Air NZ recalls furloughed Airbus A320 cabin crew for Oz, Raro flights

Air NZ will recall all of its A320 cabin crew who are currently on furlough, as the airline begins preparations for quarantine-free travel to Australia and Rarotonga early next year. It says the 175 cabin crew members have been on furlough since June, having chosen to stay connected to the airline rather than take redundancy. Air NZ general manager of cabin crew Leeanne Langridge said it was exciting to be able to offer these cabin crew a position back with the airline. Union for cabin crew, E tū, says the airline has the chance to repair some damage done earlier this year if it gets the re-hiring process right. Langridge said: "We know these crew are really keen to get back on board, so it's been heartwarming to make these phone calls before Christmas." It is hoped two-way quarantine-free travel bubbles can be established with Australia and Rarotonga by the end of March. Although the Government has not fixed a firm date for the establishment of a bubble, airlines have started loading much more capacity into their booking systems from March 28.<br/>