Air New Zealand: Check-In and Boarding Pass Guide

Air New Zealand check-in opens 24 hours before departure. You'll get an email or app notification the moment it becomes available.

Closing times depend on the type of trip:

These cut-off times mark the end of the process: they include dropping off checked baggage if you have any. On long-haul routes, deadlines vary by airport, so plan to reach the counter well ahead of time and go by the time shown on your booking. After check-in, you'll still need to clear security and sometimes immigration, so build in a safety margin.

Air New Zealand offers three routes: the airline's website, the Air NZ app, and the airport itself (counter or self-service kiosk). Once online check-in is confirmed, you can't cancel it yourself; if your plans change and you no longer intend to fly, you'll need to contact the airline.

Online check-in isn't available for every itinerary. Air New Zealand lists several situations where you'll need to go through the airport instead: a flight on your itinerary isn't operated by Air New Zealand, your passport details aren't up to date, required visas are missing, you're travelling as an unaccompanied minor, or there's an ongoing operational issue. In these cases, the airline recommends allowing extra time on site.

Self-service kiosks let you print your boarding pass and bag tags. They're available at the following New Zealand airports, on the North Island: Auckland, Hamilton, Napier, New Plymouth, Palmerston North, Rotorua, Tauranga, Wellington. On the South Island: Blenheim, Christchurch, Dunedin, Invercargill, Nelson, Queenstown.

Once you've checked in, the airline emails you your boarding pass. You can print it at home or at an airport kiosk. Within New Zealand, Air New Zealand scans the boarding pass received by email directly from your phone. Elsewhere, practices vary by departure airport, so it's worth checking before you travel.

Seat selection remains possible at check-in, whether online or on mobile, subject to availability. Koru upgrades follow a separate timeline: during busy periods, some requests are only confirmed at the airport, depending on remaining seats and status level.

If your boarding pass doesn't arrive in your inbox, check the email address on file for your booking, then restart the process through the app or a kiosk at the airport.

For international flights, Air New Zealand reminds passengers that you must have all the necessary travel documents, including passport, NZeTA for New Zealand, ESTA for the USA, eTA for Canada, or any required visa; without these documents boarding will be refused. What's required depends on your nationality and route, including if you're simply transiting.

When online check-in is offered on an international flight, the airline asks that you have any required visas and border declarations ready before completing it. Incomplete or expired passport details on file are a cited cause of blocked check-in, so update them in your booking before check-in opens.

Check-in is only one step: if you're travelling with checked baggage, print your tags at a kiosk, then drop your bags at the bag drop point before the deadline shown on your itinerary. The free allowance depends on the fare purchased and the route; the airline notes that extra fees may apply to checked baggage exceeding the allowed limit. For valuables, Air New Zealand specifies that our maximum liability in case of destruction, loss, damage or delay of checked baggage is limited to 1519 SDR, and suggests declaring a higher value at check-in, subject to any applicable fees, or insuring your bags. Laptops, cameras, jewellery, cash and travel documents should stay in the cabin.

On an itinerary combining several airlines, each carrier may apply its own baggage rules and its own check-in process; the segment not operated by Air New Zealand is sometimes handled separately. The same applies with other airlines you might fly on a longer trip: see the check-in process at Air Canada, Air China's check-in times, or the procedure at Aegean. For a regional flight in French Polynesia, Air Moana's rules also differ.

For an unaccompanied minor, a tight connection, or special assistance needs, going to the counter remains the safe option. Finally, travellers who prefer it can hand their check-in over to iBoardingPass, which completes it on their behalf as soon as it opens and emails them the boarding pass.