Kate Hawkesby: Looks like Auckland Airport is improving

I come to you today with – fingers crossed – great news.  

I say fingers crossed because let’s hope it lasts, I don’t want to be accused of speaking too soon, but I’m hearing reports that Auckland airport is on the improve. For starters, it’s opened an express lane. Very heartened by the headline yesterday which read, “Auckland Airport trials screening Express Lane to cut down unacceptable wait times”. I mean is that not music to all of our ears?

Kate Hawkesby: For all the people ‘hopping across the Tasman’ at the moment, I can tell you it’s not a hop

For all the people ‘hopping across the Tasman’ at the moment I can tell you one thing - it’s not a hop.  

It used to be a short haul quick trip - painless. But these days it seems to be less painless and more painful.

I’m not sure who’s more at fault - Auckland Airport or Air New Zealand, or both. Of the three times I’ve crossed the Tasman in the last month; I’ve been held up on the tarmac or delayed every time - twice without any communication at all.

Kate Hawkesby: Someone needs to front on the state of Auckland Airport

With all the travelling that’s taken place these last few weeks with school holidays and people bailing to beat the winter blues, I’m confounded more and more by the state of Auckland airport.

It’s a shambles.

Now during and immediately after Covid, you can accept staffing’s an issue, that a few things aren’t right, that it’s not running as well as it should be. You can forgive the dysfunction.