What was meant to be a relaxing girls’ getaway went pear-shaped when one traveller managed to fly from Auckland to Nadi without her passport, only to be sent straight back to New Zealand on the same plane alone.
Air New Zealand is reviewing the incident and strengthening checks to “help prevent a similar situation occurring in the future” but said it is confident staff followed all boarding procedures.
The quartet was booked to depart on flight NZ952 on December 7 as part of a girls’ trip planned between three friends and one of their daughters.
After clearing airport passport control, the group had their identities checked and verified against their passports and boarding passes at the gate.
One of the women then asked to use the departure lounge bathroom before boarding. Air New Zealand said staff held the group’s boarding passes, while the women retained their passports.
When they returned, the women collected their boarding passes and proceeded through the gate.
As their identities had already been verified, their passports were not rechecked, Air New Zealand said.
Speaking on the condition of anonymity, the woman who booked the flights told the Herald the group only realised a passport was missing while filling out arrival cards mid-flight.
“The staff on the plane were nice enough and they were like, ‘It has to be on the plane because it’s illegal to let you on this plane without it’,” she said.
“So we all got up, took our bags to the back to find it.”
Anxiety grew as the missing travel document could not be located anywhere on the plane.
The woman said the group repeatedly asked cabin crew to check with ground staff, suggesting the passport may have been left in the bathroom, but they were told it would not be necessary as the departure lounge was routinely combed for unattended items.
“They said there was basically no chance that passport was in New Zealand,” she said.
After landing in Nadi, the group was kept on board while crew conducted a full aircraft search, yet the passport was still not found.
“At the gate, they met us with cops and security ... and they said, ‘She’s going home, she ain’t got a passport’,” the woman said.
The group was split up at the airport, with three members allowed to continue through customs.
Meanwhile, the passenger without a passport was taken into a secure area and later placed on an aircraft to return to Auckland.
The woman said her friend felt “criminalised” for the mistake.
“She got to the other end and they escorted her off with the police ... all very official.”
The woman said she contacted Auckland Airport immediately upon landing in Fiji and was told the passport had already been located.
According to her, the passport was handed back to the passenger on arrival in Auckland, although conflicting explanations were given about where and when it had been found, and who had located it at the airport.
Air New Zealand’s general manager of airports Kate Boyer told the Herald the airline acknowledged the situation would have been distressing and disruptive.
“As part of our standard departure process, passports are sighted and verified prior to boarding. Customers are responsible for keeping their passports and other required travel documents with them throughout their journey,” Boyer said.
“We have reviewed this thoroughly and are confident our boarding procedures were followed. However, we are taking this opportunity to reinforce our processes across our airport teams to further strengthen our checks and help prevent a similar situation occurring in future.”
The woman who booked the trip said the group accepted responsibility for the misplaced passport, including covering costs for a second return flight, but she believed Air New Zealand had a part to play in letting the passenger reboard the aircraft without the document physically present.
“It could have been anybody, it could have been a whole different person, and that is the only part that I wanted them to acknowledge.”
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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