Air Chathams saves Whanganui traveller's day

Richard McCosh may be in the dog box but thanks to Air Chathams he caught his international flight. Photo/File

Forget the fuel crisis - Whanganui man Richard McCosh found himself in a different kind of travel nightmare at Auckland international airport on Thursday.

Mr McCosh, who is the general manager of Whanganui's Meteor Office Products Depot, and three other staff from the company were due to fly to Cairns for a work conference. However, Mr McCosh arrived at the check-in counter in Auckland a few hours before his scheduled flight to discover he had packed an expired passport instead of his new one.

However, as Mr McCosh posted on Facebook, Air Chathams came to his rescue, though he was not able to make his scheduled international flight.

"First I had to phone the wife Kylie McCosh at 6am to find my passport, that's me in the dog box when I get back! It was exactly where it should be and the same place I grabbed the wrong one from."

Mr McCosh then called Air Chathams and spoke to staff member Roy "who was extremely helpful and said he would try his best but the next flight was leaving in 20 minutes".

"My wife had no chance of getting two kids out of bed and to the airport in time. So I called in my boss Warren Ruscoe, who made a very quick (within the speed limits of course) dash to my house, got the passport and went straight to the Whanganui Airport. Meanwhile, Roy had contacted me again to advise they had closed the aircraft doors and Warren didn't make it, it will be on the next flight.

"Oh well, I said, thanks for trying. Then I get a text from Warren, 'made it'."

Roy phoned Mr McCosh again to tell him the ground crew had run out to the plane and the captain opened the door to take the passport.

"An hour later I had the correct passport in my hands and rebooked a few flights - a few extra dollars that will put me further in the dog box.

"As embarrassed as I am for making a simple/stupid mistake, I can not thank Air Chathams enough. You guys and girls went above and beyond to help me out and I seriously appreciate that.

"So people of Whanganui any time you wish to travel, please use Air Chathams for your flights - these guys rock!"

Mr Ruscoe was also singing the praises of Air Chathams though he was less impressed with Whanganui's early morning drivers.

"What's amazing is what Air Chathams is prepared to do for people," Mr Ruscoe said.

"I got the call from Richard just after 6am and told him to ring Air Chathams and see if they could get his passport up to Auckland. He rang me back and said they might be able to and asked if I could get it to the airport for him.

"I said I'd try but on the way to the airport everyone was doing under the speed limit and there was a bus on the Cobham Bridge doing 60km/h so I didn't think I would make it in time.

"When I got there, a young lady from Air Chathams' counter was waiting outside the terminal with a walkie-talkie and told the pilot I had arrived. Someone ran out to the plane, which was all locked up and ready to go, and gave them the passport."

Mr Ruscoe said that after Mr McCosh missed his flight he was booked on a later flight. However, that flight was cancelled due to the fuel shortage but then may have been reinstated.

"I haven't heard from him again since he said they were talking about reinstating the flight so I presume he's on his way. Richard owes me big time."

Meteor OPD staff do not normally travel to conferences out of New Zealand but this year it was decided to hold a joint New Zealand/Australia conference in Cairns, Mr Ruscoe said.