Velocity Gold, Platinum seat benefits on Air NZ offline until early 2013
By John Walton, November 28 2012
Virgin Australia's Velocity Gold and Platinum frequent flyers have been sidelined under Air New Zealand's new Seat Select system, with online seat selection -- including prized extra-legroom seats -- unavailable until early 2013.
It's an unexpected consequence of Seat Select, which in effect sells off extra legroom seats previously allocated to frequent flyers.
Acknowledging that this is an IT systems error rather than a change in policy, an Air New Zealand representative tells Australian Business Traveller that "this issue is not likely to be fixed until the end of January."
In the meantime, the airline's phone staffers can manually seat top-tier passengers in the extra legroom seats, but you'll have to ask particularly for the reps with special seating powers.
"If they go through our contact centre they should get redirected to our premium handling team, which will sort them out," Air NZ suggests.
The numbers you need are 1800 00 55 63 from Australia, 0800 737 000 from NZ, or +64 9 357 3000 if you're calling from anywhere else or using a VOIP service.
We'll bring you more updates on this, including any knock-on impact on other Velocity benefits, as they come to hand.
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Aviation journalist and travel columnist John took his first long-haul flight when he was eight weeks old and hasn't looked back since. Well, except when facing rearwards in business class.
17 May 2012
Total posts 80
I cant belive I just read this, it cant be true. Surely they are not that untogether?
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
19 Aug 2011
Total posts 165
It will be interesting to see if VA/DJ FFs with status actually get access to exit row seats more than 48 hours before the flight, which would give them more than NZ Gold Elite/Golds.
It looks like the pressure has been to introduce this before the peak Xmas holiday season, the time when leisure business it at its greatest (business travellers less likely to have time or inclination to do it), which has meant a few shortcuts have been taken.
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