AIR NZ MOVES TO CUT AIRPORT QUEUES
5 April 2008
BY GRANT BRADLEY AVIATION REPORTER
Most changes aimed at catering to high-fare-paying business market
In the midst of a boom in domestic travel, Air New Zealand has plans under way that will transform the way passengers get through airports.
Some of the changes are already in place, others are in their planning stages.
However, the launch of the new measures is due around August.
The new systems are aimed at getting all passengers through airports 40 per cent faster. But most of the measures are aimed at catering to the high-fare paying business market, who are now wondering what they're getting besides a bigger seat at the front of the plane over those paying just a fifth of the top price.
Here are some of the changes in the works:
PARKING In Auckland, the airline is now directly involved in cut-rate parking in a direct challenge to the airport company which earns $28 million a year from car parks.
In the past three months at Auckland, Air New Zealand has introduced 400 branded offsite car parks, at $10 to $12 a day - up to a third of the cost of the airport company's premium car parks near terminals.
Shuttle buses take passengers to the terminals.
The airline's shorthaul manager, Bruce Parton, said the cut-price air fares had highlighted the cost of parking and passengers were getting grumpy.
``We had a passenger who paid $1 to fly and $24 to park.''
The airline and other offsite parking operators are aiming at a different market than the airport company, which is publicly sanguine about the challenge.
Auckland Airport chief executive Don Huse said the company's parking volumes had soared in the past six months, helped by the entry of Pacific Blue and the overall boom in domestic travel. Air New Zealand is also considering a luggage handling service for passengers who use its car parks, and a complimentary valet parking service at the terminal for passengers who pay the highest fares.
Those paying top fares will also get free lounge access.
Parton said this was aimed at business people who travelled occasionally and for whom Koru Club membership was not economic.
BOOKING About 16 per cent of passengers book their flights up to two years ahead and select their seats via the airline's website.
Parton expects the use of this service to grow.
AT THE TERMINAL Those who have booked and selected their seat before they get to the airport can go straight to the gate if they have only hand luggage. Conceivably, they need only allow 15 minutes.
Those on large centre jet flights with luggage will have to attach tags and load it on to conveyor belts.
The airline is investigating issuing regular customers - who take 14 flights or more a year - with radio frequency identification (RFID) tags that stay attached to their bags.
When passengers with RFID tags book their flights, the airline's baggage system is alerted and, when the luggage is checked in, system scanners in the processing know where the bag should go.
Leisure travellers can print out paper tags from airport kiosks - one free bag up to 30kg and then $10 to $20 for a second one - and load their bags on to conveyor belts now behind counters.
Parton says that on average check- in takes two minutes but, by using the expanded number of kiosks (there will be 40 per cent more), this could be reduced to seconds.
Those on regional flights will be offered a fast bag service where they avoid check-in and take their bags to a trolley beside the plane, where it is weighed and loaded last and unloaded first at their destination.
PRE-FLIGHT Air New Zealand was working with Vodafone to establish whether it was worth setting up an alert system for passengers who want to be called or texted with flight information, Parton said, but the airline was wary of overcomplicating the process.
``We're trying to make sure that we're not spending too much money on something that looks sexy but nobody wants.''
AT THE GATE Parton said the airline wanted to reconfigure the unfriendly seating in boarding lounges to create a warmer ``cafe feel''.
New two dimensional boarding pass scanners will be used to speed up loading of planes.
(c) 2008 The New Zealand Herald
New Zealand Herald
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