A Kiwi mother says a disrupted journey with Air New Zealand left her young autistic son distressed, after what was meant to be a direct flight to Bali turned into more than 30 hours of travel across three countries.
Kama Kanic said she and her nine-year-old son had booked a direct flight from Auckland to Bali earlier this month, paying extra for a Sky Couch to make the journey more comfortable for her autistic son.
On arriving at Auckland Airport for their flight, Kanic said the direct service had been cancelled and the pair were re-routed to Taipei.
"We were reassured that we'd been rebooked via Taipei with ''just a quick stop''. That quick stop became a nightmare,' she said in a post shared to Facebook.
Kanic said the replacement itinerary involved three flights over more than 30 hours, with the pair losing access to the Sky Couch, being given "unsuitable seating" and "no meaningful support for a child with autism".
She said the extended journey was particularly difficult for her son, who went about 20 hours without sleep and became so overwhelmed he was left "vomiting and crying".
"He dug deeper than any nine-year-old should ever have to. Watching him endure that was heartbreaking," Kanic said.
The family also lost two days of their holiday due to the travel delays.
Rainbow lanyards for those needing support
Air New Zealand partnered with Autism New Zealand and said it offered support services for disabled passengers, including recognising sunflower lanyards, often worn by disabled travellers who required additional support.
The airline also said staff received training to support neurodivergent passengers, with customers able to request special assistance prior to travelling.
Kanic said her son was wearing one of the airline’s sunflower lanyards but she felt his needs were not adequately recognised during the journey.
Rather than seeking compensation, Kanic said she asked the airline to extend booking for the family's return flights by two days to make up for the time they had lost.
She said she was initially told making changes to the booking would cost around $700.
Air NZ apologises, extends return flights
An Air New Zealand spokesperson confirmed to 1News the airline had extended the family's return flights by two days.
"We have been in contact with this customer and are working with them to support their return journey,” a spokesperson for the airline said.
In an update, Kanic said the airline had since apologised after reviewing what had happened and told her the experience would be used as a training opportunity for staff.
She said Air New Zealand had also reinstated the family’s Sky Couch for the return journey at no additional cost.
"While nothing can undo what happened on our journey to Bali, I genuinely appreciate Air New Zealand acknowledging our experience, taking steps to learn from it, and doing what they could to make things right," Kanic said.
Kanic also thanked two Air New Zealand staff members, saying they had listened to her concerns, helped arrange the changes and ensured the family’s new travel plans were in place.
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