“But after clearing customs and immigration, there was no one there.”
The only staff member visible was at a valet desk, who advised passengers to wait until the Air NZ ticket desk opened several hours later.
In the meantime, passengers received automated emails rebooking their flights.
Newrick said she initially believed she had been rescheduled for Monday morning, but later realised her new flight was not until Wednesday – two days later.
“They said we had to sort out our own accommodation and that they couldn’t help with anything.”
When the international desk opened, passengers were told they would need to go to the domestic terminal when it opened at 4.30am.
By then, she said, they were told all flights to Wellington were fully booked as the airline tried to accommodate dozens of disrupted services.
“You’d think, if you get a planeload of people who were meant to go to Wellington, you’d put a plane on especially for them.
“Instead, they were just trying to squeeze everyone onto regular flights.”
With no confirmed way home and accommodation scarce across Auckland, Newrick decided to book her own ticket with a different airline to Whanganui.
She said the price rose sharply as demand increased.
“I’d already paid about $1000 for my return flight to Melbourne, and then I had to pay again just to get home.”
She spent about 15 hours at Auckland Airport before finally leaving on an afternoon flight.
Others were worse off, she said.
“There were families with children, and people trying to get to funerals.
“Some people had only come away for a short holiday and suddenly lost two days just waiting in Auckland.”
Communication was also a problem, she said, with Air NZ sending a general acknowledgment email almost 48 hours after the diversion.
“By that point, most people had already sorted themselves out.
“It was too late to be helpful.”
She accepted that the initial diversion was unavoidable, but believed the airline’s response afterwards fell short.
“When it’s a large weather event, and dozens of flights are cancelled, there should be a proper plan to get people back to where they were meant to go.”
She also said earlier communication, even before boarding in Melbourne, could have helped families and people waiting in Wellington to plan accordingly.
“Even if you’re just going across the ditch, you don’t think something like this will happen.
“But it does, and when it does, you really feel it.”
Alisha Armstrong, Air NZ general manager for customers, said the airline had since contacted Newrick to apologise and provide guidance on reimbursement.
The decision to divert flight NZ256 to Auckland was made because of severe weather in Wellington, which resulted in the cancellation of about 50 flights to and from the capital.
She said the airline’s standard practice after a diversion was to arrange or cover accommodation, meals and reasonable incidental expenses.
“Accommodation was actively sought. However, Auckland was experiencing an acute shortage of hotel availability due to large events and peak holiday travel.
“Our cabin crew advised customers to secure their own accommodation if possible and that the airline would reimburse them for this.”
Alisha Armstrong. Photo / Michael Craig
She acknowledged there were few airline staff at Auckland Airport to help the diverted passengers.
“With less people rostered to work our overnight operation at Auckland Airport, we acknowledge that support may not have been as visible or as comprehensive as it should have been.
“While two of our leaders met the flight and handed out meal vouchers as customers disembarked, there were also a number of customers requiring special assistance for them to support.”
She said limited seat availability to Wellington meant customers were rebooked on the next available services, and an additional turboprop flight was operated the next day to help.
“While our teams did the best they could in challenging circumstances, we understand how frustrating this would have been.
“We are reviewing our processes to ensure clearer communication and more visible on-the-ground support for customers in future disruption events.”
According to Consumer NZ, when a flight is cancelled or delayed because of weather or other circumstances outside the airline’s control, such as a pandemic, travellers’ rights are limited.
In these situations, airlines will generally offer a credit or rebook passengers on the next available flight, while any additional costs, including accommodation, transport and meals, are usually the traveller’s responsibility.
However, if a flight is cancelled because of an event within the airline’s control, such as staffing or mechanical issues, travellers can request a refund.
They may also be entitled to claim additional expenses incurred as a result of the disruption, up to the lesser of 10 times the cost of the ticket or the actual costs of the delay.
This can include expenses such as meals, taxis and accommodation.
Consumer NZ advises travellers to keep receipts to support any reimbursement claims.
Airlines must not mislead passengers about the reason for a delay or cancellation, as doing so could breach the Fair Trading Act.
If the cause is unclear, travellers are encouraged to ask the airline for clarification or evidence, noting that, even if conditions appear fine, flight schedules may still be affected by earlier weather disruptions.