It appears Air New Zealand is looking to change or at least simplify its trans-Tasman airfare structure.
In an email sent to Airpoints members on Wednesday, the airline asked for feedback on its current economy airfare selection, which consists of Seat, Seat + Bag, The Works and Works Deluxe
With flights to Australia on hold, the airline looks to be taking advantage of that downtime to review some of its operations.
"While we can't visit our Aussie neighbours at the moment, we're taking a good look at the fare types we have available on these flights. Your input in this survey will be used to improve the services we have available in the future," the email said.
The email included a survey which focused on the popularity of the different airfare types, as well as which feature makes each specific airfare the most attractive.
Each question focused on which aspect of the airfare was most important.
For example, for someone travelling on a Seat + Bag fare, the survey asked whether they considered the limited entertainment, check-in bag or a carry-on bag the main reason or benefit of that fare.
For those booking a Works Deluxe ticket, the customers were asked if they considered a carry-on bag, two checked in bags, full inflight entertainment including movies, complimentary meal and drinks, standard seat select, premium check in, baggage and boarding or the guaranteed empty seat next to them the best feature.
Air NZ launched the 'Seats to Suit' airfares in 2010 in an effort to compete with budget airlines such as Jetstar on shorter routes.
Up until the COVID-19 pandemic, Jetstar operated cut-price airfares on Tasman routes, while Qantas' bookings included inflight entertainment, food and drink, regardless of the level of the fare.