Air New Zealand Air Points - When was the first time you ever flew out of or into AKL?

I nicked this idea from the BA forum so here goes.

Mine was 1976 flying AKL SYD NZ on a DC10. God, the terminal then was just decrepit. Both the international and domestic operations were located where the present NZ domestic aiport is.

The facilities were very basic in those days to say the least. The international check in was fairly primative.

From my recollection, there were about 4 international gates and I have seen better kept dog kennels. There was no carpet (lino), limited seating and overall quite depressing. I recall pigeons flying inside the gate area - hard to believe these days. Naturally no air bridges.

The DC10 was the only international flight departing at that time of the morning - 9am. A rather different story these days. SQ was the only Asian carrier serving AKL in those days with a 707 3 times a week.

I do recall seeing the new International Terminal under construction which was opened a year later

Your stories?

In 2003 flew into AKL for the first time from HKG on an NZ Boeing 767.

My 1st time was on the 12th July 2000, from Hong Kong to Auckland CX107, the flight was alright. Early this year I finally got out Oneworld after 7 years suffering, now I'm glad to be in Star now.

No idea. Certainly domestic.

I have clearer (not better) memories of flying into and out of Wellington as a nipper, with that shonky terminal in the hangar, terrible carpet and horrid plastic seating that was never enough when weather went bad so you ended up huddled in a group on the floor. The walk across the tarmac in bad weather was pretty nasty - us littl'uns would get blown over and soaked.

Whew... can't remember the AKL terminal but I remember looking out the windows while taking off as if it were yesterday!! July 1978 on a NZ 747 to LAX via HNL (refueling stopover!! couldn't of course get there on one tank, those engines were too gas guzzley). I do remember giving out the AirNZ lollies to all the passengers! (I was 7).

Cheers
TiggerK

TiggerK - are you sure it was a 747? :) I think that it would have had to be a DC-10, as the 747s weren't introduced to NZ until 1981.

First time would be when I was 7 (1993). Remember flying into AKL on a Qantas jet with mum and dad.

Early this year I finally got out Oneworld after 7 years suffering, now I'm glad to be in Star now.

Hey I've done both, and am to some extent still traveling with airlines of both, and wouldn't describe experiences with either as 'suffering.' ;)

My first time was 1976, coming from the UK. My childhood memories of the flight were, childish....
Standing in line at LAX for immigration. Their was a red? line that one was not allowed to cross until beckoned by the official, their was a very officious lady who would patrol the line, whereby my brothers and I would place a toe over the line for the reaction, she reacted.
The headsets were the tubular variety, I discovered that if I unplugged my father's headset from his armrest, placed it close to where the sun don't shine and let fly, I could send a nasty noise directly to his ears. Luckily my father has a good mischievous sense of humour.
The old Massey Ferguson, fergie, tractors used on the apron.
The hot and humid air deplaning down the stairs, no airbridge.

First time would be when I was 7 (1993). Remember flying into AKL on a Qantas jet with mum and dad.



Hey I've done both, and am to some extent still traveling with airlines of both, and wouldn't describe experiences with either as 'suffering.' ;)

Sorry I should explain it clear, those airlines are good,but less routs to China and very hard to use my QF points to get reward seats.(suffering) But now with * which is so much easier I think haha;)

Sorry I should explain it clear, those airlines are good,but less routs to China and very hard to use my QF points to get reward seats.(suffering) But now with * which is so much easier I think haha;)

Ah - fair enough. :)

I've flown MEL-LAX several times, and reasonably sure at least two of those (UA 1997, and QF 2000, the other flight was Pan Am in 1978) have been transiting through AKL (my memory may however be letting me down a little). The main reason I remember the transit area at AKL was the smoking room in the bar...glass-enclosed, you could just make out hazy figures in the pea-soup like smoke in there. Of course, being a smoker at the time, I ventured on in...

First visit to AKL to actually stay in NZ was in 2002. Nothing particularly memorable about the arrival, but the departure was excellent, as the 'pre-cleared' lane (or whatever it was called then) enabled us to bypass a queue of, oh, about 300,000 people at immigration.

TiggerK - are you sure it was a 747? :) I think that it would have had to be a DC-10, as the 747s weren't introduced to NZ until 1981.


Oh no, not another childhood memory dashed!! :D

I assumed it was a 747, because it was so huge and there were 4 engines... but ah well... DC10 it must have been. Thanks (I think :) ) for putting my memory straight!

I flew AA LAX to JFK at that time as well, I wonder what plane that would have been???

Cheers
TiggerK

1972 AKL - NAN on a DC10 - I even have a postcard still of the plane which was given to passengers.

Oh no, not another childhood memory dashed!! :D Atleast you have the childhood memory :) I'm still waiting to find out the answer from my mother.

I recall, very very hazily, arriving back into AKL some time in 1987 from HNL. I would guess on a 747-200 but I don't know for sure. I also VAGUELY recall the checkin area of AKL on the outbound trip as being small, filled with counters and people, and confusing as hell.

(My father was a pilot; and my grandparents lived in CHC, so I spent a lot of my childhood traveling... so I can't really place my 'first' memory of AKL.)

Back in the early seventies from Melbourne - cant remember the plane or the airport, only that the exchange rate was about 1.2A$ to the NZ$.

3rd Feb 2004.

Flew from Christchurch to Auckland with Qantas Jetconnect.

Was my first visit to Auckland, having been to the South Island and Wellington a few years before

Probably September 2007... :)

December 1964 from Whenuapai to Nandi. Pretty sure Air New Zeland was still TEAL back then. First international trip. First time into Mangere, I think, was some time in 1965 or 1966 on an NAC DC 3 from Masterton! Can anyone remember when Mangere opened?

The aero club opened at Mangere in 1928. It became an international airport in 1964, first official flight 23 November 1965 and official opening 29 January 1966.

http://www.auckland-airport.co.nz/Community/history.php

I flew from Brisbane to Auckland in November 2002 on Qantas. Very unusual piece of equipment as this particular 747 was completely white on the outside with no markings. Perhaps QF was temporarily leasing the plane?

2 Jan 2003 --- torturous routing (my nephew suggested slapping my TA once I got home! :p but she's an awesome kiwi lady that has indulged several creative routings for me)... myself and 2 children (21 & 12) left Port Douglas, Qld at 3am on shuttle for Cairns:
* Cairns - Brisbane (4 hour wait ~ enough to get GST refund sorted)
* Brisbane - Aukland (all passengers off for a crew change and 'security sweep' ~ the view coming into AKL was inspiring to my until-then-indifferent son)
* Aukland-Los Angeles (all 3 of us suffering sunburn, plane chockablock full)
* Los Angeles - Calgary (4 hour wait, but meeting up with friends on their way back to Ireland @ LAX helped pass the time)

2 Jan in Queensland ~ +35C
2 Jan in Alberta ~ -21C :eek:

My second - August 2005, was in the early morning darkness :(

IIRC, there was a 'first ever flight on Air New Zealand' thread here not too long ago, and my answer is the same for AKL specifically.

I can remember nothing of the airport, but the flight was something else. TE901, 21 November 1979, a DC10, route was AKL-AKL.

I can't actually remember it, but my first time was in 1977, aged 4, when my family moved to NZ. We flew LHR-HKG-BNE-AKL-NPE - my only memory of the entire trip was from our stopover in Hong Kong (all the coloured lights and neon - the likes of which I'd never seen; the massive floating restaurants at Aberdeen - the likes of which I'd never seen; and staying with our friends in a high rise apartment block, which - can you guess? - the likes of which I'd never seen. I disgraced myself by dropping my heavy old fashioned yo-yo from the 35th floor apartment onto the street below, narrowly missing a few of the startled passers by, because I was convinced that it would bounce right back up to me :) Needless to say, it shattered - as was I :() Anyway, I have absolutely no memory of AKL from that trip.

First flight into AKL that I do remember was a school trip CHC-AKL-CHC in I think 1990 (though it could have been 1989), flying AirNZ but on a 737 that still wore Britannia airways livery. First international flight out of AKL was June 1996 on a UA 747-400 bound for LAX, from the then-newly refurbished international terminal which I was very impressed by at the time! :)

December 1965 on an NAC Viscount, CHC-AKL-CHC. First flight ever and was nervous as a kitten. Thankfully, I now love flying and racking up all those FF miles!

1977, Qantas 707 from BNE to AKL. I was five and I remember we arrived late at night - it was cold and wet.
More memorable as the Air NZ DC10 back from CHC to BNE - we too had the airphone headsets and they were heaps of fun for a 5 year old!

July 8, 2003, on a Qantas 747 from LAX.

New Zealand was my first stop on my RTW trip, and the plane got in so early (but on time..it was just early in the morning) that I decided to just stay in the airport for a few hours and watch the sun rise and take in some New Zealand television...after all, I couldn't check in to my hostel until at least 9:00 am or so, so I figured I might as well stay at the airport and enjoy people-watching for a while. It was a grand time...

The aero club opened at Mangere in 1928. It became an international airport in 1964, first official flight 23 November 1965 and official opening 29 January 1966.

http://www.auckland-airport.co.nz/Community/history.php

Thanks Kiwi Flyer, then it must have been 1966 I made my flight from Masterton to AKL.(Mangere)

December 1979 from AKL to HNL/LAX on the DC-10

First time on October, 25, 2004 arriving from KUL on MH131 Boeing 747 in Economy.

Couple of times since.

Next time will be for my honeymoon on February, 11, 2008 arriving from LHR (-HKG) on NZ38 Boeing 747 in Business. :D

(unless business calls me to NZ earlier, which I wouldn't mind...)

Sep 1978 WLG - AKL NAC 737
Feb 1980 AKL - NOU UTA DC10
Oct 1980 AKL - LAX TE DC10 (First International NZ flight from AKL)

Still have tickets and boarding passes somewhere!!

It was the 11th June 2004. I was flying from BKK via SYD to AKL with TG and had a connecting flight to PPT with NZ.

My First arrival into AKL was on board a SQ flight from SIN on 28 august 2004. flew to WLG the same day.

Liked the trek from the international to the domestic terminal.

First time was on my way to Sydney for the millennium celebrations. Since then I fly to or thru' AKL every other year or so. They had some MAJOR redesign in 2005 I think - I was there in September that year and it was all under construction. Then when I was there a couple of months ago it was all done and looks very good.