Air NZ to amend booking engine after lawyer complains

Air New Zealand will make changes after a lawyer complained to the Commerce Commission over scarcity pricing tactics. Barrister Michael Wigley - whose criticism over opt-out insurance led to a formal warning for the airline in 2015 - has gone to the regulator over the Air NZ's use of the phrase 'Flight Selling Out'. He made the complaint after seeing the phrase when booking flights on his mobile. He said he got to the fine print after scrolling through 13 flights which showed: "Selling out means be quick - there are fewer than 5 seats at these prices." The reference is to the seats at a certain price being low, not the flight being close to full. The airline responded, "in hindsight we believe 'fewer than five seats available at these prices' would better reflect the message we are trying to convey to customers." "We are progressively amending both our mobile and desktop booking flows," a statement from the airline said. The airline didn't address the question of how long it had used the tactic. Air NZ, which was recently crowned New Zealand's most trusted brand by research firm Colmar Brunton, said it had not yet received any notification from regulators about the complaint that was made earlier this month. The Commerce Commission said it was still reviewing the most recent complaint. It received two others about scarcity tactics in the past 12 months, but has taken no action.<br/>