Air New Zealand Cancellation Policy

What is Air New Zealand’s flight cancellation policy?

The Air New Zealand cancellation policy for long-haul international flights* allows you to cancel and refund your flight (partially/fully) if: 

• Air New Zealand:

• Cancelled your flight due to reasons within its control and was unable to book you on another flight. 
• Delayed your flight and caused you to miss a connecting flight on Air New Zealand.
• Delayed your flight and caused you to cancel it as a result.
• Didn’t/couldn’t board you on a flight although you had a valid ticket. 
• Failed to land at your destination or a stopover mentioned on your ticket.
• Changed your flight time significantly and could not book you on a flight acceptable to you.
• Failed to provide you with a seat in the cabin in which you purchased it. 

• You:
  • Purchase a refundable (Flexi) ticket and cancel it before departure.
  • Purchase a ticket (any type) to/from the United States at least 7 days before departure and cancel it within 24 hours of purchasing.
  • Qualify on compassionate grounds, such as illness, inability to use your flight credit, or financial hardship and the airline agrees.
• Your flight departs:
  • From the EU/UK and falls under the EU Regulation 261/2004 rules, i.e.:
    • Your flight is cancelled within 14 days of departure and the alternative flight offered to you does not suit you.
    • You’re involuntarily denied boarding.
    • Your flight is delayed by at least 3 hours and the alternative flight offered to you no longer serves your purpose. 
  • To/from Argentina on Air New Zealand’s cancelled Buenos Aires route.

*Long-haul international routes include all routes except flights between any of the following countries: New Zealand, South Pacific Islands, Australia, Bali, and Honolulu, Bali.

Note

According to Air New Zealand’s cancellation policy:

• All Global Flexi fares are fully refundable.
• If you upgrade from Global Sale/Global Saver to Global Flexi, the original cancellation fees will apply.
• Global Saver fares are refundable if cancelled at least 1 day before departure, subject to a one-way cancellation fee of NZD 150 for Economy Class, NZD 200 for Premium Economy Class, and NZD 250 for Business Premier Class. All other fares are non-refundable. 
• If you No-Show on a Global Flexi fare, you can change your booking for a change fee of NZD 300.
• All long-distance international flights departing before June 30, 2022, can be changed (but not cancelled) without incurring a flight change fee (but fare differences will apply).

The Air New Zealand cancellation policy for other flights is as follows:

• On domestic fares within New Zealand, only flexirefund tickets are fully refundable.
• On trans-Tasman fares—applicable to flights between New Zealand and Australia (i.e., Brisbane, Perth, Cairns, Sydney, Adelaide, Melbourne, the Gold Coast, and the Sunshine Coast)—only Flexi fares are fully refundable.
  • If you upgrade from a Smart Saver to a Flexi fare, only the upgraded portion will be eligible for a refund.
  • On Flexi fares, even No-Shows are fully refundable.
• On Island fares—applicable to flights between New Zealand and Tonga, Tahiti, Samoa, Niue, New Caledonia, Fiji, Rarotonga, Bali, and Honolulu—only Flexi fares are fully refundable. However, a cancellation fee of NZD 200 per passenger will apply for bookings made between December and January to/from Niue, Tonga, Rarotonga, and Samoa.
  • Most premiumeconomy fares are Flexi fares. 
  • Discounted businessclass and premiumeconomy fares are non-refundable and subject to smartsaver rules.
  • If you upgrade from Smart Saver to Flexi, only the upgraded portion of the fare will be eligible for a refund.
  • On Flexi fares, No-Shows are fully refundable except on flights to Niue, Tonga, Rarotonga, and Samoa between December and January (a 50% No-Show penalty will apply).

Air New Zealand 24-Hour Cancellation Policy for Long-Haul International Flights

The Air New Zealand 24-hour cancellation policy applies to all long-haul international flights, including flights to or from the United States. Under the policy, if you purchase a long-haul international flight ticket at least 7 days before departure, you can cancel it within 24 hours of purchasing it—regardless of what type of ticket you’ve purchased.

Long-haul international flights include all international flights except flights between New Zealand, South Pacific Islands, Australia, Bali, and Honolulu, Bali.

Air New Zealand Refund Calculation

What refund am I entitled to?

The refund amount will depend on the unused portion of your ticket and the type of ticket you’ve purchased. 

• If your ticket is fully unused and your ticket’s rules permit a refund, you will be refunded the price you paid for your ticket. 
• If your ticket is partially used, your refund will be the higher of these two amounts:

• The ticket cost from the interruption point to the final destination.
• The difference between the ticket cost and the value of the ticket you have already consumed. 

The refund amount in both cases will include airline charges and taxes, minus the applicable cancellation fees.

How Will Air New Zealand Pay My Refund?

If you’re entitled to a refund: 

• You (i.e., the person who paid for the original ticket) will be refunded in the same currency and manner in which you paid for your ticket. If you purchased your ticket with your Airpoints Dollars, the refund will be in Airpoints Dollars, subject to the original expiry date. 
• The refund amount will include unpaid taxes and third-party charges that the airline hasn’t already paid, even if your ticket is non-refundable. Refunds on tickets held in credit are not allowed. 
• You will be issued a travel credit instead of a refund in case of cancellations, failures, and misconnections due to circumstances beyond Air New Zealand’s control—such as bad weather, epidemics/pandemics, strikes, acts of terrorism, medical emergencies, restrictions by the government/regional/local authority, change in laws, etc. The travel credit will be on the unused portion of your ticket and valid for 12 months from the original date of issue of your ticket unless the airline extends this period in certain circumstances. A service fee may be deducted by the airline to cover administration costs.
• The time limit for refunds is during a ticket’s validity period, i.e., you must apply for a refund before your ticket expires.

Exceptions to Refunds

Air New Zealand may refuse a refund if:

• You have presented your ticket as proof to the airline/government official that you intend to leave the country. However, an exception may be made if the airline is satisfied that you have been granted permission to stay in the country, or that you are leaving the country via another mode of transport. 
• You were denied boarding due to your conduct, subject to applicable costs.
• Your flight was cancelled, re-routed, or rescheduled due to your medical emergency, in which case the refund amount will be applied toward the costs of flight disruption.

How to Apply for a Refund with Air New Zealand

Your refund will be processed either by the airline that originally issued your ticket or your travel agent. 

• If you booked your ticket directly through Air New Zealand (website, mobile app, call center, ticket office), you can request your refund online via Manage booking or via email to refunds@airnz.co.nz.
• If you purchased your ticket from a travel agent or a third party (online/offline), contact them directly to process your refund. 

How to Make Cancel a Flight Online

Air New Zealand’s online cancellation process explained

You can cancel your flight online via Manage booking if you purchased your ticket directly from Air New Zealand’s website, mobile app, call center, or ticket office. 

To cancel your flight online:

1. Go to AirNewZealand.com
2. Select Manage booking
   The page below will show up on your screen:
3. Access your flight booking by entering your:
   1. Booking reference, and 
   2. Family name 
4. Hit the Continue button
5. Follow the on-screen prompts to cancel your flight 

You will receive your refund or flight credit after the applicable cancellation fee is deducted from the total fare paid by you.

Note

• Ticket cancellations will be subject to your ticket’s fare rules. 
• You must pay the applicable cancellation fees (if any).
• Online cancellations will not incur a service fee.
• You can only cancel online if you purchased your ticket directly from Air New Zealand’s website, mobile app, ticket center, or call center.

Air New Zealand Cancellation Fees

The cancellation fees charged by Air New Zealand are as follows:

• Cancellation Fees for Long-Haul Flights
  Long-haul flights refer international flights but do not include flights between New Zealand, Australia, Tahiti, Bali, Fiji, Niue, the Cook Islands, Norfolk Island, Tonga, Vanuatu, or Samoa.
  • Cancellation Fees for Value Fares (Economy)
    • Adult and child fares are non-refundable, but infant fares are fully refundable. 
    • You’re allowed to cancel your flight before departure and convert your fare into a flight credit for future use. 
    • If your new fare is cheaper, the balance value will be forfeited. 
    • No-shows will be fully forfeited.
    • You can cancel your ticket within 24 hours of purchasing it and claim a full refund provided you purchase your ticket at least 7 days (168 hours) before the departure of the first flight on your itinerary. 
  • Flexi fares
    • Both Economy Flexible and Premium Economy fares are refundable as flight credit for future use on another Air New Zealand flight. 
    • The cancellation fee for:
      • Economy Flexible fares (adults and children) is USD 300.
      • Premium Economy fares is USD 400 (adults and children).

Note. Must be cancelled before departure. 

• Infant fares are fully refundable for all classes. 
• No-shows will be fully forfeited.
• You can cancel your ticket within 24 hours of purchasing it and claim a full refund provided you purchase your ticket at least 7 days (168 hours) before the departure of the first flight on your itinerary. 
• Business Class fares
  • Are refundable as flight credit for future use on another Air New Zealand flight.
  • The cancellation fee is USD 500 per adult and child, provided you cancel before departure. 
  • Infant fares are fully refundable. 
  • No-shows will be fully forfeited.
  • You can cancel your ticket within 24 hours of purchasing it and claim a full refund provided you purchase your ticket at least 7 days (168 hours) before the departure of the first flight on your itinerary. 

• Cancellation Fees for Tasman and Pacific Flights
  Flights to Tasman and the Pacific include flights between New Zealand and Australia, New Caledonia, Samoa, Vanuatu, Norfolk Island, Fiji, Niue, Bali, Tahiti, and the Cook Islands.
  • Cancellation Fees for Smart Saver Fares
    • Non-refundable—cannot be cancelled, except in case of death of the passenger or the passenger’s immediate family member, such as a spouse, children (incl. adopted children), siblings, parents, grandparents, grandchildren, parents-/brothers-/sisters-/sons-/daughters-in-laws, 
    • Cannot be held in credit unless upgraded to a Flexi fare.
    • No-Shows will be forfeited.
  • Cancellation Fees for Economy Flexi Fares
    • Fully refundable. If you upgrade from a Smart Saver fare, only the upgraded portion of the fare is eligible for a refund.
    • No-Shows are fully refundable.
  • Business Class fares
    • Fully refundable. If you upgrade from a Smart Saver fare, only the upgraded portion of the fare is eligible for a refund. 
    • Business Saver fares are generally non-refundable.
• Flight Cancellation Fees for Domestic Flights within New Zealand
  • Cancellation Fees for seat Fares
    • Cancellations and refunds are not permitted.
  • Cancellation Fees for seat+bag Fares
    • Cancellations and refunds are not permitted.
  • Cancellation Fees for flexichange Fares
    • Cancellations and refunds are not permitted.
  • Cancellation Fees for flexirefund Fares
    • Cancellations made before departure are fully refundable.
    • If you No-Show for a flight, you’re allowed to make changes to your flight after departure. You will be charged a cancellation fee of NZD 50 for a refund.

Frequently Asked Questions on Air New Zealand Cancellation Policy