sbiddle:

 

alliao:

 

 

Thanks for the suggestions all, I've gone and select "The Works" 

 

 

 

The Works gives you the following items more than the "Seat"

 

-a meal

 

-movies

 

-Seat Select

 

 

 

Here's what the seat selection looks like when you happen upon Seat selection screen, on the left "Seat", on the right "The Works"

 

Seats costs $10 more when compared to The works, but you get more selection.

 

Both screenshots taken 1 minute apart. Interesting pricing strategy.

 

 

 

 

I'm not sure what point you're actually making. Preferred Seats and exit row seats always cost extra - they're not selectable as part of a standard seat select, and even HVC's have to pay if they want them.

 

  

 

I think the issue is that when you pick the seat option, you have more of a selection of available seats than if you picked the 'works' option. 

In this instance - see row 54 from the attached screenshot - in the 'seat' booking (left) you can pay $10 and get any of these.  Now look right at the 'works' screenshot.... Row 54 is not available and fully marked as being unavailable? Something looks wrong here....

afe66: Picked Works specifically because had small child who needed feeding. (as have done for last 3 years)

Flew last month to Brisbane and over the intercom, they said "For those who have selected the meal option we are only able to serve cold snack as Dunedin isnt a catering airport". Where upon a stewardess came down to us with a passenger list and gave us the " meal"

Got hot meal on return flight from Brisbane to Dunedin though!

It just left a bad taste. Other half who arranged tickets to include meal said service was poor and what was the point of her laying extra.

A.

Air NZ stopped selling The Works fares on VA flights from January so obviously you booked before then. For passengers who had booked prior you could choose to get a refund (this is from information sent to agents)

Flexibility will be offered to customers holding theworks fares and are due to travel on NZ7900-7999 series flights.
3 options are available to customers:

• Change to a seat+bag or seat fare and be refunded the difference
• Change travel to an Air New Zealand operated service (where available)
• Full refund of the fare

tanivula:

 

sbiddle:

 

alliao:

 

 

Thanks for the suggestions all, I've gone and select "The Works" 

 

 

 

The Works gives you the following items more than the "Seat"

 

-a meal

 

-movies

 

-Seat Select

 

 

 

Here's what the seat selection looks like when you happen upon Seat selection screen, on the left "Seat", on the right "The Works"

 

Seats costs $10 more when compared to The works, but you get more selection.

 

Both screenshots taken 1 minute apart. Interesting pricing strategy.

 

 

 

 

I'm not sure what point you're actually making. Preferred Seats and exit row seats always cost extra - they're not selectable as part of a standard seat select, and even HVC's have to pay if they want them.

 

  

 

 

I think the issue is that when you pick the seat option, you have more of a selection of available seats than if you picked the 'works' option. 

 

In this instance - see row 54 from the attached screenshot - in the 'seat' booking (left) you can pay $10 and get any of these.  Now look right at the 'works' screenshot.... Row 54 is not available and fully marked as being unavailable? Something looks wrong here....

 

 

 

Ahh I see what you mean now.

On some widebody services the seat+bag and works customers are seated separately to improve the meal service. Total meal numbers are typically well under 50% of pax on most flights (will differ on widebody since there is BP + PE) so there is obviously logic behind seating those having a meal near each other.

Thanks for the insight oblivian and sbiddle

So I did the painful thing and called them thanks Dratsab!

And yes, they can see the seat being available next to my family and put me there, they're not sure why it's not shown online, apparently complex

And yes, they did their sales pitch for The works which I took, now I can bring a carrier as well.

And while booking online would cost me $294, booking it by phone is a stern $331.31

Anyway, I know it is a tough destination, I think out of the $331.30 tax is probably something close to $150.

So lessons for the future, don't believe what you see on the seat selection screen, call them for all seating enquiries and you may be surprised.

alliao:

 

Thanks for the insight oblivian and sbiddle

 

So I did the painful thing and called them thanks Dratsab! 

 

And yes, they can see the seat being available next to my family and put me there, they're not sure why it's not shown online, apparently complex

 

And yes, they did their sales pitch for The works which I took, now I can bring a carrier as well.

 

And while booking online would cost me $294, booking it by phone is a stern $331.31

 

 

 

Anyway, I know it is a tough destination, I think out of the $331.30 tax is probably something close to $150.

 

So lessons for the future, don't believe what you see on the seat selection screen, call them for all seating enquiries and you may be surprised.

 

Yes, contact centre fees are absolutely insane - especially in cases where their own draconian systems are the reason you're forced to call them (for example - lodge a OneUp fir any part of your itinerary and suddenly it cannot be changed online. At all. You have to call them). I joked to the operator when I was changing a Long Haul flight to upgrade from Economy to Premium that for a $60 change fee, he really should get paid more. That said, props to Air NZ for keeping their contact centre in NZ - you can tell that the person you're talking to is a local (or to me in Aussie, a friendly Tasman neighbour).