Air New Zealand is bracing for one of its most disruptive bouts of industrial action in years, as cabin crew prepare to walk off the job and the airline preemptively cancels dozens of long haul services. With strike dates falling across 12 and 13 February 2026, the fallout is already rippling through global travel networks, stranding some passengers, forcing last minute itinerary changes and raising broader questions about working conditions, airline finances and the fragility of long haul connectivity to and from New Zealand.
What Is Happening and When
The immediate trigger for the disruption is a dispute between Air New Zealand and unions representing its international wide body cabin crew, primarily E tū and the Flight Attendants’ Association of New Zealand. After months of negotiations over pay, roster stability and working conditions failed to yield a deal, the unions confirmed they would proceed with a two day strike targeting the airline’s Boeing 777 and 787 long range fleet on 12 and 13 February 2026.
The industrial action covers crews operating wide body international services, which form the backbone of Air New Zealand’s long haul network linking Auckland with North America and key Asian hubs. Earlier union notices had signaled a possible three day strike including 11 February, prompting the airline to build extensive contingency plans. Subsequent talks narrowed the formal action to two days, but the operational shock is still significant.
In anticipation, Air New Zealand has opted to cancel flights well ahead of time rather than wait for chaos to unfold on the days themselves. As of 11 February the carrier had confirmed the cancellation of around 44 to 46 wide body long haul services clustered around the strike period. That proactive thinning of the schedule has already impacted thousands of travelers and is reshaping long haul connectivity to and from New Zealand for almost a full week.
How Many Flights and Passengers Are Affected
The numbers involved underline the scale of the disruption. Air New Zealand has acknowledged that at least 44 to 46 long haul flights have been removed from the schedule in the lead up to, during and immediately after the strike window. These are predominantly services operated by Boeing 787 Dreamliners and Boeing 777s, aircraft that normally handle the airline’s busiest and longest international sectors.
Estimates of affected passengers vary across statements and reports, but they consistently run into the many thousands. Air New Zealand itself has cited around 9,500 customers directly affected by the current wave of cancellations tied to the 48 hour stoppage. Independent passenger rights analysts and travel compensation firms, looking at wider knock on effects across several days, put the figure higher, closer to 16,000 travelers whose flights have been cancelled or significantly altered.
For those on the move between New Zealand and North America in particular, options are limited. Routes such as Auckland to Los Angeles, San Francisco, Houston and Vancouver do not always have multiple daily alternatives, and some rely heavily on Air New Zealand’s own metal. Where flights have been pulled entirely, passengers are being shifted to later departures, rerouted through partner hubs, or, in some cases, left facing lengthy delays before an alternative seat becomes available.
Why Cabin Crew Are Striking
Behind the cancellations lies a simmering labor dispute that reflects broader tensions in the global aviation industry. Cabin crew unions argue that after years of pandemic disruption, pay freezes and intense operational pressure, Air New Zealand’s current offer fails to keep pace with inflation or adequately recognize the demands of long haul flying. Rising living costs in New Zealand, particularly in major cities like Auckland, are a key part of the backdrop.
Union leaders have described international wide body flying as uniquely draining work, involving irregular hours, back to back time zone changes, extended periods away from home and responsibility for safety and service on flights often exceeding 12 hours. Rosters change month to month, leaving little predictability for family life, sleep patterns or financial planning. Representatives from both E tū and the Flight Attendants’ Association have argued that many crew fear they will slip back below a liveable wage within a short time if pay rates do not move more decisively.
Beyond pay, there is also unease about proposals that would, in the union view, link wage increases to concessions on long standing conditions and onboard safety standards. Cabin crew say they are unwilling to trade away protections they see as fundamental to both passenger safety and their own wellbeing in exchange for incremental salary gains. The strike is therefore as much about the shape of future working conditions as it is about headline pay percentages.
Air New Zealand’s Response and Strategy
From the airline’s perspective, the dispute is unfolding against a backdrop of challenging economics. Air New Zealand has highlighted the financial strain of the post pandemic recovery, ongoing engine supply issues that have grounded some aircraft, and the high cost of operating an ultra long haul network from an island nation at the edge of the world’s major markets. Management has framed its pay offers as an effort to balance fair recognition of crew contributions with the need to keep fares competitive and the business sustainable.
In the short term the focus is firmly on damage control. The airline has stressed that domestic and regional services within New Zealand will operate as normal on the strike days, and that most Tasman and Pacific Island routes are being protected through careful redeployment of narrow body aircraft and schedule adjustments. By shifting capacity and retiming flights, Air New Zealand aims to keep key short haul and regional links open even as the long haul operation takes a hit.
At the same time, the carrier has entered into facilitated bargaining with union representatives, a formal process aimed at breaking the deadlock with the help of external mediators. There is recognition on all sides that a prolonged stand off would be damaging not only to the airline and its staff but to New Zealand’s broader connectivity, trade and tourism. However, with the first walkouts now imminent, any breakthrough is unlikely to avert the current wave of cancellations.
Impact on Routes, Hubs and Global Connectivity
For travelers around the world, the most visible effects of the strike are on the network itself. The heaviest cancellations have fallen on services linking Auckland to major gateways in North America and Asia. Flights to Los Angeles, San Francisco, Houston and Vancouver have been among those cut or rescheduled, along with key Asian destinations that normally carry a mix of business travelers, tourists and connecting traffic to Europe and beyond.
Because Auckland acts as Air New Zealand’s primary long haul hub, disruptions there quickly ripple across multiple itineraries. A single cancelled transpacific flight can strand hundreds of travelers who had planned to connect onwards to Australian cities such as Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane, or to domestic destinations across New Zealand. Even when Tasman flights operate as scheduled, missed connections upstream can leave seats empty on one leg and long standby lists on another.
For Australian and North American passengers, the strike comes at a time when global aviation is already under pressure from industrial action in other regions. Strikes involving airlines, air traffic controllers and ground staff have recently affected travel in Germany, France, Italy and Belgium, creating a patchwork of disruptions. The Air New Zealand stoppage adds another node to this global pattern, complicating itineraries that might once have relied on smooth interline transfers and predictable long haul schedules.
What Passengers Can Expect and How to Navigate the Disruption
For affected travelers, the experience varies considerably depending on route, fare type and flexibility. Air New Zealand has been contacting customers on cancelled services with a menu of options that typically includes free rebooking on alternative dates, rerouting via partner airlines in the Star Alliance network, or refunds and travel credits. The exact choices depend on seat availability and the complexity of the itinerary, particularly when code share flights or separate tickets are involved.
Those who have not yet received a notification but are due to travel around the strike dates should assume that schedules may still change at short notice. Even flights that currently appear confirmed can be affected by aircraft and crews being out of position. Travelers with essential commitments, such as onward cruises, important business meetings or fixed tour departures, may wish to explore backup plans or speak with travel agents about contingency options.
At airports, passengers can expect longer queues at service desks as staff work through rebookings and last minute changes. Hotels and accommodation near major hubs like Auckland are likely to feel the strain as disrupted travelers seek overnight stays during extended layovers. Travel insurance policies may offer some protection for additional costs, but coverage varies widely, and many policies treat industrial action differently from weather or mechanical delays.
Why This Matters for New Zealand’s Tourism and Economy
Beyond the immediate inconvenience for individual travelers, the strike highlights just how critical Air New Zealand’s long haul network is to the country’s broader tourism and export economy. New Zealand sits far from its key visitor markets in North America, Europe and Asia, and relies heavily on stable, reliable air links to move people and high value goods in and out of the country. Even a brief disruption can undermine confidence and complicate logistics for tour operators, exporters and conference organizers.
For tourism, the timing is particularly sensitive. February falls in the Southern Hemisphere summer, a peak period for international visitors drawn by New Zealand’s outdoor attractions, festivals and cruise season. Long haul cancellations risk spoiling carefully planned itineraries that may have been booked months in advance, and could deter some future travelers who perceive the country as harder to reach or more vulnerable to disruption.
Exporters of time sensitive goods, such as fresh produce and high value manufactured items flown in the belly of passenger aircraft, also feel the impact when wide body services are pulled. While some freight can be shifted to cargo only flights or alternative routes, capacity is finite, and rates can spike when demand outstrips supply. The strike therefore feeds into broader conversations about resilience, redundancy and the risks of depending heavily on a single national carrier for long haul connectivity.
What Comes Next for Air New Zealand and Its Passengers
As the first strike days unfold, all eyes will be on the bargaining table. Both Air New Zealand and the unions have signaled a willingness to keep talking, and facilitated negotiations are underway in an effort to find a compromise that crew members can accept and the airline can afford. The requirement for unions to give advance notice of any further industrial action offers some predictability for future travelers, but it also underscores that the current dispute may not be resolved overnight.
In the medium term, the outcome of this standoff is likely to set a benchmark for labor relations across the airline and potentially influence talks in other parts of the aviation sector. If the unions secure significant gains on pay and roster stability, other employee groups may seek similar adjustments. If the airline holds a harder line, it risks further discontent and the possibility of renewed disruptions down the track.
For passengers and the wider travel industry, the immediate priority is to ride out the current wave of cancellations and schedule changes. The longer term question is whether New Zealand’s flag carrier can emerge with a sustainable cost base, a motivated workforce and the network resilience needed in an era where shocks to global aviation, from pandemics to engine shortages and industrial action, are becoming all too familiar. For now, Air New Zealand’s strike serves as a stark reminder of how swiftly tensions between airline economics and frontline working conditions can spill over into global travel chaos.