Air New Zealand Assists Passengers Affected By Cyclone Evan

Media release
17 December 2012

Air New Zealand Assists Passengers Affected By Cyclone Evan

Air New Zealand has put a number of measures in place to assist both Samoan locals and tourists affected by Cyclone Evan over the weekend.
The airline put additional capacity into Samoa on Friday night (14 December), operating an extra Auckland to Apia return flight utilising a Boeing 767 aircraft to accommodate extra passengers and cargo. It also took the step of putting some special $199 Grabaseat fares into the market on Friday afternoon for that evening’s flight.

Baggage allowance rules have been relaxed to allow all adult and child passengers booked to travel from Auckland to Apia between today and Sunday 30 December to take one extra piece of checked luggage, up to 23 kgs, free of charge.

As cargo space from Auckland to Apia is heavily committed with essential food and welfare items between now and Christmas, there are two different processes for passengers wanting to take advantage of this offer, depending on the date of travel, as follows:

Passengers travelling between 17 and 24 December - these passengers will not be able to take their free additional piece with them on the day they travel. They will need to arrange for a friend or relative to take the item and a copy of their E-Ticket to Auckland International Cargo between 25 and 30 December inclusive where it will be accepted to travel free of charge as unaccompanied baggage. Passengers will need to uplift their unaccompanied baggage from Apia Cargo when it arrives.

Passengers travelling between 25 and 30 December inclusive - these passengers must take their additional piece with them to the Auckland check-in counter where it will be accepted free of charge as excess baggage. Please note that this excess baggage can still be subject to aircraft space and weight capacity and may not necessarily travel on the same flight as the passenger. In the event this occurs, passengers will need to uplift their baggage from Apia Airport when it arrives.

Meanwhile, as the cyclone tracks across Fiji, this morning’s Auckland to Nadi return service has been delayed until tomorrow and will also be scaled up to a 767 service to accommodate additional passengers and cargo. Air New Zealand will continue to assess the impact of today’s weather on Fiji and whether any further measures are required.

Air New Zealand is offering increased ticket flexibility for passengers wanting to delay or bring forward their travel between Auckland and Apia or Nadi in either direction, if changes are made on or prior to 24 December. Passengers wanting to change flights should contact their travel agent or Air New Zealand on 0800 737 000.

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For more information on the Air New Zealand Group, visit us online
at http://www.airnewzealand.com

ENDS

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