Air New Zealand Air Points - When was your first NZ flight?

I know this is a topic that would be posted on a.net but........curious to know when was your first NZ flight....where too?...and a/c

Mine was.......TE14 AKL HNL LAX on Dec 14 1978 on a DC10. It had an unusual timing in that it left AKL around 2ish, arrived HNL about midnight where we cleared customs and immigration then onto LAX where we arrived at 8ish in the then international T2. Then caught a PSA flight to SFO.

The AKL LAX budget fare was $362 one way -. I flew back on UTA for the same price. That was a lot of money in those days - especially earning $60 pw.

The LAX SFO fare was $25 which was amazingly cheap compared to NACs domestic fares - in those days there was no advance purchase and there was only one fare type and it was bloody expensive.

I first started taking LAX to LHR in the summer of 2002. I love the legroom in coach. If I have to pay a full coach fare, I take Air New Zealand rather than Continental or another SkyTeam carrier.

First ever NZ flight: NZ 082 from SIN-AKL (about three weeks ago!) Fabulous experience of the new Business Premier product. ^

I have taken 5 other NZ flights since then, and also visited 4 different Koru Clubs in a week's time.

LHR-MEL in December 2004 was my first. It was a long trip but I was very impressed of the airline. That is why I`m faithful to NZ and took it again in Sept 2005 and now again this coming Tuesday. I can`t wait!!! And I`m sooooo looking forward to see how the entertainment system is.

I`m NZ all the way. ^

1965 CHC-AKL on a Viscount aircraft. First flight ever and scared out of my wits. 41 years later and I absolutely love flying!

3 weeks ago, WLG-CHC...would love to try them longhaul, but they're not particularly convenient from where I live :(

TE 7 (I think) LAX-PPT in July 1981 on a DC-10 as a 12 year old.

I was loyal to the airline when I was a poor uni student, and when I started out as a wage-earner I hit silver after 1.5 Economy returns AKL-LHR.

The long-haul upgrades won my custom while my QF experiences were terrible, and now that I live in Australia I still fly NZ, but pay to fly Business, except once a year when I book Premium Economy and book confirmed upgrades.

16 Feb 2006 - LHR-LAX-NAN

I liked the prodict so I've continued to use them while "in region".

1991 from Wellington to Auckland when I was only 11. It was a short haul flight and I got upgraded to business class. At that time, i knew nothing about airline miles.

My first TE flight was CHC-AKL wrapping up a three week trip with my grandparents in 1982. We'd flown LAX-HNL-AKL on CO and were getting back to AKL for the AKL-HNL-LAX return after driving from AKL, etc.

As I recall, it was a 732 with the classic orange interior, but my memory is a bit hazy.

After that, I did an LAX-HNL-AKL-SYD-AKL-NAN-HNL-LAX on a classic livery 742 in 1984.

Most recent trip was a LAX-LHR-LAX in 2001 with my family on a 744.

1976 as a 9 year old. We spent three years flying to NZ for Christmas prior to emigrating in 1979. I don't recall the aircraft type or route. I do recall clearing customs in LAX, with the INS officials looking through the huge black book to see if our names matched. I can also remember the terribly officious official making sure everyone was behind the line and did not advance until told to. I seem to recall my older brother and I placing a toe or two across the line and being greatly entertained by the reaction.

TE901, 21 November 1979.

I couldn't tell any of my next dozen NZ flights after that, but that one was of course pretty memorable for me, even without the historical context of the subsequent version of that flight.

Funny that, kiwibigdave - one of the Inflight Service Directors who has just retired was a steward on your TE901 all those years ago! I remember talking to him about it a few months back!

1978 Bne to LAX via Papeete return via hnl. $660 AUD return. I was 18 years old.

Let's see... if you count NAC, then it would have been mid 70s on an F27, when knee-high to a grasshopper.

First flight post-merger would have been mid 80s; 732 and F27 again. In my teens, I was shiz-scared of flying, & truly hated the experience. I begged to travel home overland but didn't get my way :p

As you might guess, I got better :D Seems that facing yer fears is the way to go.

justakiwi

Very memorable as it was my first ever commercial aircraft flight, don't know the flight number but it was August 1977 DC10 MEL-AKL.

I remember I sat in the middle section next to the fattest woman I have ever seen who needed a seat belt extender.

BNE - AKL in Jan 1981 for a holiday in NZ.

The return AKL-BNE was most memorable for the taxi ride, the day after the underarm bowling incident - once the cabbie heard our Aussie accents that set him ranting all the way to the airport!

1994, Queenstown to Auckland while on holiday in NZ

I've been thinking about this for a while and finally asked my Mother @:-) It was in my bassinet when I was 3 months old in 1963 - AKL-CHC (I presume via WLG). She also confirmed that's where I was when Kennedy was assassinated :eek:

KiwiPanda

July 1, 2000. BNE-CHC. I'm thinking it was a 767-???, but really unsure.

May have the boarding pass or itinery somewhere!

Was just the first of many trips to NZ since then, although the rest have been on Pacific Blue, Lan or Qantas.