AirNZ-Will they lose my checked bag?

Know plenty of people who regularly fly AirNZ and no-one has ever mentioned losing a bag. On domestic flights the bags are on the same plane.

In Australia and New Zealand it is very common to check a bag on a domestic flight. The carry on size limits in Australia and New Zealand are generally slightly smaller than the US sizes. It's about what will fit in the overhead luggage bins. Depending on the route the plane might be a lot smaller than is used in the US. AirNZ seems to use narrow body A320s on a lot of domestic routes.

The carry on weight limit is 7kg so unless your usual carry on bag is super light, you will probably fail the weight test as well as the size test. A suitcase carry on plus a backpack will likely be rejected.

I have no experience of gate checking, so don't know if AirNZ will do this. It is not common in Australia or New Zealand except for child strollers and wheelchairs.

Reading the recent news reports of lost bags at Auckland airport, it seems that the issue is related to international not domestic travel. Bags have been separated from their owners when coming from destinations affected by weather and staff chaos - ie. their bags have either not made it on to the original flight or have missed connections en route.

Air NZ domestic travel does not seem to be experiencing bag issues, and personally would have no concerns with checking a bag. If things were to go wrong, the Air NZ network is not complicated, so you won't be that far away from being reunited.

I'm not aware of 'gate check' for bags here. Self check in kiosks are the norm and then tag and bag drop before security. There is no option to check your bag at the gate (well, there is Fast Bag, but that's only regional flights and only a perk available for frequent flyer members)

The domestic carry on limit is 7kg. With a backpack and a carry on, I'd be surprised if you are within this limit, but you may be able to style this out if your bags are not too large or cumbersome, as they are not normally strict. In saying that, I do not see NZ travellers carrying on everything but the kitchen sink like you sometimes see in the US, so if this is you, you may stand out.

HI AussieNomad & Kiwi,
Your response could not be more helpful...THANK YOU! Both of your responses confirmed that checking my bag is the way to go on a Domestic Econ. Our domestic flights to Christchurch are on Airbus 320: AussieNomad including that spec made me very confident about what to expect.
It was great learning that Econ bags go on the plane and hopefully, February won't be crazy busy with tourists, so they'll have room on the plane for bags.
Thanks again!
JP

Oh OH! Now I am wondering about carrying on a legal (by US standards) carry on roller board, and AirNZ website shows they are more liberal with sizes (we are booked on a Boeing 777-300 business flight.
I will check the website again. Media reports on lost baggage are focused on int'l flights, so I want to carry-on for sure. Some articles note that long haul flight bags can go missing for 9-10 days!! Sure fire way to ruin a vacation.
Any intell on those long-hauls?

Thank you.
JP

Here's Air NZ info about carry on. Since you're flying business, you get extra perks which look like they will help with your situation:

https://www.airnewzealand.co.nz/carry-on-baggage

If your connection to Christchurch is the same day as your arrival into Auckland, here's some info relative to transferring Auckland international to domestic which will be useful:

https://www.airnewzealand.co.nz/connecting-at-auckland

All domestic Air NZ seats are the same class - there is no economy or business. The service on the flight is the same for everyone. Your business class fare though will give you additional baggage allowance and if travelling from a connecting international Air NZ flight, you'll get access to the domestic Koru (frequent flyer) lounge (it's a bit short on space in Auckland domestic, but handy to the gates for Chch flights:

https://www.airnewzealand.co.nz/lounges

Just recently returned from a 6 week trip to New Zealand . We flew on Air New Zealand from LA to Auckland and then a separate ticket from Auckland to Christchurch. Our return was from Auckland. No issues with our checked bags whatsoever. Service on the flight was excellent in Premium Economy.