BACKGROUND My return flight NZ39 from Auckland to Hongkong, also using a Boeing B777-200 ER, left Auckland Airport at 11.45pm and arrived the following morning at 6.05am at Hong Kong International Airport. The flight time was 11 hours and 20 minutes, this was ten minutes ahead of schedule. Cathay Pacific also operates an Auckland- Hongkong route. Note: Air New Zealand has subsequently rescheduled to NZ39, the departure is now 11.15pm, arriving at 6.45am the following day.
CHECK IN I arrived at the check-in desks at Auckland Airport about three hours ahead of departure. There was a special priority queue for frequent flyers and Business Premier passengers, which I joined. Check-in was swift and easy. I was given a lounge pass and a voucher for the Express Path to speed me through customs and immigration checks.
BOARDING I headed for Air New Zealand’s Koru Lounge, which has seating for 291 people. There are seven showers available. Aside from a wide range of beers, wines, spirits and snacks there are great facilities for business people, including a business desk, internet connections, photocopier and fax. Announcements are made in the lounge and I headed off as soon as my flight was called. On boarding, I was welcomed and offered a choice of champagne, wine and non-alcoholic drinks.
THE SEAT I was in seat 7A, a window seat in the last row of the Business Premier cabin. The seats are arranged herring-bone style, so all have direct aisle access, the major advantage of this configuration. The seats are extremely comfortable with seat recline and lumbar support buttons to adjust the seat to your own preference. There is an ottoman which can be used as a footrest or a visitor’s seat. The seat can be converted into a fully flat bed. Beside the magazine pocket there is an in-seat power socket, it accepts a number of different plug types but not the UK three-pin style. This is something of a disadvantage on a plane that flies this route, as passengers from both the UK and Hongkong use precisely this kind
of plug.
WHICH SEAT TO CHOOSE Since all seats have aisle access, there seems little to choose from. Row 7 is beside the galley and could possibly be a little noisy during food services but I can’t say I noticed this much. There are 26 Business Premier class seats.
FOOD AND DRINK There were two meal services on this flight, supper and breakfast. There were also fast dining options for those who simply wanted to get some sleep. The supper menu was strongly New Zealand influenced with a lamb main course, for example, local cheeses and so on. There was also a Chinese-style fish dish, snapper fillet with baby pak choy, and a chicken dish. There’s a great selection of New Zealand wines and there’s even an onboard pocket wine guide which passengers are encouraged to take with them.
ARRIVAL Business Premier passengers were disembarked first and I was through immigration about 20 minutes after touching down. I didn’t have too long to wait for my bags and was on the Airport Express around half an hour after landing.
Kenny Coyle
FACT FILE
Configuration 1-2-1 in Business Premium, 3-3-3 in Premium Economy and Economy
Seat width 20 inches
Seat pitch NA
Seat recline Fully flat bed
PRICE Air New Zealand’s website offers a Business Premier return between Auckland and Hongkong in June for US$5,662.
CONTACT www.airnewzealand.com
VERDICT
This is a superb product both in terms of hardware and software. The flight attendants were excellent throughout the flight. My only quibble is the power socket problem, so bring an adaptor if need be.
