Air New Zealand Passenger Reviews and Air New Zealand Customer Trip reports

Auckland-Osaka Kansai Boeing 767-300ER. Boarding a breeze, and a friendly welcome onboard. Plane was clean, seats quite comfortable and seemed to be slightly bigger than seats on other Air NZ aircraft. Reclining pitch was good and so was the headrest adjustments. Onboard entertainment quite good, movie selection was pretty average but the music selection made up for it. Food was excellent, best economy class food I have ever had. Premium New Zealand Kapiti Ice Cream was served which was delicious. I love planes and aviation, and the attendant noticed that I was talking to my friend in front of me about the aircraft we were on. She said that if we would like, after we land in Osaka me and my friend could go up and have a look at the cockpit. This was very kind of her as I thought that ever since 9/11 no one could do that. The pilots were very friendly and they let me have a look around.

My husband and I travelled to Hong Kong from Auckland on September 28. We were both disappointed with our experience. The flight crew were not helpful. The seats were too close and cramped for a long flight, especially when the person in front of you reclines. I was awake most of the night and there was no water service. We had pre requested our seats and on check in found out that not only had our pre requested seats been changed but my husband and I had been seperated! Luckily there customer service team did assist us with finding seats together. We flew back premium Economy and that was a different story. Unfortunately I think ANZ have forgotten to look after there economy passengers and are concentrating on Business and Premium Economy to their detriment. We will never go long haul with them again!

LHR-LAX. The staff were excellent throughout, the IFE was great and everything from check in onwards was as smooth as could be. The only very minor quibble is that in economy the seats seemed a little cramped.

Flew LAX to AKL a 777-300. Very impressed by the new bigger-screen personal TVs which work gate-to-gate. Adjustable headrest brilliant, armrests folding back flush with the seat were nice. USB ports let you charge your iPod. There was a chandelier painted on the wall in the bathroom - a nice little touch. Service was excellent and very personable. Food was fine, and wine was great. You can also order toothbrush, masks and earplugs through the entertainment system. It's the little things!

SYD-AKL. This flight turned out to be very good. The plane was rather new and had entertainment systems on every seat. The flight was on time, the flight attendants were pretty friendly and everything was very clean. Seating was surprisingly good. The price was decent and despite the fact you had to pay extra for food and some of the movies it didn't have the "budget" feeling you get with other airlines. This was a pleasant experience and is highly recommended on this route.

Perth-Auckland. Was upgraded from economy to business class. Excellent service from attendants. Previously found meals in business class excellent and this time was not disappointed. Looking forward to future upgrades to business class although I have previously not been successful due to high demand and limited allocated upgrade seats and thus the free upgrades expiring.

LHR to Auckland via LAX with two children aged 3 and 5, staff fantastic and really helpful with the children; food was really good. The seats and beds were super comfortable. My negative criticism is that in Auckland I struggled to find someone to help me with my luggage despite having requested meet and assist. The "blue coats" man told me he was about to change shifts and couldn't help!

New 777-300, very clean and tidy looking, staff were friendly and the meal tasty. Travelled on works deluxe in row 27, not exactly sure how their system works but was a bit miffed when I discovered that the person right next to me was on a seat only option. The inflight entertainment was average with limited selections, compared to my usual airline of choice. I also found the space seat while comfortable was very hard to recline. The lounge was very busy and noisy at 7.30 am, again with not much choice of food and beverages, hot meal being bubble and squeak and a tart. I am sure they could do much better at their flagship lounge.

AKL-HKG (NZ87). The cabin looked good, although very different to what I expected. Was sitting in 44A and 44B. Good start, crew helping everyone. Around 1 hour after take-off dinner was served, but there wasn't many choices. Went to sleep after dinner and the seats were starting to get uncomfortable. Miserable flight from the next half of the flight onwards. The Cabin Crew were one of the best I've ever experienced, the seat starts well but gets uncomfortable and the Inflight Entertainment is a little lacking since I much prefer the touch screen on the new aircraft's.

Flew NZ5 ex LAX to AKL. Premium check-in was fine, but issues started at the Koru lounge. Despite being a full member was not permitted entry and the only reason given was that 'they were a little bit stretched' at the time. Ridiculous. Could see from standing in the doorway that there were empty seats inside. Was advised to go away and try again later! Worst customer service ever. Inflight my seat had a broken headrest that would not hold position. Cabin crew seemed uninterested in providing anything but the most basic service. Food quality was terrible, although beverage service was good. Cramped cabin and if anyone reclined a seat in front you basically had no room to move. Everyone looked decidedly uncomfortable. Will look to other carriers for any North American flights in future.

Auckland to Hong Kong. Good warm and cosy flight. Delicious meals. Comfortable seat and friendly staff.

Flew MEL-AKL in July on new 777-300. Nice aircraft, but when seat in front reclines, is very intrusive on the little space there is. My feelings were that I'd hate to have been flying on to the US in such cramped conditions. I'd seriously look at paying the extra for premium economy on a longer journey! Returned AKL- ADL on A320 with the new all black interior. My first thoughts when boarding was how little pitch there seemed to be between seats - much like the budget carriers. Maybe it's the black decor that makes it all look tighter. Some of the seated passengers however, were looking decidedly uncomfortable possibly due to the prospect of a 4+ hour flight in a confined space. Opted to swap my middle seat with husband for the less claustrophobic aisle seat. One male flight attendant looked like it was a chore just being there. Took our own food, so cannot comment on catering. Quite generous with water, tea and coffee. Entertainment good. Not sure if I'd recommend Air NZ over Qantas or Virgin - all depends on price.

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