Hi there, does anyone know how long before your flight you can drop your checked bags for AIrNZ at Auckland International?
Also is there a restriction on how long before your flight you can enter the AirNZ lounge?
Our flight is at 11.55am to Seoul and we would like to be in the lounge by 8am for work reasons, hopefully the premium check in area will be open by the time we travel (late June).
thanks ppkpm

 

Think same calendar day is fine for check-in in AKL.

Lounge I think is 4h (unless connecting) depending how busy is how strict they are. As in will scan red before 4h.

 

I've definitely been rejected at CHC domestic more than 4h before flight, no connection. They said they could be a bit flexible but I think I was really early.

In case same calendar day doesn't work, I have used the luggage lockers outside AKL dom. Luggage lockers: how civilized!

 

I've had no problem dropping bags at AKL premium international check in 10-12 hours before the flight. Very useful service if you have say flown into AKL on a non-connecting domestic early am and need to head into the CBD for meetings during the day prior to flying out to North America etc in the evening.

 

Similar question: what's the earliest you can actually check-in during the same calendar day out of AKL?

I'm on the 9:40am departure to TPE in J, after arriving in AKL the night before on a separate ticket (QF, in J) scheduled for 11:30pm (so out of customs no sooner than midnight). I'm betting QF won't interline separate ticket to NZ, so I'll need to collect my checked bags and re-check them at NZ check-in counter in AKL. However, pursuing the departure schedule, it seems NZ usually has no international departures between midnight and 6:30am-7:00am-ish so I'm also guessing their check-in counter won't be open until somewhere like 3:30am-5:00am. Is that the case? Is there automated bag drop machines that would take my bags same calendar day but 8+ hours pre-departure?

I know in any event I can't enter airside until the next morning, but I'd like to check my bags so I can perhaps make use of the time and get out of the airport rather than babysit them at McDonalds for a long night. International terminal luggage storage appears to close at 11pm so the only other option seems to be walking them to the domestic terminal and using the 24/7 luggage lockers, but adding that detour is not desirable.

 

There is no overnight baggage storage at AKL so QF would never interline bags. It's a 7-8 min walk to the rental car area and baggage lockers.

Not being Auckland based I'm not 100% sure what time Air NZ open their international check-in but I'd pick it'd probably be around 0400

 

The Novotel is directly over the road, a bed sounds more appealing than waiting at the airport all night.

 

Also the Pullman.

 

I debated it when I booked the flight but I am young and dumb enough that I'd rather go see/do something and stay up rather than pay even a modest amount to sleep in a proper bed before I inevitably sleep again on the 11 hour flight.

Besides, I'll probably be waking up quite late in BNE and make good use of my 4pm checkout so it's not that much of a
"long day". As a point of reference, I slept a solid 9 hours on my inbound LAX-AKL this week after a 22 hour day in LA and was (shockingly, actually) well rested enough to then spend the whole day sightseeing without napping despite a generous 8am early check-in.

(Of course, what one can see/do overnight in AKL on a Monday is a fair question &#128514

For the bags, so far it seems my options are walking them to domestic terminal parking storage lockers or holding on until at least 4-5am until the counter opens.

 

I am pretty sure there are lockers in Intl terminal. Sure they are on ground floor on Southern end of building? So, exit arrivals area and turn right…towards all the check in areas. 99% sure lockers are on left somewhere?

 

Might want a rental car to get around easily at that time of night / morning, in which case leave the luggage in the boot?

There's Zilch and Mevo with discounted overnight rental from the airport.