A frustrated mother has lashed out Air New Zealand for promoting itself as an autism-friendly airline but adding 20 hours to her trip and denying her one request when she flew with her autistic son.Kama Kanic shared a complaint on Wednesday following her horror journey with the New Zealand national carrier earlier this month.Ms Kama said she and her nine-year-old son had seats booked a direct flight from Auckland to Bali, Indonesia.The mother had even gone the extra mile and booked the ‘Sky Couch’, which allows a row of seats to be converted into a lounge, to ensure her son was comfortable.When they arrived at Auckland Airport, however, Ms Kanic claimed her direct flight had been cancelled and it only got more messy from there.’We were reassured that we’d been rebooked via Taipei with ”just a quick stop”. That quick stop became a nightmare,’ she said.’More than 30 hours, three countries, three aircraft, no Sky Couch, unsuitable seating, no special meals despite our booking, virtually no communication and no meaningful support for a child with autism.’Air NZ advertises that it partners with Autism New Zealand to provide care to autistic travellers. Kama Kanic and her autistic son (above) had their direct flight to Bali with Air New Zealand cancelled at the last minute Ms Kanic claimed the airline switched their direct flight to a 30-hour journey with two stopoversPart of its ‘hidden disability’ program includes giving autistic passengers a green lanyard covered in sunflowers to help staff identify those who need extra care.Ms Kanic’s son could be seen wearing the lanyard but claimed he received no special help.Instead, the little boy went 20 hours straight with no sleep and at one point was so stressed he was ‘vomiting and crying’.’He dug deeper than any nine-year-old should ever have to. Watching him endure that was heartbreaking,’ Ms Kanic said. The family lost two days of their holiday to the extended travel and recovery time for their son.’I wasn’t asking Air New Zealand for compensation. I asked for one thing – please extend our return flights by two days so we could recover the time we had lost. I didn’t even ask for another Sky Couch,’ Ms Kanic said.’I was told I would have to pay $700 to make that change.’After explaining everything we had experienced and how profoundly the journey had affected my son, I was told my request was apparently not reasonable. Air NZ claims it offers special services to those with hidden disabilities, including autism, but Ms Kanic claimed her son’s needs were overlookedThe mother described the response as ‘devastating’. ‘For an airline that promotes care and customer service, I expected understanding and compassion – particularly for a disabled child whose needs were known from the outset,’ she said.’I believe Air New Zealand needs to do better – not just for my family, but for every vulnerable passenger who relies on an airline to recognise that accessibility isn’t a luxury, it’s part of providing safe and equitable travel.’On top of offering specialised lanyards, Air New Zealand claims its staff undergo training to ‘understand how to approach, support, and guide neurodivergent passengers with empathy’.Passengers with unique needs can also book ‘practice flight’ experiences and flag their needs through special assistance bookings.The Daily Mail has contacted Air New Zealand for comment.