Air New Zealand adding 200 call centre staff members as lengthy wait times frustrate customers

Air New Zealand is drastically ramping up the size of its call centre team amid an increasing number of bookings, with customers facing long wait times on the phone. The company has acknowledged it is currently not providing "the level of service we're known for" as some travellers are forced to wait for hours to speak to a consultant. Air NZ is now in the process of adding an additional 200 staff members to its current team of around 250, meaning there will be more than 450 call centre staff once training is complete in around eight weeks. The call centre is under strain as COVID-19 restrictions continue to ease, seeing a dramatic increase in the number of Kiwis organising air travel and a greater proportion wanting to speak with the airline for assistance. The airline's Chief Customer and Sales Officer Leanne Geraghty said these customers should not be waiting as long as they currently are. "I can certainly acknowledge how frustrating that experience will have been for our customers - that level of customer service is not what we want to deliver at all," she said. "We are working full steam ahead to get it sorted out and get resourced up properly, as quickly as we can, and get back to delivering the service standard that we're proud of and known for."<br/>