The New Zealand Government has announced another pause to quarantine-free travel from Victoria to New Zealand from 1.59am (NZT), 16 July 2021. The pause will run for at least 4 days and will be reviewed on Monday, 19 July 2021.
As VIC enters another circuit breaker lockdown, Air New Zealand has said that it will continue to adjust its trans-Tasman schedule as a result of the pause to quarantine-free travel from Victoria announced by the New Zealand Government effective from 1:59am Friday 16 July.
While Air New Zealand passenger flights from Melbourne to New Zealand will be cancelled for the next four days, a reduced number of passenger flights will continue to operate to Melbourne, ensuring customers currently visiting New Zealand from Victoria can return home.
Cargo services will continue to operate between New Zealand and Victoria.
Air New Zealand’s Chief Customer and Sales Officer Leanne Geraghty says impacted customers who have booked directly with Air New Zealand are able to change their booking online with no change fee or place their ticket into credit.
“We appreciate this is a really uncertain time for people, so we’ve enabled online flexibility for customers travelling to New Zealand from Victoria.
“The Travel Alerts page on our website is being regularly updated as new information becomes available. We strongly advise customers to check this page before they book to make sure they meet the entry requirements for their destination.
“Our contact centre is currently fielding a large number of calls and customers are encouraged to hold off calling and instead use our online rebooking tool. Customers can go online to change their flight to a new date or hold the fare in credit to use at a later date.
“We appreciate everyone’s understanding and patience as our teams work to help impacted customers.”
For customers who have travel booked to depart between 16-19 July 2021:
- Air New Zealand will make contact with customers who have contact details in their PNR to let them know how their flights are affected.
- Customers travelling from New Zealand to Melbourne will be rebooked onto the next available service where possible.
- Customers travelling from Melbourne to New Zealand will be asked to contact their agent to rebook.
- PNRs will not be updated with a TK/UN status.
Air New Zealand has extended the flexibility options for customers with tickets issued up to and including 15 July 2021, for travel booked to/from or via any Australian port, up to and including 15 August 2021:
- Changes are permitted with the change fee waived.
- For rebooking travel up to and including 31 August 2021 on Air New Zealand operated flights, one change is permitted with no additional collection. Book the same or next best available booking class in the same cabin and/or product type. If the change requires a requote or a reissue, any additional taxes must be collected. If travel is only available in a higher cabin, the fare differential will apply.
- If changing the origin or destination, any additional fare/tax difference must be collected.
- For travel on other airlines, please book the same booking class. If this is not available, please contact Agency Sales for options.
- Tickets can be held in credit as per the Customer Flexibility Guide.
- Please reissue tickets with the endorsement ‘invol reissue due QFT pause’.
If customers have booked through a travel agent or third party online agent, they will need to contact them directly to rebook or place their ticket into credit.