Starting next week, Air New Zealand is implementing new size and weight restrictions for pet carriers on its smaller domestic flights.
Under the updated policy, any pet carrier exceeding a combined total weight of 60 kilograms (pet plus carrier) will no longer be permitted on board.
Air NZ has restricted larger pets from some domestic flights following several staff injuries caused by lifting heavy carriers into aircraft holds.
Air New Zealand chief safety and integrity officer, Nathan McGraw, said the changes were necessary to ensure staff safety.
“It’s a bit of a tough call… [we] appreciate this will be disappointing. It’s fair to say the number of larger pets is smaller in number.”
According to McGraw, staff have suffered more than 50 injuries while loading large and bulky items into the holds of smaller aircraft in the past two years.
“When you’re loading these carriers into confined spaces, there’s a lot of moving, positioning and tilting – particularly if there’s a large animal inside that may move and shift, which creates a risk of injury to our people and to the wellbeing of the pet.”
“We understand this will be disappointing for some customers, but this change has been made for the safety of both our people and our four-legged friends.”
He explained that travellers with an animal and carrier exceeding 60 kg can still fly but must use a pet transport company.
“You can add the pet as you did in the past to your ticket, but it takes you through to those options.”
“Booking larger pets through a pet service and our cargo team means our people won’t have to manually lift heavy pets.”