Air New Zealand Refund Policy and Customer Rights

Air New Zealand has announced a new refund policy that covers flights to or from Britain, Europe, or Canada, which transit via the US. This rule applies to situations where a flight is either cancelled or significantly changed, and customers choose not to travel.

Customers are entitled to a full refund of any unused fares, taxes, and ancillary product fees in the following scenarios:

– Departure or arrival is delayed or changed more than six hours from the original departure time
– Additional connection points are added to a journey
– Customers are downgraded to a lower cabin
– Departure is from a different airport than the original booked itinerary
– Customers with a disability are required to connect via different airports
– Customers with a disability are re-accommodated on a different aircraft with unavailable accessibility features

This refund rule applies to both controllable and uncontrollable situations, and the airline must inform customers of their rights to a refund regardless of the reason for the disruption.

Agents are required to inform customers of their eligibility for a refund if they choose not to travel, and this information will be included in all scheduled change and disrupt communications. Refunds must be provided for any unused fare, taxes, or fees for ancillary products related to the flight.

Customers are also entitled to a refund if their baggage is significantly delayed, and if add-on services such as paid ancillary products or seat selection are not provided.

Overall, these new refund policies aim to provide better consumer rights and protection for passengers, according to AirHelp, a Berlin-based company that assists passengers with airline claims.

Grant Bradley, the Business Herald’s deputy editor covering aviation and tourism, has been reporting on these changes since 1993.