"Air NZ strike a 'last resort' as cabin crew struggle to pay rent, union says", 12 February 2026

Air New Zealand says staff are working "around the clock" to minimise disruption as cabin crews go on strike Thursday and Friday.

Flight attendants working on board the airline's wide-body long range aircraft will stop work over stalled talks on pay and conditions.

Air New Zealand said 46 flights had been cancelled ahead of the strikes.

Chief customer and digital officer, Jeremy O'Brien, said teams were working to rebook and support the nearly 9500 customers affected…

Striking a last resort

E tū union's national secretary, Rachel Mackintosh, said the strike action was "a last resort" for members frustrated by the failure to reach an agreement after nearly 10 months of negotiations.

"The crew are - from a passenger point of view - the people who make Air New Zealand such a great airline, who keep people safe, manage crisis and are first responders. Pretty much every member of the travelling public will have seen flight crew manage difficult situations, calm people down who are anxious travellers, manage conflicts, keep every body healthy and safe.

"That's really important work and the crew are so professional that they make it look easy but it's actually complex and responsible work," Mackintosh said.

She said while cabin crews received additional allowances for long hours and time away from home, the low base salary for flight attendants meant many faced problems paying rent or getting loans.

"The base pay [for flight attendants] is very low. Currently less than $60,000 a year. That is the only guaranteed income that people have and not all crew get much more than that because the extra allowances really depend on where you go and what roster you get…

Airline responds

Air New Zealand said it had offered to increase base salaries by a range of 4.14 percent to 6.41 percent and more pay talks were scheduled for later this month.

Chief people officer Nikki Dines said looking at base pay alone did not provide the full picture.

"Cabin crew have a unique remuneration structure where base pay is a guaranteed income, regardless of the hours they work.

"In addition to base salary, cabin crew receive other payments and allowances linked to duties undertaken, which significantly increases their total remuneration."…