To be honest, the service was fine. The safety video is fun, as it’s performed by Lord of the Rings’ characters. We only flew with them between Sydney and Wellington and from Queenstown back to Sydney again. On the flight to Wellington we were just beginning our descent when the pilot announced that we were diverting to Auckland (an hour’s flight further north). The reason being they couldn’t repair whatever was wrong in Wellington. And then the complete mismanagement began. We had to collect our bags and struggle onto a coach to the Domestic Terminal. Nobody met us to explain what was happening and the staff in the DT had no knowledge either.
People were being placed on random flights to Wellington regardless of any ongoing travel arrangements. I have health issues that needed attention and my husband has mobility problems. We also had a 4 hour drive ahead of us once we landed in Wellington (scheduled for 1430). They eventually put us on a very crowded plane which landed at 1830 (after a fuss) although many other original passengers were still waiting. This all meant that we didn’t get to our accommodation until 0130 the following morning. And to cap it all, ANZ refused any compensation, saying we should claim on our travel insurance. That battle is still raging.
