Air NZ flight’s 48-hour delay riles

• Author: Rachel Maher
• Published date: 25 January 2023
• Publication title: New Zealand Herald, The (Auckland, New Zealand)

Retirement Commissioner Jane Wrightson was on the flight after a month away from home

Take-off for the flight was scheduled for Thursday night (New York time), and the passengers were on board the plane and taxiing before the first announcement came.

“We sat on the runway for about two hours at that point before taxiing to an unused runway before they shut the plane down,” Wrightson said.

She said the flight — Air New Zealand’s longest, taking 16 hours — was shut down to conserve fuel.

They were then told to disembark and that the flight would be delayed 24 hours. The pilot said over the intercom the airline would help passengers sort accommodation.

Passengers were not told officially what had caused the delay.

“It all went to pieces on the ground,” Wrightson said.

“There was another two hours to get our bags as they clearly didn’t have enough baggage handlers.”

New York passengers were told to go home, and all others were told to find their own accommodation, which would be reimbursed up to US$250 ($386).

“Those who had to wait nearly three hours to get the last of their bags were [ushered] upstairs and taken to the Crowne Plaza,” Wrightson said.

The first batch of passengers, which included Wrightson, were not told about this accommodation.

She said there was no one on the ground marshalling or informing passengers.

After paying more than $300 for her last-minute hotel, she arrived back...