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Published: October 31st 2006
Air New Zealand
An Air NZ Boeing 767 at Rarotonga airport.Air New Zealand has been one of my main airlines during this trip, in total I have made 9 flights with Air NZ: 7 international flights in business class and 2 domestic flights (one class only).
Two of the flights were part of my round the world ticket and the other flights were part of my award ticket to get from Sydney to the South Pacific.
The routing flown has been Osaka-Auckland-Sydney-Wellington-Auckland-Rarotonga-Papeete-Auckland-Christchurch-Sydney (yeah I know it sounds a bit weird).
Overall I have to say Air NZ is a fantastic airline, their service in business class is very very good, even on fairly short routes like Australia-NZ (a flight time of roughly three hours) they really do provide excellent service with a three courses meal, three choices of main course, and all dishes served separately from a tray.
Plenty to drink as well including champagne, two red wines (from proper bottles) and Chivas Regal, my favourite whiskey!! Guess that I have been drinking... 😉
I was fortunate enough to try the new Business class (Business Premier) on two flights and it is very good. Extremely comfortable seats with an ottoman (where a guest can sit or where you can
Premium check-in Auckland airport
The premium check-in room (yes it's a room) at Auckland airport with dedicated passport control and security check.
Great service!! rest your feet) and a large screen with video on demand.
On the flights operated by Airbus A320 aircrafts they hand out personal DVD-players to passengers in business class with a choice of 20 titles. Another excellent service which I made use of on every flight.
Here are some short reviews of my previous eight flights with Air NZ (Osaka-Auckland has already been covered) starting with the standard drink list in business class.
Standard drink list for Air New Zealand Business Class Champagne Veuve Cliquet or Deutz
Wine Usually two reds and two wines. The reds have been Merlot and Pinot Noir on most of my flights
Spirits Glenfiddich Malt Whisky
Chivas Regal Blended Whisky
Jack Daniel's Black Label
Gordons Gin
42 Below Vodka
Courvoisier VSOP
Captain Morgan Rum
Ron Bacardi Superior
Port and Liqueurs Portuguese Port
Grand Marnier
Baileys Irish Cream
Beer A selection of beer featuring Steinlager, Export Gold, Heineken and low alcohol lager
Soft drinks Mineral water, orange juice, apple juice, tomato juice, cola, lemonade, tonic water, ginger ale, and a choice of diabetic drinks
Auckland-Sydney Aircraft: Boeing 747
Seat: 02A
I checked in in the Air
Air NZ lounge at Auckland airport
The Air NZ lounge with plenty to eat and drink. On this occasion they had roastbeef and pasta salad, scones, and berry muffins for example. New Zealand premium check-in room available for gold card holders and business class passengers.
Yes it's actually a separate room with a dedicated passport control and security check after check-in, i.e. a completely painless check-in experience. A big hands up to Air NZ for that service!
After security and exit formalities I headed to the Air NZ Koru Club which is very nice. Plenty to drink, and especially to eat. On this occasion they had roast beef and pasta salad, scones and berry muffins for example. I could have had my dinner in the lounge instead of onboard.
40 minutes before departure I left for the gate and to my surprise there was a Boeing 747 at the gate, that's not what it said in my booking confirmation (it was supposed to be a Boeing 767).
But what I knew is that the B747s have the new business class (Business Premier), while the B767 has the old business class, so I would actually get to experience yet another flight in that wonderful seat I had from Japan which can be reclined to a fully flat bed.
Great service onboard as well, although not as good as from Japan, but on
Auckland-Sydney
The Business Premier cabin of the Boeing 747. My seat is the second one from the front on the left side. the other hand this flight was a lot shorter (just three hours to Sydney).
Champagne and newspapers before departure and then a three courses meal during the flight. The business premier also has video on demand (and you can pause, rewind and fast-forward as well), I watched Poseidon during the flight.
Here is the menu for the flight:
Menu Auckland-Sydney Starter Horopito spiced New Zealand cervana with micro cress and dukkah scented olive oil
Main course Riesling roasted chicken thigh with bell pepper polenta and mushroom ragout
or
Star anise seasoned New Zealand lamn with oriental slaw and broccoli
or
Nicoise salad of seared tuna, green beans, potato, red pepper and herbed lemon olives and basil vinaigrette
Dessert Gourmet ice cream dessert of minted chocolate and pohutukawa honey ice cream
Cheese and fruit Fine regional cheese and preserved fruit
Beverages Freshly brewed or decaffeinated coffee, tea, herbal tea or hot chocolate
Sydney-Wellington Aircraft: Airbus A320
Seat: 01F
No line at all at the business class check-in desk, so I was checked in within two minutes.
Passport control and security were also surprisingly quick, seemed like there were not a lot of
travellers this afternoon, or perhaps the Sydney airport authorities manage to handle the passenger flows extremely well.
I made a visit to the Air NZ lounge located one floor above the departure level. What a wonderful lounge!! Large panorama windows facing the apron, cool design, plenty to eat and drink, LCD TVs throughout the lounge, and free internet. What more do you need??
Once onboard I was offered champange, orange juice or water before take-off. No need to think twice of what to choose!!
Excellent flight with an excellent crew!! I watched Agatha Christie's Poirot while sipping nice wine and enjoying tasty food. The flight passed very quickly!
At Wellington Airport I was taken aside for manual baggage screening and questioning which took a good 20 mins. The customs officer said it was because of "the nature of my travels".
Well I guess they get suspicious of my weird routing, all my luggage (and not a backpack), me being a bit too properly dressed travelling in business class, and all my recent stamps in the passport.
The man was really friendly though and probably realised quite quickly I was just a crazy traveller and not some kind of threat to
the country. 😊
Menu Sydney-Wellington Starter 42 Below honey cured karengo salmon with tropical mango and chilli salsa
Main course Braised New Zealand lamn shank with sauted leaf spinach and mushroom risotto
or
Chicken confit with vegetable ratatouille and sweet pea butter
or
Thai marinated beef salad with red bull pepper, cucumber and chilli and lime dressing
Dessert Gourmet ice cream dessert of feijoa and tiramisu
Cheese and fruit Fine regional cheese and preserved fruit
Beverages Freshly brewed or decaffeinated coffee, tea, herbal tea or hot chocolate
Wellington-Auckland Aircraft: Boeing 737 (one class only)
Seat: 08B
Due to very strong winds in Wellington lots of planes were cancelled, although most of the Auckland flights were departing (albeit delayed in many cases) as these flights are operated by larger aircrafts.
As I had a connection in Auckland I tried to get on an earlier flight to Auckland, but it took me three check-in agents before one finally agreed to put me on an earlier flight. Missing that connection would have ruined a lot of my itinerary and it's not like there are plenty of alternative flights to the South Pacific, so I was
Auckland-Sydney
Dessert and cheese determined not to give up.
I made a visit to the lounge which was packed, lots of people whose flights were delayed or cancelled. The lounge attendants were so busy helping passengers with rebookings that the reception was left unattended and basically anyone could walk into the lounge.
My flight fortunately departed, almost an hour late, but as I was on an earlier flight than originally planned I did make my connection in Auckland with some marginal.
Don't really remember much of the flight except that it was packed with tired and somewhat annoyed passengers.
First time in years I have been in a middle seat, but I did not really care this time!
Auckland-Rarotonga Aircraft: Airbus A320
Seat: 01F
I had time for a visit to the lounge again where I instantly went for a glass of wine to stress down a bit after all the trouble, at this point I knew I would make the flight and I was very relieved.
The flight was almost 45 mins delayed though, again because of the strong winds as they needed to load more fuel, and I even think some passengers were left behind not to make the flight
Auckland-Sydney
Coffee and whiskey too heavy.
Again another excellent flight in business class, very nice service but a bit slow, the inflight service took almost two and a half hours which was a bit too long.
At least I managed to watch one and a half movie and on the whole the flight was really enjoyable. Great crew!!
At Rarotonga airport there was a man playing in the immigration/arrivals hall when we arrived, at 2.30 am!! Very nice!! Why can't they have these things in Europe as well??
Unfortunately one of my suitcases did not make it to Rarotonga, so I had to file a report. My toiletries bag was in that suitcase so I was given an overnight kit, quite a nice one actually!! Another nice souvenir to bring home, and of course another crazy story to tell with missing luggage and stormy weather. 😊
Menu Auckland-Rarotonga Starter Poached prawns, frissee, ginger and pickled vegetable salad with kawakawa and roasted garlic dressing
Main course Horopito salted loin of lamn with golden kumara gratin, green beans and New Zealand macadamia nut, horopito and lemon butter
or
Seafood hotpot of snapper, monkfish and prawn with new potatoes, broccoloni and coconut cream broth
Air NZ lounge at Sydney airport
One of the nicest lounges I have visited. The Air NZ lounge in Sydney with large panorama windows facing the apron. or
Caramelised chicken breas with spiced pear, blue cheese risoto and steamed broccolini
Dessert Rhubarb frangipane tart with passion fruit cream
or
Gourmet ice cream dessert of chocolate hazelnut crunch and hokey pokey ice cream
Cheese and fruit A selection of fine New Zealand cheese
Beverages Freshly brewed or decaffeinated Gravity coffee, tea, herbal tea or hot chocolate
Rarotonga-Papeete Aircraft: Boeing 767
Seat: 03A
The business class line was very slow, actually it would have been faster to join the economy class line!!
The check-in agent was very friendly though and made a great effort to sort out my missing luggage. They hoped my suitecase would arrive on the same flight from Auckland as I was taking to Papeete (the flight was just making a one hour stop in Rarotonga).
So to sort out this rather weird situation as efficiently as possible I was given an extra luggage tag at check-in while another person was standing in the arrivals hall looking for my suitcase on the belt! Crazy!! Well everything worked out surprisingly well, the bag was on the flight and I managed to get it re-tagged and onto the same aircraft again during the
Air NZ lounge at Sydney airport
Plenty to eat and drink in Sydney!! The table to the right is actually a buffet! short turnaround.
I also made a quick visit to the lounge after the luggage matter had been sorted out, but the airport itself is so nice that you can just as well sit outside, 80%!o(MISSING)f the airport is actually outdoors.
On the flight they served sandwiches and a fruit cake, coffee and soft drinks. Only a short flight of 90 minutes.
As in all airports in the South Pacific my priority-tagged suitcases were among the first on the belt, and as I had an EU passport and French Polynesia is technically part of the EU, immigration was ultra-quick as well.
In Papeete all passengers are also given a little flower upon arrival that you put on the top of your ear.
Papeete-Auckland Aircraft: Boeing 767
Seat: 03K
Lots and lots of people at check-in due to a cancelled Air Tahiti Nui flight, so those passengers were rebooked onto my flight.
The flight left at 2.40 am, crazy time!! Fortunately I had lounge access where I could try to get some sleep and have a few drinks to get sleepy before boarding.
After take-off they served breakfast straight away which was a bit strange, not many people were
Sydney-Wellington
After departure: Some red wine to drink and a personal DVD-player.
I'm watching Agatha Christie's Poirot. eager to eat at 3 am, but I did it just for the sake of seeing what they had onboard.
Before landing they also served soft drinks and smoothies.
It was the old business class on this flight, so not as extravagant as the new Business Premier, but I did manage to get some sleep.
Auckland-Christchurch Aircraft: Boeing 737
Seat: 05F
At the domestic transfer desk in Auckland (where you re-deposit your checked luggage after customs) I was offered to take an earlier flight to Christchurch which I happily accepted.
I was originally booked on a late afternoon flight to Christchurch, mostly due to ticket restrictions, but I was more than happy to go earlier there to get some sleep and have more time in the city.
I visited the Air NZ lounge in the domestic terminal, another excellent Air NZ lounge, where I also had a shower.
The flight itself was uneventful, coffee, tea and water served!
Again the priority tag worked very well in Christchurch, my two suitcases were among the five first on the belt!! Why can't it work just as well in Europe??
Christchurch-Sydney Aircraft: Airbus A320
Seat: 02A
A very long
Sydney-Wellington
Appetizer and yummy garlic bread! line to check-in!! It turned out the luggage belt had broken down, so while they tried to fix it they had to remove all luggage by hand from check-in. I felt so sorry for them!!
I made a visit to the lounge, but it was quite small and completely packed, it was actually tricky to find a seat. The lounge looked a bit old and worn as well, but they did have nice quiches to eat.
Another fine flight in business class with welcome onboard champagne and a three courses meal.
For some reason they did not have the Chivas Regal onboard even though it was mentioned on the drink list, but they had Glenfiddich. I watched American Dreamz during the flight, hilarious!!!
It also turned out we had the British national rugby team onboard the flight, they played against New Zealand the night before and lost. I actually watched a bit of the game but never realised it was played in Christchurch.
Fantastic views of downtown Sydney with the Harbour Bridge and opera house during the approach!
Menu Christchurch-Sydney Starter Steamed tiger prawns with Waldorf salad and kaffir lime dressing
Main course Braised New Zealand venison
Sydney-Wellington
Main course: Thai beef salad with sauteed black pepper spatzle and cinnamon spiced red cabbage
or
Smoked chicken risotto ravioli with hoisin glaze and stir fried vegetables
or
Oriental plate of Thai beef, rice paper spring roll, cucumber sushi and pickled ginger
Dessert Gourmet ice cream dessert of manuka honey and chestnut ribbon, and mocha fudge ice cream
Cheese and fruit Fine regional cheese and preserved fruit
Beverages Freshly brewed or decaffeinated coffee, tea, herbal tea or hot chocolate
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