AIR NEW ZEALAND review : 5 July 2008 : by John Munns

Customer Rating : 5/5

First time on Air New Zealand MEL-AKL-HKG-LHR. Very long flight but service excellent from all three crews and meals great. Recommend Premium Economy seats as bigger than average passenger, good leg room and recline. Worth the extra cost. From my observations service good to other passengers as well.

AIR NEW ZEALAND review : 27 June 2008 : by Neil Ramsay

Customer Rating : 5/5

Sydney to Rarotonga and back via Auckland. Clean 767's, reasonable seat pitch, good food, standard IFE and friendly crews. Flight out uneventful. Flight back delayed 12 hours due to crew sickness in LAX. By the time we got to Auckland, we and lots of other pax had missed last available connecting flights. But Air NZ had everything well organised with busses ready to take us for an overnighter at an airport hotel soon after landing. Dinner, breakfast and return shuttles to the airport the next morning for our rebooked flights were also organised.

AIR NEW ZEALAND review : 17 June 2008 : by Geoffrey Earl

Customer Rating : 4/5

AKL-BNE return in business class. Both sectors on a 747-400 - a plane with a feeling of spaciousness. Cabin crew, food and service acceptable and up to the standard one would expect with this airline. In my opinion, the only drawback with this airline is the awful angle seating plan in business class. Talking to other passengers or your family seems to be taboo, so you just sit there like dummies all in a line with your feet sticking out! Also too bad if you want to look out the window as a sore neck is likely to be the end result. The sooner Air New Zealand go back to a simple 2 by 2 layout the better. And I know many other passengers agree with this comment. I hope Mr Fyfe, the CEO, take these comments on board!

AIR NEW ZEALAND review : 17 June 2008 : by Steve Hayes

Customer Rating : 4/5

AKL-SFO-AKL 777-200ER. Leg up to SFO was in Business Premier. Service was good and attentive, the bed was good but firm, though I find asking for and extra duvet to use as a mattress helps lift the comfort level of the lie flat beds in Business Premier. Return in Economy. Lucky enough to get three seats to lie out and sleep. The pitch while good compared with other airlines is still tight, especially if you want to look at a movie and the seat in front is fully reclined. Onboard concierge proved to be very useful to me in sorting out a query.

AIR NEW ZEALAND review : 17 May 2008 : by P McLean

Customer Rating : 4/5

Boeing 777 200ER YVR/AKL return. First leg in Business (airpoints upgrade from prem economy). Flight and service first rate. Lie flat bed excellent. IFE great. Code shared Air Canada Maple lounge at Vancouver is average with very little food but adequate seating, drinks, reading material and internet access. Return journey was premium economy. AKL business checkin was busy but efficient and friendly. Usual rigid side seats are tight widthwise but legroom ok although I had a bulkhead and thus not able to put my feet under a seat in front for a bit of extra stretch. Food and service excellent. IFE fine. Bathroom access fine and no lineups. Flights were both extremely full - a problem for people trying to get upgrades using their airpoints. Air NZ have to watch that they dont burn off customers who cant buy Prem economy (because so few seats available and limited number of flights) or cant get upgrades due to too full flights. 4 stars because of narrow prem economy seats and lack of availability of upgrades.

AIR NEW ZEALAND review : 16 May 2008 : by Chris Cook

Customer Rating : 4/5

LHR-HKG-LHR in Economy Class. The seat pitch is very good although the seats themselves became very hard on the backside after about 2 hours in the recline position! IFE one of the best I've come across with over 40 movies and TV, games and audio channels. The food was excellent with dinner, snack and breakfast outbound and brunch, snack and lunch inbound. FAs were mostly HK and UK based (with a couple of French nationals) who were pleasant and efficient. Altogether, a thoroughly enjoyable experience and Air NZ definitely gets my recommendation.

AIR NEW ZEALAND review : 30 April 2008 : by Elizabeth Bell

Customer Rating : 4/5

Auckland-Brisbane return business premier and Auckland-Adelaide return business class. The Brisbane flights were on a 747-400 and were excellent. Friendly and efficient FAs, good food and wine. Enjoy the new layout and being able to sit with one's feet up during takeoff and landing. Sometimes the foldaway tables have a mind of their own. Adelaide flights were on A320. Not only a smaller plane but these flights are operated by an AirNZ subsidiary, Zeal320 Ltd, the company that used to operate its budget airline, Freedomair. As others have said this business class service is not up to scratch. FAs are friendly enough, but not the same calibre as full AirNZ crew. The food is not as good and wines are inferior. If you have a choice go for 747-400, 777 or even the aging 767 which has a more comfortable business class section. The fares are the same, but the service is definitely not.

AIR NEW ZEALAND review : 30 April 2008 : by D Nelson

Customer Rating : 4/5

LAX-LHR; LHR-HKG; HKG-AKL; AKL-MEL; SYD-ZQN; AKL-LAX RTW fare on Air New Zealand. First 3 long hauls on 747-400 and last one on 777-200 - in Business Class. Long haul flights were comfortable with good food and service - overall 4 star. Planes were full but good personal attention on all but 1 flight. FAs personable and professional. Flight deck crew did very good job of communication. AVOD system top notch with no glitches. ANZ Koru lounges were excellent. The Red Carpet lounge shared at LHR is dreadful. Check-in was good at all airports. We liked the business seats just fine. Others have complained about not being able to see out window at angle, but this was OK sacrifice for privacy and sleep comfort. Interesting on last long haul, they have started with nicer amenity kits (cloth instead of plastic) and better linens. Would have no hesitation flying with ANZ on transPacific long hauls in the future. The trans-Tasman flights on A-320 were OK, but not worth the extra $$ if I was not on RTW fare.

AIR NEW ZEALAND review : 30 April 2008 : by Otto Huhta

Customer Rating : 5/5

Hong Kong to Auckland return. The service was excellent, food was good and the video screen in front of you was good. The only negative thing would be the passengers in front of us who couldn't keep their seats in one position for over two minutes at a time. Their prices on the Hong Kong-Auckland route were the best ones we could get.

AIR NEW ZEALAND review : 29 April 2008 : by I Ervin

Customer Rating : 4/5

LHR-HKG-AKL return. Flew Economy class. All flights on time, enough seat/leg space. Good in-flight entertainment. Good food. Friendly staff. Plane was a little tatty (seats, carpet etc) but I've seen worse. All in all considering it was one of the cheapest options, I was very impressed.

AIR NEW ZEALAND review : 28 April 2008 : by Wane Pulford

Customer Rating : 3/5

Business Hamilton to Gold Coast. Seat width good, recline & footrest poor. Small bland meal, advertised IFE not available. Staff not friendly. A totally underwhelming experience. Business class on A320 business not up to standard.

AIR NEW ZEALAND review : 23 April 2008 : by N McKay

Customer Rating : 4/5

BNE-AKL-LAX return in economy class. On the 2 long haul flights and one short haul we had the new 777-200ER planes and a newly refitted 747-400 on other short haul flight. The seat pitch was OK for someone 6 foot tall. The inflight entertainment system on all legs was very good, a top quality AVOD system with many choices. The food was tasty for airplane food. Price was very good.

AIR NEW ZEALAND review : 23 April 2008 : by John Wilson

Customer Rating : 5/5

LHR-HKG-LHR. Outbound Economy, return Premium Economy on Boeing 747-400. Outbound to Hong Kong - boarding in row order so no scrum. The economy seat was fine for comfort and legroom was excellent. Excellent entertainment system which was on demand. Loads of films, TV channels, radio channels and CD's. Nice food with snacks available from galley mid flight. Bag was on the carousel by the time I got to it. Return in Premium Economy excellent. The only criticism of the whole trip was the slightly narrow seat for Premium Economy, kept banging elbows with the person next to me. Aside from that great legroom and seat recline. Service excellent - welcome drink of sparkling wine or fruit juice on boarding, Four course breakfast, midflight sandwiches and cakes and a four course meal towards the end of the flight. Bar service on demand and great New Zealand wines. FAs on both flights very friendly and helpful.

AIR NEW ZEALAND review : 23 April 2008 : by J Kneijber

Customer Rating : 3/5

Trans-Tasman Business class Hamilton to Coolangatta on A320. New Route for the airline which explains distinctly underwhelming experience. Food was bland & poorly presented - have had better in economy on other airlines. Advertised entertainment was not available. Business seat width was excellent however the recline & footrest were poor. Staff surly who appeared to resent any requests. Not worth the extra money for a short 3 and half hour flight. Short haul services are not this airlines strong point.

AIR NEW ZEALAND review : 22 April 2008 : by M McCandless

Customer Rating : 1/5

If Air New Zealand passengers flying long haul are in transit in the US , particularly Los Angeles airport, you are subject to American Customs regulations. So any legitimate duty free purchase bought by you either in Auckland, London, or on the aircraft itself, for consumption in NZ or the UK may be in breach of American Custom limits, eg. 1 litre bottle of spirit will be confiscated. This is exactly what happened to a family member recently when in transit at Los Angeles airport, on flight NZ2, where he bought 1 litre of expensive spirit as a gift in Auckland and had it confiscated by US airport officials. This is contrary to the advice given by ANZ to their passengers on the ANZ website, ie. "There is no requirement to complete the (US) Customs form when in transit." My advice to people flying NZ1 and NZ2 is simply don't buy any duty free, because you may find yourselves seriously out of pocket and left with the feeling that you have been robbed.

Air New Zealand review - by Andrew Mair

15 April 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

Interesting to note customer comments about HK to AKL cabin crew older and surly. Must have been the same people who were on my flight. They were gruff and unhelpful who never raised a smile. On all the other flights, the cabin crew couldn't have been more helpful and friendly. I went from AKLLAX, LAXLHR, LHRHKG, HKGAKL all premium. Due to my booking being last minute I paid quite a high amount, in that respect it wasn't worth the extra money.

Air New Zealand review - by Haider Burkhard

15 April 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

WLG-AKL-RAR. Domestic 737 only 76cm seat pitch, very poor. AKL-RAR 777 Business Class cold cabin. Small 3 course meal, FlatBed good for Business Class.

Air New Zealand review - by R Wells

12 April 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

Hong Kong to LHR March 2008. Picked up flight on route to LHR from Auckland at HKG. Premier Economy - paid for comfort, space and quiet as well as service. Beware seats H & K27 ON 747-400.

Air New Zealand review - by Greg Ward

5 April 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

LHR-LAX-AKL-WLG. LHR-LAX leg was okay. Beware of the bulkhead seats however if you're wider than average. I found it quite uncomfortable and had to move after an hour or so. Thankfully, there was space to do that. The armrests are immobile in those seats and if in the aisle seat, everyone passing by is guaranteed to hit your TV screen. The quality of the IFE is exceptional. The food was better than expected. However, be careful of coffee cups during turbulence! My only problem with Air NZ is that the recline of the seats is ridiculous. The lumbar support when reclined, pushed my back into unnatural angles. I had to sit with my seatback up. When the passenger in front of me reclined, the screen was about 4 inches from my face. The staff were friendly and helpful. If you have the option to pre-book your seats, be sure to do so. Most of the flights are full and rows 65 & 66 towards the window, seemed the most comfortable. Keep away from the seats near the galley as the light will be keep you awake, although the staff do their best to minimise it. On the way over, the dedicated customs facility in LAX was closed so we went through the central one. That was fine. In AKL, the 10 min walk to the domestic terminal was very welcome. If you go on to AKL to LHR (or vice versa) on the same plane, LAX will be a real test of your patience. On the way back, LAX was a joke! Queuing in a corridor waiting for a surly customs official to stamp my passport. 2 hours between flights. Queued for 80 mins. Transfer lounge for 10 and back on the plane 30 mins before take off. A numbered ticket system would work much better. LHR customs & officers much better than LAX. On returning, if leaving from AKL, make sure you pay your NZ$25 departure fee before you go through customs, otherwise, you'll have to go back and start again. Plane home full and much hotter. Again, flight crew friendly and helpful. Food better than expected. Overall I was happy with the flight. However, if I was doing it all again, I would pay the premium and go for premium economy.

Air New Zealand review - by Kevin Tunnicliffe

4 April 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

LHR-AKL via Hong Kong return, Business Class. London to Hong Kong and Hong Kong to London the service from cabin crew was first class. Strangely on the Hong Kong - Auckland and Auckland - Hong Kong sectors the service was markedly less so with surly, much older cabin crew on each leg. Had I only experienced the Hong Kong - Auckland flights I may have determined never to fly this airline again despite the excellent seats and good food and beverages. The best seats are in rows 1 to 7, as these are in the nose of the plane and have far more personal room. Avoid being seated in business class upstairs on the 747 as the cabin is cramped and the only toilets shared with premium economy, which makes for long queues.

Air New Zealand review - by J Wright

1 April 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

LAX-AKL-NAN-LAX Business Class and on multiple intra-NZ flights. If only domestic US carriers were as good. Clean, modern planes, very good food, and first-rate kiwi wines. Flatbed seats were very comfortable, and service was excellent.

Air New Zealand review - by Alan Parker

31 March 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

LHR-HKG-AKL return Premium Economy. A real mixed bag. LHR-HKG one of the best flights - seats 23H/K upstairs in a 747. Seemed we got the same service as Business, no economy seating upstairs. Food and seat space excellent. The crew, a mixture of young Kiwi and Scottish staff, were exceptional. HKG- AKL downstairs in 27A/C. Very noisy flight, crew disinterested and just disappeared for 3 hours. One business class customer described them as "surly". AKL-HKG Because we changed our travel plans we could only get economy seats to HKG. No refund but ANZ charged us for making changes even though their Auckland call centre said they had be waived. Flight packed and we had the disappearing crew issue again. Economy seating poor and cramped compared with Singapore/Thai etc. Food truly awful! HKG-LHR Back in 23H/K so much better however the crew waited 8.5 hours to put on a bar service, there was clearly some supply problem as even Business Class did not get any drinks. Crew disappeared again! Air NZ is a good airline let down by some staff and inflexibility when making even simple changes. Premium economy seat has great space, but is too narrow.

Air New Zealand review - by Alex Mackay

31 March 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

LHR-LAX-LHR out in economy, back in premium. Check in at LHR was quick. Good selection of films and other entertainment and good food served with frequent drinks runs and an open snack bar once the main meal service had been completed. LAX processing also quick with no real issues or delays! Check in for return leg was quick with some delays getting through to the departure area - read the signs and listen to what you are being told. Premium Economy is a much better service than economy.

Air New Zealand review - by David Minard

21 March 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

Wellington-Melbourne Economy A320 aircraft. Food and presentation dreadful, cheap and nasty. Seat spacing way too small for 4hrs onboard the plane. A lady in front reclined her seat at every opportunity, leaving me (an average well built 60 plus male), with no room at all. Eventually a terse conversation ensued and she did at least refrain for rest of trip. On these short pitched seats, on "short haul" international flights, Air NZ should disable the reclining function. I have seen similar disputes on other airlines in other parts of the world. To finish, I would say that I have had some very pleasant journeys on Air NZ to Asian destinations in Premium Ecnomy. It is a shame the Tasman has such a poor selection.

Air New Zealand review - by Ross Young

19 March 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

BNE-WLG, AKL-SFO, SFO-AKL CHC-BNE in Business. Flights were excellent with great food and wine and attentive staff. Slept well in the flat beds which seem to be softer than they used to be and had "covers" over the buttons for recline etc so they could no longer be activated accidentally as they used to be. Bags off quickly at all airports and lounges very good. Up with the best Business class flights I have travelled on long haul. Only cheap aspect was the amenity kit which has steadily declined over the years.

Air New Zealand review - by Tim Howard

12 March 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

A 9 hour flight from Honolulu to Auckland - excellent food (business class) and seating and a tremendous STAFF attitude made the flight completely enjoyable. Same with various flights within New Zealand and the return flight to Honolulu from Auckland.

Air New Zealand review - by W Coulton

9 March 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

BNE-AKL-YVR in Premium Economy on B777. Found the premium economy worth the extra money. Legroom excellent and it allowed some chance of getting some sleep on the overnight flight. Curtains closed between economy, but access left open to business class - and no having to line up to use the economy washrooms. The food was good and 3 choices offered with each meal. AVOD was very good and reliable. The thing that needs some review is the configuration of premium economy on the 777 - it is still 3-3-3, as with economy. Because of the good seat pitch, the tray tables are armrest fitted, so seats seem very narrow. I believe that premium seats are better on their 747's. Besides that, the service was excellent and all flight attendants had a smile on their face.

Air New Zealand review - by Steve Hayes

4 March 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

AKL-SYD-AKL Economy class. Flew on an older 767-300 on the way to Sydney. The seat was comfortable, service was good and prompt with a dinner option on both legs. Drinks were provided with dinner with a second drink run on the 3:30 hr flight to Sydney. The return flight only one drinks service and that was with dinner. Return leg was on a 777 so there were PTV's. Only thing to be wary of on the 777 is that when the person in from reclines, the seats have a habit of shooting back quickly, not easing back as with old style seats. This can catch you unawares if you are leaning forward at the time.

Air New Zealand review - by M Addams

17 February 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

AKL-YVR return Pacific Premium Economy. Excellent service from FA's, not the usual surly Air NZ! Food great, a big improvement on cattle. AVOD worked fine, good movies etc. However, the PE seats are too narrow on the 777's - the solid armrests do not help. Better to lose one seat in each row and add the width equally to the remaining seats! Enquired about upgrade to Business at YVR on return - advised that it would cost another NZ $4500 per person, which would have made the fare nearly NZ$7000 for one leg! I could hire a suite in the Fairmont for almost a week for less than that and get better food and a better bed.

Air New Zealand review - by J Douglas

4 February 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

LHR-AKL-LHR. Out bound in economy was exceptionally hot and our row lacked any window view. Otherwise quite acceptable with good food and regular water runs by cheerful, friendly staff (is it me or did the average age of staff seem higher than usual). Return by Premium Economy - different world! Although seats not much wider, knee room and general facilities greatly improved and food/service just excellent thanks to FA.

Air New Zealand review - by James Wilson

27 January 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

LHR-AKL-LHR Economy. One of the best Economy Class products I have experienced, 34 inch seat pitch, personal TV's with audio/Visual on demand, attentive and friendly FA's. Word of warning though, on the London Auckland route try and fly via Hong Kong on NZ38/39 as NZ2/1 goes via Los Angeles and immigration/Customs controls there are chaotic. It took me 2 hours from touching down until actually reaching the front of the line to have my passport inspected by an rude and tetchy Customs Official. For some reason on the day we passed through, US authorities also insisted we pass through full Customs controls as opposed to going straight to the small NZ transit room which is apparently normal procedure; so we actually ended up on the street outside the terminal and having to go through full x-ray procedures again.

Air New Zealand review - by Ian Ritchie

21 January 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

AKL-WLG 737-300. Friendly staff worked hard with buy on board food service and free coffee / tea / water. Less than zero leg room, interior of 737 a bit aged for an aircraft less than 10 years old. WLG-AKL on A320, great staff, cabin interior light and airy.

Air New Zealand review - by Chris Matthews

17 January 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

LAX-LHR-LAX Premium Economy. Used this particular route as in comparison to fares with other airlines it was a very good deal. I prefer to use Premium Economy or Business depending on budget - wish more airlines would offer a Premium Economy Service. The cabin crew were polite, helpful and efficient. The food was fantastic, substantial menu, beverages offered. Stylish service not unlike business class. Each portion of meal delivered to your seat, not just on one tray via a cart. The seat could have been more comfortable, it seemed very hard and the legrest did not expand enough to be of any help, however legroom was spacious. Check in at LAX was rushed , a small space in the terminal and no separate check in for Premium Economy - at LHR it was very organized and allowed to check in at the Business desk. LAX did mark my baggage as Priority however LHR did not, unsure of their policy on that. Entertainment great AVOD without any technical hitches. I would give this a 9/10 in total , the seat comfort could have been better.

Air New Zealand review - by A Hogan

13 January 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

SYD-AKL B772 Premium Economy, AKL-LAX-AKL B744 Premium Economy, AKL-SYD B767 Business. Premium Economy ex Sydney on the Tasman route is usually only offered a few times a week, it is worthwhile trying to book on the B772 if you can make the connection work to LAX. Superior service, food and comfort is offered in Premium Economy, however the B744 offers superior seat width and comfort. The recent upgrades : food service on long haul flights similar to business class, noise cancelling headsets are excellent, and crew are very attentive. One question I had prior to this trip related to the bulkhead or exit row seats in premium economy - there is no further seat width reduction as a result of the personal TV being located in the armrest instead of in the seat in front. As a result, I believe row 22 of premium economy in the upper deck and row 27 on the lower deck of the B744 and row 23 on the B777 are the best possible seats you can secure, if you don't want anyone to recline on you. It does get very cold on the lower deck in premium economy, however duvets are offered to customers in these seats. AKL/SYD we received a last minute upgrade to business class on the B767 which was welcome after such a long flight from LAX. A few things that need ironing out - the Air New Zealand website indicates that Premium Economy customers receive premium check-in, however we were "told off" by check-in staff in Sydney for standing in that line; on the B744 there are insufficient premium washrooms for the newly combined Business Premier/Premium Economy cabins on the main deck; I received priority baggage ex LAX but non priority bags came out first in SYD. Overall, I would highly rate Air New Zealand's Premium Economy product, and it represents excellent value for money.

Air New Zealand review - by R Scorer

9 January 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

LHR-LAX for Xmas in Business Premier. Food and wine excellent as was entertainment system. Crew ere young and enthusiastic. Cabin is the same as Virgin and is excellent.

Air New Zealand review - by A Neilson

5 January 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

LHR-AKL return (via HK). Economy on outward journey was ok. At 6'2" I found it was quite spacious and comfortable and food better than most. Return journey was booked in Premium Economy, but we were upgraded to Business Premier for leg to Hong Kong. Excellent service and food, but bed could have a bit more padding. Second leg was back to Premium Economy. Excellent food and staff on hand to serve, but not over the top. Overall a very good airline. Would definitely advise paying extra for the Premium Economy on long flights though. Step up in service from cattle class is quite significant.

Air New Zealand review - by S Mason

4 January 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

Four LAX-AKL economy trips past several years, two this year. Cabin crew woke us up at midnight playing around. Had crying two year old behind me, kicking my seat all night and screaming, which can't be helped except the headphones are such a bad fit - won't stay on under any circumstances. Food so so, wine a gamble depending on what they serve. New water service appreciated. Food service good. I'd rather fly Qantas but usually get the best deal on ANZ. ANZ is affordable, safe, reliable.

Air New Zealand review - by C Roberts

30 December 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

SFO-AKL-CHC return in economy. Long Haul product on 777-200ER very good. Food edible, inflight entertainment good, and staff professional. Water runs every 1/2 hour or so between meals a big plus. Domestic product less impressive but flight is short.

Air New Zealand review - by M Asher

24 December 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

HKG-LHR. Can only add to earlier praise for Air New Zealand's Premium Economy. Great to have the wider seat; generous seat pitch; and fabulous food. I enjoyed the upper deck. Couldn't fault staff professionalism, but with one of the two FAslooking after us seeming perpetually miserable, it brought the rating down a notch.

Air New Zealand review - by Shane Tarr

20 December 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

HKG-AKL-HKG Premium Economy. I was traveling with my partner and our 20 month old son. True to form he played up but the flight attendants including the Purser tried their best to accommodate us by ensuring we could get some food and quite fine wine. The trip back was uneventful and I recommend Premium Economy over Economy (although to be fair I have not traveled NZ Economy Class for over 20 years) and will travel Premium Economy again from HKG-AKL in early January 2008.