Crikey, could they make it any harder to give positive feedback to an airline? If I wanted to lodge a complaint I would have been finished hours ago. To get an email address to send compliments I had to make a phone call and put in the inevitable wait for someone to answer and, even then, the young man I spoke to would have been happier, I think, if I'd wanted to post something on social media. I thought I was going to have to be a bit rude (which would have been defeating the purpose somewhat) before I was given an avenue whereby the people concerned would receive my comments.
I was feeling slightly guilty that my feedback on the survey about my flight to Australia last week had been slightly negative. After that flight I felt that Air New Zealand was pushing cultural diversity a little too far and checking boxes for one of everything amongst their cabin crew, regardless of their ability to smile and make eye contact.
My return flights could not have been more different. Maybe it helps to get extra attention when another passenger's bag falls from the overhead locker and hits you on the head and shoulder. Luckily, it was a light bag!
The most impressive service was kept till last when somehow or other I managed to board the wrong plane, one bound for Gisborne rather than Whangarei. Those of you who frequent large airports might wonder how that is possible but Auckland regional flights often load two at a time in the same area. I was talking to the lady beside me, the staff member who was scanning our boarding passes said her gate number and I went that way, too, not realizing another flight had also been called to board. When I realized I was on the wrong flight I had to disembark against the flow of boarding passengers and hurry to the correct gate. Which, by that time, had been locked. However, a ground crew came to my rescue and accompanied me to the plane. Believe me, you feel a complete idiot when you board via the front of the plane and the eyes of all passengers are on you, that late passenger who is delaying departure and then you realize you've left your cabin bag on the other plane.
The planes that fly in and out of Whangarei aren't very big, I think they carry 50 passengers. There is only one cabin crew on each flight and they are pretty busy. But the lovely blonde lady on this flight would never be too busy to not offer first-class service. When she realized where my bag was, she spoke to the captain who said he could see the other plane was still on the tarmac and sent a ground crew to run across to it to retrieve my bag. Meanwhile, the lovely man I had sat down beside was re-assuring me not to worry, these things happen, no-one minds. And the lady sitting across from me leaned over to tell me she takes that flight every Sunday night and that she'd left her cabin baggage in the departure lounge twice in four weeks.
The flight attendant made light of the service, just smiled and said, "It's a team effort." That is a darn good team!! Thanks Air New Zealand.
In other news, I had a lovely if very brief catch up with brothers and sisters while I was away, at Noosa. A couple of nights right in the middle of the tourist strip in Hastings Street, a few nights near the National Park at Little Cove and a final night around by the river. I also had a catchup with old friends with whom I first discovered Noosa as a teenage surfer. That young girl would never have believed that she would be at Noosa for a week and not go for a surf. But, then, she had never heard of airconditioning nor had any appreciation of how good it is when the barometer sits around 30C (86 F)
