A Wellington man will no longer be able to take his dog on regional flights from next Tuesday, as Air New Zealand rolls out new crate-size limits on its smaller aircraft that restrict travel for larger canines.
The airline standing by the new rules, saying dozens of staff have been injured over the years loading and unloading pet crates.
“The safety of our people, our customers, and our furry friends is our top priority,” chief safety and risk officer Nathan McGraw told the Herald.
Matthew Plummer travelled with his Irish Water Spaniel, Merlin, to Blenheim and Nelson at the start of this year, describing it as the “most fabulous summer holiday” for the pair.
But when he tried to book another trip February, Plummer found he’d need to find another way to get his dog across the Cook Strait.
From November 11, new crate size and weight limits will apply to pets travelling on the smaller ATRs and Q300 turbo-props, which Air New Zealand largely uses for regional flights.
Any crates larger than 85cm H x 66cm W x 115 L no longer accepted in the cargo hold of these flights.
The combined weight of pets and their carrier has also been restricted to 60kg on all flights.
“Merlin weighs 34kg. However, he is a tall dog, and the requirement for him to be able to stand up and turn around in his crate means he travels in the largest IATA-approved crate available in New Zealand,” Plummer told the Herald.
Despite the combined weight of Merlin and his carrier being comfortably within the limit, his height, width, and length now fall outside the new policy.
“As things stand, I have no way of getting a 34kg dog to Nelson other than by driving.”
McGraw said the airline was adjusting its pet travel rules in response to staff safety risks.
“In the past couple of years, we’ve had 53 staff injuries related to the loading and unloading activity of animals on aircraft.
“Because of this, we’re no longer able to facilitate any pet and carrier combined weighing more than 60kg as checked baggage.”
He said the crate restrictions on turboprop-operated regional flights were introduced because large crates were difficult to load safely into smaller aircraft holds.
“We understand this will be disappointing for some customers, but this change has been made for the safety of both our people and our four-legged friends.”
Pets over 60kg will still be permitted on some domestic routes, but bookings must be made through a pet transporter company that coordinate directly with Air New Zealand’s cargo team.
“Our teams are currently required to manually lift large, heavy pet crates, which carries a real risk of injury,” McGraw said.
“Booking larger pets through a pet service and our cargo team means our people won’t have to manually lift heavy pets, creating a safer operational environment for both our team and our four-legged friends.”
Tom Rose is an Auckland-based journalist who covers breaking news, specialising in lifestyle, entertainment and travel. He joined the Herald in 2023.
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