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

Flight from Wellington to Sydney. Service was very bad and experienced major delays. No help from customer service. I ended up changing return to Qantas, very good by the way. Won't fly ANZ until they fix these problems.

Auckland to Narita (NZ99) on 31st August. While the flight and service were ok, I was extremely uncomfortable for the entire flight owing to the very low cabin temperature. In the end, after putting on more clothing, I was using 2 blankets, winter socks, and an extra layer as well as a woollen jacket, and I was still cold! Considering we were flying from NZ spring temperatures in the high teens, to temps. over 25 in Tokyo with high humidity, I thought the cabin temperature was inappropriate. It should have become higher during the flight and more closely matched the temperature at the final destination. Most people around me were also covered up with extra blankets. I appreciate that cabin crew are moving around, and so probably become warmer than passengers who remain seated, but it was still too cold! Why wasn't the temperature checked?

SYD - Wellington. Seats in first five rows on A320 on left of aircraft have a few inches more legroom, which I got as a gold Virgin. Also got Koru Club lounge access, excellent food. Seatback entertainment first rate. Left Sydney late but arrived close to schedule. Cute inflight safety video but not as clever as the one featuring the All Blacks. A very professional airline.

I flew to and from Auckland recently. The staff at SF were very slow and lethargic. Flight attendants on the way out were very poor, much better on the return. No offer of drinks at anytime other than with the meal. No trolley before dinner. No snacks at anytime - not what I am used to at all. Must improve before I will use them again.

Traveled AKL-LAX-LHR and used the new One Up system to get an upgrade from Premium Economy to Business Premium. Having never travelled Business before we couldn't believe how fabulous it was. Check in was as normal and Koru lounge in AKL ok but on board was such a great way to start our holiday. The new seats which lie completely flat as a bed were comfy and even being able to sit with your legs elevated straight out made the journey pass quickly. We arrived in London feeling great and were able to pack plenty of things in on that 1st day rather than being exhausted. The crew were suburb and the food and wine excellent. The cabin was very hot and the crew said they had been having some issues getting the temperature right. Great selection of movies and monitors easy to use.

BNE-CHC-AKL-BNE. A320/B777. Flight into CHC was ok. We paid for the 'Works' tickets, which is the economy tickets inclusive of the flexibility, meals and movies. Was worth the price, however the stewardess made an error and gave me the wrong meal. The flight was a bit cramped. Hardly saw the stewards. Flight into AKL was better - service was friendlier and helpful even for a short hop over to the North Island. Final flight home was the highlight - meals were great, service helpful and friendly and the movie selections and IFE was really good. Really enjoyed it. Would definitely fly with them again. But, I don't think their service was any better than Qantas or Virgin Australia even though the hype seems to say that they are.

MEL-AKL-MEL, 763/773. The do you or don't you meal service is appalling. A blue line on the headrest covers denotes those who have a meal included. The crew awkwardly ignore the rest with various people having to argue they were supposed to be fed and pull out their itinerary etc. If you buy something to eat you have to use a credit card via the entertainment system. It took 2 hours to receive the purchase. The whole service was a joke on both flights. IFE was good and the 763 had comfortable seats. The new 773 on the other hand had 10 seats across in economy on an aircraft designed for 9, it is very cramped, worse than Emirates who at least give you leg room. There is a hard rail exactly where your shins are so I'm glad it was not a long haul flight. Sadly all the $ Air NZ seem to have spent has been poorly executed.

AKL-SYD-AKL 777-200. The 777 isn't normally seen on this route, so I jumped at the chance. Self check in at AKL very quick (staff are there if you need help). Up the private lift to premium emigration and security. In the lounge within 10 minutes of arriving at the airport. Lounge fine, nice to see the barista operating into the afternoon. Flight slightly late due to the late arrival of the incoming aircraft, but kept up to date in the lounge. Priority boarding at the gate is nice and a warm welcome from the crew. Full 3 course meal and wines very good. Check in on the return took ages, not the airline's fault. Once checked in, fast track worked well and was again in the lounge swiftly. SYD lounge quite busy as lots of others use Air NZ's facility. Bustling, but still with a nice atmosphere. Surprisingly same Purser as on the way over and he remembered me and the conversation we'd had a week ago, which I thought was nice. Again an excellent 3 course lunch served. Didn't use the IFE so won't comment. Lovely crews both ways. It's nice to see more mature men and women on board. Both crews were relaxed, confident, proactive and friendly without being casual. Each one introduced themselves by name. An excellent trip.

AKL-SFO, 27 APR 12, B747-400, Business Premier. Had asked for upgrade, and due to very high loads wasn't confirmed. Check-in staff friendly, but couldn't confirm either. Lounge was good as always, food variety a bit limited. Friendly staff in lounge as well. The gate space was too small, with many people sitting on the floor. Gate agent courteous. Minutes after opening the gate he offered me one of the 3 upgrades, and gave me a seat on the upper deck (18K). I love the B744, and was chuffed to be on the UD, but it looked a bit dated. The lack of curtain between Premium Economy and Business Premier made for a strange set-up. Food, service and staff were excellent. Lie-flat are the best in its class, and after 7 hours the flight attendant had to wake me up for breakfast.

The new more compact seating is awful to travel in. The old planes had much more foot room and elbow room it seemed and there were foot rests in front of you for comfort. The new planes are obviously geared to the higher paying tickets and the economy class is suffering for it. The hosts and hostesses are excellent, the design of the aircraft lets everyone down. 13 hours of torture with a few minutes here and there of sort of pseudo comfort, and when we were able to get lost in a movie for a few moments here and there. The NZ 5 flight back from LA in the All Blacks plane was much more tolerable than the NZ 8 flight to San Francisco. That plane to San Francisco had arm rests that didn't go all the way up and the entertainment screens were not touch pad sensitive, so working with a keypad that's hooked to the armrest was insanely uncomfortable. We didn't sleep at all on the flight to San Francisco, but got a few hours rest here and there on the NZ 5 flight back largely due to the slightly better design of the plane and the fact that the gentleman in the window seat next to us was able to move to an empty seat in front of us. Please Air New Zealand think of something if it's possible to let economy class feel again like human beings.

Flew from Wgtn to Rarotonga return via Akld. Flight from Wgtn to Auckland 737-300 - only negative is the plane looks a bit old and shabby, but everything else was pretty good! Friendly staff, good snacks and drinks. Flight from Akld to Raro return 777-200 - it was ok, but the seats were a bit uncomfortable. Staff were friendly though! Flight back to Wgtn A320. Very comfortable seats, if only the other planes had these! I have flown other airlines overseas (Asia etc) but I prefer Air NZ to any!

AKl-London and return via Lax. Air NZ continue to impress with helpful staff and just the best business class seats I have experience. The entertainment system was very good though it did crash twice. An excellent choice of movies and entertainment. Food was very good and the staff were friendly.

LAX to Rarotonga. My first flight using an airline that was not a US carrier. What a difference! Attendants seemed happy. Flight went smoothly, treated to two full meals, served with wine, as well as snacks between the meals. Each person has their own entertainment system. The seats, like most airlines, are small but at least you have the option to sit in rows of two, which was nice for our family of four. The staff, food, and entertainment options kept my two kids, 9 and 13, happily entertained the entire flight, which is a relief to any parent.

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