Upgrades
Make your flight a little more comfortable and a lot more special.
How to upgrade
There are three ways you can upgrade your cabin class when travelling with Air New Zealand.
Buy an upgrade
Economy and Premium Economy
Buy an upgrade to either Premium Economy or Business Premier.
You'll enjoy all the extras that come with your upgrade purchase such as more space, a better seat and premium dining, extra baggage allowance and priority boarding. If you upgrade to Business Premier, you'll also receive access to an Air New Zealand or partner lounge, when available.
Skycouch
You can upgrade your Economy seat to an Economy Skycouch if your flight has Skycouch onboard and there are Skycouches available.
Your own row of three seats converts to one big couch, making your flight super comfortable. If you're flying with a partner or your children, it can be a great option.
How to buy an upgrade
You can purchase an upgrade after you have made a booking. Simply manage your booking online or log in to your Air NZ app. Your upgrade is confirmed as soon as you make the purchase, and you'll receive an updated booking confirmation.
Make an offer with OneUp
OneUp allows you to place an offer for an upgrade. Simply decide how much you'd like to pay for your upgrade. The amount you offer will apply to each person in your booking. We recommend you place your OneUp offer at least three days before your flight.
If your offer is accepted, you pay the agreed amount and you and others in your booking move up a cabin class. If you don't get the upgrade, you don't pay a cent.
If you're Koru Silver, Koru Gold, Koru Platinum or Koru Black, we'll upweight your offer depending on your tier level. This will apply to everyone in your booking.
You can use OneUp to upgrade one cabin class.
- From Economy to Premium Economy
- From Premium Economy to Business Premier
If you're travelling in Economy class on a flight with a Skycouch, you can also use OneUp to make an offer to be upgraded to an Economy Skycouch.
OneUp requests are reviewed at different times leading up to the flight departure. If your upgrade is confirmed, you'll see this in your Air NZ app. In some cases, an upgrade may happen at the last minute, such as at the departure gate. During busy travel periods, we may be unable to confirm upgrade requests.
Earn an upgrade with Koru
Koru is our frequent flyer programme. The more you fly, the more you benefit - and that includes access to exclusive upgrades.
Recognition Upgrades
If you're Koru Black, you'll receive three Recognition Upgrades per membership year. Koru Gold and Koru Platinum get two per year, and Koru Silver get one per year. You can use them to upgrade one cabin class on one sector of a journey. Learn more Recognition Upgrades.
Short haul Recognition Upgrades
Koru Platinum and Koru Black also receive one Short haul Recognition Upgrade each membership year. You can request an Economy to Business Premier upgrade when you fly to most trans-Tasman and Pacific Islands destinations. You can use your upgrade yourself, or gift it to someone else.
Use your Short haul Recognition Upgrade
Airpoints Upgrades
Used up your Recognition Upgrades? Koru Platinum and Koru Black can also request an upgrade using Airpoints at a fixed rate. You can apply to upgrade on short and long haul Air New Zealand flights.
Recognition Upgrades, Short haul Recognition Upgrades and Airpoints Upgrades are reviewed at different times leading up to the flight departure. If confirmed, you'll see this reflected in your Air NZ app. In some cases, an upgrade may happen at the last minute, such as at the departure gate. During busy travel periods, we may be unable to confirm upgrade requests
Star Alliance upgrades
Travelling overseas on a Star Alliance airline? As a Koru member you can request to buy an upgrade with Airpoints, as long as you have purchased an eligible booking class and there are seats available. The upgrade options depend on your airline. View Star Alliance upgrade rates and info.
Star Alliance upgrades are confirmed immediately.