The Koru Lounge is back - but not as we knew it

From today, many of Air New Zealand's Koru Lounges open for the first time since the level 4 lockdown began in late March, but restaurant table service rules will apply and, for now, it's soft drinks only. Patrons in the Wellington and Christchurch domestic lounges will need to take a seat and wait to be served with a selection of packaged snacks. Auckland travellers to main centres will dip out completely - the airport's domestic lounge is still under refurbishment and the temporary barn won't be open - although the spanking new lounge for regional flights will be taking Koru Club members, along with nine other regional airport lounges at Hamilton, Tauranga, Napier, New Plymouth, Palmerston North, Nelson, Queenstown, Dunedin and Invercargill. "Customers will be required to be seated once they enter the lounge and there'll be table service with packaged snacks on offer, as well as beverages," Air NZ's GM of customer experience, Nikki Goodman said. The 100 person maximum rule will apply in those lounges large enough to take that many.<br/>