New Zealand is bracing for one of the most severe storms to hit the country this century, with Cyclone Gabrielle bearing down on the North Island. Air New Zealand has released advice to passengers about what the airline is doing to limit the cyclone's impact on their travel plans, but the news is not good.

According to reports in the NZ Herald this morning, Cyclone Gabrielle is now a severe category three storm that is likely to dump around a month's worth of rain (300 millimeters /12 inches) in 24 hours and lash the island with winds of up to 150 kilometers per hour (93 mph).

A State of Emergency has been declared in Auckland and surrounding districts, with residents warned to stock at least three days of essential supplies, including food, water, batteries, and medication. The most recent models show that the cyclone will start impacting on Sunday, with the worst to come on Monday and Tuesday.

What's on the way to NZ

The message from Air New Zealand

Photo: Air New Zealand

Air New Zealand (ANZ) suggests that passengers due to travel in the forecast period reassess their plans and take advantage of the airline's flexibility policy to rebook flights. Chief customer and sales officer Leanne Geraghty said the airline is doing everything within its power to limit the impact of the cyclone on travel plans, but "customers should be prepared as there may be some delays or cancelations."

"We encourage those with non-urgent travel, travelling to, from or through Auckland, Whangarei, Kerikeri, Tauranga, Hamilton and New Plymouth between Sunday 12 February and Friday 17 February to consider use of our flexibility policy.

"Customers can either hold their fare in credit for 12 months or rebook in the same class between Sunday 12 February 2023 and Wednesday 22 February 2023 without fare difference, penalty or service fees."

ANZ call center is already under pressure

Photo: Auckland Airport

The airline says its call center is already receiving thousands of calls on the cyclone's expected impact on travel and has asked customers only to call if their inquiry is urgent. It added that customers who may be impacted by changes in the airline's schedules will be emailed directly and that all customers keep an eye on the Air NZ app or the website for up-to-date information. Geraghty said:

"At this stage, our customer care teams don't have any more detail around potential schedule changes so we ask customers to bear with us and we will be in touch once we have more information. We will continue to update our website with more information as we monitor and plan for Cyclone Gabrielle."

New Zealand, and Auckland Airport (AKL) in particular, has barely recovered from the extreme flooding that put the nation's main airport out of action in late January. With the clean-up across Auckland not yet completed and the region heavily waterlogged, it is understandable that the country, and its airline, are bracing themselves for the worst as the cyclone heads their way.

If you are affected by the cyclone's impact on travel, please let us know what's happening in the comments.

Source: NZ Herald