Air New Zealand will reopen Australian lounges
The definitive guide to Air New Zealand lounges.
What we'll be covering
As New Zealand prepares to open its borders once more to Aussie tourists, Air New Zealand is gearing up to put on more flights and reopen its lounges. If you’re flying Business Premier or hold Airpoints Gold status, then rejoice! Air New Zealand’s international lounges will all be back in business by April 2022.
Here’s everything you need to know about the staged re-opening process for Air New Zealand lounges.
International lounges
Air New Zealand owns and operates nine international lounges across Asia-Pacific. And happily, most of them will be welcoming passengers again before long. Some, including Christchurch and Rarotonga, are already fully open.
New Zealand international lounges | Other international lounges |
Auckland international lounge (fully re-opening 11 April) Wellington international lounge (re-opening 1 April) Christchurch international lounge (already open) | Sydney international lounge (re-opening 30 March) Melbourne international lounge (re-opening 6 April) Brisbane international lounge (re-opening 6 April) Perth international lounge (re-opening 5 April) Nadi (Fiji) international lounge (re-opening 8 April) Rarotonga international lounge (already open) |
International lounges are the star of Air New Zealand’s network, with Auckland being the airline’s flagship lounge. Expect a high-quality range of dining and beverage options, nestled within stylish spaces.
Keen to see what’s inside? We’ve previously covered these Air New Zealand lounges:
- Melbourne international lounge review →
- Sydney international lounge review →
- Auckland international lounge review →
- Wellington international lounge review →
Domestic and regional lounges
The great news is that Air New Zealand’s domestic and regional lounges throughout the country are already open. You’ll need to meet COVID-safe protocols including signing in and wearing masks.
These spaces include:
Interested in reviews? We’ve previously covered these Air New Zealand lounges:
- Auckland Domestic lounge review →
- Wellington Regional lounge review →
- Queenstown Regional lounge review →
Summing up
Air New Zealand has a comprehensive lounge network that covers many of its regional, domestic and international destinations. Australia is well-represented with great lounges in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth. By 8 April, all of the airline’s international lounges will be open, ahead of New Zealand welcoming back tourists the following week.
Travel is booming back, and soon we’ll be saying kia ora.
When will Air New Zealand and Qantas be operating more flights from Australia to New Zealand?
Despite the well intentioned New Zealand Government advertising that their country is open for visitors, there are very few paid and almost no frequent flyer seats from Perth to New Zealand from the country’s opening date on 13 April. It seems there are also no flights direct from most Australian cities into and out of Queenstown which I suspect most people would prefer, to reduce travelling time and the risk of Covid exposure.
New Zealand is a great place to visit, but why is so hard, so expensive and so time consuming to get to the Southern Alps where most of us want to get to?
From Perth, Air New Zealand is currently only flying to New Zealand three times a week and unfortunately every flight is via their hub in Auckland. Qantas has more connections but their flights tend to depart at terrible times of day or night, with ludicrous transit times to destinations such as Queenstown, spanning out to 45 hours or more.
Why would anyone want to go to beautiful New Zealand when you can go to so many other destinations elsewhere for a fraction of the price and flying time!
I simply hope that all of the airlines realise that New Zealand could really be a much bigger market for them if only they provided the kind of flights that people actually want.