Air travel across the Tasman has been thrust into the spotlight as Air New Zealand faces a disruptive strike by long haul cabin crew, the latest flashpoint in an escalating dispute over pay and working conditions. The 48 hour walkout, which began on Thursday 12 February and is scheduled to run through Friday 13 February 2026, has forced the carrier to cancel dozens of wide body services, unsettling travel plans for thousands of passengers and underscoring the fragility of aviation links between Australia and New Zealand just as demand returns to pre pandemic levels.
A Two Day Strike That Ripples Across the Tasman
Air New Zealand moved preemptively ahead of the industrial action, cancelling 44 to 46 long haul flights operated by its Boeing 777 and 787 fleets to North America and Asia over the strike window. The airline has said that around 9,500 to 16,000 passengers are affected by the schedule changes, a significant share of them booked to connect via Auckland to or from Australian cities on the same ticket. While the main cancellations involve intercontinental routes, the impact for trans Tasman travellers is real, as disrupted long haul services break onward connections and strain the capacity of remaining flights.
The strike has been called by cabin crew represented by unions E tū and the Flight Attendants Association of New Zealand, following months of stalled bargaining over pay scales, rosters and fatigue related concerns. Only crew on wide body, long range aircraft are directly participating in this round of industrial action, but the disruption to the airline’s global network inevitably reverberates across its closely intertwined Australian and New Zealand schedules.
Air New Zealand has stressed that its domestic and regional network within New Zealand, along with most flights between New Zealand, Australia and the Pacific Islands, is continuing to operate largely as normal. The carrier has redeployed aircraft and adjusted schedules in an effort to protect core Tasman services, mindful that these routes form an essential artery for business, tourism and family travel between the two countries. Even so, the need to free up resources and crew has led to some time changes and equipment swaps, creating an extra layer of complexity for travellers.
Inside the Pay Dispute: Wages, Rosters and a Cost of Living Squeeze
At the heart of the dispute is a fundamental disagreement about whether cabin crew are being fairly compensated for the demands of long haul flying in an environment of high living costs and lingering post pandemic pressure on aviation workers. Union representatives say that base salaries for international flight attendants remain below 60,000 New Zealand dollars a year, which they argue is too low for workers living in major cities like Auckland and Wellington, particularly when that guaranteed income is the figure banks use when assessing applications for mortgages or personal loans.
According to union officials, while allowances and duty related payments for time away from home, night work and complex duties can lift total remuneration, those extras are highly dependent on monthly rosters and route allocations. Crew whose schedules are weighted toward shorter or less lucrative sectors can end up much closer to the base salary figure than headline total pay numbers might suggest. The unions contend that this volatility leaves staff exposed in an inflationary environment and makes budgeting and long term financial planning difficult.
Air New Zealand, for its part, says it has put forward an offer to increase base salaries in the range of just over 4 percent to more than 6 percent, and insists that when allowances are included, cabin crew pay has kept pace with inflation. The airline highlights the distinctive structure of crew remuneration, under which base pay is designed as a stable minimum, with substantial top ups for specific duties and sectors flown. Management argues that its strategy is to shift more of this total package into guaranteed base pay over time, but acknowledges that some union members prefer to retain higher variable components in the hope of maximising overall income when rosters are favourable.
The two sides are also at odds over working conditions, including roster stability and fatigue management. Crew say they are dealing with highly irregular hours, long periods away from home and quick turnarounds that are not fully reflected in rest arrangements and remuneration. Union leaders describe the strike as a last resort after nine months of negotiations and multiple mediation attempts, and stress that many long haul crew have been with Air New Zealand for decades, reluctant to take industrial action but feeling that their concerns have not been adequately addressed.
Australia New Zealand Connectivity Under Strain
For most travellers on the Tasman corridor, the immediate question is whether flights will operate and how reliably they can plan trips in the coming days. Air New Zealand is not the only carrier linking Australia and New Zealand, but it is a dominant player, particularly on routes connecting secondary cities and on itineraries that involve onward long haul connections. Any reduction in its reliability, even if temporary, can have a disproportionate impact on capacity and pricing across the market.
The airline has indicated that it has prioritised trans Tasman and Pacific island services when making its contingency plans, rescheduling and redeploying aircraft so that the bulk of cancellations fall on longer haul sectors to North America and Asia. However, this approach does not fully insulate Tasman passengers from knock on effects. Travellers booked on through tickets from, for example, Sydney or Melbourne via Auckland to Los Angeles, Vancouver or Tokyo are among those forced to rebook, reroute or delay their trips, often at short notice.
For tourism operators in both countries, the disruption is an unwelcome reminder of how exposed the region’s visitor economy remains to external shocks. Australian travellers heading to New Zealand for ski holidays or outdoor adventures, and New Zealanders journeying to Australian cities for events and family visits, rely heavily on predictable schedules. Any perception of fragility in airline operations can dampen confidence and prompt some travellers to defer or rethink bookings, particularly in shoulder seasons when demand is more elastic.
On the business side, executives and corporate travel managers are closely monitoring the situation, with many rerouting key staff onto alternative carriers or shifting some meetings online. While a two day disruption is manageable for most companies, the risk of further industrial action if negotiations fail to progress could pose a more serious challenge for cross Tasman commerce, which is built on dense, frequent air links between major cities.
How Air New Zealand Is Managing Affected Passengers
The scale of the disruption has required Air New Zealand to launch a broad rebooking and customer care effort. The airline says teams are working around the clock to contact affected travellers, prioritising those with imminent departures. Options typically include rebooking onto other Air New Zealand services within a two or three day window around the strike, moving passengers onto partner airlines where possible, or offering refunds and travel credits for those who choose not to travel.
Passengers connecting between Australia and long haul destinations are among the most complex cases to resolve, as alternative routings may involve different carriers, extra stops and longer journey times. In some instances, travellers have been switched onto Star Alliance partners or rival airlines operating non stop services between Australia and North America or Asia, bypassing New Zealand altogether. While this approach keeps trips viable, it can dilute Air New Zealand’s role as a preferred connector for trans Tasman itineraries and may encourage some customers to book more direct routings in future.
Where travellers are stranded en route or face overnight delays because of cancelled onward flights, the carrier has indicated that it is providing accommodation, meals and ground transport in line with its standard disruption policies. Nonetheless, reports from airports suggest some confusion and queues at service desks as passengers seek clarification on their rights, especially in cases where tickets were purchased through online travel agencies or as part of complex multi sector journeys.
Travel insurers are advising customers to check the wording of their policies, as cover for strikes can vary. In many cases, travellers may be able to claim for additional accommodation and incidental expenses that are not covered by the airline. For those with upcoming trips between Australia and New Zealand, the episode is a timely reminder to keep contact details updated in bookings, monitor flight status closely in the days before departure, and build in extra buffer time when making important connections.
Union Strategy and the Broader Labor Landscape
The timing and nature of the strike reflect a wider recalibration in aviation labour relations in the post pandemic era. Cabin crew, pilots, ground handlers and airport staff across the world have been pushing for better pay and conditions after years of wage restraint and extraordinary pressure during the pandemic recovery. In New Zealand, E tū and the Flight Attendants Association have pursued a strategy of targeted industrial action focused on segments of the Air New Zealand workforce that wield significant leverage while trying to minimise broader network disruption.
Late last year, a planned strike by around 400 short haul cabin crew working domestic, Tasman and Pacific routes was narrowly averted when negotiators reached an agreement in principle days before Christmas. That deal prevented what would have been a highly visible disruption at one of the busiest travel periods of the year. The focus has now shifted to international wide body crews, whose contracts and working patterns differ from those of their short haul colleagues and whose bargaining has proved more difficult.
Union officials say that after two rounds of mediation and months of talks, the company has not presented a package they consider fair or sustainable, particularly given Air New Zealand’s investments in new aircraft, hangars and branding initiatives. They argue that the airline is prioritising capital spending and shareholder returns over frontline staff welfare. Management rejects that characterisation, saying that investment in modern aircraft and infrastructure is essential to keep the airline safe, competitive and capable of generating the revenue that underpins wages, training and career development.
The outcome of this dispute will likely reverberate beyond Air New Zealand’s own workforce. Other airlines operating in the region, including those based in Australia, are closely watching the settlement terms as a potential benchmark in their own negotiations with cabin crew and ground staff. If unions succeed in securing sizable base pay increases and stronger protections around rosters and fatigue, pressure may build on competitors to follow suit in order to retain experienced crew and avoid talent drifting to carriers perceived as more worker friendly.
Economic Stakes for Australia and New Zealand Tourism
The aviation strain between Australia and New Zealand comes at a delicate moment for the tourism sectors of both nations. Visitor numbers have been recovering steadily since border restrictions eased, with trans Tasman travel forming a vital pillar of that rebound. Australians remain New Zealand’s largest source of international visitors, while New Zealanders are consistently among the top inbound markets for many Australian states.
A sustained loss of confidence in air connectivity, even if rooted in a dispute confined to one carrier, could weigh on that recovery. Tour operators, hotels and attraction providers typically plan months in advance based on airline schedules and capacity forecasts. Sudden cancellations or rolling uncertainty complicate staffing, marketing and pricing decisions, particularly for small and medium sized businesses that lack the financial cushioning of larger tourism conglomerates.
At the same time, higher pay and better conditions for cabin crew and other aviation workers feed back into the broader economy. Workers with more secure incomes are better able to manage rising housing costs and participate in consumer spending, supporting other sectors. The challenge for policymakers and industry leaders is to navigate a path that preserves the competitiveness of airlines operating in a fiercely contested market while ensuring that those on the front line of the travel experience share fairly in the industry’s recovery.
For now, tourism boards in both countries are treading carefully, expressing hope that Air New Zealand and its unions will reach a resolution quickly. Some are discreetly encouraging travellers to consider a wider range of routing options and carriers so that their trips can proceed even if further disruptions occur. The reputational stakes are high, as many international visitors experience trans Tasman travel as part of a broader Australia and New Zealand tour and may perceive operational challenges with a single airline as a reflection of regional reliability more generally.
What Travellers Should Do Next
For those specifically affected by Air New Zealand’s cabin crew strike, the immediate priority is to confirm the status of booked flights and explore rebooking options as early as possible. Passengers with itineraries touching Auckland, especially those connecting between Australia and long haul destinations, should pay close attention to notifications from the airline and from any travel agent involved in the booking. Acting quickly often increases the chances of securing a seat on alternative services at preferred times.
Travellers planning near term trips between Australia and New Zealand but not yet ticketed may wish to consider flexible fares where budget allows, or to choose itineraries that offer alternative routing options if disruptions persist. For example, selecting flights on codeshare partners or carriers with multiple daily frequencies on key city pairs can provide more room to manoeuvre should last minute changes be required. It is also prudent to review travel insurance coverage with a specific eye on strike related protections, as policy terms vary widely.
Looking beyond this week’s walkout, the key variable will be whether bargaining between Air New Zealand and its cabin crew unions makes substantive progress. Both sides insist they remain committed to reaching a fair and sustainable agreement, and further facilitated talks are expected later in the month. If those discussions yield a compromise, the current disruption may be remembered as a short, if painful, chapter in the post pandemic reset of aviation labour relations.
If, however, the gap between union expectations and management’s position persists, further industrial action cannot be ruled out. That prospect would extend the period of uncertainty for trans Tasman travellers and could push some passengers and corporate travel managers to recalibrate their longer term loyalty patterns. In a competitive market where travellers increasingly prioritise reliability alongside price and comfort, how Air New Zealand navigates this dispute will shape its role in Australia New Zealand aviation for years to come.