Air New Zealand tries to recover 9,000 travellers stranded by floods

Bloomberg

Air New Zealand Ltd. is attempting one of its biggest-ever passenger recoveries, trying to rebook some 9,000 travellers stranded around the world or stuck at home, unable to fly due to floods in Auckland.
With spare capacity on airlines already limited, the task has turned into a complex logistical puzzle for the New Zealand carrier. Some passengers are being squeezed onto an Airbus SE superjumbo provided by Singapore Airlines Ltd., while others might end up on flights originally scheduled to carry cargo.
While passengers have been rebooked at a rate of two per minute, about 300 still don’t have alternative travel plans locked in, Air New Zealand said.
The disruptions to inbound and outbound travel follow the closure of Auckland Airport at the weekend after heavy rain lashed the city and caused widespread flooding.
Some people stranded in Singapore were told it would be difficult to find seats on other flights before the end of February.
Auckland, home to 1.6 million people, has been cleaning up after the torrential rain, which has devastated homes and killed four people. Air New Zealand said it is keeping a close eye on the weather over the coming days.
The carrier said alliance partner Singapore Airlines laid on an A380, the world’s largest passenger plane, instead of a Boeing Co. 777 to help its customers get in or out of the city-state.
Air New Zealand is also operating more recovery flights from Japan and Samoa to bring people home.
The airline earlier added an extra flight from Los Angeles to get another 300 passengers back to New Zealand. Its New York service planned to stop in Fiji to collect 111 passengers on the way through.