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Air New Zealand.

Air New Zealand Upgrades
If you have purchased a ticket on an Air New Zealand ticketed and operated flight, you can use your Airpoints Dollars™ to upgrade.

In addition to upgrades between Economy and Business, on long-haul routes dedicated to our new three class structure, upgrades are available between Economy, Premium Economy and Business Premier. To see how many Airpoints Dollars are required for an upgrade, click here.

You'll need a confirmed booking with an Air New Zealand flight number. To request an upgrade, click here.

There are three types of Airpoints™ upgrade: standby, confirmed, and complimentary.

You can also request a last minute standby upgrade or redeem your complimentary upgrades at the airport. They can be requested at the Air New Zealand ticketing desk or at the lounges in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Dunedin, Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Los Angeles and the Air New Zealand ticketing desks in London and San Francisco. To enable best chance for confirmation and fist meal choice, we recommend that you request your upgrade at least 24 hours prior to departure.


Standby Upgrades

  • Can be requested up to 355 days (but not less than four hours) before your scheduled flight.
  • If your standby upgrade isn't provided at check-in, you will receive a refund of your Airpoints Dollars or the return of the complimentary upgrade used to purchase it.
  • Gold members may receive confirmation of their upgrade up to 3 days prior to their scheduled flight.
  • For Gold Elite members, standby upgrades may be confirmed once their booking has been ticketed.  
  • Are limited in availability.


Confirmed Upgrades

  • Can be confirmed up to 355 days (but not less than four hours) before your scheduled flight, subject to availability.
  • Have greater availability than standby upgrades.
  • Are only available in conjunction with some fares (see the upgrade chart for details).


Complimentary Upgrades

  • A special type of standby upgrade, only available to Airpoints Silver, Gold and Gold Elite members.
  • Complimentary upgrades may be gifted by Gold Elite members only.
  • Silver members may receive confirmation of their upgrade up to 48 hours prior to their scheduled flight.
  • Gold members may receive confirmation of their upgrade up to 72 hours prior to their scheduled flight.
  • For Gold Elite members, complimentary upgrades may be confirmed once their booking has been ticketed.  
  • Prior confirmation of complimentary upgrades is subject to limited booking class availability being present within the cabin sought at the time the upgrade request is considered.
  • Two complimentary upgrades are required to bypass Premium Economy and upgrade from Economy to Business Premier on long haul routes dedicated to an Economy, Premium Economy and Business Premier offering.
  • If your upgrade isn't provided at check-in, your complimentary upgrade will be refunded.
  • You can see how many complimentary upgrades you have available online.
  • Just login to 'My Account' and go to your Account Summary. Or, if you've not logged in before, register now.


Please note that upgrades are only available on Air New Zealand operated flights. They are not available in conjunction with Airpoints companion tickets, Star Award tickets, flights booked in X class, travel industry fares, or prize/promotional tickets. For more information, see Airpoints Terms and Conditions.

Airpoints > Spending Airpoints Dollars

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