Air New Zealand Air Points - Some ramblings

On my way to MEL via Christchurch today, and putting this together with a number of my experiences over the past few months, I thought I would pass my thoughts on.

Today in WLG domestic Koru lounge, paper out of order notices were on

The printer in the business centre
The coffee machine
The soft drink dispenser
The cold water dispenser

In CHC international lounge a paper out of order notice was on the ice dispenser. It was out of order when I was through CHC four weeks ago

The whole performance looked dreadful and second rate.

It reminded me very strongly of the state of the Ansett Golden Wing lounges in the terminal days of Ansett.

I have spoken to a number of the aircrew and ground staff over the past few months. Morale is shocking, which I guess can be expected when a major cost cutting program is in place, but for me the replacement of the Wellington crew in particular by very inexperienced Freedom staff on TransTasman runs, and the suggestion of outsourcing ground staff in Wellington including check in and Koru Club staff is unbelievable.

If that is extended to other centres like CHC and DUD, the whole basis of my traveling loyalty has been destroyed, and I will buy on price.

One story was related to me about an internal group study that had been done on saving fuel costs by suggesting that cabin crew should go on a diet and reduce their weight. The mind boggles on the time that might be committed to such a study and the costs, and what any projected return might be.

The airline has been taken over by a bunch of short sighted, narrow minded bean counters.

There appears to be no idea at all that particularly for high yield FF, continuity and relationships built up over a number of years are very important to the traveling experience.

To be fair, the new lounges in DUD and MEL and LAX are superb, the refurbished Business Premier on long haul is great, although the service and wine selections for me on a recent SIN – AKL leg was patchy to put it kindly (the wine being a reflection of the bean counter approach, and the service probably morale), and we get great service through our NZ Travel Centre.

I find it very difficult to accept that the TransTasman co share agreement will get the tick, so it will be open competition with QF TransTasman, and open competition on the main domestic NZ routes.

I have traveled QF TransTasman recently, and there is a report comparing the two somewhere on this site. Food and beverage on QF was miles ahead of NZ.

If the approach continues as outlined above, there will be no brand loyalty, and there will be a substantial leakage to QF by high yield NZ FF.

The lack of any Star Alliance partner In Oz continues to be a major negative also

I followed the NZ/Ansett/Singapore Airlines fiasco very closely, and I have always found it very hard to understand how the government was allowed to get away with barring SQ from going ahead, when with SQ’s resources, Ansett would have been turned around and a combination of Ansett/SQ and NZ would have been a very formidable combination indeed, and given QF a run for their money.

In my view there is a certain inevitability about what is going to happen, given that the government whoever it is will find it very difficult to bail out NZ again, and there is only going to be one buyer.

I am not in the airline industry, but I find it very difficult to follow NZ’s strategy which seems hell bent on destroying the loyalties and the brand that have been built up over the years.

Some ramblings prompted by 5 out of order machines in lounges, and experiencing the delight of having a Wellington based NZ cabin crew on the CHC – MEL leg who certainly looked after me

BTW, I am an Oz that has lived in NZ for a number of years.

As a New Zealander and a former NZ travel agent I was delighted to read your comments. It's good to see Air NZ's customers making comment about the management of the company. For far too many years the airline's good name has only continued because of its excellent frontline staff.

Whenever I'm back in NZ I try to use them out of some form of national pride, however without the pleasure of those frontliners I would give up. If management don't take care there will be no Air Kiwi for them to manage.

FYI, it was the airline's AGM yesterday. The news covered it in a less than positive angle.

http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/488120/869841

But the airline says it has saved $50 million in three years by reducing meals, and domestic travel is up by 40%.

And while there may be gripes from investors, the airline's share price has risen more than 40% since August as fuel prices drop.

So much is about the share price at the end of the day isn't it. I mean we want the airline to stay viable, but it certainly has been hard seeing the levels of morale and service drop over the past year or two. My wife was with the airline for 12 years, but left during the decline of service, management quality and morale. She had such pride in the airline, and took pride in it being a 5 star product, it was very sad for her to lose that pride. But I suppose market forces and changes are inevitable and they felt they had to save money to stay viable at the end of the day.

How about they fire half of their middle management, stop the corporate group study garbage and focus on a return to looking after the morale of front line staff who actually determine the success of the airline. Saving money won't help in the end if too many people are put off by poor food, tired and grumpy staff and decide to try other carriers.

Oh, and fix those out of order machines!! :rolleyes:

Cheers
TiggerK

BTW: I'm a Kiwi that has lived in OZ for a number of years.

Enter speculation on Fyfe the knife.

I support corporate group study's on useful things which result in tangible improvements and little noticed cost cutting. However this is vastly distinct from slashing wages (suprisingly the front line staff don't like to work more for less) which is very noticeable to passengers (as are things like not enough staff working on public holiday's due to labour costs to the airline).

I to have mixed feelings over NZ. I love their new long haul product and I received good service from them. The short haul, including Trans Tasman, well they fly to lots of places lots of times, is all I can say.
I did have one of my best flights across the Tasman with NZ, thanks to QF who stuffed me around, but the next two flights straight after the transfer to Zeal 320, left me less than impressed. Now QF fly the 737-400 and I get great service from them, so much so I have willing paid up to 15% extra to fly them, oh I also get FF points on QF, which NZ does not.
The current management of NZ is a shambles, they do not seem to have an idea on marketing outside of the country and their treatment of staff :td: ....well it now is starting to show and that from the staff members whom I speak to, WLG is a small city, all seem to indicate that they do not want to work shifts for less so bring on the redundancies and leave the industry all together.
The axing of routes, which they claim are not competitive, but look at what they flew and virtually zero marketing support. :td: Now we have been told that north Asia is their great hope, but I have heard that from many companies and they went down. :rolleyes: It is sad for New Zealand that their national airline is doing this, QF has been trying the same thing but Dixon has increased the staff over the years, probably by too many in hindsight.
Because of their domestic network I will continue to travel NZ, but if another airline can fly me there I will take them, well after thinking twice if it is longhaul. ;)

Such a shame that QF aren't truely interested in competing with NZ on domestic routes at the moment.

Such a shame that QF aren't truely interested in competing with NZ on domestic routes at the moment.

You mean apart from price and service? I agree QF domestic schedule and network leave something to be desired.

Currently in the Melbourne International lounge.

light above the computer desk out

Two men's toilet doors with paper signs on them saying they can't lock. I am sure that one of them couldnt lock when I was through for the MEL Grand Final

The Speights beer tap out of order

The MEL - AKL leg was one and a half hours late.

After the grizzling above, I was down the back, and the chief purser came and introduced himself with my name, apologised for the late flight, and gave me a paper. ^

The snack was ordinary, but good service.

Again as some of the comments above say, front line staff are fundamental, why compromise it with penny pinching elsewhere.

I had a couple of Americans sitting opposite me in the Melbourne lounge at the computer desk going thru to LAX, and they were obviously not impressed.

And to finish the trip, AKL domestic Koru Club was great, the greeting was good, however one of the men's toilets had an out of order notice, but at least it wasn't a paper one, in the business centre, the USB ports on the computers wouldn't accept memory sticks, however the selection of wine appeared to have been extended, and the food selection was good, the AKL - WLG leg was good, and I certainly appreciate the opportunity of having a wine to unwind at the end of the day.

Certainly a recent trip RTW trip of mine would suggest that NZ Gold Star Alliance lounges would leave others for dead, including Red Carpet Clubs in the US, LH in Munich at least, and also Swiss in Zurich and SQ in Dubai and KL, and the Star Alliance Gold lounge in SIN is the pits, or it was when I was last there. ^

I would be interested to hear from other FF whether they are having the same experiences as I am, or am I being a bit picky?

IMHO, bean counters are in control, (or out of control depending on how you look at it) and compromising the travelling experience being provided by the frontline staff, including the NZ Travelcenters, to the high yield FF. :td:

BTW, I copied my first diatribe in this thread to NZ customer relations, and referred them to this forum. I haven't had a reply yet.

So much is about the share price at the end of the day isn't it. I mean we want the airline to stay viable, but it certainly has been hard seeing the levels of morale and service drop over the past year or two. My wife was with the airline for 12 years, but left during the decline of service, management quality and morale. She had such pride in the airline, and took pride in it being a 5 star product, it was very sad for her to lose that pride. But I suppose market forces and changes are inevitable and they felt they had to save money to stay viable at the end of the day.

How about they fire half of their middle management, stop the corporate group study garbage and focus on a return to looking after the morale of front line staff who actually determine the success of the airline. Saving money won't help in the end if too many people are put off by poor food, tired and grumpy staff and decide to try other carriers.

Oh, and fix those out of order machines!! :rolleyes:

Cheers
TiggerK

BTW: I'm a Kiwi that has lived in OZ for a number of years.

Currently in the Melbourne International lounge.

Two men's toilet doors with paper signs on them saying they can't lock. I am sure that one of them couldnt lock when I was through for the MEL Grand Final
Still like this today. Atleast one of them (the rightmost) wasn't like that either last week or the week before (I can't remember), because I don't recall the little note on the door.

The beer tap is still out of order, too. I hadn't even noticed it before today, but I just checked and no go. And the one of the staff just said that it had been out of action for some time.

Today in WLG domestic Koru lounge, paper out of order notices were on

The printer in the business centre
The coffee machine
The soft drink dispenser
The cold water dispenserWell, they have fixed the coffee machine, soft drink dispenser, and cold water dispenser in the WLG KC now. :). I didn't check the business centre, though.

However, I was most interested on my AKL-MEL flight today (no direct WLG-MEL available) that:

* My seat didn't recline. 31H. Needed to be 'fixed'.
* In the lavatory I visited, a panel had fallen off/been removed from the cabinet and was laying on the floor, exposing the pipework and water heater behind.
* The Airshow didn't show anything except the birds eye view of the plane and terrain, and the outside temperature. Except it did it in every single language conceivable.

I was on ZK-NBS, a 747-400. According to the ISD, NBS was trialling some software and the Airshow was buggy. They were hoping to get another patch on it shortly.

NBS also had the new downstairs Premium Economy which I had a look at... I think the first row could be a winner, since you're right at 2L for quick disembarking. It was curtained off from the rest of Economy and had a nice feel to it... quite a few people were given on board opups (atleast two were NZ*E) to PE. Business was mostly empty downstairs, and economy looked reasonably full. I'm guessing PE wasn't terribly full if they could do op-ups for 'goodwill'.

Crew were good, though... The general mayhem at AKL wasn't: I was on NZ402 WLG-AKL which landed on time (despite late departure and headwinds) right as AKL domestic evacuated due to a fire alarm, leaving us sitting on the tarmac for 20-30 mins; then a sprint to the Intl terminal, through to Gate 8; only to find the aircraft had gone mechanical. Got into melbourne at 11:20 instead of 10:20.

In CHC international lounge a paper out of order notice was on the ice dispenser. It was out of order when I was through CHC four weeks ago.


Still not fixed as of yesterday, although there is a sign saying that ice is still available, just ask.

I heard someone asking for mineral water, they don't have any, only tap water. Bit surprised at that, considering the range of other drinks on offer, but no non-tap water?? :eek:

Nice Pinot though... ^

Cheers
TiggerK

I was supposed to be on Tuesday's NZ 2 which became Wednesday's NZ 1002.
The NZ lady who came to the KC to deal with us was less than friendly and helpful. We were provided with taxi chits and accomodation at the Chancellor Flea Pit. I suggested some alternative routings rather than making us wait to 11am the following day, 11am became 3pm, she was less than enthralled at the prospect of NZ having to re-route us via HKG or SYD. She said no until pushed.
Some of us did not receive a morning call from NZ to say the departure time was changed to 3pm, some did get the call. I found out at 9am trying to check in, the ckin agent tried to send me away and come back after 12noon. I forced the issue and she escorted me to the KC with a hand written BP.
The general feeling I got from NZ, was to get rid of us, keep us quiet and discourage any sort of questions or discussion.

Just been told that I need to go to AKL this Friday. No tickets available due to U2 concert, except 6:30 NZ402. I looked at Koru Club opening times to confirm what I remember, it opens at 6:00 which will be the likely boarding time for the flight! Of course I could go in there and do a last second boarding but I do not want to inconvenience the passengers nor risk missing the plane as there are no seats available.
I wish NZ could open the KC earlier, like the international WLG is open at 4:30, so I could get to use it and have breakfast there. At WLG there are not that many food services open at that time and it devalues the justification of having memberhip if I have to buy my food and drinks at the airport.
Oh course I can try to fill up on the yummy cookies on the service! :D

Koru Club was open and kicking when I stumbled in to catch NZ402 last Wednesday about 5:50AM. Very busy, too.

AKL KC opens 6am sharp. Often a queue outside the door by then.

Koru Club was open and kicking when I stumbled in to catch NZ402 last Wednesday about 5:50AM. Very busy, too.
Thanks.
I will try lining up around 5:45AM. I remember one time for an early flight to CHC and also same flight to AKL that the doors opened up at 5:55AM.
I do not want to be late for the flight, check availability of all flights to AKL this Thursday and Friday and you will see that there are no or very limited tickets available. I guess this means that there will be delays going through security and boarding and as the flights are full trying to get locker space for luggage maybe an issue as well.
All up this is one time that I wish NZ still had some food service on the flights or that the KC will be open earlier as I rate them highly. :(

Speaking of the KC being kicking at times, has anyone had any problems bringing guests in (using guest passes) during busy periods?

Koru Club was open and kicking when I stumbled in to catch NZ402 last Wednesday about 5:50AM. Very busy, too.
Thanks ajnz. I arrived at 5:45 and asked the bouncer if they were open and could I go in. She replied "Yes we are open" and after writing down on the door count paper they use, let me in. I did ask what time they opened for future reference and she smiled and said, "We open at 6:00..." ;) Does this make WLG ahead of the times.... :p
Oh Kiwi Flyer WLG still have the 23 different beers, and they were stocking up the fridge in the morning.

Oh Kiwi Flyer WLG still have the 23 different beers, and they were stocking up the fridge in the morning.

Yeah seems to be just AKL (well out of AKL, WLG & CHC that is) out of the extra beer varieties :( Hopefully they get restocked soon.

Happy to report that today in the WLG KC

The printer in the business centre
The coffee machine
The soft drink dispenser
the cold water dispenser

were all working

I am writing this traveling down the back on the NZ SYD – WLG evening flight (Wednesday)

Flew MEL – SYD Monday QF Y on a full 8.30am 767.

Very tasty breakfast – cereal, muffin, yoghurt.

Contrast with NZ couldn’t be stronger.

Checked in reasonably early tonight, asked the QF staff whether I could have my usual exit row, with a seat blocked out next to me.

A very unhelpful check in lady said no, the seats were very popular and she couldn’t do that.

I get on the plane to find that 11 A,B and C were unoccupied, and that 11 C,D, and E had one PAX.

I showed the Freedom crew member my ticket, explained that I had asked for an exit row at checkin, and in view of the fact that no one was sitting in it, I would like to move there after the seat belt sign went off.

No problem, she said, although I am sure she hadn’t been trained to look at the ticket to see that there was a PAX with status as they say in the US (not that I care about that BS).

Seat belt sign went off, and a youngster (I mean a 30 -35 year old) beat me to it. I had to tell him that I had arranged with the FA to occupy that seat.

No big deal, and he vacated the seat. In the event, I finished up with an exit row top myself.

Meal was a tasty chicken pie (my choice) but no ice cream and a very tired piece of sponge.

Moral of the story for NZ – very cheerful and enthusiastic young crew again, but I miss the old NZ Wellington crew on TransTasman flights

If the oldies are being replaced by Freedom crew, please train them so that they understand what FF customers like – it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to look at the PAX manifest to find out who the high yielding FFs are, and to make them feel welcome

With the checkin being completely being subcontracted out to QF in Australia, the same issue is there with quality control standards.

Down to DUD Friday for our Xmas drinkies via a meeting in the new CHC Koru Club, then back to MEL on Sunday for Xmas and the Boxing Day test in MEL.

If I don’t post again before Xmas, all the best to everyone - I think this is a great site, and I remain a strong NZ fan despite the current difficulties.

Update on TransTasman flights.

Flew MEL - WLG Sunday with a Freedom crew. Standard was indistinguishable from NZ crew, and very professional. I was travelling down the back in a preallocated exit row seat, with the back almost chockers.

The purser must of checked the manifest and noted my status, as she came down the back with a Sunday Times for me, which was a nice touch and I think added to the professionalism ^

Hope this is not just an isolated example - will be doing another TransTasman flight in two weeks time, and will report.

To date the Freedom crew have been young and enthusiastic, but rather slapdash.

Forgot to mention that there was an all female flight deck crew.

Further update on TransTasman flights

On WLG - MEL flight yesterday.

The service was very professional. Travelling down the back, and I had a Sunday Times brought to me with my name as did a number of other FF.

Food was small but tasty - fish and ice cream, and had as much wine as I wanted. Asked a FA whether they were Freedom or NZ, and she said Freedom, but that she had originally been NZ.

The standard has certainly gone up, and perhaps Fyfe the knife is achieving what he set out to do - substantially reduce costs while getting back to the prior standards.

I have also noticed that standards in the lounges have gone up after my growlings earlier, but I find that the new CHC Koru Club is very cramped

In contrast no extra service for status on my recent trans-tasman flights (maybe it is just me). Trip report - being updated as I write this. (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=628691)

In contrast no extra service for status on my recent trans-tasman flights (maybe it is just me). Trip report - being updated as I write this. (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=628691)

Two out of two for me recently Kiwi Flyer, I will see on the MEL - WLG return :) And the standard has definitely gone up on TransTasman IMHO ^

I have to agree that the TransTasman flights are very pleasant these days. The food was great (even though we didn't get our first choice - the steak pie went way too quickly!), and the FAs were excellent - very friendly.

In contrast, the Intl Koru lounge in Wellington was pretty poor. We arrived just after 4:30am, and were hoping for showers and some hot breakfast and coffee.

When we asked for towels the Lounge attendant didn't even know that there were showers in the lounge and asked us to check the bathrooms to be sure (!). She then had a fairly loud argument with the person who was bringing the food out - which incidentally took a very long time. Although the cold cuts were good, there was no bottled or chilled water in the jugs, hot food was a revolting greasy quiche (for breakfast?!) and the coffee machine was of course out of order.

The most painful thing was the sign on the coffee machine (spelling mistake intact):

"OUT OF ORDER - SORRI"

A real shame, given that I have had nothing but praise for the Air NZ inflight crew based on my last few experiences.

Two recent Trans Tasman flights. Y one way and C the other other. I must say, the standards have certainly gone upwards. Fantastic crew both ways and very good catering - the steak pie in Y was just yummy. Thank heavens I was sitting in the forwrd cabin otherwise I would have missed out. I had the best J class meal ever - tend to find the TT J catering a bit ropey. The lovely FA saved it especially for me which i really appreciated. Both ISD's - or whatever they call them - were just ouststanding. Naturally the wine in J was up to it's usual superb standard.

Off again next week in PE to LAX. Can't wait!

I have to agree that the TransTasman flights are very pleasant these days. The food was great (even though we didn't get our first choice - the steak pie went way too quickly!), and the FAs were excellent - very friendly.

In contrast, the Intl Koru lounge in Wellington was pretty poor. We arrived just after 4:30am, and were hoping for showers and some hot breakfast and coffee.

When we asked for towels the Lounge attendant didn't even know that there were showers in the lounge and asked us to check the bathrooms to be sure (!). She then had a fairly loud argument with the person who was bringing the food out - which incidentally took a very long time. Although the cold cuts were good, there was no bottled or chilled water in the jugs, hot food was a revolting greasy quiche (for breakfast?!) and the coffee machine was of course out of order.

The most painful thing was the sign on the coffee machine (spelling mistake intact):

"OUT OF ORDER - SORRI"

A real shame, given that I have had nothing but praise for the Air NZ inflight crew based on my last few experiences.


I was in WLG international lounge yesterday, and while the cold cuts were OK, the hot offering was fairly ordinary, and there were no newpapers - although I did get one on the plane as noted earlier on this thread. The food always has been pretty ordinary in that lounge, but the rest of it is reasonably pleasant and as noted a number of times on another thread, I would agree that NZ lounges are miles ahead of the RCCs. The RCC at SFO international is OK, but I really object to little or no food, and having to pay for my booze.

I think NZ has lifted its game a lot since my major grizzle last year at the start of this thread.

While my travel these days is mainly domestic and TransTasman, I am looking forward to a AKL/HKG/LHR and then LAX/AKL in business premium in a month or so, with further long haul travel later in the year, so it will be interesting to see the standard then, and start comparing lounges again.

I still maintain from what I saw last year that NZ and QF FF are spoilt certainly by US standards, and probably by European standards also. Asia is a different scene

Yep, the WLG international lounge has always been a bit unloved and somewhat stingy in the food and drink department, but that does sound particularly poor. Domestic is streets ahead... but then again the international lounge caters for an average of 3-4 flights per day while domestic sees 100+, so I suppose that's not surprising.

Glad to hear trans-Tasman standards are rising - I haven't flown with the short haul crew since August last year (last flights were on 777/747) and at that stage things were looking a bit rough around the edges, so I'll be curious to see how things are on my SYD-WLG-SYD flights in a couple of weeks. It's particularly good to hear that the food has improved a bit - are the quantities still so small? The Y-class breakfasts in particular were really stingy I thought... then again, on those 6.40am flights I am probably not in the most positive frame of mind ;)

Flew WLG MEL yesterday in J.

The quiche in the International lounge was rather ordinary, and the selection of wines was also limited - I agree that it is a poor cousin to the Koru Club, but understand that there are only three or four departures a day.

There was only one other passenger in J class, and the service was absolutely excellent. The food was great, there were some excellent wines, and nothing was too much trouble for the crew. I even finished up with a half empty bottle of Pinot that I had been drinking to take home with me. Very impressed. The standards have gone up immeasureably since my first grizzle early in this thread

BTW, I used my APEC pass for the first time in MEL and avoided a long queue. I will be using it in the US who have just joined the system, in about six weeks, so it will be interesting to see how it works there.

Thanks, I think to KiwiFlyer who mentioned the APEC system on this forum in the first place. Apart from the UK, it would cover most of the places I visit.

Flew J with Zeald yesterday AKL SYD and the crew were just brillant....excellant catering and was the only person in J.

Marvellous trip.

Flew J with Zeald yesterday AKL SYD and the crew were just brillant....excellant catering and was the only person in J.

Marvellous trip.

Sounds as if you had the same experience as I did - I was very impressed, and I have noticed a real lift in quality and service over the whole airline in the past six months, including the domestic and international lounges. I would be interested whether other FF are having the same experience. There was a very bad low when this thread started.

I have noticed a real lift in quality and service over the whole airline in the past six months

Yes I have noticed this too.

Yes I have noticed this too.

Someone must have been listening to the growling from some of us over the past six months :)

BTW, Kiwi Flyer, thanks for the suggestion for an APEC pass, which I think came from you ^

I would recommend any TransTasman FF to get one of these, let alone FF to other countries in the rest of APEC, which I have to yet test.

On the subject of APEC Pass this has to be the best "tooL" I have in my kit for making journeys easier. I travel a lot between NZ & Australia where it has proved handy in avoiding queues but it really comes into it's own in China. I go to China 4 or 5 times a year and it allows me to avoid the queues which are horrendus at times and best of all you don't need to apply for a visa thus avoiding filling up the passport.

On the subject of APEC Pass this has to be the best "tooL" I have in my kit for making journeys easier. I travel a lot between NZ & Australia where it has proved handy in avoiding queues but it really comes into it's own in China. I go to China 4 or 5 times a year and it allows me to avoid the queues which are horrendus at times and best of all you don't need to apply for a visa thus avoiding filling up the passport.

For queueing KL also comes to mind, together with the US which I am also about to test

The US has not joined the APEC Business Travel Scheme. They do however allow Cardholders to access "fast-track" immigration lanes (designated for air-crew) upon entry at all international airports in the United States.

You still need to complete visa waiver form or have a visa for entry.

Flew J with Zeald yesterday AKL SYD and the crew were just brillant....excellant catering and was the only person in J.

Marvellous trip.

Good to hear But if your the only person in Business than you are served one on one so it should of been amazing service the real test is on a full flight !!!

The US has not joined the APEC Business Travel Scheme. They do however allow Cardholders to access "fast-track" immigration lanes (designated for air-crew) upon entry at all international airports in the United States.

You still need to complete visa waiver form or have a visa for entry.

Yes understand this

Yes, I can report the APEC card works for easy access into US. I flew SQ38 SIN to LAX yesterday and arrived at Tom Bradley Terminal. There were about 500 in the non US queue so I went looking for the Aircrew queue and low and behold there was queue with a sign with "APEC Passes" written on it. However, that was the easy bit as when I approached the Agent he wanted to know what I was doing in the queue! I told him I held an APEC Card - he said he had never heard of it. A discussion with a colleague soon sorted it out and I had 3 other agents around me examining my card. They were friendly enough and it turned out mine was the first this group agents had seen. I went through the usual process and was sent on my way. I was well and truly the first off SQ38 to the baggage belt and for a change din't have to wait more than 5 mins to get my bags. I was out of the Terminal within 25 mins of the Aircraft door opening.

I wonder if Terminal 2 will operate in the same way!

Yes, I can report the APEC card works for easy access into US. I flew SQ38 SIN to LAX yesterday and arrived at Tom Bradley Terminal. There were about 500 in the non US queue so I went looking for the Aircrew queue and low and behold there was queue with a sign with "APEC Passes" written on it. However, that was the easy bit as when I approached the Agent he wanted to know what I was doing in the queue! I told him I held an APEC Card - he said he had never heard of it. A discussion with a colleague soon sorted it out and I had 3 other agents around me examining my card. They were friendly enough and it turned out mine was the first this group agents had seen. I went through the usual process and was sent on my way. I was well and truly the first off SQ38 to the baggage belt and for a change din't have to wait more than 5 mins to get my bags. I was out of the Terminal within 25 mins of the Aircraft door opening.

I wonder if Terminal 2 will operate in the same way!

I used it today in AKL and same story - long queues for both NZ/Oz passports upstairs, and also downstairs. The APEC gate is the same as that for aircrew, and there was no queue at all.

Glad to hear the US is working - will be there in five or six weeks

Through MEL international lounge yesterday on the MEL - AKL flight. A very major move downmarket IMHO is the installation of a billiard table and pin ball machine on the far left of the lounge looking out to the tarmac. All the seating had been taken out to accomodate the wretched things, with the rest of the lounge becoming quite crowded.

They may be one of my pet hates, but they could be heard all over the lounge, and certainly brings the very classy tone of the place down very much. :td:

I am not having a go at the neighbourhood pub, and I have done a fair bit of fairly solid boozing at pubs in the wilds of outback Australia in my time, but the lounge is not aiming at this particular market.

I have been a very great fan of the new MEL lounge, and this is definitely not the way to go :o

The original design of the lounge was great, and I would be staggered if the original architects would be happy with the changes - or perhaps I am out of touch with what the market wants

A very major move downmarket IMHO is the installation of a billiard table and pin ball machine on the far left of the lounge looking out to the tarmac. All the seating had been taken out to accomodate the wretched things, with the rest of the lounge becoming quite crowded.


What the ...! This is not a huge lounge, sounds like a crazy idea to me.
One of the great things about international lounges is to be able to sit back and relax, eat, drink, shower etc.
For me on long-haul, it's the escaping the madness of departure areas with their crowds and duty-free. If there's time, a phone call home and catch-up on emails and work.

Will check it out when I go through in a couple of weeks.

What the ...! This is not a huge lounge, sounds like a crazy idea to me.
One of the great things about international lounges is to be able to sit back and relax, eat, drink, shower etc.
For me on long-haul, it's the escaping the madness of departure areas with their crowds and duty-free. If there's time, a phone call home and catch-up on emails and work.

Will check it out when I go through in a couple of weeks.

Hear, hear. I hope I wasn't being an ancient dinosaur :)

What the ...! This is not a huge lounge, sounds like a crazy idea to me.
One of the great things about international lounges is to be able to sit back and relax, eat, drink, shower etc.
For me on long-haul, it's the escaping the madness of departure areas with their crowds and duty-free. If there's time, a phone call home and catch-up on emails and work.

Will check it out when I go through in a couple of weeks.

Likewise for me next month. Still if it is horrible I can always visit the nice QF F lounge (the much hyped new one is supposed to be open by then) ^

Down the back today on WLG - MEL.

Some further comments on NZ lifting their game.

The food standard in the WLG NZ International lounge had lifted.

A very tasty hot quiche had replaced the very tired quiche I had going through at Easter, and there were a wider selection of cold cuts and other goodies both in quantity and quality.

The cardboard box in Y had been replaced by a little plastic tray which was much more appealing, and a very tasty chicken thigh was my choice for dinner.

There was an absolutely professional older purser who must have been ex NZ in charge of the younger FAs, and she was very, very good indeed.

I will be through MEL international lounge on Sunday to see whether the very down market billiard table has been replaced.

The food standard in the WLG NZ International lounge had lifted.

A very tasty hot quiche had replaced the very tired quiche I had going through at Easter, and there were a wider selection of cold cuts and other goodies both in quantity and quality.

Well after 3 weeks or so that other quiche would have been going off a bit, they probably had to replace it ;)

There was an absolutely professional older purser who must have been ex NZ in charge of the younger FAs, and she was very, very good indeed.

That tallies with my experience on SYD-WLG, which made me wonder whether they had some NZ mainline staff to keep the juniors in line. Then on my WLG-SYD flight the purser was very young and inexperienced so perhaps its just that some more senior staff have joined the Zeal320 ranks. You really notice the difference when one of the old pros is running things :)

Have flown the Tasman pretty regularly the last couple of years, and the standards vary depending on the crew.
I always used to say the same about QF - sometimes they were good and sometimes they were shocking.
Flew QF JetConnect SYD-CHC, then CHC-AKL-SYD (QF NZ and QF Mainline) on points a couple of years ago. Service was excellent, we wandered into the Premium check in area at SYD by mistake - owned up to it being a mistake which it was - however the agent wasn't doing anything, she said no I'll check you in, gave us exit row seats - totally charming. On board the crew were great it was a Friday night, flight full with a big rugby match on the next day.
CHC check in did their best with seats, exit row to AKL and nothng AKL - SYD. Overall I was impressed.
Travel normally on NZ - the TT service is a bit better than Australian domestic, we prefer to Fly Virgin Blue - as the crew have better attitude, and I prefer to choose what I eat or drink rather than take the slops of left over curried veges that QF invariable serves.
Zeal 320 is a bit hit and miss, the drink service is very sparse, although the staff do what they can, but I find the WLG based crew very young and trying to hold it together. Recently I asked for a gin and tonic, no gin on the trolley- we will get that for u, 10 mins later - what did u want sir sorry forgot - finally got the drink. Not acceptable. When we boarded - after the second call - the crew were all chewing gum - again Not Acceptable!!

Normally travel SYD-CHC return - and these days I do it on price normally. NZ is always my first port of call, but these $239 one way fares they keep advertizing as specials are not specials. My last flight I did SYD-WLG for $119 Aust - and then balked at paying $278 on NZ $279 on Emirates and $350 on mainline QF, tried Jet Star - while they would not be my first choice ever, at $130 AUD it was reasonable.

Long haul I would always go premium business or First - but short trips at reasonable times down the back is acceptable.

So NZ management, load factors and profit depend on good pricing, good service along with great routes and convienient timings.

If you don't get these right, stuff the share price - cos you will end up bankrupt and those shareholders will get stuffin nothing!!

Normally travel SYD-CHC return - and these days I do it on price normally. NZ is always my first port of call, but these $239 one way fares they keep advertizing as specials are not specials. I've also been doing trans tasman quite a bit for the last 6 months, primarily MEL-WLG-MEL or MEL-AKL-MEL.

I'm finding QF constantly beat Air NZ out on fares, usually by $10 or so. The thing which is driving me to QF the most is that their cheapest fares are points earning, while the NZ Smart Savers are not. I just booked a QF fare that was $4 more than NZ because of it, despite having NZ status and not on QF.

How come QF can be cheaper AND offer points, but NZ can't? I don't need the NZ points as I'll hit Gold Elite next month, and I'm focusing on trying to get QF status right now, but it does bug me.

For me the choice between QF and NZ comes down to


Points
Preferred seating
Lounge access
Price
Schedule


For WLG-SYD the schedule is better on QF (although the same for WLG-MEL) and I too have found that QF usually beat NZ on price. QF of course beats NZ on points (for the cheapest fares). After purchasing a QP membership that takes care of 2 and 3 making my choice much easier (maybe you need a QP membership ajnz). As it stands I much prefer the NZ lounges but prefer the QF in-flight service. Recently on QF even in Y I was addressed by name!

Jeff

Funny, on the trans-tasman flights I take most often NZ normally beats QF out on price.

Usually price and schedule win (not necessarily in that order), even though I seem to get better service on NZ than QF they are both okay for a fairly short flight.

For me the choice between QF and NZ comes down to


Points
Preferred seating
Lounge access
Price
Schedule

[...]
After purchasing a QP membership that takes care of 2 and 3 making my choice much easier (maybe you need a QP membership ajnz). As it stands I much prefer the NZ lounges but prefer the QF in-flight service. Recently on QF even in Y I was addressed by name!I agree with your list in general, but at the moment (especially since it's coming out of my pocket), price is leading me foremost, then points. Preferred seating isn't such a big deal on the short flights - I can live with most window seats, and QF has been seating me fairly far forwards (11D, 8C) anyway.

Lounge access, or lack thereof, does suck a lot though. I've been weighing up the purchase of a QP membership for a while.... I had hoped to get to QF Gold in this status year (ends 1 July), but it looks like I will make Silver, so I may end up going for the QP.

I've found the QF cabin service very hit-and-miss though; generally preferring the NZ service. As others have noted the WLG NZ crew can also be just as hit and miss, but I've had such downright rude service, or IMHO exceptionally dangerous service, on NZ as I have had in the past few weeks on QF. I've also found that NZ has really stepped up their service since Christmas or so, which is really positive.

They even managed to get me onboard NZ7 two weeks ago, even though I checked in at 0718 for an 0730 departure. Very good ground service there.

Annoyingly though, my points didn't post automatically, and their website doesn't recognise NZ7 as a valid departure from AKL.

Funny, on the trans-tasman flights I take most often NZ normally beats QF out on price.

Usually price and schedule win (not necessarily in that order), even though I seem to get better service on NZ than QF they are both okay for a fairly short flight.

Agree that the service is OK on either. From AKL your flight frequencies are much better. I predominantly do WLG-SYD outbound on a Saturday and inbound on Sunday. QF on these days has twice the frequency (of NZ) and I imagine the cheaper buckets on NZ go fairly fast. Just looked at 4 weekends and all were a small amount cheaper on QF

Lounge access, or lack thereof, does suck a lot though. I've been weighing up the purchase of a QP membership for a while.... I had hoped to get to QF Gold in this status year (ends 1 July), but it looks like I will make Silver, so I may end up going for the QP.

Yes the lounge access was the thing that previously made it more difficult for me to chose. Do I want points (QF) or lounge access (NZ) I asked myself every single time! In the end I wanted both so went for the QP membership. For the record I actually fly trans-tasman more on NZ (connecting on to UA)

The one thing which would make me go NZ is the ability to upgrade on all fares (cannot upgrade on QF Red e-Deals) and I do have some points to use up

Jeff

Down the back today on WLG - MEL.

Some further comments on NZ lifting their game.

The food standard in the WLG NZ International lounge had lifted.

A very tasty hot quiche had replaced the very tired quiche I had going through at Easter, and there were a wider selection of cold cuts and other goodies both in quantity and quality.

The cardboard box in Y had been replaced by a little plastic tray which was much more appealing, and a very tasty chicken thigh was my choice for dinner.

There was an absolutely professional older purser who must have been ex NZ in charge of the younger FAs, and she was very, very good indeed.

I will be through MEL international lounge on Sunday to see whether the very down market billiard table has been replaced.

I can report that the billiard table and the pin ball machine were still in place this morning, although anyone using them would have had to have a pretty thick skin - a number of us were glued to the tele watching the conclusion of the cricket world cup.

I can also report that the crew on the flight were all young, and did a reasonable job on the trip back to WLG, although the purser was nowhere near as professional as the oldie I had going to MEL last week.

It would appear that the removal of the cardboard boxes is a permanent feature, plastic trays were present again for the meals

I have noticed after all the carry on about the pressing need for the QF/NZ cross Tasman alliance, that the load factors have gone up substantially in the past few months - J was full this morning and there were only 7 empty seats in Y

I have noticed after all the carry on about the pressing need for the QF/NZ cross Tasman alliance, that the load factors have gone up substantially in the past few months - J was full this morning and there were only 7 empty seats in Y

Both NZ and QF have substantially reduced capacity trans-tasman. Notice how there are more Air NZ wide bodies parked up at AKL during the day?

Also one flight's load isn't very indicative. My recent QF AKL-SYD was less than full despite having some pax transfer to it from MEL & BNE flights which both were running several hours late (some pax also transferred to NZ flights).

Both NZ and QF have substantially reduced capacity trans-tasman. Notice how there are more Air NZ wide bodies parked up at AKL during the day?

Also one flight's load isn't very indicative. My recent QF AKL-SYD was less than full despite having some pax transfer to it from MEL & BNE flights which both were running several hours late (some pax also transferred to NZ flights).

I've done four or five TT on NZ the past two months, and all of them have been noticeably fuller.

I guess my point was that why spend all the money that was spent on the NZ/QF proposal which had neglible chance of suceeding, and not do the capacity reduction in the first place.

I'm definitely noticing loads are higher, a lot higher in some cases, right now. I used to be able to pick up last minute fares fairly low, but some weekends it can now be up to $1k each way if left too late.

QF dropping the widebodies on AKL-MEL has definitely pushed prices up, as well as NZ reducing capacity from WLG/CHC to MEL and hubbing people through AKL.

I'm doing 2-3 TT RTs a month right now and can definitely see the improvement - many QF flights going out close to full (2-3 empty seats in Y) on Friday nights, and the NZ returns on Sunday afternoon or Monday morning being completely full. My NZ7 a week or two ago was 100% full in J and PE, and very heavily loaded in Y.

I'm definitely noticing loads are higher, a lot higher in some cases, right now. I used to be able to pick up last minute fares fairly low, but some weekends it can now be up to $1k each way if left too late.

QF dropping the widebodies on AKL-MEL has definitely pushed prices up, as well as NZ reducing capacity from WLG/CHC to MEL and hubbing people through AKL.

I'm doing 2-3 TT RTs a month right now and can definitely see the improvement - many QF flights going out close to full (2-3 empty seats in Y) on Friday nights, and the NZ returns on Sunday afternoon or Monday morning being completely full. My NZ7 a week or two ago was 100% full in J and PE, and very heavily loaded in Y.

Ditto for me. I usually can't plan ahead, and I have had the same experience with putting up with $1K each way even if I book a week ahead.

Just done LHR-HKG-LHR in business and was disappointed with the food ex LHR and HKG. According to the crew the caterers were changed ?late last year. In comparison with another flight I did last year AirNZ seemed to have made some serious cutbacks on food costs and which certainly affected presentation and quality. One salmon dish came swimming on a sea of cooked but obviously frozen mixed veg - very unappetizing. Filled in 2 comments forms on the two legs so hope someone takes some notice. Food seemed much better on return out of AKL and was soso out of HKG. Crew were very good on all legs.
I also don't understand the meals - breakfast is served arriving into HKG from LHR at around 4pm HKG time - seems odd - why not a light lunch/afternoon tea or dim sum? I always enjoyed afternoon tea flying into LAX from LHR at around the same time before I switched to transiting HKG to avoid the US.
Also unlike trip last year when AirNZ used the United lounge in HKG on the LHR-HKG-AKL leg, this time it was the Thai lounge in both directions which I feel is far superior to the United lounge.
Flew across the Tasman - economy, AKL to Melbourne and used points to upgrade on the 777 coming back into business. Food and service excellent on the 777 in business. The lounge in Melbourne was great but the pool table is still lurking in the corner.
Overall I feel for the cost of the ticket they should be offering at least 2 starters on long haul flights and they need to improve on the quality of the main courses and not cutting back with cheaper caterers.
Will be interested to hear what others think.

Just done LHR-HKG-LHR in business and was disappointed with the food ex LHR and HKG.
...Will be interested to hear what others think.

I flew AKL-HKG-LHR in business just before Christmas and I thought much the same. Mind you, I don't know what it used to be like, and I can't claim to regularly fly long haul business, so I wasn't sure what to compare against. (I have flown first on SQ but that's not business).

I thought the seat was superb (which for me is the big reason for flying business premier, all other things are a fair way down the list), the service generally was very good and friendly, and the food was a better presented version of economy class food. I didn't think it had made the transition from airline food to restaurant food which I was expecting. No big deal, the seat and the service were more important, but I agree completely with your point.

Update on this week’s TransTasman, and some more ramblings

WLG – MEL – 6.00am Sunday

Travelling down the back. Reasonable hot snack in the International Lounge, but at that time of the morning, hardly the time to have a snort, particularly when one is half conscious :td:

Plane almost full, although I got my completely blocked out exit row. ^

Tasty bacon and egg tart with fruit salad and a muffin.

The small plastic trays are a definite improvement on the cardboard boxes.

Service pleasant without being very professional.

6.00 am flights are a little wearing for an oldie like me, but I have to say that they are good for getting a full working day in.

Tullamarine was a complete zoo, and while my APEC pass bypassed the queues at immigration, there must have been a 50 metre queue at customs. Does anyone know if there is a similar system for APEC card holders at customs? I guess I should get onto the APEC web site and find out.

I only had carry ons and bypassed the x-ray queue, which must have been another 50 metres long.

MEL – WLG 8.50 am Thursday (today)

More civilized starting time. The traffic at Tullamarine airport at this time of the morning is usually pretty bad, with long queues of cars and taxis on the departure ramp, but it wasn’t so busy this morning.

The excellent MEL lounge and staff are being let down by the bean counters again – the latches on the toilet doors have been out or order for some time now, and the original paper signs have morphed into rather more professional laminated equivalents which appear to have the sign of permanence about them. A dispute with the original contractor? I think I counted three of the toilets with similar signs on them.

The pin ball machines are still there - the last few times I have been through, no one has been playing them, so why on earth have them – IMHO they take an excellent lounge very down market.

I did some emailing on broadband. I had trouble before with getting onto the Internet using an ethernet connection in MEL, but when installing a wireless network in my office a few weeks ago, the mysteries of ethernet cabling were explained in the accompanying booklet, and I learnt that there are such animals as straight through and crossover cables.

On checking, I found that my computer traveling odds and ends included a cross over cable, rather than the straight through version

I exchanged my crossover cable for a straight thru version before this trip, and had no problem this morning.

The plane was thirty minutes late. I had a blocked out exit row again.

Breakfast was a tasty quiche, with fruit salad and a chocolate muffin. I had had a good business trip, so I indulged in three (plastic) glasses of champagne.

Service was again pleasant, but the purser was inexperienced, and it showed.

Arrived in Wellington to again be greeted by big queues.

I find that Wellington often doesn’t have the APEC desk manned, but today fortunately it did, so again straight through like my new ethernet cable. I am not a complaining pain in the arse, but I do plan to have a growl at WLG International airport about not manning their APEC desks.

APEC passes can strongly be recommended for FF, but I hope that they can be extended to include customs.

In terms of one FF's view of the TransTasman service

I very rarely have a problem getting an exit row TT with a blocked out seat if it is available, so I certainly can’t complain about that aspect.

I think the standard of Trans Tasman Y has gone up, but although the new Freedom crew try hard and are very pleasant, they don’t match the professionalism of the old Wellington based group.

While I had a very soft spot for the WLG based NZ crew and was very unhappy at the reorganization of the Trans Tasman market by introducing Freedom crew, I am still flying NZ TT, so the bean counters have got their way for one of their FF. :(

The higher load factors are being maintained.

Some serious travel coming up with SQ up front which I have to say I am looking forward to :D , together with the dreaded NW LHR - ORD - LHR :( , and internal US with UA. :td: :td:

BTW, has anyone got pix of the new CHC international lounge? Has it been done like MEL as some of the CHC staff told me?

Update on this week’s TransTasman, and some more ramblings
The plane was thirty minutes late. I had a blocked out exit row again.
....
Service was again pleasant, but the purser was inexperienced, and it showed.

Arrived in Wellington to again be greeted by big queues.
....
In terms of one FF's view of the TransTasman service

I very rarely have a problem getting an exit row TT with a blocked out seat if it is available, so I certainly can’t complain about that aspect.

I think the standard of Trans Tasman Y has gone up, but although the new Freedom crew try hard and are very pleasant, they don’t match the professionalism of the old Wellington based group.

While I had a very soft spot for the WLG based NZ crew and was very unhappy at the reorganization of the Trans Tasman market by introducing Freedom crew, I am still flying NZ TT, so the bean counters have got their way for one of their FF. :(

The higher load factors are being maintained.

I flew NZ744 SYD-WLG last night down the back.
I was surprised that it has been a year since I flew NZ TT in economy, my other trips have been in Business on various other airlines.

SYD NZ check in a huge queue as usual, but no one in the Business, Koru Club line:)

Was given an exit row aisle, without being asked:), as this was a Saver no Airpoints or FF points so I entered my KC number to avoid the Airpoints annual fee, other trips I used my TG or OZ number. My wife, booked on a spearate PNR as NZ Silver was given row 7 aisle so we had to change that to sit in the blocked centre seat, no one in the window seat.;)

KC SYD, my it feels different.
Greeter extremely helpful and welcoming, especially giving out towels for the shower.
A piano singer!:confused:
The food selection!!!! What a vast improvement.:eek: Lots of variety, with small servings of very tasty dishes.:D
And the wife, and I, loved the dessert, especially the mini-pavs!
Customer feedback forms abundant, and according to lounge lady lots of positive feedback.^
The let down was in the reading material, but they were having a survey of what magazines would we like to stock. Not too important for me as I tend to use the laptop, shower or dine in lounges.
I must say this beats the QF Club, have not been to the F lounge yet.

Flight was late due to winds, so we could eat and drink more:), but we caught the favourable winds back and arrived 10 minutes early.:)

Entertainment, movie Blind Dating, a bit of a yawn but this is economy. I do recognise that NZ will be improving this later.^

Food, Chicken was not the processed breaded thing but an actual recognisable piece, thigh fillet. My wife enjoyed it. I must say the food looks to be improving.
The paper tray is gone but I liked it. I used to ditch the box and "set my table" with the cloth etc prefectly arranged. Imagining I was somewhere but economy, so deal with it:p With the plastic tray and striped paper not even in the same league.:td:
What did let everything down though was the cabin service. I ordered a special meal, delivered before everyone else but when I asked for a drink with it the guy never came back. My wife was served her meal 20 minutes after me and our drinks were 12 minutes after that!:mad: I cannot believe they were so out of sync after 8-9 rows! Why cannot NZ deliver the special meal with a drink like they used to or at our row, like other airlines?:confused:
Oh can NZ offer something else for the vegetarians, I am so sick of the "Spring Roll" it has not changed in years.:(
Also only one drinks cart, pre-announced, so I got a tea as it was too late for a drink with my meal.
Oh no ice cream for anyone, except maybe Business.
Another note, has NZ installed too few Business seats on the A320? All 8 taken, and I looked over a month ago, admittedly during a sale. My wife said that 7 out of 8 were taken on Friday mornings floight to SYD. QF have 16 on the 734, and NZ few the A320 out of AKL as well. Could they do with another set of 4 seats?

Oh first into WLG and we were out in 10 minutes, Priority tags worked!

Overall when the new IFE comes in and if NZ start to offer Airpoints on the lowest, not grab a seat, fares and lets face it if you are going to fly economy you may as well pay the lowest fare, I would consider flying NZ.

At the moment I will stick with my preferred other airlines and travel NZ when they have their "Business Savers".

So well done NZ you are improving and listening to your customers:-:, you just may get another FF on the Tasman if you make a few more changes.

KC SYD, my it feels different...
A piano singer!:How wonderful. The KC remains SYD's best

SYD lounge would be better if there was WiFi access. Reception said they get over 20 complaints a day about it.

SYD lounge would be better if there was WiFi access. Reception said they get over 20 complaints a day about it.There used to be WiFi there but it seems to have gone away :(

The Telstra hotspot service is reachable from within the lounge, but of course that is payware.

I'm popping through MEL on NZ126 this Friday for the first time in a while [normally flying QF]; it'll be interesting to see what a lounge is like again :).

I thought all Air NZ lounges had WiFi ?

In Jan/Feb/March this year on my travels through AKL, the WiFi was dropping out constantly! This was on two different laptops that I personally used, and may others were complaining about it.

The first time was 30th Jan, then 20th Feb and then early March.

I assumed the problem was just ongoing and they didnt' care about it.

It cant be that hard to set up a reliable WiFi network

Recently flew SYD AKL on NZ118 (777) and NZ2 & 1 AKL LAX AKL (744) and NZ101 767) all in J.

Excellant service on NZ119 - fantastic crew. The food wasn't really anything to write home about. It was great flying the 777 trans tasman rather than the 767 or A320 and to fly BP in daytime. Had a very short connection at AKL due to late arrival of a/c.

Smooth transfer at AKL.

The crew on NZ2 were'nt as good as the previous flight and,again, dissapointing catering. I got caught up in the Immigration computer meltdown at LAX with the crew handling the situation superbly. I was one of the lucky ones - it only took me 4 hours to get through Imigration. Those poor Y pax.

LAX AKL on NZ1 was excellant - superb crew and excellant catering. Really enjoyed the lounge at LAX.

AKL SYD - once again a just fantastic crew with an outstanding Purser. Very light loads in both Y and J. The 767 was in an immaculate condition.Average catering but since i wasn't that hungry, it didn't matter.

Surprised all my upgrades cleared using a combination of comp upgrades and AP.

Overall a very good NZ experience though i do think the standard of the catering need to be reviewed.

Deciding whether to put this in the best lounges/worst lounges thread, but decided to put it on some ramblings after my experience in SYD, and already reporting on my CHC experience..

The trip initially was WLG –CHC-MEL- WLG.

A last minute change meant that I had to go to SYD today (Monday)

On the Internet on Friday, there were no seats on the direct SYD – WLG direct flight. The direct connections between WLG Trans Tasman are the pits these days IMHO. Went onto the Internet on Saturday, and found there were seats available. Got my booking half made, the phone rang, and when I went to complete it someone had taken my booking.

Doing SYD – CHC at the moment, with an overnight in CHC, and then onto WLG tomorrow.

Anyway some comments


Similar to my complaint about WLG Koru Club some time ago, the same toilets that were out of action in the SYD lounge during my pass through two weeks ago were still out of action, with paper signs posted over them – they were the “automatic” urinals. For an international lounge, and a good one at that, they looked dreadful. I hope the bean counters are not in action again.

However the grog selection was excellent, with some Lindauer Sparking Reserve, a good Wynns Coonawarra shiraz, a Tatachilla cabinet, an Oyster Bay pinot, and others that I didn’t make a note of

I like the network wireless connection system now, with a standard password for whole airline that changes every month. I don’t know whether this is the case throughout the network, apart from Australasia.

The NZ (not QF) lady at SYD did her best to get me on the direct SYD – WLG flight, and was very good. I didn’t make it but got a blocked out exit row on a flight to CHC that was almost completely full.

*G and J class PAX now get an express lane card to get through customs and screening, so I didn't have to use my APEC card, although I did in CHC and avoided long queues

The standard of the food in Y has gone up. I had a very tasty Chicken Kiev.

I am looking forward to sampling NZ, UA ??? and SQ in J on a RTW next month.

*G and J class PAX now get an express lane card to get through customs and screening, so I didn't have to use my APEC card, although I did in CHC and avoided long queues.

YAY! I didn't know this had been reintroduced. That's just for outbound in Sydney, presumably?

YAY! I didn't know this had been reintroduced. That's just for outbound in Sydney, presumably?

Yes AFAIK, came in through MEL, so don't know about inbound.

Yes AFAIK, came in through MEL, so don't know about inbound.I remember when they took this away they cited (well the Koru Review did) that it was due to complaints from non-eligible passengers. I take it that the non-eligible passengers stopped complaining after it was taken away so they can bring it back?

I have just finished a RTW in Business class, with the major legs being flown with NZ, UA and SQ.

NZ will have to watch out.

Both I and my colleague thought that UA's overall standards had gone up considerably, with good checkin service, good cabin crew, and with the food on the ORD - LHR leg significantly better than NZ.

We both thiought that the food on NZ let the rest of the experience down.

SQ was impeccable in every way as usual, and the new J class seats are clearly superior to the NZ equivalent.

And I have to say that even the much maligned TSAs in the US were friendly and shared some jokes.

We had an incredible experience at Munich airport, where we had a very tight 45 minute connection time , and the flight from Central London Airport was 20 minutes late leaving. We were met at Munich airport by a dedicted bus, taken to a special passport control on the tarmac to have our passports stamped, and then taken back to the next flight to see our checked in bags waiting to be loaded on to our departing plane. The whole exercise took 10 minutes. The guy driving the bus and shepherding us through the system was great, and told us it was part of the Munich airport service.

Well done LH and Munich airport, I can't see that happening in the US or Australia and New Zealand.

Thought I might throw in a few comments on my MEL-AKL on Dec 21. I bought a full C fare on NZ126, the afternoon departure (a 744!) and waitlisted for NZ6, the morning departure. The waitlist cleared after 72 hours.

Rushing to Tullamarine on Friday I got stuck behind an over-turned B double on the freeways which delayed my arrival at the airport til about 1100 for an 1135 departure.

The economy checkin line was all the way back to the entrance of the snake; business/premium checkin had two counters operating with people at both. It took about 10 minutes to get checked in due to a family of 6 (in biz) and another couple with a massive amount of baggage taking some time with the agents ahead. The agent commented on lots of biz pax being late today and I mentioned the freeway issue. There were no express passes available and the agent mentioned there had been none for a few days.

The customs/security lines were pretty long and it took some time to get through them due to people having not filled in their declaration forms and all kinds of nonsense.

Eventually I got to the gate (no time to visit the KC :() just as they were starting to issue pages over the PA. I asked the gate agent to change my FFP from NZ to UA (as the agent at checkin had not given me time to ask for it to be done). The NZ GA refused to do it as apparently you need to have the actual card with you. I was reciting the numbers to him and didn't have the actual card. After some haranguing he eventually did change it although didn't reprint my BP. This was a "one time exception" :mad:

The service on the flight itself was great, complete with the FSM coming around to introduce himself and offer an individual explanation for the lateness of the service - we departed approx. 20 mins late due to missing pax held up in the customs/security lines.

Meal was great, although I really wish there was an option besides a seafood appetiser. The mains were fish, venison, or a beef lasagna (which I had). Dessert of the icecreams was great; although somehow I missed seeing any dessert wine offered. I requested some and received an incredibly miserly pour (probably 50ml); a second glass was requested and delivered much more full. They had only sparkling wine on board, and no 42 below cocktails available. Both seem a bit poor given the seasonal time...

Into AKL with minimal issues and avoided the lines at the upper deck immigration queues by going downstairs to no line whatsoever.

Incidentally it seemed like there were a few op-ups on the flight, with one lady (appearing to be NZ*S) being very surprised to go E->PE on the upperdeck.

In general though, the service was good and I'm happy with value received vs. money spent. The one big niggle I have is the $20 fee to reissue the ticket after clearing the waitlist - as a full C fare and Gold Elite I feel that this is just nickle and diming.

Just flew AKL-MEL on NZ125 in upper deck business. As mentioned in the Lounge thread, AKL in general was a zoo with it taking about 20 minutes to get checked in. Non-elite customs/security lines were fully snaked taking 30 minutes to process. Koru Club was very full and it took quite a while to find a seat.

The flight was late from it's earlier turn (probably due to late inbounds from LAX, I noticed QF26 and NZ5 were running late before I headed to the airport). NZ81 to HKG was also delayed and the flight to NLK was rescheduled for Monday.

Boarding started at 13:30, with departure delayed til 13:50 or so. This was my first time in upper deck business class in the new config, having flown it in the old config and premium economy. I think in the future I will stick to the main deck in Zone A as the noise from the PE pax really did detract from the atmosphere, and the crew were more busy having to serve both classes. Also some lines for having to use the lavatories.

Food & beverage services were great; although catering had loaded the MEL-AKL menus rather than AKL-MEL. No 42 Below cocktails available on the Tasman runs which really annoys me - I wish NZ would fix this.

Now the more dramatic part of the trip: On descent, I was switching SIMs in my cell handset (from VFNZ to Telstra-AU) and managed to drop my VFNZ SIM down the side of the seat, where it wedged between the metal framework, the floor, and the plastic facade that separates the seats. I could just see it, but couldn't reach it.

After landing, and the subsequent push-back and re-parking as the aircraft had overshot the parking mark by 600mm, I asked the crew if there were any ways to get to the floor area to recover the SIM. I was expecting to be told either "no, you're an asshat for dropping it", or "yes, here's how and here's your SIM".

It turned into quite an adventure that had at it's peak 3 cabin crew members and 3 engineers helping to disassemble my seat (18A) and part of the seat next to it. We managed to recover all sorts of junk that was down the side of it but not the SIM - it was just too small to grab. I was incredibly appreciative of the effort the cabin crew put in, as well as the two QF engineers they enlisted to help as well.

When I finally disembarked the aircraft, they had switched the airbridge to departures so I found myself in the wrong part of the airport. I had to get someone to escort me down to arrivals and to immigration... where there were no agents. After finally getting someone to let me into the country, I picked up my lonely bag and found myself at the end of an incredibly long line for customs/quarantine. I was behind about a million Scouts returning from the jamboree in New Zealand, all of whom had something to declare (that they had visited agricultural sites) so there was a lot of bag examination going on, with dirt and other stuff being removed from equipment. It took 40-ish minutes to get through.

The only problem I have with this is that (again for me) there were no express cards handed out on the flight, although I didn't ask for one as I was more concerned about my SIM card.

I am writing a note to NZ now about how awesome the crew were in trying to recover my SIM.

To top it all off though I ended up with a taxi driver who didn't know the difference between left and right! :eek:

Kiwi Flyer flew the return sector on the same aircraft with the same crew; and just mentioned in SMS to me that they have had some significant problems in AKL and have been on the ground for 40+ mins now but unable to leave the aircraft. I'll let him fill in the rest of the story. :)

In Kiwi Flyer's absence, I can fill in the rest of the story.

The airbridge broke down, and unfortunately had done so after the doors had been disarmed and the passengers had all left their seats.

They had a good go at fixing it, but were unable to get it to turn in the right direction, so the doors had to be rearmed, passengers reseated, and the aircraft pushed back and towed to the neighbouring gate.

How do I know? Guess.. :o Lots of Flyertalkers on 125/126 today!

How do I know? Guess.. :o Lots of Flyertalkers on 125/126 today!Quite a day for everyone :)

That's the second time we've been on the same flight, nz_crew!

In Kiwi Flyer's absence, I can fill in the rest of the story.

The airbridge broke down, and unfortunately had done so after the doors had been disarmed and the passengers had all left their seats.

They had a good go at fixing it, but were unable to get it to turn in the right direction, so the doors had to be rearmed, passengers reseated, and the aircraft pushed back and towed to the neighbouring gate.

How do I know? Guess.. :o Lots of Flyertalkers on 125/126 today!

Indeed. Gate #5 is the one with airbridge that was able to move in one direction only - beware if your a/c pulls into that one. This was just the last (and most minor) of a series of travel hassles spreading over the past few days. My 2008 travel year has started very badly.

Just flew MEL-WLG tonight on NZ758. Quite a contrast to Sunday's WLG-MEL on NZ753.

NZ758:

1. The food tonight was the worst I've had in a long time on the Tasman. I had an incredibly scrawny, complete with large chunk of bone, chicken kiev. I think I got the tiniest serving of it, but the servings in general were shockingly small. To go with it there was a disgusting cold rice/bean concoction, and a smashed to pieces (sealed in plastic) cold apple pie. The pie was so broken I couldn't get it out of the bag.

2. When I mentioned to the crew during a drinks run that the audio had cut out on multiple channels, but was still working on 1/2/5/6/11/12 they said it must be my headphones (no), my seat (no). It was pretty clear that the tapes or whatever the audio source is for the audio had hit their end and not auto-rewound. Channel 6 was also looping very quickly.

They offered to re-seat me (which would not have fixed the problem as I checked other seats); but didn't listen when I suggested they check the audio source.

Otherwise the flight was fine - but no express pass on checkin. The crew were fine and pleasant.

NZ753:

1. Crew greeted the *Es in the cabin.
2. Crew gave pre-departure bubbles to the *Es in the cabin.
3. FSM introduced self to the *Es/*Gs.
4. Crew came through with Express Immigration passes.
5. Crew were pleasant and professional and recognised both *E and *G on the flight (although *G did not get bubbles).
6. The food did not suck, despite being similar - chicken cordon bleu and kumara salad.

Travelled Business class NZ Trans Tasman WLG – MEL over the Christmas break, and over Easter, travelling down the back NZ WLG – AKL – MEL today ( Friday) and up the front QF MEL – SYD – AKL, Tuesday, shareholder’s meeting in AKL Wednesday, then AKL – WLG Wednesday night.

So I can compare recent NZ and QF J class TransTasman, (QF on a 767 to be fair, with NZ on an A320,) and the QF lounges in MEL domestic and SYD international with NZ domestic and international.

This probably should be on the trip report forum, but as a great NZ fan, I thought NZ FFs would like to see the comments.

Some comments so far

Very helpful check in lady in WLG. Blocked out exit row for WLG – AKL, and blocked out seat next to me for the A320 exit row AKL – MEL ( I find the exit rows in the A320 have slightly more leg room, but they don’t compare of course with 12A and F on the domestic 737)

The elevator was out of action to the Koru Club, and climbing the stairs, I noticed that the carpet on the stairs was decidedly worn. Not sure whether that is NZ’s responsibility or Wellington Airport’s.

Greeted effusively by one of my long term favourite older Koru ladies. Her comment some years ago when I was going through WLG international was that I was her fifth client that day, and we both burst out laughing and have never forgotten it. A real character.

I have to say that WLG Koru is starting to show its age, and the bean counters appear to be in action again – the chair I sat in had a distinctly lumpy feel to it, and the coffee machine had a notice on it that it was out of order. The food was the usual cold cuts, and as hot food, hot dogs were still on which they have been for some time, ( it was mid afternoon) which I can’t say I am a great fan of.

Elevator out of action from the Koru Club to departure.

The plane was 15 minutes late.

I liked the small cheese platter, ( it was moist and fresh, not like some of the dried out cheese on the TransTasman legs) and the glass of wine on the WLG – AKL leg was good.

It is very unusual for me, but in AKL I scored an inter terminal bus waiting outside the domestic terminal (I usually have at least the full 20 minutes, and sometimes it has been half an hour).

Smooth payment of the airport tax at the premium checkin facility, and then into the AKL international lounge.

The lounge was very full, and the strain was showing as there were half empty wine glasses, and half eaten food everywhere. The fridge in the extended area had tape over it saying it was out of order, ( bean counters again I reckon – must be the end of the financial year, and need to jack the figures up by rescheduling maintenance)

Did speak briefly to a guy sitting opposite to me who had a Dell 700M, the same as mine, and we swapped stories of how satisfied we both were with the machine, and Dell service, although I have had the hard drive and two mother boards replaced in the past four months, with the last one being out of warranty by a month, but no argument about cost.

Asked on boarding the plane whether I was a medical doctor, to which I replied no please to large laughter.

Plane left on time. Very tasty chicken risotto cake, salad, a chutney, Kapiti ice cream and a few red wines.

Express pass for immigration and customs handed out to individual PAX on the plane.

Very good and efficient service.

QF and comments to follow on Tuesday

The elevator was out of action to the Koru Club, and climbing the stairs, I noticed that the carpet on the stairs was decidedly worn. Not sure whether that is NZ’s responsibility or Wellington Airport’s.That escalators been out of action for over a week :td:

Express pass for immigration and customs handed out to individual PAX on the plane.

This in my limited experience is still spotty on NZ. Earlier this month they were not handed on my CHC-SYD in C but were on my QF WLG-SYD (also earlier this month). Unfortunately the QF ones are much more subject to marks etc

Jeff

That escalators been out of action for over a week :td:

The exit escalator from the KC was also out of action. :(

The exit escalator from the KC was also out of action. :(

Although was working yesterday

Jeff

The exit escalator from the KC was also out of action. :(
The exit escalator often seems to be turned off (rather than actually faulty/out of service) in my experience.

Not a good Tasman travel week for me, but that was mostly QF's fault.

NZ721 on Friday also wasn't particularly spectacular:

- Preassigned 12D disappeared and I was handed the impressive 11B at checkin.
- Check in could do nothing; advised to try the lounge.
- Lounge could do nothing as the flight was totally full. Asked about an ODU to Business but that was full (although seatcounter had shown C4D4J1 the day before)
- The food choice on board was chicken or fish. The chicken wasn't particularly warm; the salad that went with it (potato of some kind) was cold. No dessert. QF is kicking the pants off NZ in terms of Tasman Y food quality at the moment.
- No express arrivals card.

Fortunately on board 11A ultimately went out empty - but it definitely sucked to have happened again and I could see no reason why (as *E on a ~$800 B fare) I was kicked out of 12D.

aj - this is really disappointing to hear. I note that it was an A320 flight with Zeal crew.

I've heard through the grapevine that the Zeal rosters are so arduous that the average career duration is 11 weeks - surely this can't be right.. but may explain some of the inconsistencies such as not

FYI icecream is loaded in NZ for both sectors, and should have been offered on your flight.

Have you noticed that the longhaul crew (747/67/77) are better than the A320 crew? Not really seeking a boost to my ego here, just genuinely interested.

Have you noticed that the longhaul crew (747/67/77) are better than the A320 crew? Not really seeking a boost to my ego here, just genuinely interested.

Yes - it's definitely noticeable that the longhaul crew are more mature, better trained and equipped to handle things, as a generalisation. I've had some sub-par experiences with longhaul crew but on average they are very good. I would prefer to fly NZ over most other long haul airlines and often will fly through NZ because of it. Unfortunately unless AKL-SIN comes back I'm stuck with SQ - who are fine, but I prefer NZ...

The Zeal crew is definitely younger, less experienced, and not trained as well. Occasionally you get some really good crews, usually because the Purser is ex-Longhaul and are still passionate about their job. One flight a few months ago, I was glad I was on a deep discount (Z) business fare cause the A320 crew were not up to par in the business cabin.

The Zeal experience has been going downhill a little lately, ironically while QF is actually improving. My biggest grump at the moment is the food on NZ is lousy, compare this:

QF39 MEL-AKL Wednesday 26th March:
* Choice of spaghetti with salami & sauce or a chicken curry (I had the spaghetti)
* Plated with bread roll + butter, salad + salad dressing, and a little chocolate.
* Dessert run-through with some fruit icecream thing (Splice?).
I think there used to be cheese & crackers but that appears to have disappeared.

NZ721 AKL-MEL Friday 28th March:
* Choice of chicken [something] and fish [something] (I don't recall the choices cause I was tired; but I had the fish).
* Plated with... nothing. There was the chicken (hot bit) and some potato/kumara salady thing that was cold and nasty.
* No dessert.

The food on NZ used to be a lot better than this - several of my QF-flying colleagues have commented on how lousy the NZ food was when they've had to fly NZ recently.

On the Topic of FA, Are NZ Domestic Flight Attendents of similar age/expertise/training to the International FAs? I never seem to get great FA on my Domestic 737 Flights...Nor my ZEAL320 Flights, but thats different staff al togther.

ajnz - thanks for the honest feedback - good to know we generally do well.

jetsetkiwi - there are currently 3 different 'groups' of FAs on jet aircraft. Longhaul operate all 767-777-747 flights, National operate all 737 flights, and Zeal operate A320 flights.

Until about 18 months ago, National operated all 737 and A320 services. Being in National was generally a career choice, and indeed they earnt more than us longhaulers. The company then restructured, and the Freedom Air crew were renamed Zeal and changed to operate all A320 services, with National moved to solely 737 flights. Because of the way we're paid, this had financial implications for the National crew (loss of about 3-400 per fortnight). Some elected to transfer to Zeal, but the Zeal rosters are pretty onerous and the pay's less than National so the majority stayed put.

Long story, but hopefully gives some background. In the defence of National crew, it's pretty hard to be memorable on a 1 hour flight. We at longhaul have a lot more time, product, and resources to turn into something special.

I have not been very impressed by A320 Crew in J in/out of WLG. Food service has not been very professional.

I've had pretty good crew on all my NZ flights the last year or so (100s of flights) ... until yesterday (A320 flying into WLG).

I'll make some more notes in my trip report (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=806680).

I have found that the AKL zeal crew have got better than they where at the start when i flew on zeal for the first time in 2006 it was a joke. But on my AKL-NAN-AKL the service standards had lifted but you could still pick out the sj crew. i have only ever seen on zeal F/A that looked like she loved her job and you could tell she was ex nz crew.

I haven’t been travelling very much lately, so I was looking forward to doing WLG – MEL up front yesterday.

Big moan to start off with however – there was a long queue for business class check in, with only one check in lady and two PAX who were taking an enormous amount of time to complete their check in and holding up every one else.

It must have been 20 – 30 minutes before more staff came on to clear the back log.

Then found out that I had been assigned 1A on the bulkhead, which I find very cramped for leg room, and couldn’t get either 2A or F which are my preferred seats on the TransTasman A320. I finished up with 2B

A similar story with the queues for Travelex to pay the departure tax, I can’t ever remember it being like that with the old system. Again about a 30 minute wait. I hope that WLG airport is going to follow AKL and include the departure tax with the ticket.

The food selection in the international lounge was its usual mediocre self, with a very narrow selection of wine, some rather sad looking sausages, but some tasty hot soup.

At Wellington for TransTasman departures, *G and business class passengers are often called into their own queue, but it was not the case this time, and again there were long queues.

So not a good start.

However, on boarding the plane, I was greeted by name, welcomed back again, and wished a pleasant trip.

My fellow passenger in 2A was rather elderly like me, and we introduced ourselves. He was 65, and I am 68, we were both from Melbourne, although I live in Wellington. He owns his own software business, and does a lot of work for regional hospitals throughout the North Island, so does a lot of TransTasman flying like I do.

Both of us agreed that in our advanced years, travelling down the back was no longer on, and that we both preferred NZ over QF.

A rather elderly FA was looking after us, and she introduced herself, but was nervous and although pleasant, was obviously not NZ crew. She didn’t greet us with our names.

When I first started flying internationally, I used to enjoy meeting and talking with fellow passengers, but as I have got older, I have preferred to travel by myself, and catch up with some reading, or listen to some music.

However 2A and I both enjoy our flying, and we had a great time swapping stories about our experiences over the years over a glass or three or four of different wines, and as time went on, nervous FA also became considerably less nervous and joined in the chat.

There has been some comment on the Trans Tasman food quality going down, but while not outstanding I found the offering OK.

A shortened outline of the meal service

Starter

Air dried beef, snow peas, cherry tomatoes, feta cheese and raspberry vincotto dressing

Comment – Tiny serve, but very tasty.

Main Course

Braised lamb shank on lemon thyme risotto and green beans with confit garlic

Salmon ravioli on Asian greens with laska sauce and capsicum

Kawakawa roasted chicken salad with caraway coleslaw and mango, corn and papaya
Salsa

Comment – I had the lamb shanks, and apart from being a little overcooked, it was good

Dessert

Raspberry and white chocolate panna cotta with almond short bread

Or

Gourmet dessert of Black Doris plum and crème fraiche ice cream and cookies and cream
ice cream

Comment – The ice cream was up to the usual Kiwi standard – I am very much an ice cream man, and I find that Kiwi ice cream is consistently better that its Oz equivalent



Cheese plate

Fine New Zealand cheese and preserved fruit

Wines

The wines were a selection of Kiwi sauvignon blanc, chardonnay and riesling for the whites, and pinot noir, merlot and syrah for the reds.

Comment – I had the Marlbourgh sauvignon blanc for starters, and a very good Hawkes Bay syrah

On exiting the flight, I was helped on with my coat, and given a very nice goodbye, with the comment that the crew would like to see two elderly gentlemen like 2A and myself again.

With my APEC card, I was through immigration very quickly, and with only carryon luggage and no x-ray screening and only some very Australian repartee with the customs guy, I was through the system in about five minutes.

In summary, after a very grumpy start, a very enjoyable flight no doubt enhanced by the company and the wine, with the catering standards for a Trans Tasman flight being OK. While the flight crew were not up to NZ professional standards, they were pleasant, and tried hard.

In two weeks I am planning to return to WLG via AKL on the midday 777 flight, so it will be interesting to compare the TT international NZ crew with yesterday’s flight.

Braised lamb shank on lemon thyme risotto and green beans with confit garlic

That lamb shank seems to be getting around..... I had it yesterday from LHR to HKG.... However the state of it was appaling, I think it had done more air miles than me!

Service was typically AirNZ - very average. The purser did have a personal chat with everyone which was something unusual for AirNZ. The service from HKG to LHR 2 weeks prior was exceptional - I thought they might be on the way to redeeming themselves - thought too soon as usual.

The (completely) useless tart at the business check in at LHR was one of the most inept I have ever encountered. The worst thing was however, the concierge was standing over her shoulder watching, but not helping her when she got flustered and made a right hash opf things!!

I then was given a AirNZ survey to fill in at the UA lounge, I gladly filled it in -scathing would be an understatement.

AirNZ have rested on their laurels far too much since the new seating product came in and they need a kick in the backside.

Will continue to just use AirNZ just to maintain Gold Elite and nothing more. For someone that does an exceptional amount of flying, they have a long way to go to get any more business than that out of me.

Just complete a marathon SYD AKL LAX LHR LAX AKL SYD on NZ in J. Here are some thoughts:

Check In
No problems whatsover but the agents at LAX and LHR were superb. NZ has really lifted its game at LAX over the last few years. I suspect having a group of NZers based at LAX has made the staff more accountable, or rather the company that employs them (hall mark I think)

Lounges
SYD & LAX have to be the best on the network. AKL is overdue for an extreme makeover and I realy miss that view that has ben obliterated by on-going works. Special mention to the Concergie at LHR (looks like a younger version of Helen Mirren) who managed to track down my camera i had left behind on the LAX LHR sector. Can you imagine a employee at an RCC doing that - No!!

Top points to the Lounge Staff at LAX: Matt, Phillipe and an older women. They really make you feel at home and a nice to be called by your first name. Nice to be escorted to the gate.


Aircraft
No issues there - spotless both inside and out. However walking back to Economy on the 747 it seemed incredibly uncomfortable ie:hot


Crew
Superb on all sectors. Very impressed with the UK based crew and a lovely chat with the concergie on her first flight LHR LAX. However one sector really stood out - the crew on NZ5 LAX AKL. I was just blown away! The Youngish blonde FSM was just outstanding - what a credit to NZ. She had those leadership skills that made her crew work as a real Team with a total customer focus. I noticed the FAs in BP talked to each and every passenger as did the FSM (at least I think she did). I noticed both the pax and the Crew really bonded with each other.


The only real let down and they weren't that bad was the Zeal crew. They don't have the spit and polish that the long haul crew has - mind you, the pittance they are paid and having to work on those god awful A320s can you blame them?


Catering
I am the first to confess, I am not a foodie but I find the food in BP a bit on the ordinary side - it was the same pre BP days.he main course are unispring and not that tasty and why they bother with the entree is beyond me The desserts are very tasty indeed. On NZ118 on the 777 the menu was so unappetising I asked for the Meat Pie (with sauce) which was delicious. I still have dreams about that meat pie! (sad I know)


IFE

Superb except on the LAX LHR sector when it neede to be rebooted 4 times but no ssue there. The A320 was pretty dire but managed to watch 'Flawless'
which I enjoyed.

Airports

SYD= A mess at the moment while it undergoes a major refurb.
AKL= Pleasant and mangeable.
LAX= Total S**thole.
LHR-Much improved since moving to T1

Security

This is not NZ problem but the TSA staff at LAX have to be the most rudest group of employees i have ever come across. The disgraceful episode I witnessed at LAX with a person who did not speak English was unforgiveable.They humiliated this poor women in front of 100 people because she had had put her Boarding Pass through the X Ray machine. How was the poor women , or any of us for that matter, supposed to understand
'Boarding Pass' in South Central speak. I did not dare complain otherwise i would have been thrown in LA County Jail. The poor women was in tears afterwards. I reckon even Wal Mart would not employ half those TSA staff, especially that fat miserable afro american cow that I have the misfortune to come across every time i fly through LAX. As an aside on a previous NZ flight ex LAX, one of the crew said even they get a bad time

I've actually noticed a decline in TT service on QF myself. As a WP flying in Y it was pretty standard to get a paper and a glass of champagne delivered by the CSM along with being greeted and spoken to by name by all the crew. My last few TT flights in Y however have been quite disappointing. No paper or champagne and have not been addressed by name as well.

I'm embarrased to say it's been a few long years since I flew NZ trans-tasman but am booked on AKL-BNE on a 777 and looking forward to the service comparison (albeit having no status on NZ). Have also applied for a standby Y->BP upgrade, so am hoping that goes through. By the sounds of it though, NZ's TT service has improved remarkably.

Yesterday I did a FIFO to AKL on NZ instead of the usual QF.
I noticed that the WLG is really starting to take shape and I still love the "Bach" decor.^
I cannot wait until is is fininshed to give the extra room and more food offerings.
I was assigned a seat in row 22....not happy and changed to an aisle in row 19....
Service on board was quite nice, NZ definitely has exceded QF Jetconnect here.
For the return to WLG I arrived at the AKL KC just after 6 and was extremely disappointed.
All the hot food taken and not replaced.
The beer fridge was nearly empty:eek::mad::td: Very few varieties left and the majority were Steinies and Heinies....
The lounge was not that crowded, although both my flights were, but I am extremely disappointed that the catering staff were not restocking, and there were at least 4 in the kitchen.:td:
Oh a couple of months ago I noticed that CHC KC also did not restock the food, besides the cheese platter from 6.
Is this the usual standard?

There has been cost-cutting in the koru club catering. I hope you passed on your feedback.

There has been cost-cutting in the koru club catering.Its interesting - would you prefer they spent less on renovations and more on catering or v.v?

The extension was needed due to overcrowding - more koru club and elite passengers (which presumably means more $$$ for NZ).

I don't think the old koru club catering was insufficient, but has definitely gone sharply downhill lately. :(

I've actually noticed a decline in TT service on QF myself. As a WP flying in Y it was pretty standard to get a paper and a glass of champagne delivered by the CSM along with being greeted and spoken to by name by all the crew. My last few TT flights in Y however have been quite disappointing. No paper or champagne and have not been addressed by name as well.

I don't want to drag this off-topic, but as a WP, I've never had champers offered when in Y. I might had papers offered a couple of times, but that's when it's at the end of the day and they were offering everyone papers until they run out. Plus, I generally fly in row 5...

Perhaps you're just good looking and/or ultra special to Qantas.

Observations
Koru Club WLG - it will be interesting to see if the packaged sandwiches remain after renovations completed.

Koru Club AKL - I agree with BLACKCLOUD that after 6pm food becomes scarce.

Last Sunday evening no lolly mix available after Row 3.

I don't want to drag this off-topic, but as a WP, I've never had champers offered when in Y. I might had papers offered a couple of times, but that's when it's at the end of the day and they were offering everyone papers until they run out. Plus, I generally fly in row 5...

Perhaps you're just good looking and/or ultra special to Qantas.

I only got the champagne when in row 5. Maybe the FA's had spare glasses after offering pre-takeoff drinks to J pax? Can't say for sure...could have just got lucky and had ultra nice CSM's on those flights. We are talking well over a year ago now and it certainly doesn't happen anymore.

And I can guarantee that I'm only a "scraping through WP" (ie nowhere close to Partner Gold SC's) and not good looking :(

Some ramblings after a recent short trip to DUD to meet with my son, daughter in law and granddaughter who had come from Melbourne to spend three weeks in Otago/ Central Otago on a holiday.

As an aside, even as an Australian expat, I admit to being biased, but Otago/Central Otago is a favourite part of New Zealand as far as I am concerned.

Comments on the NZ experience are as follows.

WLG - DUD

RFID tag.

As I had only carry on baggage, I used the RFID tag. No problems in scanning at the Koru entrance in Wellington. A little strange getting a ticket at the gate, as I guess I am used to seeing my seat number. However, if the system can cope with my normal request (window seat with the middle seat blocked out) I don’t suppose it matters. At the gate the scanner seated me in 4A, which was not the seat printed on the information pack (5F). On the plane, I had the row to myself.

Wellington Koru Club.

Although still a work in progress, the upgrade to the lounge has produced an enormous improvement. The Koru man told me that there were an extra 140 seats and it seems to be much more spacious than the old one. The toilets have still to be completed, and some of the stand up tables were still being installed. A similar concept to the Melbourne lounge, and I was most impressed.

Seating.

On a 737, as I normally go for the window seat exit row, which has a large amount of leg room, this was the first time I had experienced the dedicated forward section. I won’t bother with the exit row again, there is ample leg room with the new seating, with the added convenience of being closer to the exit door.

Snacks

Although modest, the snacks and drinks were welcome.

DUD – WLG

Checkin

After my experience on the previous leg, I didn’t bother about the request for an exit row. The new system hasn’t been installed in DUD yet, and on checkin, I received 3A.

Koru Club

I had three hours to kill, and work to do. Those of you who frequent the DUD Koru Club will know what I mean when I say that I was delighted to see that the Number one Koru lady was on duty. I hadn’t seen her for some time, and it was terrific to catch up on some gossip.

Number one Koru lady has been looking after us for almost nine years when my company first started a long term project in Dunedin.

The DUD Koru Club is another of my favourites, and is excellent for a regional lounge. I did notice however that the selection of red wines and the standard was very ordinary (cost cutting?), but the hot snacks were up to their usual standard. The selection of magazines had expanded considerably.

Trip.

The trip was uneventful. The plane was on time, the seat next to me was vacant, and the snacks were welcome.

General comment.

I think with the upgrading of the Koru lounges, the introduction of preferred seating, the introduction of the RFID tag (although I know some FF don’t like it), and other small touches, NZ is really making an effort to look after FF. It is very noticeable and very welcome, and is certainly differentiating itself from its competitors. Big tick for NZ. ^

Just arrived home (Auckland) on NZ480 from Wellington - nearly full flight. Cabin crew only just got the rubbish collected before landing. No lollies served as no time (although I saw that the crew had time to have a snack themselves).

Was disappointed to hear the flight deck say they would be glad to get home as it had been a long day. Would prefer to think they were feeling fresh!

I was through MEL yesterday on NZ726. All I can say is wow - what has happened to the MEL lounge? The cost cutting is pretty blatant:

- A light was out over the center laptop desk-table thing.
- The two bars had been reduced to one.
- The fridge behind the entryway no longer has beer/wine in it.
- 4 beers available. No Monteiths at all.
- A single empty bottle of 42 Below, with the only other bottle of vodka being some cheap version. The Bourbon was also some cheap version.
- Soft drinks no longer come in canned versions but rather a fountain (although I'm not sure that this is a big deal).

Food was OK but the offerings were a lot more sparse and seemed to run out quickly. All 3 A320s were running 10-15 mins late so the lounge was pretty full when I was there.

Very surprised to see this - I hope the other lounges don't go the way of MEL! It and LAX were among the best in the system (I haven't been to SYD for a while so I can't comment).

Through AKL Domestic now - first time since the completed refresh. It looks good, but I see that the cost cutting has continued in the food.

No hot meals for breakfast or lunch (overheard someone else asking the catering staff); beer count is down to 12...

Food right now consists of some corned beef slices, cheese, a small salad offering, tomato, and some fruit. Biscuits etc also available.

They still had hot food for breakfast last week. Scrambled eggs and baked beans IIRC.

I was through MEL yesterday on NZ726. All I can say is wow - what has happened to the MEL lounge? The cost cutting is pretty blatant:

- A light was out over the center laptop desk-table thing.
- The two bars had been reduced to one.
- The fridge behind the entryway no longer has beer/wine in it.
- 4 beers available. No Monteiths at all.
- A single empty bottle of 42 Below, with the only other bottle of vodka being some cheap version. The Bourbon was also some cheap version.
- Soft drinks no longer come in canned versions but rather a fountain (although I'm not sure that this is a big deal).

Food was OK but the offerings were a lot more sparse and seemed to run out quickly. All 3 A320s were running 10-15 mins late so the lounge was pretty full when I was there.

Very surprised to see this - I hope the other lounges don't go the way of MEL! It and LAX were among the best in the system (I haven't been to SYD for a while so I can't comment).

What a shame - MEL has been one of my favourites, although WLG domestic must be up there now with MEL now. Will be through MEL over Xmas, so it will be interesting to see

Flew several weeks ago out of LHR just after AirNZ moved from their previous check in zone to the new one. Not nearly as good as not so private or quiet. What is most annoying is not being able to use the Fastrack lane as it is for UA biz class only. Had a word with the charming lounge concierge who said there had been several comments from biz class passengers in the 2 weeks since they had moved. She made the point that the odd "celebrity/recognisable" person had not appreciated lining up with all the plebs in the usual long security line that is LHR.
I also feel it is not on. If you are paying for a biz class ticket AirNZ should be stumping up for the fee to enable such passengers to use the fastrack lane. If nothing else they should approach UA and pay for the use. Fastrack is important if you are pressed for time.
The lounge was OK - no ice - the only ice machine not working so sav blanc not cold in the "water bucket". Spoke to a food supervisor - why they could not get any from somewhere else beyond me.
Lounge concierge collected the few biz class customers and escorted us to the gate. I liked this as avoided the usual scrum at the gate. It was the 777 via LAX and biz class only half full on a Thursday. PE was chocka. Good service and choice of food. Asked for the duck but unappetizing - not like the duck out of HKG and it was immediately replaced by the lamb. Recognised one of the flight attendants who was happy to chat.
On board concierge knowledgable about LAX and despite Esta we had to fill in the green visa waiver form - this is in a new format which stupidly has space for your visa no. - duh!
At LAX no queue but there is now screeing on all baggage/carryons after picked up from the carousel and before you pass customs. Only one machine (at least AKL has 4 on the go) so you can imagine the queue when several flights arrive together. Will make it even harder to use the lounge as this adds on even more time.
They had a new desert wine loaded - from Firstland vineyards - no Forrest. The Firstland was disgusting. Can't be classified as a sticky as thin and almost undrinkable - would be interested to hear what others think.

That is disappointing. The latest Koru Review says
We have moved our check-in location at Heathrow's Terminal 1.

The new area will have bright spacious check-in facilities for economy customers and a dedicated premium check-in area, which will offer a faster process from check-in to the departure gates
(bolding mine)

Apparently effective 1 March 2009 the Kia Ora magazine has been removed from long haul services. There is now a single "Kia Ora Entertainment" magazine which is much smaller and not really a replacement. I enjoyed some of the articles in Kia Ora so this is a bit of a disappointment. Observed this on AKL-HKG-AKL and HKG-LHR.

Will be flying LHR-LAX tonight in BP so will check out the new LHR arrangements.

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry8707/4.2.2 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/141)

Apparently effective 1 March 2009 the Kia Ora magazine has been removed from long haul services. There is now a single "Kia Ora Entertainment" magazine which is much smaller and not really a replacement. I enjoyed some of the articles in Kia Ora so this is a bit of a disappointment. Observed this on AKL-HKG-AKL and HKG-LHR.

Will be flying LHR-LAX tonight in BP so will check out the new LHR arrangements.

Just checked in at LHR - quite late. The main zone checkin area is not as nice but I was mostly quite amazed by the number of staff standing around doing absolutely nothing.

One actual checkin agent and 5-6 who were watching, with 4 pax wanting to check in at 45 mins prior to departure.

Apparently effective 1 March 2009 the Kia Ora magazine has been removed from long haul services. There is now a single "Kia Ora Entertainment" magazine which is much smaller and not really a replacement.

Noticed this on NZ124 (B747) - MEL to AKL on March 8 and NZ753 (A320) - WLG to MEL on March 15 that the Kia Ora mag was gone.

But it was available on the domestic flights?

All the terminal information (how to change etc), route maps, Fleet Info etc are now in the back of the entertainment guide.

I guess this reveals that, unlike US airline magazines are supposed to be, Kia Ora was not self-supporting on the advertising.

Glad I kept my February copy from SYD - CHC. It's now a collector's item!

I guess this reveals that, unlike US airline magazines are supposed to be, Kia Ora was not self-supporting on the advertising.

Glad I kept my February copy from SYD - CHC. It's now a collector's item!

Its still being provided on within country flights,
http://www.airnewzealand.co.nz/on-the-plane/inflight-magazine/
On all flights within New Zealand, Air New Zealand provides a monthly in-flight magazine called 'Kia Ora', covering topics such as travel, business, sport and lifestyle.

Kia Ora, which means 'hello and welcome' in Maori was chosen as the name of the in-flight magazine because of its warm, relaxed and welcoming meaning.

Customers are welcome to either read the magazine on the plane, or take it away to read at their leisure.

Here's a summary of some of the great stories included in this month's in-flight magazine.

This is great news

Apparently effective 1 March 2009 the Kia Ora magazine has been removed from long haul services. There is now a single "Kia Ora Entertainment" magazine which is much smaller and not really a replacement. I enjoyed some of the articles in Kia Ora so this is a bit of a disappointment. Observed this on AKL-HKG-AKL and HKG-LHR.

I may be wrong but I heard that the removal of this magazine from long haul flights was a cost cutting measure in that the weight of it means extra fuel - take out the combined weight of 400 odd magazines and you can save a bit of fuel. It seems like every bit counts these days.

Through LHR again today and was invited to use the Star First lounge. According to the NZ lounge agent here, this is a new thing for Gold Elites traveling in Business.

Had a good flight in Business on NZ2 yesterday.

Thought I'd post some comments on my last few flights. I just flew HKG-LHR-LAX-LHR-HKG on NZ, with another *E (who flew HKG-AKL-HKG-LHR-LAX-LHR-HKG).

- Upgrades cleared on all sectors for both pax as per the post in the *E upgrade experience thread.
- Service was, as usual, very good in the premium cabins. The new menu for April was quite good, and the new 42 Below cocktails were very tasty.
- Had the same FA in PE HKG-LHR as BP LAX-LHR so service was particularly good.
- Concierge did not make an appearance at all (that I saw) on LAX-LHR.
- Concierge made no effort to introduce herself or provide any assistance on LHR-LAX. I only saw her at boarding, and at disembarkation - where she made past all pax to be the first off the plane. She did correct the TSA guy's pronunciation of "Rarotonga" though!
- Was invited to use the Star Alliance First Class lounge as *E in Business on LHR-HKG. This is apparently new (in the last week). The First lounge is quite nice and quiet; had a very nice selection of whiskey.
- LAX lounge is nice but seeing signs of cutbacks.
- Menu change onboard appears to have been to go to Steinlager Pure instead of regular Steiny (probably an improvement but I won't drink either anyway!)
- IFSD did not make a *E greeting on LHR-LAX that was noted and missed. Still had very good service by the premium cabin FAs though.
- The Air New Zealand "standard wine measure" was in full effect... hic.
- The new 42 Below cocktails are Passionfruit flavoured, however on LAX-LHR they had failed to load 42 Below whatsoever (substitute Smirnoff); on LHR-HKG they had loaded 42 Below Manuka Honey (substitute 42 Below plain).
- LAX was willing to through-check bags onto HKG, and would have through-checked to UA to SIN if we had waited for a supervisor. Had plenty of time in HKG so went for a land-side transit instead.
- IFSD on LHR-LAX indicated that London-SFO was still on the cards.
- Airpoints did not post correctly for LHR-LAX or LHR-HKG, due I suspect to the upgrades. The BPs erroneously state "NIL" Airpoints so I suggest there is an upgrade process bug. Manual correction was prompt after emailing the Gold Elite team.
- LHR checkin was not as nice outside of Zone R, and there still seem to be a lot of staff standing around doing very little while there are queues at premium checkin.
- Priority security would be really nice at LHR.

All in all, a really good series of flights in the premium cabins, so a big ^ to NZ on this one.

Sounds good with a couple of relatively minor exceptions.

- Airpoints did not post correctly for LHR-LAX or LHR-HKG, due I suspect to the upgrades. The BPs erroneously state "NIL" Airpoints so I suggest there is an upgrade process bug. Manual correction was prompt after emailing the Gold Elite team.

Lucky you. I'm still chasing up some incorrectly posted airbucks of flights 5 & 11 months ago - been a painful process.

- Was invited to use the Star Alliance First Class lounge as *E in Business on LHR-HKG. This is apparently new (in the last week). The First lounge is quite nice and quiet; had a very nice selection of whiskey.Now this is the proper approach

- Menu change onboard appears to have been to go to Steinlager Pure instead of regular Steiny (probably an improvement but I won't drink either anyway!)....

- The Air New Zealand "standard wine measure" was in full effect... hic.More patriotism!

I sent in a claim for points to be credited from a hotel stay in December about 3 months ago. Sent in the original invoice. Emailed NZ and they said they never received it. So if I want the Airpoints now I'm going to have to call the hotel and ask them to send me another invoice. Don't think it's worth the time though.

I generally fax these through now having had problems with mail in the past, and always ask for immediate confirmation by email. That way I know if delay is because they are slow or because they haven't received it.

I generally fax these through now having had problems with mail in the past, and always ask for immediate confirmation by email. That way I know if delay is because they are slow or because they haven't received it.

Should have done that. I thought about making a copy but never got round to it. I really don't think it's worth the airpoints to call the overseas hotel and try to convince them to post/email me a copy of the invoice.

Agree for just a few airbucks not worth the hassle. I lose 50-100 airbucks a year and several thousand miles on other programs because of the hassle factor.

Agree for just a few airbucks not worth the hassle. I lose 50-100 airbucks a year and several thousand miles on other programs because of the hassle factor.


You can afford to. ;)

I sent in a claim for points to be credited from a hotel stay in December about 3 months ago. Sent in the original invoice. Emailed NZ and they said they never received it. So if I want the Airpoints now I'm going to have to call the hotel and ask them to send me another invoice. Don't think it's worth the time though.

Which hotel was it? Usually a short email to the hotel chain should do the trick.

Holiday Inn Brisbane. Might flick them an email now and see if I get a reply. Only 10 AP$ so not too bothered.

Holiday Inn Brisbane. Might flick them an email now and see if I get a reply. Only 10 AP$ so not too bothered.

Just email Priority Club and they usually resolve the issue within 2 weeks.

Just email Priority Club and they usually resolve the issue within 2 weeks.

Emailed them. Replied within the hour. Very impressed with the speed of that service.