‘It’s been heartwarming to make these phone calls before Christmas’
Air NZ has begun recalling its furloughed staff as the airline prepares for the opening of a Trans-Tasman bubble.
All 175 of its A320 cabin crew members who were stood down in June will undergo refresher training in the new year.
Earlier this week, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced the opening of a travel bubble “in principle” during the first quarter of 2021.
The agreement is still awaiting sign-off from the Australian government as they map out a contingency plan in the event of a fresh resurgence of COVID-19.
But it offers hope to the aviation industry in both countries which has been devastated by international lockdowns.
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Air NZ’s general manager of cabin crew, Leeanne Langridge, said it was exciting to be able to begin the process of recalling staff.
“We know these crew are really keen to get back on board, so it’s been heartwarming to make these phone calls before Christmas,” she said. “Their uniforms are all ready to be collected and I’m sure many of them can’t wait to wear the koru again. These crew represent Air New Zealand so well and have missed being part of our customers’ journey.
“We’ve had incredible feedback from businesses all over the country about our cabin crew who have been volunteering and working in other industries while they have been on furlough. They will now undergo comprehensive refresher training before taking to the skies again.
“This is also great news for our airline and Aotearoa as we’re looking forward to reconnecting more New Zealanders with our Pacific and Australian neighbours.”
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New Zealanders can already travel to Australia without having to quarantine after Scott Morrison’s government established a “safe travel zone” with NZ on October 16th.
However, this arrangement was only one-way, Australians can generally not travel to NZ, and Kiwi passengers arriving from Australia still have to complete 14 days of managed isolation on their return.
