Airport luggage carousels are based on fulfilling one simple expectation – which is that your bag will appear in one piece before the airport closes. Today, which is Mothers Day in New Zealand and Australia, the nation’s flag carrier decided to make the revolving black track a little more colorful and put smiles on the faces of the mothers waiting for their bags.
The Mother’s Day surprises started early
More than 1,000 Air New Zealand passengers traveling on Mother’s Day got a big and beautiful surprise with the airline placing bouquets of roses on the baggage claims around the country.
Photo: Air New Zealand
Air New Zealand (AirNZ) transformed baggage carousels at seven airports, including Auckland (AKL), Wellington, Napier, Gisborne, Nelson, Palmerston North and Christchurch (CHC) into Bouquet Claims. As the belt trundled into life, passengers were able to select a bunch of flowers, “either for themselves or as gifts to their mums, motherly figures or anyone extra special in their lives,” the airline said this morning.
Passengers arriving on eighteen flights at the seven airports could collect the roses, which means Air New Zealand, a member of the Star Alliance, handed out more than 1,000 bouquets. Four of the flights arrived at Auckland Airport, three at Christchurch and Wellington (WLG) and two at Gisborne, Napier, Palmerston North and Nelson.
Photo: Air New Zealand
The flights arrived between 07:25 and 11:30, which was good timing for those headed off to the traditional Mother’s Day lunch with family and friends. Air New Zealand Chief Customer and Sales Officer Leanne Geraghty said:
“We are so lucky to have such amazing, loyal customers who travel with us here at Air New Zealand, so we wanted to do something extra special to brighten their day and make them smile this Mother’s Day.”
Photo: Air New Zealand
On their flights the crew teased them about a surprise to come after landing, and when passengers arrived to collect their bags the roses were already on the baggage belts. Geraghty added:
“We love to surprise and delight our customers, from Christmas presents handed out on onboard in December, to tasty hot cross buns served for easter, to Welcome Back hampers dished out to customers when borders reopened post-pandemic. It’s nice to be able to show our appreciation by doing something special.”
More than 200 tonnes of flowers flown annually
AirNZ worked with its cargo-partner and local flower businesses NZ Bloom and Wild Poppies to supply the bouquets, which were thoughtfully wrapped in reusable hessian. The airline is no stranger to the demanding business of transporting flowers as it carries more than 200 tonnes annually, with around five tonnes carried in the week leading up to Mother’s Day alone.
Photo: Air New Zealand
As the photo shows, some of the bouquets arrived on one of Air New Zealand’s ATR 72-600 turboprop aircraft. The airline has 29 of the 68-seat aircraft which it uses, in combination with the 50-seat De Havilland DHC-8-Q300 turboprops on domestic routes. AirNZ has 23 DHC-8-Q300s and is looking at replacing those with emission-free new technology aircraft by the end of the decade.
What do you think of Air New Zealand’s Mother’s Day surprise? Let us know in the comments.
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Most of the missing bags found their way back from New York to Auckland via Los Angeles. Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying
Air New Zealand
- IATA/ICAO Code:
- NZ/ANZ
- Airline Type:
- Full Service Carrier
- Hub(s):
- Auckland Airport, Christchurch Airport, Wellington Airport
- Year Founded:
- 1965
- Alliance:
- Star Alliance
- CEO:
- Greg Foran
- Country:
- New Zealand
