Air New Zealand » B777-200ER » User reviews

Sunshine flew Air New Zealand Business Premier, on a B777-200ER (05/05/2011 12:47)

Flew this trip from London to LA (and then on to Auckland).

Overall, the experience was very good. The staff were on the first leg were very attentive and friendly (from LA to Auckland they seemed somewhat less attentive and, if I may say, rather sullen... but this was an overnight flight, so maybe they just expected everyone to sleep and so leave them alone).

SEAT

This flight featured their new lie-flat business class seat which was set up in a 1-2-1 configuration with the seats at a diagonal angle pointing into the aisles (much like Virgin's Upper Class). Unlike the BA business seat this converts into a fully-flat bed by by bringing the back of the seat forward so you lie on the reverse of the seat back (whereas BA reclines so you lie on the same part of the seat as you back rests while sitting).

This appeared to make no difference to the sleeping comfort, buit I founfd it damn awkward for sitting. One of the great things with a reclining seat (like BA) is that you can raise the seat slightly from flat to give you that 'reading in bed' position; however with this seat you have a recline similar to an old business seat and then a complete shift to fully flat.

The 'seated' part of the chair is also rather narrow so the overall experience feess rather tight - though not to much of an issue when lying donw. Also, rather oddly, the little tray to hold drinks is situated slightly behind your seated position, requiring you to contort your body to gat access to it (or what's on it). There's also limited in-seat storeage - enough for a book and a pair of shoes. Not a bad seat, but there's better in the market.

AMENITIES

Amenities were fine. They included moisturiser, eye cream and lip balm, all by La Prarie. Theres an eye mask (with rather fun prints on the front; on my flights I got the eyes of the Mona Lisa and also an image of sliced cucumbers - all said, it put a smile on my face!). some rather funky striped socks as well, though these seemed a bit small (I'm a UK size 10). All of these were presented in a branded cardboard box; ANZ having done away with the amentiy bags; which I'm not sure I like or not.

FOOD

The food and drinks were lovely. There's a lovely booklet given to you on NEw Zealand wines and indicating where the flight's wines have come from and information about the region and the winery. Unfortunately the booklet indicates a much wider range of wines than are available on your flight and there's no information telling you what your flight has in available... so I ended up salivating at the thought of 2 wines, neither of which were available (though the ones I got were very good).

Food was well presented, cooked well and of a decent portion size. THey also provided an 'english cream tea' with sandwiched, scones, cream and jam... which made my day (how come a NZ flight comes up with an English tea?)

IN-FLIGHT ENTERTAINMENT

Not the best out there, but very good. One thing that annoyed my was that the headphones given used the 2-pin socket, so I couldn't use my own noise cancelling headphones. That said, there's were perfectly adequate. The screen is a decent size and there was a good selection of films and TV programmes; some of which offered you multiple episondes, others only one... there was no reason given as to why some were limited to one or two episodes, so that was a bit of a diasppointment.

The music section was good, however, if you chose to listen to something and then switched to the map service, you're music choice was replaced by their 'preferred channel'. I found this frustrating, as I like to listen to music while reading a book and tend to keep a track of progress on the map (and this couldn't be done).

SERVICE

As mentioned, this was very good on leg one, and less so on leg two. Saying that, the services was not bad on either leg.

OVERALL

I'd rate this about 7/10. It's not the best business serivce I have experienced, and a long way from the worst (return journey via SFO, I had to switch to a United Airlines flight to LHR... another review on that later - but not very good). It's a comfortable, if not practical or flexible, seat with a decent on demand entertainment system and good food. I'd fly them again and a great chjoice to californias if your alternative is a US airline.

theavidtraveller flew Air New Zealand Business Premier, on a B777-200ER (14/08/2010 23:46)

Flight details Airline: Air New Zealand Flight number: NZ38 Departure time: 2105 arriving 1620+1

Journey to Heathrow

Anyone who works in Canary Wharf, London's financial district, may share in my pain as you will probably be only too well aware that travel options to LHR are both time-consuming and unattractive.

I’ve tried all of the most popular methods of getting to Heathrow from Canary Wharf. After a painfully slow taxi journey to Paddington last time, I decided to head straight to the tube with the resolve of the most determined traveller. Oh my, what a decision to make. What tfl.gov.uk does not tell you about is the swarms of commuters, tourists and general Londoners clambering onto the tube at that time of day. Yes, I was leaving at 530pm (with hindsight I know it was not so smart) but sometimes I’m too optimistic for my own good. The good thing was that the journey did take me around 1.5hours, not too different to alternative routes and much quicker than a taxi. It only cost a mere 4.20 compared to much more expensive options.

If you don't want to replicate my cramped tube journey experience my tube journey, alternatives include the Heathrow Express (15 mins - heathrowexpress.co.uk - £16.50 oneway online) or Heathrow Connect (25 mins - Heathrow connect.co.uk - £7.90) from Paddington. The problem is getting to Paddington as it can take over an hour by taxi or 40 mins on a busy tube.

Check in

Aside from the family of five (with three trolleys) who decided to dive into the same lift me when clearly there was no space, the check-in process was smooth.

Air New Zealand makes use of Star Alliance’s Terminal 1 at Heathrow, the building is tired but has been upgraded from a few years ago. Business Premier (Air NZ's business class) check-in was empty and getting my boarding pass took all but a few seconds. Having said that, I glanced over at economy check-in and that was empty too. Air New Zealand does not offer the option for online check-in out of London, unlike some of its competitors such as British Airways and Virgin Atlantic.

Security

Zipping pass the BAA employee who thought it was appropriate to have his legs up on the desk and his iPhone blaring music whilst checking my boarding pass, I went down the fast track lane. I am never ceased to be amazed by the number of people who forget that they have to remove their belt and empty their pockets before going through the scanner. It’s normally better down the fast track lane as most are regular travellers. However, the guy in front of me was one such forgetful person. As such, he was treated to a triple length body search for his error but I was soon on my way after having a slight detour after being randomly selected to try out the new body scanner (A quick whoosh and I got the nod after a few seconds).

Lounge

The Star Alliance lounge is located in the corner of the terminal after all the shops (of course). It features warm food, showers and usual business facilities. One top tip is that instead of going to the food counter near the entrance, turn right and you'll find a second, much quieter food counter with plenty of seating.

I had a nice warm shower before my flight. The showers were fairly spacious and shaving and dental kits are available on request.

A selection of international newspapers and magazines available (including my favourite read Business Traveller) were available.

A review of the Star Alliance lounge can be found on Business Traveller - http://www.businesstraveller.com/news/tried-and-tested-star-alliance-lounge,-heathrow-t1

Boarding

Commenced about 50mins before the flight. Located at gate 49, it was a good 10-15 min walk away during which time the announcement changed from green boarding sign to the dreaded red ‘closing’ leaving me to jog the last couple of minutes (I have missed a flight before!)

Priority boarding was in action but we boarded through a single airbridge so queues formed to board the aircraft.

The cabin service director introduced himself to me and ensured that those passengers unfamiliar with the seating knew what they were doing.

Seats

Those familiar with Virgin's upper class will feel right at home in Air New Zealand‘s Business Premier seating. It's the same seat after all (or at least very similar). I believe it's on licence from Virgin.

The cabin consists of 28 seats in a herringbone format granting all with aisle access but at a cost of limited window views (unless you can bend your neck a lot). I pre-selected seat 2J online. Unlike Virgin's A340 with three across, Air New Zealand uses the wider 777-200ER and they manage to fit four across, all still with direct aisle access. See seatplans.com for seatmap. 2J was perfectly fine as it was on the other side of the toilet so had less through traffic and I was left undisturbed. The only downside is that row 2 does not appear to have its own overhead locker (I think it must be used for equipment), but there was plenty of storage space in the adjacent overhead cabins.

Seats are some 22 inches wide and 6.5 feet long, more than enough for most travellers. They also feature an ottoman (foot rest) which allows a second passenger to dine with you. I did also observe one couple share the seat together to watch a movie, romantic but perhaps a little bit of a squeeze. However, as each seat is separated by high dividers, then the seats can be quite private (it’s really the person sitting opposite you rather than next to you that can see you).

If flying with someone else, it may in fact be best if you sit opposite rather than next to each other as you will be able to chat easier without having to stand up.

The seat converts into a fully flat bed. Combined with a soft pillow and a warm duvet, I was perfectly comfortable on the 12 hour flight to Hong Kong, taking in some 7 hours or so of sleep. I could have slept for longer had I not decided to wake up for breakfast and to readjust time zones.

Flight

The flight itself was very comfortable with the cabin lights dimmed shortly after the food service. The cabin staff were friendly (if not a little too friendly) and spent a lot of time chatting to passengers who wanted to.

One observation was that they made announcements in English and Mandarin rather than Cantonese - the common language in Hong Kong which I thought was a little strange. Most passengers seemed to be local New Zealanders heading back home though.

In-flight entertainment

Business Premier seats feature a 10.4 inch screen which was of adequate resolution and contrast although it fails to tilt enough for decent viewing whilst lying down (unless propping your head up with a pillow or two).

The movie and tv selection was wide and new. I was particularly pleased to see Shrek showing even though it was still showing at the cinema (in the UK at least). Seats feature noise cancelling headphones which blocked out most of the engine noise.

One key advantage of Air New Zealand is that they have got regulatory approval to allow passengers to watch the in-flight entertainment during take off and landing, offering passengers an hour or so extra entertainment. The biggest advantage of this is that those fidgety kids you spotted sitting a few rows from you, will hopefully be kept entertained and more importantly.. quiet!

Amenity kit

I have observed a deterioration in the quality of amenity kits over the years as airlines have sought to cut costs. Air New Zealand’s offering included socks, eye mask, toothbrush, moisturising cream and lip barm.

Food service

A welcome drink, water, juices or bubbly was offered pre-takeoff.

Shortly after takeoff, food service began. The flight included a dinner and a breakfast with snacks available throughout the flight (biscuits, crisps, noodles and fruit).

Air New Zealand prides itself on its comprehensive wine selection and a wine menu is included in the seat. A colourful description is offered of each wine and the flight attendants were on hand to make recommendations.

Dinner menu

Fast dine Carrot and coriander crème soup

(Option if you want to skip dinner and have a quick snack)

--- Starter

Hot smoked salmon with manuka honey roasted tomato, melon, feta and pine nut salsa

Review - I found the salmon a little dry and strong flavoured but was well accompanied with the salsa

Bakery

Black olive sourdough, potato rosemary bread, garlic bread

Main course

Braised beef short rib with creamy mushroom sauce, green beans and giner roast pumpkin

Or

Fresh roasted cod with tomatoes, saffron and wine on mustard mash, caramelised fennel and shiso cress

Or

Smoked Chicken macaroni with corn, mushroom, capsicum and thyme ragout with frsh rocket

Dessert

Gourmet ice cream dessert of panna cotta ice cream and caramel ice cream

Cheese and Fruit

I elected for the braised beef. The beef was very smooth to taste and had been prepared well. It did taste quite salty though (and I normally love salt), and this was after having a salty smoked salmon starter.

Breakfast

Juices Cereals Museli with yoghurt and fresh frust Full breakfast Hot bacon roll

I went for the hot breakfast which was largely inedible due to the salt content. I have flown on Air New Zealand previously (a few years ago also in Business Class) and this was not a problem. I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt that the cuisine on this flight was just a one off error.

Unlike Virgin Atlantic, there was no option to eat when you want, rather you had to eat when the meal service was given to the rest of the cabin

It did feel that the food service took longer than usual (I managed to almost what a whole movie during the time). This may be something to do with that the Premium Econ cabin has the same food as Business on Air New Zealand.

I was also disappointed that a flight to Hong Kong had no Chinese food options at all.

A word on flight times One additional point to make is that while the departing flight to HK is at a reasonable 9pm, the return flight from HKG to LHR is at an early 830am - NZ39 - landing at Heathrow at 1445 same day. Those wanting a full day in HKG or a night flight may be best advised to return on a different carrier.

Conclusions

Overall a top quality flight with attentive service and a world-class seat / bed. Air New Zealand also has the honour of being the only Star Alliance carrier offering direct flights from London to Hong Kong.

The flight was let down by the food service and quality but this may have been a bad day for them.

Return flight times should be considered given that it is early in the morning rather than a night flight.

chinafinger flew Air New Zealand Premium Economy, on a B777-200ER (25/03/2010 06:09)

Did the NZ89 NZ88 AKL to PVG(Shanghai) to AKL last week on PY. Sorry seats not anywhere upto expectation, too hard, too narrow, yes the leg room is excellent, although as others have commented, the foot rest is a joke. Premium Check at AKL was OK, Premium check in at PVG, not up to standard, desk last to open and no Priority Baggage until major protest, "makee learnee" was also apparent at the Business check in at the next desk. Why do I always strike the Check In staff on their first day on the job?

Asked for nuts with Drinks on the southbound leg and was told, nuts in Business Class only, by Greg the Flight Director, anyway after an impromptu Oliver Twist impression, nuts appeared. Did I read that the PY catering was Business Class?

Northbound in-flight crew excellent, Benny and his co-worker, sorry did not get her name, were well above expectations. Please consider Benny as the epitome of the right attitude and how the job should be done. Southbound the crew were also above expectations but Benny is a hard act to follow. As a veteran of hundreds of long haul Business Class travels, a few 1st Class and some Y since Air NZ had 8 DC8 's and CX had 8 Convair 880's, I have seen a bit. Sorry Air NZ you still have a lot to learn. Most important is that your "punters" are actually the reason for your being, not providing freeloading luxury travel to yourself, your staff members or travel agents. You are not alone, many of your fellow Government owned/subsidised outfits have the same ethos. Might be while before I fly Air NZ again, I usually take about a ten year break between tries, Surely someone in management must have used their 10% sub load on Cathay or Singapore Airlines etc in the last thirty or forty years.

loneflyer flew Air New Zealand Premium Economy, on a B777-200ER (23/09/2009 14:58)

London to Hong Kong.

Was seated in Row 23 in the middle which did have extra legroom but if you want the most legroom go for the sides (ABC, HJK) where the bulkhead is further forward - probably another foot.

The snacks also are placed on a ledge on the bulkhead in front of 23D and 23F so there can be a little disturbance from other passengers.

I slept for the first part of the flight. They have fleeces rather than wool blankets and an amenity kit with lip balm and good quality eye shades. I missed dinner but the breakfast was of good quality and served off china.

Service superb throughout.

As for the seat I would say it's better than BA but not as good as Qantas and Virgin.

One major difference is the width of the armrest which is double on Qantas.

Overall a good experience.

frustratedflyer flew Air New Zealand Business Premier, on a B777-200ER (15/06/2009 09:56)

A good product almost identical to Virgin Atlantic. Service was good, wine excellent. An interesting feature is that they allow you to use the IFE (apart from games) during take off and landing. This is a bit hard in Business where you need to stow the video screen. You can see the screen but it is not the easiest position. The flight from HKG to LHR was on time, very good overall. As the seats are in a herringbone configuration there is no best seat. I would sit at towards the front as it is quieter. Also there are 3 toilets but the ones at the back tend to get used by Premium Economy cabin.