An Air New Zealand passenger trying to get in touch with the airline has tried an interesting tactic. In Monday's NZ Herald, the customer placed an advertisement requesting the airline to get in touch with the person.

Passenger places an ad in the newspaper

The passenger in question, whose name is unknown, placed the ad in NZ Herald's Monday edition. According to the advertisement, the passenger has tried to contact Air New Zealand but with no results. So, they placed an ad in the newspaper with their booking code. Air New Zealand is reported to have gotten in touch with the passenger after the advertisement appeared in the paper.

This is an incredibly interesting way to get in touch with an airline. Most airlines have multiple communication channels. This includes traditional phone calls, emails, online contact forms, and even social media channels. Although, given the unprecedented nature of this crisis, most airlines are struggling to keep up with the number of people calling.

Air New Zealand provided Simple Flying with the following comment:

We reached out this customer yesterday and are working to assist them with their query. We know that Covid-19 has impacted our customers greatly and we are deeply sorry for the disruption this crisis has caused to so many of our customers’ travel plans. We acknowledge that as we have worked through the thousands of flight cancellations it has often been difficult to get in touch with us. Our Contact Centre has been extremely busy with our teams working extra shifts to help clear backlogs. We would like to thank all of our customers for their patience and understanding over the past two months.

Air New Zealand under fire for refunds

While it is unclear what the passenger's issue was, most people contacting airlines today are trying to cancel their flights– or else get refunds for airline-canceled trips. Consumer NZ, an organization in New Zealand that monitors consumers' rights and unfair practices, announced that it had called out the airline for failing to provide refunds on canceled US flights. Not too long after, Consumer NZ released a statement indicating that Air New Zealand backed down and will issue refunds for passengers.

What to do if you can't get in touch with an airline

Airline customer representatives are under intense strain right now. Since the crisis began earlier this year, most airlines have been overwhelmed with customer queries leading to long wait times on the phone.

If you are not traveling within 72 hours, consider holding off from calling your airline until you are within that window. In addition, there are a few different ways you can get customer service fast. If you are multilingual, see if your airline has customer support in other languages. Sometimes those lines are less packed. Also, try calling either early in the morning or late at night when few other people are calling.

Beyond that, try reaching out to your airline through other channels. While it may not be faster, it can be more convenient to wait for a response through a social media messaging platform or email.

It is not a good idea to release information publicly like this. Some people may be able to access your reservation or other personal details. Airlines understand that things are fluid and, if you are owed any form of credits, some will likely work with you even after your scheduled flight has departed to give you the credits or vouchers that you are owed.

Overall

Getting in touch with an airline can be a tough affair even at the best of times. About seven years ago, a British Airways passenger was upset at how the airline was handling a complaint that he had. So, he purchased a promoted tweet calling out British Airways according to a report from BBC News.

Nevertheless, it is best to be as patient as possible when trying to get support from an airline during this time of crisis.

Do you think this newspaper advertisement was a good idea? Let us know in the comments!