Here we need to visit the Embassy, be screened, pay a visa fee, leave them our passport several weeks, and now we have these extra conditions including I think a 3 hour check in and A5 NOT A4 carry on bags (which means no onboard laptops!):

At the direction of United States Government, additional security measures have now been implemented for travel from New Zealand to the United States of America.  Passengers are advised to check with Air New Zealand at least 24 hours prior to their flight on any changes to the security requirements and adjust their travel plans accordingly.

Passengers travelling to the United States are now required to undergo a secondary security screening at the aircraft gate lounge.  Passengers are requested to ensure they are at the boarding gate as early as possible to assist with the following required security procedures:

•Security Screening Personnel will perform a physical pat-down of all passengers

•All carry-on luggage and accessible items will be physically searched, prior to boarding the aircraft.  Air New Zealand request passengers limit carry-on items and only take items that may be needed for use in flight in their check in luggage and place all other items into their checked-in luggage.

•All Liquids, Aerosols and Gels must be placed in one (1) litre transparent re-sealable plastic bag and presented at the screening point. The maximum container size is 100mls (100 grams), and all 100ml containers presented for inspection must fit comfortably within a one (1) litre transparent re-sealable plastic bag.

•Retain all receipts of purchased ‘Duty Free’ items, and ensure that they are readily available for presentation to the Security Screeners.

•If water or other drinks are purchased for the flight, do not open the bottles or containers until after secondary security screening at the gate.  Any containers that have been opened or where the caps have been tampered with will not be permitted on board the aircraft.

•Medical supplies, such as syringes etc, will require a medical certificate when carried as hand luggage, and should be readily available for presentation to Security Screeners.

•Once on board the aircraft passengers must remain in their assigned seats, and comply with the directions of the crew.