagues. I couldn't take her picture and so the attached headshot is the closest I can get for her look. I know that she is just doing her job but doing her job with that much aggressions towards a customer with a few kg extra weight in her suitcase won't earn AirNZ a good reputation at all.

We travelled home to New Zealand from the UK for the first time in six years last month and can't believe how dreadful Air New Zealand has become in such a short time.

I emailed my complaint to Air New Zealand but Gil - the customer services rep - was totally unconcerned about anything we had encountered including:
- my 13-year-old daughter and I being seated apart on a 14-hour long-haul flight from UK to Singapore
- the return flight turning into a 72-hour slog home that resulted in my husband missing a day of work
- my husband's name being missed from a rebooked flight we had missed because of our AirNZ flight that was delayed by SEVEN hours.

Furthermore Gil gaslit me by claiming incorrectly:
- that AirNZ advises its customers they should checkin directly with its partner airlines Singapore Airlines and United Airlines. This is incorrect. There is no such messaging on the app, none received by email, and nothing advised by booking travel agents like the Flight Centre.

Gil didn't care at all at our inconvenience and stress when my husband's name was missed from being rebooked on a new flight with United Airlines after we missed our connection due to Air New Zealand's flight being delayed by 7 hours.

I have given up pursuing this but from now on will not book flights through AirNZ and will instead book with the partner airlines themselves.

What a bunch of jokers and how embarrassing to have my home country's national airline be so useless.

Horrible. Flown to nz twice in the last 5 months resulting in 3 cancellations. Leaving us sitting outside domestic in Auckland on Christmas day as they cancelled our direct flight leaving us to layover and not sleeping for 36 hours, and the same coming back to nz this time. Now cancelled again on the way back home. Meant to arrive at 9am in Brisbane now they have scheduled us on a layover in Sydney not arriving in Brisbane until 11pm. What a joke. Not as if we have to work and have to now find a way home as we had people available to pick us up and get us into our house in the morning now what? Sit in Sydney then cop the cost of the uber home late at night. Absolutely a joke.

I have been traveling, return, to NZ from USA since 1998. From then till 2018 i have said they were the best airline in the World. I travelled economy. Since my travel in 2019 and this year 2025, i have changed my mind. Something negative has changed in the way they treat their customers. In the past was a warm welcome and a couple of complimentary cocktails, then the meal with wine and a refill if wanted. Now, sullen staff, our category are treated like low class travelers, no smiles, no cocktails and 1 glass of wine with our meal. The meal was absolutely horrible sloop as was breakfast. Why have ANZ changed so much. You were the best, the food was top notch and your hospitality was first rate. My next flights will be with another airline, i thought with competition ANZ would strive to be the best. My thoughts were confirmed by a fellow passenger who travels to Houston and back regularly and will also be using other airlines.

I recently had one of the worst travel experiences of my life with Air New Zealand. From start to finish, it was a complete disappointment. The staff looked exhausted and acted like they wanted nothing more than to be anywhere else but working. There was zero hospitality — no smiles, no warmth, not even basic politeness. It felt like every interaction was a burden for them.

Worse yet, they were downright rude. Simple questions were met with eye-rolls, cold stares, and short, dismissive answers. There was absolutely no empathy for passengers who needed assistance or clarification. I was shocked at how little they seemed to care about customer experience.

Air New Zealand markets itself as a welcoming, world-class airline, but based on my trip, that couldn’t be further from the truth. I would not recommend them to anyone and will be going out of my way to avoid flying with them again.

Ten years ago, Air NZ was the go-to for getting anywhere on time. Now? Not even close. Of around 10 return trips this year, only 2 were on time — and even those came with dreadful experiences. They're handing market share to competitors on a silver platter. When I have a choice (which isn’t often in NZ), I fly Qantas or Jetstar every time.

I fly Air New Zealand twice a year, every year. It is never a stellar experience since most of the flight attendants seem sick of people and their jobs. Flight booked 6 months ahead was canceled due to weather. Next flight with an available Sky Couch is SIX days from now. I can't make the 13+ hour flight in a regular seat due to spinal surgery. They were nonplussed. Wouldn't upgrade. Didn't seem to give a hoot. If they weren't the only game in town, they couldn't afford to be so cavalier. Competition is a good thing.

Numerous flights did not have points added to Airpoints with Customer Services nothing short of lazy, incompetent & unhelpful. Manager's are unwilling to take accountability with no offer of even a few extra points for compensation to make up for the stupid amount of time wasted to get them to fix their mistakes. Eventually got the points from six flights I was entitled to in the first instance after six weeks of numerous emails, numerous live chats, online reports & a total of five hours worth of time to get it resolved with just an empty apology at the end of it. Taking full advantage of being a monopoly where customers can't go elsewhere so bad Customer Service isn't a concern of theirs.

I’m very disappointed with Air New Zealand’s handling of my situation. Due to an unexpected medical issue, I was unable to travel, yet they refused to offer a refund or any flexibility with my ticket. I understand fare rules, but in genuine medical circumstances, I expected some level of compassion or customer service. Other airlines offer options in such cases, yet Air NZ was unwilling to assist. This experience has made me reconsider flying with them in the future. I have flown with them 4 times in the past. I’ve now been forced to lodge official complaints with consumer protection authorities.
I would strongly caution anyone considering using air nz. If anything goes wrong, you’ll find yourself stuck with poor communication, no accountability, and no resolution.

Worst Airline. Appalling Customer service. Cancels flights all the time, no compensation no apologies. Just terrible. Unfortunately no other option. I feel for tourists to NZ. What an impression. AIRNZ you should be ashamed

I wouldn’t choose this airline if there is an alternative option.

Compared to other passengers my complaints are relatively minor. They relate to business class and reflect the general slap dash attitude of New Zealand to customer satisfaction.

There were repeated mistakes in the meal service, which was generally disorganised. The meals were not of the standard you’d expect in business. The stewards were pleasant but disorganised and a bit scruffy. One of them hit my legs with the trolley… an accident, but no apology.

A passenger was sick in the toilet apparently, so they locked one of the 3 toilets, rather than cleaning it.

For some reason or other staff were wandering round the aisle with a small child, on one occasion the child was giving out chocolate. A bit odd and not something that usually happens in business class. Especially problematic with the herringbone seat alignment.

The herringbone layout of Air New Zealand business class has been widely criticised with good reason. The seat space is restricted, limited storage. It leads to a very overcrowded aisle area. The stewards, most of whom were wider than the aisle, and other passengers, are inclined to bump into the legs of seated passengers when they move around the plane. Sleep is disturbed or impossible.

The 11 inch tv screen is small, inconvenient and difficult to use on take off and landing; as well as, at meal times.

Connecting flight canceled no other option for 24 hours. Terrible service considering it's a regional flight

The flight was on time and the plane comfortable enough. The food was poor quality and portions small. The in flight entertainment was limited. There was a transvestite working as a flight attendant which was inappropriate for the setting. I’m reluctant to fly with Air NZ again.

Cancelled our booked flight 8 days before departure. Resulted in a 3 am wakeup to enable us get to the airport in time for our amended flight. Had to pay for a hotel nearer the airport, additional Uber costs and extra costs to change bus bookings from Auckland to Hamilton. We would have easily stayed at home and caught public transport with none of these costs if our original flight was not cancelled. Shameful that Air NZ which is NOT a budget airline cannot provide a hot breakfast for its customers on a 0755 flight having got to the airport 3 hours before. They gave us a snack which was a Nutbar and charged for breakfast. As Australians we avoid Qantas for poor service and never expected this of Air New Zealand. Time to look elsewhere. Very disappointing.

By chance I checked our upcoming flights on Air NZ app, only to discover our flight Auckland to Hong Kong had been changed by 24 hours, missing our connection to Istanbul. This occurred without us being notified.
Along with flight delays and cancellations within NZ, Air New Zealand is now our airline of last resort. I realize they are having engineering problems with some of their engines but don't sell tickets if you don't have enough working planes. This once excellent airline is now a flying lottery. Will you get the flight you booked? Chances are not.

I initially booked a flight for 7:15 AM, but unfortunately, it was canceled. I contacted the airline via live chat and was incredibly impressed by the service I received. The representative efficiently assisted me in rearranging my flight as per my request and provided clear details on how I could access accommodation and other services due to the airline’s cancellation.

At Sydney Airport before departure, the Air New Zealand customer care team provided us with a voucher for drinks and dinner. We arrived in New Zealand at 12:45 AM, where the airport staff kindly gave us a voucher for a stay at the Novotel, including breakfast.

Thank you so much for your excellent service. This was our first time flying with Air New Zealand, and we are truly grateful for the care and support provided. It was a pleasure to have such a special and memorable experience with the airline.

Had a very important flight booked on the 9/1/24 , checked in via app 24hrs prior and roughly 23 hrs prior to the flight it was delayed for 7hrs and the reason was that they did not have a plane available. They were however still allowing bookings for the original time slot. I believe that this is now a common occurrence with Air NZ. I’m not sure this is a legal business practice. I would however advise boycotting this airline if at all possible until they rectify this practice.

We purchased full fare business class tickets 7 months ago and I researched and chose our seats. Without any heads up from the airline, I was on the app and noticed that all our seats were changed around. There was no equipment change and they could not give a reason why this happened. Today, 2 weeks prior to departure, I receive a notice that our flight reservation to Auckland was changed to 3 days later. This does not work as we are heading there to start a cruise. I looked on their site and the flight was not canceled, but for some reason we were bumped from the flight. Do they over book business class? When I purchased the tickets, the seats were completely open so I am not sure what they are doing? I will never fly this airline as they are completely unreliable. I place this airline along with Icelandair on my DO NOT EVER FLY LIST. Since the change was so impactful, American Express allowed me to cancel the reservation. I ended up paying a premium for last minute air reservations on another airline, but it will be worth it to NOT fly Air New Zealand.