Pilot refused to fly shoeless children
The boot is on the other foot for passengers on an Air New Zealand flight delayed by barefoot children, with National Party MP Gerry Brownlee criticising the airline for being family unfriendly.
It emerged yesterday that two MPs - Mr Brownlee and Labour's Lianne Dalziel - were among the 104 passengers delayed for nearly an hour on Monday when the pilot refused to take off because two children did not have shoes on.
After checking with the pilot, the airline confirmed today that the shoeless children, believed to be aged about two and four years, was the safety reason the flight was delayed.
Ground crew unloaded part of the plane's luggage hold to find the family's bags, a spokesman said.
"The bag with the shoes was not readily found in the hold, so the captain finally made the decision that he could not hold the flight up any longer and departed."
Mr Brownlee, a father of three, criticised the pilot's "stupid" decision.
"Air NZ has made a complete pig's ear of this," he said.
"I don't think it's offensive that three and four-year-old kids don't have their shoes on, it's not like they're allowed to run around the plane.
"If the plane hits the deck then shoes aren't going to save you."
A frequent flier, Mr Brownlee said he had never seen any evidence of a dress standard on flights, and if there was, passengers should be told.
Claims barefoot passengers were a safety risk were ridiculous, as long-haul travellers were advised to remove their shoes to prevent swollen ankles - and were given slippers by the airline.
Air New Zealand had rebranded itself as a cheap, family-friendly national carrier but had demonstrated precious little regard for children, he said.