Kiwis can fly after all, and a flurry of them have been rushing back to Auckland Airport to get home for Christmas, bringing lots of tears and laughter to the arrivals gate.
More than 2.5 million travellers are expected to pour through the airport between December 8 and January 18 during one of the busiest travel periods of the year.
For grandfather Ian Blunt, there were tears of joy as he caught sight of his granddaughter, 6-year-old Honor Blunt.
“I can’t stop crying,” he said.
“They’re my little granddaughters, my only grandchildren.”
Daughter-in-law Natasha Blunt said the family had been living in Britain and it was their first time back in three years.
“It’s amazing to get to spend Christmas together,” she said.
Ian Blunt said his two granddaughters, aged 6 and 9,, had grown a lot since he last saw them.
An extra 207,000 international seats have been added to airlines across the summer months, lifting the total capacity to 5.8 million seats flying to and from Auckland Airport.
Many families will be making trips out to the airport to greet their loved ones, but for parents Bridget and Jan Sudmann, the number of visits in a single day was impressive.
“I actually live in London with my two brothers as well, and we all didn’t co-ordinate our flights over here, so we’re all arriving on the same day at three different times,” said son Nicholas Sudmann, who was the first of the three boys through the gate.
“We told them we’d just Uber home, but they want to come and pick us up!”
After braving the cold winter months in London, Sudmann had been missing the good weather, playing golf and swimming in the ocean in New Zealand.
But he said seeing his mum again was “the best feeling”.
Other reunions came after a short time apart but were no less sweet.
Husband John Kim was picking up his wife, Grace Kim, after her one-month trip around South Korea.
She was “so happy” to be back and embraced her husband outside the arrivals gate, grinning from ear to ear.
“My fantastic wife,” John Kim laughed.
Young couple Elsie Allsop and Otis Creagh Leslie were reuniting after his two-week trip away in Vietnam and Cambodia.
“I missed her the whole time,” Creagh Leslie said.
Elsie Allsop decided to surprise him at the airport.
“He didn’t know I was coming ... it was so good!”
For Kiwis departing for the summer period, travel trends show Australia is still the number one destination from Auckland, accounting for around 35% of all international passenger departures.
Around Christmas, many Kiwis will be hopping back and forth across the ditch because of families split across the Tasman.
Serene Yew and her children, Lucas and Leilani Bland, were arriving from Singapore full of excitement to see their partner and father, Calven Bland.
The whole family live permanently in Singapore but are back for the Christmas break.
“I can’t wait to hit the beach. Pies, beer and beach, that’s my plan,” Bland said.
About 1 million domestic and 1.5 million international travellers are expected between December 8 and January 18 – a total increase of around 7.5% for international and around 4.7% for domestic travellers compared with the same period last summer.
“It will be busy, so our advice is simple: plan ahead, arrive with plenty of time and pack smart,” said Auckland Airport’s chief customer officer, Scott Tasker.
At Auckland Airport’s arrivals gate, families reuniting for Christmas are getting the best gift of the season.
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