The airline is starting the process of recalling all of their Airbus A320 cabin crew members who are currently of furlough, as they begin to prepare for early 2021 quarantine-free travel to Australia and Rarotonga.
On Thursday (December 17, 2020), Air New Zealand announced that they have started the process of recalling all Airbus A320 cabin crew members who are currently furloughed, as the airline gears up for quarantine-free travel to Australia and Rarotonga in early 2021. Since last June, 175 cabin crew members have been on furlough and have elected to remain associated with the carrier, rather than take redundancy. In Thursday’s announcement, Air New Zealand’s General Manager – Cabin Crew, Leeanne Langridge, said,
“We know these crew are really keen to get back on board, so it's been heartwarming to make these phone calls before Christmas. 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 neighbors.”
Source: Air New Zealand