Terms and conditions for paid seat products

Last updated 11 April 2024

General

Your purchase of any Air New Zealand paid Seat Select product (including preferred seating, exit row seating, Twin Seats and Skycouch and Economy Stretch) is subject to these terms and conditions.

Paid seating availability and costs

The cost and type of paid Seat Select product that is available on a flight is displayed to our customers at the time that they make a flight booking on our website. Bookings for paid Seat Select products made through our contact centre will incur an additional service fee.

We may need to change your seat on the day of travel

If you have purchased a paid Seat Select product your seat is not guaranteed and we may need to change your seat on the day of travel. We may need to change your seat for operational, safety, legal or security reasons if we determine in our discretion that:

  • Another passenger with medical requirements or disability should be accommodated in your preferred seat; or
  • An infant/child and their caregiver should be accommodated your preferred seat; or
  • Where there is a safety, mechanical or operational reason (including aircraft change) that prevents your preferred seat from being occupied

If you have purchased a paid Seat Select product and your preferred seat is not accommodated, we will endeavour to allocate a suitable alternative seat to you. If we cannot do so, you will be eligible for a full refund of your paid Seat Select product.

Timing of booking

Paid Seat Select products may only be booked, and you may change your seat to another available seat, up to 90 minutes prior to departure for international flights and up to 30 minutes prior to departure for domestic New Zealand flights. If you select a more expensive seat, you will be required to pay the difference. If you wish to move to a seat of lesser value, you will not be refunded the difference.

A paid Seat Select reservation is applicable for one flight only but can be transferred to another flight if you amend your booking. It cannot be transferred to another passenger or booking.

Passengers with special requirements, such as medical assistance passengers or unaccompanied minors, are not eligible to book paid Seat Select products.

Paid Seat Select restrictions

Paid Seat Select products are subject to a number of restrictions.

Economy Skycouch™

Skycouch will only be provided to passengers named on the ticket.

Any children who are utilising the Skycouch must be accompanied by at least one adult.  

No more than two adults may utilise the Skycouch.  

If you are booked on a Skycouch seat, you are not permitted to place a "One Up" bid for the flight. 

If one or more passengers in a Skycouch booking upgrades their booking to a different seat or service class, the passengers remaining in the Skycouch booking will be required to make a fare difference payment for having fewer occupants in the Skycouch, or alternatively forfeit the Skycouch. To find out more, please call our contact centre.

Twin Seats

Twin Seats are not available on all flights and are subject to availability at the time of check-in.

Not all arm rests on-board our aircraft fully retract and therefore Twin Seat may not allow you to sit across or lay across multiple seats.

Exit Row Seats

Some seats may be in emergency exit rows which are situated next to or immediately behind the exit door ("Exit Row Seats"). The Civil Aviation Authority requires that in an evacuation, persons seated in Exit Row Seats must be able to provide assistance and open the emergency door. For this reason, to sit in an Exit Row Seat, you must be an able bodied person, 15 years and over, in full fitness and able to understand printed or verbal instructions given in English. You must be willing, as well as able, to assist in the case of an emergency evacuation. When requesting an Exit Row Seat you will be asked to verify your eligibility.

As the armrests in Exit Row Seats are fixed, it is a requirement that any person booking an Exit Row Seat must fit between the armrests without encroaching on adjacent seats.

If we determine in our sole discretion that you do not meet the requirements for an Exit Row seat, you will be assigned an alternative seat and you will not be refunded any additional amount paid for the Exit Row Seat.

If after the date of requesting an Exit Row Seat you become unable to fulfil the requirements set out above, you should contact Air New Zealand. You will be eligible for a refund if you contact us at least 48 hours before your flight.

Neighbour free seat

A Neighbour free seat is only available on selected flights and is subject to availability.

This product is available for sale until check-in closes and is not available for sale at the airport check-in or kiosk.

The adjacent Neighbour free seat would be shared with the passenger on the other side. It does not allow you to sit across or lay across multiple seats, and cannot be used for infant seating or for stowing items such as carry-on baggage or musical instruments.

Multiseat

Multiseat is only available on flight NZ1 southbound New York to Auckland and is subject to availability.

This product is available for sale up to four hours before departure and not available for sale at JFK airport check-in or kiosk.

Refunds for Seat Select

Refunds on paid Seat Select products are not available if you:

  • Cancel your booking, or change your mind and decide not to utilise your prepaid Seat Select; or
  • Have purchased (or someone else purchased on your behalf) the wrong seat by mistake; or
  • Are voluntarily or involuntarily upgraded to a higher fare type, product or cabin; or
  • Have purchased a seat in breach of these terms and conditions

You will be eligible for a full refund on the amount you paid for the paid Seat Select product if: 

  • On the day of travel your paid Seat Selecting option is not available due to an aircraft change, flight disruption, crew requirement, or for operational safety or security reasons, and we are not able to allocate you a suitable alternative seat (provided that we will not refund you for your Exit Row Seat if you do not meet the criteria specified above); or
  • You have a fully refundable ticket and you wish to refund your ticket - in this case, we will refund both your ticket cost and the paid Seat Selecting cost. We will not refund the paid Seat Selecting cost if you do not seek a refund of your full ticket; or
  • If you are flying to/from the USA, provided that the refund application is submitted within 24 hours of booking and at least 7 days before departure

You can submit a refund application online. If approved, refunds will be made to the same form of payment (e.g. credit card) used to pay for the paid Seat Select product.

No representation or warranty

To the fullest extent permitted by law, Air New Zealand makes no warranties (express or implied), and makes no representations with respect to the availability, suitability, advantages, features or experience of any particular paid Seat Select product. You agree that your decision to purchase a paid Seat Select is made based on your own judgment, tastes and preferences.

Variation

We may vary these terms and conditions from time to time. These terms and conditions will be updated on our website.