Air New Zealand arrogant denied boarding ^Featured

As an Air New Zealand frequent flier, a recent denied boarding passenger (Alex Catchpole-Ozpinar) from Auckland to Tonga this past Monday was wrong, and illegal. I blame bad management decision, and Air New Zealand must pay the passenger double the compensation rate, plus two free return tickets, and a big apology.

If the report is a true indication of Air New Zealand’s company boarding policies, it does not fit in well with their claim to the No. 1 Customer Service International Carrier designation. It makes me feel uncomfortable because it could happen to me. Passengers are the airline’s main responsibilities; because Ms. Catchpole-Ozpinar had paid for her ticket in advance; the airline had received and used her money before her boarding date.

There is no excuse under the sun for Air New Zealand to shirk their responsibilities to this faithful passenger who completed her part in a business contract. They have ruined her vacation with a dishonest answer: That the Air Bus 320 aircraft had reached its takeoff weight limit. This is such a crock. Why didn’t they deny board some of the passengers’ luggage, and cargo?

MONOPOLY MENTALITY

And don’t give me the lame excuse that luggage and cargo must go because they have been paid for. So was Ms. Alex Catchpole-Ozpinar’s prepaid ticket. This writer had worked as Airport Manager for U.S. airlines for over 15 years. International Air carriers must board live, and pre-paid passengers first, and remove luggage and cargo if the aircraft’s weight limit is in question.

Air New Zealand seems to have a superior-complex attitude towards their passengers, because they have a monopoly mentality in the South Pacific. The only carrier flying non-stop between Auckland and Pacific Islands to make connections overseas destinations, this incident reveals a lot more about Air New Zealand’s customer service culture.

Their attitude towards their Pacific Island neighbors seems such an arrogant, condescending, and conceited trait. If the claim against Air New Zealand regarding weighing Tongan passengers before flights is true, then they have a much bigger problem then just denied boarding to one passenger. And this may not be an isolated situation; profiling overweight Tongans is discrimination against one group of ethnic people.

NEW BOEING 777 SERVICE STILL CRAMPED SEATS

A third problem is the media’s ignorance of International Air Carriers responsibilities. For the Kaniva News, a tabloid Web crawler,  to quote lame excuses from the airlines without counter critical inquiries shows how ignorant they are when it comes to people’s rights in business dealings.

Air New Zealand says that their Air Bus A320 with 168 seats is limited to 77 tonnes of takeoff weight. Why didn’t the Kaniva News ask why didn’t they bump luggage and cargo? Furthermore, Air New Zealand was quoted they “could refuse to carry any time for safety reasons.” This is such a moronic answer. It may have been written into the story by the Kaniva News reporter who is ignorant of International Carriers’ responsibilities.

Air New Zealand has first obligation to carry Ms. Catchpole-Ozpinar, or anyone else who had paid a fare, and had received a receipt for it.  The passenger is not responsible for weight and balance calculations; Air New Zealand knew in advance; and they should have bumped luggage and cargo before bumping passengers.

I recently flew their new Boeing 777 service for a connection to Los Angeles via Auckland.  A bigger aircraft did not translate to a more comfortable ride for over 10 hours. Cramped into tiny seats feeling like a can of tuna fish with other passengers on each side, was not my dream flight on a Boeing 777.  

(Sione A. Mokofisi is a Tongan syndicated columnist. He is Director of English, Journalism & Business Management at Tonga International Academy, Haveluloto, Tongatapu. He holds a MBA from the University of Phoenix-Arizona, and a B.S. degree from Brigham Young University-Hawaii. But his opinions do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of this Website. E-mail address: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).