''Others have reported being treated like pariahs and being asked to stay away from social events, or having their family members excluded out of fear of transmission.''
A meeting is scheduled today between Ministry of Health officials and the airline over growing concerns about aircrew.
Savage said international crews were safety professionals who followed strict safety rules, wear personal protective equipment while travelling, spend days and nights self-isolating in hotel rooms and don't get to socialise - even with each other - on layovers.
''They have no wish to get sick or make anyone sick. They understand that the public are fearful of community transmission, but they are doing essential work keeping New Zealand's air routes open,'' he said.
''Kiwis trapped overseas can't come home unless someone goes to get them, and that is what crew are doing: providing the most essential of services.''
Los Angeles-Auckland services are of high concern for officials because the Covid-19 pandemic is raging in the United States.
Although Air New Zealand did some special repatriation flights between Mumbai and Auckland, Air India has done the majority of them from the country where some cases are now being picked up at our borders.
Los Angeles to Auckland is a route that worries health officials. Photo / Greg Bowker
Last week Air New Zealand chief executive Greg Foran also urged the public to give crew a fair go.
"Upon returning home, our crew are often unjustly the focus of people's fear of another spike of Covid-19, and I know this is hard for them and their families," Foran said.
Pilots also last week warned rigorous isolation and stand-down rules could lead to staff shortages and flight cancellations.
New Zealand Air Line Pilots' Association (NZALPA) president Andrew Ridling said discussions were being held with the Ministry of Health about how to make increased isolation time workable to prevent flight cancellations because of staff unavailability.
Air New Zealand international crew returning home after a trip of between two and seven days abroad are allowed to fly domestically to their homes to self-isolate for 48 hours, before having a virus test and awaiting test results, RNZ reports.
They are not required to quarantine or self-isolate for 14 days as other international arrivals are.
Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield said those rules were being audited by the Ministry.
"We're constantly looking to see how we can improve and strengthen the process," Bloomfield said.
Bloomfield said he would meet with Air New Zealand today about what else can be done to keep crew safe.
"Which is of course major concern to the airline and crew members. They do not want to be putting themselves or their families at risk, so just to make sure we've got that as tight as possible, and part of that is the move to having masks available for, and provided for, passengers coming across from Australia," Bloomfield said.
Ministry of Health advice states aircrew from overseas who have a stopover of one night or more can stay at hotels with other guests.
The accommodation needs to be approved by their airline and must meet the same criteria as managed isolation facilities, the advice shows.
Crew could stay in a dedicated wing or floor of the accommodation to reduce the likelihood of coming into contact with other guests, but it is not mandatory, it states.
Airline crew are also advised to wear a mask when travelling between the airport and the hotel.
Bloomfield told RNZ a health official was sent to Los Angeles to investigate what happens at the airport there.
He was yet to receive the final report from that review but he was confident the restrictions were tight.
An Air NZ cabin crew member was linked to a Covid-19 at Bluff cluster early in April before more stringent isolation measures were imposed.
Thirty Air NZ staff tested positive for Covid-19 early in the pandemic before more stringent testing, PPE gear and restrictions were in place. All had recovered.
