These were done mainly as a practice to make sure I wasn’t going into this trip to Sydney without any clue of what I was going to do. They give an insight to what Air New Zealand’s domestic service is like – the first one on their jet service and the second on their large turboprops. This one should hopefully show you what Air New Zealand’s short haul international service in economy is like. Hope you enjoy it!
Air New Zealand is based primarily in Auckland with a lot of domestic and international flights daily. Their international service sees direct flights between AKL and Australia, Hong Kong, China, Japan, the Pacific Islands, Hawaii, California, Vancouver and London served through HKG and LAX. For their flights to Sydney, they use a combination of A320s, 767-300ERs, 777-200ERs and the very occasional 747-400. Most of the Trans Tasman flights are done by the A320 and the 767-300ER.
The reason for my trip to Sydney was to be able to catch the first commercial (and scheduled) A380 flight into New Zealand on Emirates. I decided to go to Sydney before rather than after the event (getting on the inbound A380 rather than outbound) so I could be in Sydney for Australia Day and a few other things. I originally booked myself on NZ107 (see the resemblance with my username? ) – a 767; but then due to declining demand, it was downgraded to an A320 (consequently the alteration of the flight number to NZ707 followed). I then asked for a flight change to NZ105 so that I could go on a 767. Luckily for me, they granted me with a free change but told me that it’d cost me $100 if I changed it again. NZ105 departs AKL a few hours earlier than NZ107.
Auckland to Sydney is an important link between the two biggest cities in New Zealand and Australia respectively. This route is the largest international route by volume of passengers departing from either Australia or New Zealand and a total of six – soon to be seven airlines: Air New Zealand, Qantas, Emirates, Lan Chile, Aerolineas Argentinas and Pacific Blue with Jetstar starting operations later this year. Although it is fairly low yielding, it still has greater passenger volumes than the likes of SYD-SIN.
Air New Zealand have recently retrofitted their A320 and 763 fleets to incorporate AVOD and new seats. Previously, all they had was a projector on the bulkhead, a few TV screens every few aisles and no selection. Prior to this trip I heard that the 763s had a few glitches and I was hoping I’d be able to test out the fully functional version. If it wasn’t for the new IFE, I would have chosen to fly with Emirates.
Air New Zealand allows you to prebook your seat. After taking a look at seatguru, I decided against a Space+ seat which became available in an apparent row which had a window missing. Space+ seats in the 767 give you another 3+ inches of legroom and at least 1 inch more recline. So I settled for 24A. I chose the Port window seat simply because I believed I would get a view of the city on our approach to Sydney, similar to when I flew Emirates’ 777-300ER to Sydney, when we flew south over the runway before doing a 180 and landed. This time with a Digital SLR I thought I’d have a chance at getting a good shot of the city.
Sydney During Downwind Leg On My Last Visit
The flight was an afternoon flight, my first flight of coming into Sydney during the daytime. Scheduled to depart at 4pm, I told my dad to take me at around 1pm so that I had plenty of time to spot and take a stroll around the airport.
Auckland Airport is New Zealand’s largest airport and the 3rd largest airport in Australasia in terms of passenger volume. Its international terminal has recently received a new pier which has 2 gates with double airbridges, ready for the A380. These airbridges can also be swung around to form 4 smaller stands for aircraft such as A320s and 737sIt handles all kinds of traffic and now the A380 also flies here. The main international pier is made up of 10 gates, most of them are 744 capable but all of these gates only have single airbridges. . The layout of the forecourt has changed dramatically from a couple of years ago and now does not have any metered parking but all parking is now diverted to the main carpark. The innermost lane, which leads directly to the building and check in area, has had a major turnaround from public traffic only to now only allowing taxis, shuttles and buses. I haven’t been there in the mid morning but would assume it’d be chaotic.
Approaching The Airport
The International Terminal
After being dropped off at 1:15pm, I checked in straight away and to my surprise there was basically no queue and within a minute of being in line, I moved to a check in counter, one of about 90 in the terminal. I don’t think the person even looked at my itinerary but just took my passport and did everything from there. It wasn’t very personal but it only took a couple of minutes. I was thankful that she didn’t reject my 24kg bag saying it was too heavy! With my boarding pass in hand, it was time to take a look around the terminal.
Air New Zealand Premium Check In Area
Normal Check In Area
International Departure FIDS
Extended Check In Area
Main Check In Area
Arrivals Hall
Landside Departure Hall
The landside departure hall, upstairs from the check in area, hasn’t changed much in many years: just a few shops changing hands and a few more opening up in the once empty area in the middle. A few shops, McDonalds and a food court caps off the departure hall of the biggest airport in the country. An escalator rising above the security area leads to the observation decks. Although there is a lot of glass, you are able to see half of the international pier and look down past the domestic terminal to incoming traffic on certain days.
Landside Departure Hall
Singapore Airlines 777-300ER Back To Singapore As SQ286
Air New Zealand A320
Air New Zealand 747-400s
The Plane That Would Take Me To Sydney
Air Calin A330-200 Back To Noumea
Air New Zealand 767-300 Getting Towed To The Gate
[b]My Last Sighting Of A CX 747-400 In Auckland
The View From The Skydeck At Auckland
More FIDS – Better Go To Security!
The Gate For Departing Passengers
I spent way too long up on the observation deck waiting for the CX 744 to depart, and didn’t realise that the time was flying past. The pathetic immigration queue in Auckland gave 4 customs officers to the few families and special needs people that went through and the majority of people were stuck with two officers. This took about 20-25 minutes when it should have only taken 10. Very poor considering there was a sign in front of each customs booth with “We deliver the best welcome and customs experience in the Pacific”. Inference taken here: the Pacific must be pretty damn awful to clear customs in if this experience was supposed to be the best! But finally I was on my way and after a quick stop in the duty free area to get a free sample of some Bailey’s Mint Chocolate (by chance), I was off to do a tiny bit of exploring. I quickly went halfway down the new pier to take a few photos of the 2 Emirates planes and ran back just in case I missed the flight.. I didn’t really want the following message to come across the PA system either: “Paging passenger Young on flight NZ 105 to Sydney, please go immediately to gate seven. Your aircraft is ready to depart and all other passengers are waiting for you”. From immigration right up to gates 5 and 6, there are shops, lounges, a chapel and a foodcourt. Beyond gates 5 and 6 there is barely anything but a bit of seating and a few decorations, mainly foliage. Due to this rush, I went straight into the queue to board the plane without taking any pictures until I was on the jetway.
Plane Of New Zealand’s Most Famous Female Aviator, Jean Batten
Shopping Just Past Immigration
Walkway To The New Pier
Departing FIDS With Information About Boarding Time
Walkway To Gates 15 and 16 On The New Pier
The Other Side Of The Pier
Emirates 77W And A345
Farewell, CX108!
Food Court On The Pier
Flight Information
21 Jan 2009
Routing: Auckland – Sydney (AKL-SYD)
Airline: Air New Zealand
Flight: NZ105
Scheduled Time of Departure: 1600hrs
Actual Time of Departure: 1555 approx (pushback), 1611 (rotate)
Scheduled Time Of Arrival: 1730
Touchdown: 1713
Flight Time: 2 hr 3 min
Aircraft: Boeing 767-319ER
Registration: ZK-NCL
Seat: 24A
Air New Zealand now has five 763s in their fleet. NCL arrived new from Boeing in late October 1997. This was my first time flying out of Auckland on an international flight on Air New Zealand and on a 763 in the afternoon and my first time on a 763 to Sydney. With the aircraft being just over 11 years old, it seems as though Air New Zealand may keep this fleet until the 787-9s arrive. I believe they are going to have blended winglets fitted to them to increase their efficiency. Their 763s are made to fly quite long legs as well as the Tasman hop, including AKL-HNL, AKL-KIX, AKL-PER, RAR-LAX, APW-LAX and in the past have included AKL-TPE, AKL-HKG, AKL-NRT and AKL-SIN.
As I entered the plane, it seemed to be quite spacious after my experiences on the 737, Dash 8 and ATR 72. After sitting down, I realised that the cabin was really hot and began to wonder if they were trying to climatise us for the boiling temperatures which would greet us in Sydney. Nevertheless, the plane continued to fill and it seemed to be around 85% full. I find it fascinating that the online seat request often shows the plane 1/3 full until a couple of days out when it becomes apparent that the flight would be much fuller than expected. I was really looking forward to having an empty seat next to me! Too bad it wasn’t the case.
Boarding
I started playing around with the IFE to see if Airshow would be working on this aircraft but after I clicked on it, the screen went black and I had to press the home button on the remote to get the system back to normal. A real let-down for me as I had basically travelled Air New Zealand to test out their new IFE but of course it wasn’t fully functional. It was such a shame because what went with the Airshow program were the maps, the camera views, speeds, altitude and other bits of information that keep the flight interesting. Air New Zealand’s selection of movies, music and TV shows didn’t seem to be that comprehensive during my flick through of services, however having a PTV and AVOD is a big and a much needed improvement to how things have been in the past. One positive of Air New Zealand’s IFE is that you can create a music playlist out of all the available tracks on the system. Of course having an iPod would be much better as you have your own preference of songs etc but it’s not bad. I didn’t try out the USB photo viewer but that is also a nice inclusion, possibly better for those longer haul flights.
Screen And Control
Air New Zealand’s 767 economy seat is quite comfortable. 32 inches of legroom is ample for someone like me and the recline isn’t bad. The new colours are much darker than the previous seats, similar to what is in the 737, were. The tray table is halved to increase room for the PTV and they have netting for a drink bottle in front of the seat pocket. The extra 3 inches from the Space+ seat would have been quite nice. If it’s offered to you, there’s no point in letting an opportunity to get service first and more space slip past!
Legroom
Economy Cabin
Space+ Cabin
Seats 15A And B: Window’s Not Too Bad!
Business Cabin
After half an hour of sitting on the plane and fiddling with the IFE, we pushed back from the gate: next stop Sydney. It looked like such a nice day to be flying and it didn’t disappoint! Takeoff on 23L was quite powerful and before too long we were airborne.
Various Airlines
Rotate! Runway 23L
Climbing To 37,000 Feet
It was a good 40 minutes before the flight attendants came around to serve an afternoon tea/dinner kind of meal. What was offered was chicken cordon bleu with sweet potato (kumara) and a little bit of salad or pasta bake with lamb and some kind of raspberry (sauce?). For dessert there was a small tub of Kapiti Pohutakawa Honey ice cream. After the food trolley passed, it was shortly followed with the drinks trolley. I grabbed a red wine and a Coke. It was a very satisfying meal but I really wish it was bigger. Air New Zealand started these “cafe” style meals around 2002. I don’t think their purpose was to fill you up, more keep you from being hungry on this flight.
Snack
Flight Attendants Doing The Drink Run
Beverages
The rest of the flight was quite uneventful with the odd bump, making the pilots turn on the seat belt sign but this was very minor turbulence. Crew continually came around to top up drinks. Cruising at FL370, we were way above the clouds. I decided to check out the rear lavatory and take a few pictures of the cabin. I left it quite late as the flight attendants had already instructed some kids to hand out the Air New Zealand lollies. I was so glad to see the Air New Zealand lollies again, and in abundance too!
Rear Economy Toilet
Knowing that we were descending, I knew that we weren’t too far out from the airport. A few manoeuvres got us close enough so that we could see land. On my first sighting of land, I noticed a bushfire burning away to the south and really miserable weather all around. We banked right to get closer to the flight path for 34L and while we were doing that, a few flashes of lightning were discharged somewhere over Sydney. Such a shame I missed taking a picture of it because it really would have been amazing. The lightning continued right throughout our descent. Once we were over the threshold, I spotted a BA 772, SQ A380, QF A380 and a QF 763 holding short – I was amazed that within my first seconds being at Sydney Airport, A380 capital of the world, I had already expanded my A380 spottings from 1 to 3! I hadn’t changed my camera settings so added with the slightly swaying plane, I got extremely poor images of these planes. A smooth touchdown was accompanied by me taking tonnes of unsuccessful pictures hoping for some lightning strikes. The plane soon had a short taxi to gate 60 to conclude the rather enjoyable flight. I took a few pictures on my way out. Customs didn’t take too long, luggage didn’t either and the query on my declared food didn’t even require me to get anything out or x-ray anything so I was happy. I walked outside to 30 degree temperatures and began my rather warm holiday in Sydney!
Descending
Bushfires And Rain
South Sydney
So Sorry For The Quality: BA 772
SQ A380
QF A380
Touchdown
Gate I’d Use When Departing On The A380
Conclusion
Air New Zealand is a good airline to fly. Their service on the short hop across the Tasman was great. The one thing I like about the 767s is that you only have one person to climb over if you’re on the window seat, and this along with many other choices (extra seat recline, pitch and width I think) is the reason why I opted for the 767 over the A320. The flight attendants did perform above satisfaction and were fine with me taking plenty of pictures before disembarking. I couldn’t have asked much more of them. The only things I was slightly disappointed with were the size of meal portions and the fact that the Airshow on the IFE wasn’t going – something I would have watched for the entire flight. I guess that would be the benefit of flying in the A320 until they get this sorted out. The seats were comfortable and I could have spent much longer on the plane if I needed to. The back of the normal economy class cabin has less legroom than the front of normal economy class but if any opportunity arises where you area able to get into the Space+ cabin, take that seat.
Coming up in a week or so will be my EK A380 inaugural AKL service in Economy.
Ryanair!!! From Singapore, joined Mar 2002, 4652 posts, RR: 27 Reply 1, posted (4 years 3 months 2 weeks 2 days 13 hours ago) and read 22641 times:
Nice report on NZ767! YCL looks awesome, but I don't think I can say the same for the JCL section!
Quoting NZ107 (Thread starter): Luckily for me, they granted me with a free change but told me that it’d cost me $100 if I changed it again. NZ105 departs AKL a few hours earlier than NZ107.
Ah... The things we do as a.nutters.
Quoting NZ107 (Thread starter): Air New Zealand allows you to prebook your seat.
And this is where the "other" trans-Tasman giant fails! QUANTAS! Ooops... QANTAS.
Quoting NZ107 (Thread starter): I haven’t been there in the mid morning but would assume it’d be chaotic.
You don't say!
Looks like a imminent collision! Did they collide? Did they? Horns blaring? Airbags bursting?
Quoting NZ107 (Thread starter): This took about 20-25 minutes when it should have only taken 10. Very poor considering there was a sign in front of each customs booth with “We deliver the best welcome and customs experience in the Pacific”.
Come on, AKL wants you to experience the Pacific hospitality for as long as possible.
Quoting NZ107 (Thread starter): I find it fascinating that the online seat request often shows the plane 1/3 full until a couple of days out when it becomes apparent that the flight would be much fuller than expected. I was really looking forward to having an empty seat next to me! Too bad it wasn’t the case.
Don't forget, not everyone has gotten around to making their bookings online.
Quoting NZ107 (Thread starter): Coming up in a week or so will be my EK A380 inaugural AKL service in Economy.
Now THAT is a trip report worth looking out for!
NZ's catering looks top notch although I agree that the portions could be bigger.
That is a very beautiful picture you took of a FA of Asian descent. Also the male FA on the other aisle is also of Asian descent from what I see... Looks like her uncle. Or is that just another passenger making a fashion statement with an apron?
Welcome to my starry one world alliance, a team in the sky!
SQ772 From Singapore, joined Nov 2001, 1792 posts, RR: 5 Reply 2, posted (4 years 3 months 2 weeks 2 days 13 hours ago) and read 22609 times:
Great report, thanks for sharing.
I find AKL airport much more pleasant than SYD's T1. It does look like AKL has gone through some refurbishment of late?
Having only flown NZ domestically, I must say that I have been very impressed by their level of service. However, I'm not quite a fan of their new uniform especially those worn by the male FA. It's actually quite difficult to spot a male FA onboard especially when they are not required to keep their jacket or tie on during meal service....they look just like any other passenger.
I've noticed a number of Japanese speaking FAs on my domestic flights with NZ, and I see that you have a few crew of Asian descent on your flight too... Are they NZ citizens or is it because NZ rosters their foreign crew on all flights?
Ah, now I know where to go when I visit AKL for spotting.
Quoting NZ107 (Thread starter): Air New Zealand’s 767 economy seat is quite comfortable. 32 inches of legroom is ample for someone like me and the recline isn’t bad.
Quite generous - I can't complain about the legroom on the 744s, either. It helped me to survive spending 13,5 hours in a middle seat...
Quoting NZ107 (Thread starter): It was a very satisfying meal but I really wish it was bigger. Air New Zealand started these “cafe” style meals around 2002.
Looks tasty - but I agree, the portion could be bigger.
Quoting NZ107 (Thread starter): The one thing I like about the 767s is that you only have one person to climb over if you’re on the window seat, and this along with many other choices (extra seat recline, pitch and width I think) is the reason why I opted for the 767 over the A320.
A widebody is always better than these narrow tubes, isn't it?
Quoting NZ107 (Thread starter): Coming up in a week or so will be my EK A380 inaugural AKL service in Economy.
767ER From Australia, joined Apr 2001, 1092 posts, RR: 4 Reply 6, posted (4 years 3 months 2 weeks 2 days ago) and read 21898 times:
Quoting SQ772 (Reply 2): I've noticed a number of Japanese speaking FAs on my domestic flights with NZ, and I see that you have a few crew of Asian descent on your flight too... Are they NZ citizens or is it because NZ rosters their foreign crew on all flights?
The crew members of asian descent are NZ citizens and there are generally a one or two on each flight. When i flew NZ118 SYD AKL in J the other month i had one who was if Vietnamese descent and the other, Japanese - both female.
TG992 From New Zealand, joined Jan 2001, 2910 posts, RR: 11 Reply 7, posted (4 years 3 months 2 weeks 1 day 20 hours ago) and read 21709 times:
Nice trip report, Nicholas.. I know both of the crew in the economy cabin photo and have sent her and him and email with the link - they should find it amusing!
Quoting SQ772 (Reply 2): . It's actually quite difficult to spot a male FA onboard especially when they are not required to keep their jacket or tie on during meal service....they look just like any other passenger.
I've noticed a number of Japanese speaking FAs on my domestic flights with NZ, and I see that you have a few crew of Asian descent on your flight too... Are they NZ citizens or is it because NZ rosters their foreign crew on all flights?
Hint - passengers generally don't wear aprons or namebadges.
Quoting 767ER (Reply 6): The crew members of asian descent are NZ citizens and there are generally a one or two on each flight. When i flew NZ118 SYD AKL in J the other month i had one who was if Vietnamese descent and the other, Japanese - both female.
767ER is correct - apart from the LAX-LHR-LAX, HKG-LHR-LHR, AKL-PVG-AKL, and AKL-PEK-AKL flights, all the crew you'll see are AKL based.
NZ107 From New Zealand, joined Jul 2005, 5672 posts, RR: 40 Reply 8, posted (4 years 3 months 2 weeks 1 day 14 hours ago) and read 21489 times:
Thanks for reading!
Hi Ryanair!!!
Thanks for your comments.
Quoting Ryanair!!! (Reply 1): Nice report on NZ767! YCL looks awesome, but I don't think I can say the same for the JCL section!
I haven't been on NZ in Business but if I was spending the money, I reckon I'd be flying Emirates.
Quoting Ryanair!!! (Reply 1): And this is where the "other" trans-Tasman giant fails! QUANTAS! Ooops... QANTAS.
I think you're able to ring up and reserve seats but you're right.. The ability to do this online should be part of most top class airlines.
Quoting Ryanair!!! (Reply 1): Looks like a imminent collision! Did they collide? Did they? Horns blaring? Airbags bursting?
You know what? I was completely oblivious to this! So funny that you pointed it out! From what I saw/remember, the one going straight braked for the car doing an illegal u-turn. There are plenty of roundabouts which they could have used! Some people in Auckland are used to the traffic and just get on without a lot of road rage. If there was a crash, I guess my dad would have gone straight at the lights to avoid being hit himself! I think I may have talked about it at the beginning of the TR if a crash actually occurred!
Hi SQ772,
Thanks for reading!
Quoting SQ772 (Reply 2): I find AKL airport much more pleasant than SYD's T1. It does look like AKL has gone through some refurbishment of late?
Definitely, right at this point with SYD's refurbishments underway and in a complete shambles, AKL looks like a much better airport. AKL hasn't really been through much refurbishment since about 2006 - only the odd shop change and a few more shops added in the once empty space to the right of my picture. The arrivals (airside) has gone under a much bigger change, especially due to the new pier being built.
Quoting SQ772 (Reply 2): Having only flown NZ domestically, I must say that I have been very impressed by their level of service. However, I'm not quite a fan of their new uniform especially those worn by the male FA.
Service throughout the Air New Zealand levels in economy has remained top notch. I've been continually impressed by their service.
A lot don't like the new uniform and I think it's grown on me but I'd still prefer the older one.
Hi PH,
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for reading!
Quoting PlaneHunter (Reply 3): Fantastic to see AVOD now being installed on the 767s, too. I hadn't expected this
I think it was a good decision to do it seeing that they will probably keep their 763 fleet for a little while to come. I have heard that they are going to get blended winglets too.
Quoting PlaneHunter (Reply 3): Ah, now I know where to go when I visit AKL for spotting.
Pity that it's fully glassed in and only provides a view of one side of the pier - the A380 will never use these gates. Give me a message if you're ever planning to come to AKL, I'll gladly show you the other spotting sites I use at AKL!
Quoting PlaneHunter (Reply 3): Quite generous - I can't complain about the legroom on the 744s, either. It helped me to survive spending 13,5 hours in a middle seat
I think the legroom on the 744 is 34 inches meaning I'll be very comfortable in an NZ744! But I'll be getting a window seat if preferable!
Quoting PlaneHunter (Reply 3): A widebody is always better than these narrow tubes, isn't it?
Oh, definitely.
Hi Pumaknight,
Thanks for your comments! I strive to take the best pictures I can take, and hopefully that'll make my TRs good.
Quoting Pumaknight (Reply 4): I know a 777 is long haul, but seeing a BA one in Sydney always seems like it is too far from home....silly I know, but hey
I remember when a BA 772 flew over my house in AKL carrying PM Tony Blair.. Now that's an extra bit further away from home!
Hi 767ER,
Thanks for reading! And thanks for those answers! I was just waiting for someone to verify it - I didn't want to get anything wrong
Quoting 767ER (Reply 5): I flew NCL AKL SYD last month and while the air show was working it gave out the incorrect info and they shut it down mid flight.
Oh right I guess it was better it remained off in that case then.. But it would have been nice to see it functioning at any level than a black screen when the Airshow was selected..
Quoting TG992 (Reply 7): Nice trip report, Nicholas.. I know both of the crew in the economy cabin photo and have sent her and him and email with the link - they should find it amusing!
Hi TG992,
Thanks for your comments! It's nice to be doing a TR on you guys and once again I applaud the crew for a fantastic flight. Thanks for passing it on to them too!
Cheers everyone for reading and commenting. It does mean a lot to me and I shall continue doing this for a long time
Econojetter From Malaysia, joined May 2001, 430 posts, RR: 6 Reply 9, posted (4 years 3 months 2 weeks 1 day 7 hours ago) and read 21345 times:
Thanks for the excellent report and pictures.
I had forgotten that NZ has refurbished the cabin of a few 767s. It looks attractive. The seat and legroom look comfortable even on longer flights. I like the interior of the new pier at AKL too.
NZ is one airline that I will have to go out of my way to fly on.
Globetraveller From Germany, joined Apr 2008, 377 posts, RR: 21 Reply 10, posted (4 years 3 months 2 weeks 23 hours ago) and read 21129 times:
Hi there Nicholas,
A great trip report with excellent pictures. Air New Zealand's refurbished Economy Class on the 767s looks very impressive indeed. It has definitely been an improvement over the old product!
Zonks From United States of America, joined Nov 2003, 166 posts, RR: 0 Reply 11, posted (4 years 3 months 2 weeks 21 hours ago) and read 21048 times:
Great report and some very nice pictures. I appreciated the multiple ones of AKL itself. NZ looks like it offers quite a good product on a short haul trip. Would the catering had been different if you were on a A320 instead?
NZ107 From New Zealand, joined Jul 2005, 5672 posts, RR: 40 Reply 13, posted (4 years 3 months 2 weeks 13 hours ago) and read 20847 times:
Hi Econojetter,
Thanks for your comments! I'm glad to be presenting my TRs to the world, and proud of them too!
Quoting Econojetter (Reply 9): I had forgotten that NZ has refurbished the cabin of a few 767s. It looks attractive. The seat and legroom look comfortable even on longer flights. I like the interior of the new pier at AKL too.
NZ is one airline that I will have to go out of my way to fly on.
Upgrades were done in the 2nd half of last year. I think the colours are nice - they match the new seat covers in the 733 cabins too. To me, the refurbishment and the addition of PTVs make the cabin look less aged.
Hi Globetraveller,
Quoting Globetraveller (Reply 10): A great trip report with excellent pictures. Air New Zealand's refurbished Economy Class on the 767s looks very impressive indeed. It has definitely been an improvement over the old product!
Thank you for all your efforts.
Thanks for your comments. It's my pleasure to be presenting these TRs and my experiences
If the Airshow mode was functioning, it would have completed the circle. Maybe next time.. But certainly, a much needed improvement! Keep an eye out for my next one being written right now!
Hi Zonks,
Thanks for reading!
Quoting Zonks (Reply 11): Great report and some very nice pictures. I appreciated the multiple ones of AKL itself. NZ looks like it offers quite a good product on a short haul trip. Would the catering had been different if you were on a A320 instead?
More of AKL to come whenever I take my next international flight! I'm sorry for not managing my time as well as I'd hoped.. I only needed to spend 5 mins at the observation deck because I can go there all the time but for the airside area - well that's a completely different story. I wish I could say I travel internationally every year! NZ's product over the short-medium haul international services is good. IMO it's the meal portion that lets them down because the service from the FAs is brilliant, as I say over and over again. That same flight with an Emirates sized meal would have totally capped it off.
I believe the service on the A320 is identical however I have only flown once on an A320 and my homebound flight on the 763 was late at night out of another airport.
DALCE From Netherlands, joined Feb 2007, 1581 posts, RR: 7 Reply 14, posted (4 years 3 months 1 week 6 days 4 hours ago) and read 20549 times:
Hi Nicholas,
What a nice report of your latest NZ travelling. I would have preferred the 763ER also, as it is still missing from my log.
Also some nice pics!
Thanks for sharing!
Joost (D-ALCE)
flown on : F50,F70,CR1,CR2,CR9,E75,143,AR8,AR1,733,735,736,73G,738,753,744,319,320,321,AB6. Next flights AMS-ZRH-AMS on
TheCommodore From Australia, joined Dec 2007, 2346 posts, RR: 7 Reply 15, posted (4 years 3 months 1 week 5 days 16 hours ago) and read 20404 times:
Hi Nicholas, Great report.
We also flew back to Sydney on the same flight as your's late last year, I found the service to to be really very good for such a short hop !!. The crew were also very friendly and went out of there way to make you feel welcome.
The AVOD worked as it should, it really makes the time FLY by, we were arriving in Syd in no time.
I'm a great fan of Air New Zealand for many years. No company gets everything right but I think they try very hard.
Looking forward to your next report on the A 380 .
Cheers
The Commodore
Flown 905,468 kms or 2.356 times to the moon, 1296 hrs, Longest flight 10,524 kms
MilesDependent From Australia, joined Sep 2001, 838 posts, RR: 0 Reply 16, posted (4 years 3 months 1 week 5 days 10 hours ago) and read 20312 times:
Very good report. I've always avoided NZ after a bad experience 20 years ago but after reading your report I might give them a go if I go to NZ again. Although, the allure of the EK 380 might be too tempting
NZ107 From New Zealand, joined Jul 2005, 5672 posts, RR: 40 Reply 17, posted (4 years 3 months 1 week 3 days 22 hours ago) and read 19984 times:
Quoting DALCE (Reply 14): What a nice report of your latest NZ travelling. I would have preferred the 763ER also, as it is still missing from my log.
Hi Joost,
Thanks for your comments Still missing from your log? It's the most frequently used plane on the AKL-SYD route! Maybe you should come down here to experience it
Quoting TheCommodore (Reply 15): We also flew back to Sydney on the same flight as your's late last year
Hi TheCommodore,
Thanks for reading and I'm glad to hear that your flight was good as well! I think with so much competition on this route, NZ would have to put some emphasis on the service for this flight or else they'd lose customers: also others to the A380.. You're lucky you got one of the 2/5 non-bugged 767s! But time still flew by even though I had no Airshow to watch.
Quoting MilesDependent (Reply 16): Very good report. I've always avoided NZ after a bad experience 20 years ago but after reading your report I might give them a go if I go to NZ again. Although, the allure of the EK 380 might be too tempting
Hi MilesDependent,
Cheers! Man that was a while ago. You last flew Air New Zealand around when I was born! I think things have changed since then and maybe a few of their best staff could still be there with the airline but the rest of the crew is great. I agree, the pull of the A380 has got me.. But you won't be flying on the A380 if you decide not to fly to Auckland!
Please bear with me on the A380 TR.. I'm up to the photo editing stage. A lot of my photos are in RAW and need to be converted to JPEG so fingers crossed I'll get this done by the weekend!
Ps76 From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 19, posted (4 years 3 months 1 week 3 days 4 hours ago) and read 19791 times:
Hi,
Just to say many thanks. I spent the night many years ago one night in New Zealand airport but it looks very nice from the pics (much nicer than Heathrow over here!).
Air New Zealand also looks like a pretty good mainstream airline. Food looked nice, also good IFE and nice seats. Plus seeing A380's (and getting to fly on one) makes it more special too I guess.
NZ107 From New Zealand, joined Jul 2005, 5672 posts, RR: 40 Reply 20, posted (4 years 3 months 1 week 1 day 8 hours ago) and read 19424 times:
Hi Nicholas,
Thanks for your comments!
Quoting Nicholaschee (Reply 18): The new Y is a big improvement on the 763s. I agree that AKL really looks better than SYD T1
It's good to see that they'll be flying for a little while longer! Just wish QF would keep up with the competition though.. Then again they are using 734s on the AKL-BNE which would be much worse than flying in the 763. I wonder what the new departures area will look like once that mess is tidied up.
Hi Pierre,
Thanks for reading!
Quoting Ps76 (Reply 19): I spent the night many years ago one night in New Zealand airport but it looks very nice from the pics (much nicer than Heathrow over here!).
Air New Zealand also looks like a pretty good mainstream airline. Food looked nice, also good IFE and nice seats. Plus seeing A380's (and getting to fly on one) makes it more special too I guess.
Auckland is one of the nicest airports to spend the night in! I probably wouldn't mind doing it once myself but I feel as though I'd never need to because home isn't too far away. There are some brilliant low light quiet spots around, especially after all the flights have left!
Air New Zealand has done the job for Economy passengers. It serves our little country quite well. I certainly can't complain when plenty of airlines don't offer many of these features you pointed out for a 3 hr flight. Oh yes, the thrill of the A380 really got to me and it's still going through me: just over 2 weeks since I flew it!
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From New Zealand, joined Jul 2005, 5672 posts, 
) – a 767; but then due to declining demand, it was downgraded to an A320 (consequently the alteration of the flight number to NZ707 followed). I then asked for a flight change to NZ105 so that I could go on a 767. Luckily for me, they granted me with a free change but told me that it’d cost me $100 if I changed it again. NZ105 departs AKL a few hours earlier than NZ107.
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