Air New Zealand confirms new Airpoints status tier
The NZ flag-carrier will roll out a new higher-than-Elite status tier for its Airpoints loyalty program.
By David Flynn, November 25 2024
Air New Zealand will launch a new top tier in its Airpoints rewards program next year to entrench high flyers who are also high spenders with the Kiwi carrier.
The airline also teased “exciting redemption opportunities” are on the way for its 4.6 million Airports members.
The highest Airpoints tier is currently Elite, which sits above Silver and Gold. Speculation of an Elite Plus tier has been rife for years, going back to at least November 2020 when the airline surveyed selected Airpoints Elite-grade members on a range of boosters such as
- an Elite Plus tier to sit above the current top rung of Elite
- the possibility of lifetime status for Silver, Gold and Elite
- and other high flyer benefits such as discounted upgrade offers and immediate confirmation of upgrade requests
The announcement of a new tier, made at the Air New Zealand Investor Day 2024, followed a renewed assault on Kiwi travellers by Qantas through the launch of a Qantas Gold Status Fast Track and earning Qantas Points through New Zealand’s Woolworths Everyday Rewards program.
CEO Greg Foran has in the past also talked up an AirNZ-branded credit card which would be “even richer for people who earn points” compared to the two current Kiwibank Airpoints cards.
Air New Zealand would join the growing list of other airlines which have moved to issuing their own credit cards, backed by a chosen financial partner, to gain a larger share of the rich revenue stream, more insight and control when it comes to driving customer behaviour, and turbocharging the loyalty program as an additional growth engine for the business.
Diving into the Air New Zealand Airpoints member survey
Several readers of Executive Traveller were part of Air New Zealand’s Airpoints survey group and shared both the survey and their thoughts with Executive Traveller.
While concepts polled by airlines in surveys and focus groups don’t always see light of day, they strongly reflect the airline's thinking simply by the fact that they have advanced to the ‘customer outreach’ stage and in many cases later come to fruition.
One Executive Traveller reader who received the Airpoints survey reported the big ticket item was the creation of an Elite Plus tier along the same lines as Qantas' Platinum One.
(This would however still rank below the invitation-only Elite Priority One tier, which is an approximate equivalent to the Qantas Chairman’s Lounge.)
The survey indicated a target range between 2800 and 3200 Status Points per year would be required to pocket an Airpoints Elite Plus membership, compared to 1500 Status Points to reach today's Airpoints Elite tier and 900 for Airpoints Gold.
The highest of Air New Zealand's high flyers could be vaulted to an Elite Plus tier.
But that hard-earned Elite Plus status would bring a range of practical benefits, with survey respondents asked to rate the appeal of “some benefits that Air New Zealand is considering offering as part of the Elite Plus tier.”
Some of the suggested benefits included:
- free same-day flight changes for domestic, trans-Tasman and Pacific flights, regardless of the purchased fare
- immediate confirmation of all upgrade requests based on seat availability
- free exit rows and preferred seating
- 50% Airpoints bonus on flights
- free parking at the member’s ‘home airport’
- complimentary Elite status for the nominated partner of an Elite Plus member
- nominating a “friend or family member to accompany you whenever you fly with Air NZ, free of charge"
A proposed Elite Plus perk: buy one ticket, and bring a friend for free.
The survey also proposed lifetime status for lower Airpoints tiers, plus a series of fresh perks for Elite members such as
- immediate confirmation of upgrade requests for trans-Tasman and Pacific flights, based on seat availability
- 30% Airpoints bonus on flights
- discounted upgrade offers send out closer to the day of travel
- exclusive seating for Gold and Elite members
- separate lounges for Elite members
One Executive Traveller reader, who lives in Auckland and regularly flies to Australia, said that if Air New Zealand carried through on all the proposed changes “it would be a very positive step.”
“I’d send more of my spend to Air New Zealand rather than splitting between Air New Zealand and Qantas to get top status on both (and aim for Qantas Lifetime Gold).”
07 Mar 2022
Total posts 67
I notice Virgin Australia has gone cold on their P1 and Life Time Offering.
QF
11 Jul 2014
Total posts 1024
Wonder if Air NZ and Virgin will ink a deal, people said Qatar was never going to happen. Once Virgin IPO everyone will want a slice of the pie.
11 May 2018
Total posts 17
Air NZ have finally worked out that upgrades at the gate are not going to do it for Elite flyers. They have to be confirmed at booking, like all the other programmes that provide more certainty. They need to also bring in lifetime status like QF.
Good they are addressing the koru lounge crowding with possible separate lounge for elite flyers, it is no longer special going into koru lounges with every man and his dog who got credit card passes in there, also allowing multiple children of elite members in, is adding to the crowding.
Some of these possible moves look like a downgrade for elite status flyers who have banked years but do not fly.
I guess Air NZ realise how much capital they could raise via their airpoints programme if they had their own branded credit card. They would also have to provide more award space availability in the premium cabins or these changes are not going to work.
The free companion flights sound interesting, like Southwest. Wonder how they would work.
07 Jun 2023
Total posts 1
A year later, is there any news on this? I've recently moved to NZ and will likely be using Star Alliance but the Airpoints programme is fairly dull. If it weren't for the proposed takeover of Asiana and a transition to SkyTeam I'd be joining their programme as elite qualification is lower, has a two year collection period and lifetime status.
11 May 2018
Total posts 17
There are some quite good benefits with air nz airpoints. Can you pm me on here and I'll explain them.. Or else personal message me on FT via Ellice. tks
08 May 2020
Total posts 90
Used to travel 5-6 times a year to NZ and have now only got there twice since Virgin stopped flying there. Queenstown is not my destination point in NZ. I lost the need for NZ travel since.
Hi Guest, join in the discussion on Air New Zealand confirms new Airpoints status tier