Air New Zealand

Los Angeles to London Heathrow on New Year's Day with Air New Zealand. Full cabin in Business Class. Love the seats and foot stool and conversion to flat bed. The seats have a good range of positions and the table is large enough. The entertainment system was fully operational. Food and beverage choices were very good. The flight attendants were professional, friendly and helpful - we can't speak highly enough of them, both outbound and inbound. The ground staff were also pleasant and helpful.

Flying return from Auckland to London Heathrow I had a pretty good experience. On my first flight, I didnt have a copy of the airline magazine, and asked the staff. They explained that something had happened and they hadn't been put on the flight. I wasn't originally best pleased. A week later, as I boarded my flight back to NZ, I presented my boarding pass while getting on the plane. The steward immediately said "David I've heard you missed out on the Kia Ora magazine last flight, we've got a copy here ready for you". They brought this to my seat a few minutes later, with another apology for not having it the first time.

I flew Air New Zealand from London to Los Angeles on Christmas Day, the staff were excellent. An empty seat opposite my seat was made up as my bed. Food very good. The use of the Singapore Airlines Lounge at Heathrow Terminal 2 is a great start to the flight.

Light passenger load in business class. Arrived at the gate after priority boarding had closed and queue with economy class. When staff realize they were embarrassed and work hard to ensure I was boarded first. Whilst it didn't bother me the effort was appreciated. The inflight service was impeccable. Staff turned an empty seat into bed for me rather than my assigned seat, very convenient. Food selection was ok but plenty to go around. There were only 10 pax in business class and 4 were friends or relatives of crew members. Inflight entertainment was ok. Bed was very comfortable to sleep but wish the width could be bit wider for turning. Would definitely fly Air New Zealand again.

Auckland to Los Angeles with Air New Zealand. Great service, good food, very comfortable flat bed, although somewhat finicky compared to other airlines in that it isn't simple to set up without help from service staff. Privacy is better achieved by getting a seat at rear bulkhead. Lounge at Auckland busy, but service staff walling around and offering snacks and drinks is a nice touch.

I have flown between Auckland and Vancouver on Air New Zealand dozens of times. This was the first time on the new 3-4-3 seating arrangement. Total fail. I sat in an aisle seat, as always, and discovered the aisle is no longer wide enough for the average Kiwi. I am not a big person and there was no way to keep my shoulders in enough to prevent being continually bumped. Some of their stewardesses are wider than the aisles. Some men negotiated the aisles sideways. How can this be safe? I have been trying to find alternatives to this flight as the 3-4-3 seating arrangement is far too crowded for even "small" people. Can't imagine what it would be like for "large" people. Oh, and the food was not good. What a difference one year has made in my opinion of Air New Zealand. I would classify Air New Zealand as a budget airline except for the price doesn't reflect this, only the quality. I should mention however that the domestic flights are just fine.

The Air New Zealand Boeing 787 is more of a nightmare. Have never known such hard, uncomfortable and narrow seats in economy. I am of average build and there was hardly any room to shift one's position. I had paid extra for an emergency exit seat but this meant I was unable to lift the armrests to obtain just an inch of extra space. Also, I might have had more leg room but the noise from the galley and toilets made it impossible to sleep quite apart from being continually jostled by people using the very narrow aisle. The mostly Chinese crew appeared bored and seldom smiled - cannot really be blamed as I understand that is the only route they fly. The food was mediocre and served on the tiniest tray with plastic utensils. Coffee and tea was not offered after the dinner service and the return trip it was offered at breakfast but the coffee was of very poor quality. Air New Zealand management would do well to remember that the economy passengers are in the majority and by providing a cheese paring budget service people are going to look for other airlines that provide a more comfortable means of travel. I must also comment on the uniform. The male cabin crew have a lovely smart outfit but the female uniform is horrendous especially for those cabin crew who are on the buxom side. The uniform is ugly and badly fitting. I tried the Boeing 787 because I had heard good reports, but after two negative experiences (Auckland to Shanghai and Tokyo to Auckland) I shall return to flying with Singapore Airways, Cathay Pacific and even Qantas!

From boarding to arrival an exceptional experience with Air New Zealand from YVR to AKL. Comfortable seat both in upright and fully flat configuration. Pleasant cabin ambiance with cool colours and fresh looking environment. Food choices were ample and my fish was prepared just right. Limited but good quality wines and a wide array of other beverages including champagne and several beer labels. FA's were nothing short of outstanding with smiles all around even after 14 hours in the air. IFE had a rich library of movies and music. Flight departed and landed on time.

Travelled Works Deluxe and one of the most relaxing experiences in a long time. I arrived at Queenstown airport much earlier than I would normally check-in. As I entered the terminal an announcement was made to say that bags could be checked in then. I was able to use my passport to confirm checkin and drop my bag off, assisted by an Air New Zealand representative staff. I used the Koru lounge and enjoyed a very relaxing few hours. The lounge was not exceptionally busy although the number of people increased over the time I was waiting. Onboard I found the flight attendants excellent, very engaging with the announcements and safety messages, and the whole team were most professional.

Shanghai to Dunedin via Auckland. Unacceptable. Bumped from first international flight with instructions sent by email to obtain update on the phone - only a local number was given (and I was on hold forever). Last flight leg ultimately canceled. Sitting in the airport - first it was 15 minutes late, then late due to medical emergency, then late due to engineering problems, finally cancelled. Foreseeing this as the process unfolded, I asked if I could be put on another flight (there was one, it was not full). I was told that Air New Zealand had "a team" working on it, then (snottily) that "premium" customers would come first. At the end, big scramble at the gate with no apparent rhyme or reason about who was rescheduled (I was not). They cannot field a plane, but staff are able to be rude. Other flights were also cancelled while I was waiting (engineering problems). Many angry people here at the airport today. I previously travelled on Air New Zealand more often for work, and I have to say, this domestic flight scheduling/delivery problem coupled with rude ground staff seems to be more frequent than the on-line statistics that I see suggest. My overall rating is a 2 because of staff inability to deal with frustrated customers in a calm and supportive manner (rather the opposite).