Sydney - Auckand in Air New Zealand in J then to WLG
Jun 8, 2004, 4:50 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: Stanmore, Sydney, Australia.
Programs: NZ Airpoints GE
Posts: 1,360
Sydney - Auckand in Air New Zealand in J then to WLG
Sydney - Auckland
767 - 300 ZK NCJ
NZ102
Thursday 3 June 2004
Business Class Seat1K
Depart: 9.30am
Arrive: 2.50pm
I was off to NZ again for a week then it was onto Los Angles to visit family. I used my complimentary Business Class upgrade to fly to Auckland. I was actually flying to Wellington and would have preferred flying direct but the ticket would only allow me a stopover in AKL which meant I had to purchase a separate AKL WLG AKL ticket. Naughty MrSydney bought a smart saver fare which aren’t meant to be used in conjunction with international tickets, but that was a gamble I was prepared to make.
Since I live near a railway station I decided to take the train to Sydney Airport. It was a very quick trip indeed. The train is a great way to go but my one criticism is having to board a packed commuter train with luggage. Though in my case I was travelling so early that crowds weren't an issue. I took the 6.02am train to Central from Stanmore, swapped platforms then got another train to the International Airport. I was there just after 6.30 - a cab is not that much faster and is twice as expensive!
Airpoints had previously informed me that my upgrade would be confirmed 48 hours prior to departure. However, when I rang Airpoints ''Caroline' who I spoke to was hopelessly confused but very nice about it. She couldn't find my comp upgrade on the system then when she did, advised me I would have to obtain the upgrade at check-in. I was confused and had the previous e-mail from Airpoints stating it would be confirmed 48s hours before hand. I wasn't really going to argue the point as she told me there were plenty of seats in Business Class. I later contacted the erstwhile Air_NZ_Boy who enlightened me. For some reason Air New Zealand had closed off 'Ú' availability despite there being plenty of J seats being available. He wasn't sure why but suggested it was just a trans Tasman thing or in case the aircraft had to be switched to a A320 which has only 8 J seats as opposed to the 763 which has 24.
The Check In agent at SYD was extremely friendly and allocated me seat 4K. Once that was out the way, rather than hanging around the terminal, I proceeded thru immigration and security, bought some duty free then headed up the escalator to the Air New Zealand lounge. Warmly greeted by the Lounge Attendant I found a seat by the window, then headed over to the self service food & beverage area and made myself some toast to keep those hunger pangs at bay. I won't bother describing the Lounge as numerous other Trip Reports by a host of authors have detailed the joys of this lounge. Alas, today was particularly wet and overcast so it wasn't a great day for neither spotting nor photography. There was the usual collection of early morning aircraft: Emirates, Thai, Australian Airlines, United, Korean,etc.
While having me second cup of coffee I suddenly remembered I should have asked for the seat next to me to be blocked off. Not that I am anti-social but I really do prefer sitting by myself. I headed to the front desk and the congenial attendant tapped away with no joy and said she would get back to me. An hour later she returned truimphment - she had finally got another agent to block off the seat next to me.
Finally at 9.15 a boarding announcement was made and I my way to Gate 58, which is only a brief 5 min, walk from the lounge. They were boarding the final group of passengers and announcements were constantly being made urging all remaining passengers to go immediately to the gate. The agent slipped my Boarding Pass thru the machine, which it rejected. I had been reassigned seat 1K.
Made my way down the air bridge to the 763 and was greeted by a warmly by an FA. Since l was in Seat 1K it did not involve much of a walk. Another joy of flying Business Class.
Doors were at last closed at 9.45 and we were off. We had a long taxi to the third runway, which seemed to take forever. Finally we took off! Disappointingly, immediately after take off we made a sudden turn to the left and flew over the eastern suburbs and the sublime views of the oil refineries and container terminal of Port Botany. Once the seat bells sign was turned off, the announcements about the service began ie: IFE, food, arrival info, blah,blah which seemed to be interminable.
After 10 mins in the air an FA came through distributing the Business Class Breakfast menus. Good to see these have been retained. Breakfast looked promising even if it was just after 10am.
Breakfast
Beverages
Start your day with an energising breakfast drink, your choice of juice,
Freshly brewed or decaffeinated coffee, tea, herbal tea or hot chocolate.
Bakery Selection
Croissants, muffins, white and
Wholemeal toast, with fruit conserve.
Breakfast Options
Continental Selection
with fruit, assorted cereals and yoghurts.
Poached egg florentin
Poached egg on spinnach, topped with
hollandaise sauce, accompanied by mushrooms, bacon and
baked potatoes.
Cinnamon French Toast
with grilled bacon rashers, fried banana and maple syrup.
The Breakfast service commenced with the FA placing a damask Teal table cloth on my tray followed by a pre-prepared tray complete with red napkin which included forks, yukky plastic knives and spoons. The first course was a fruit platter, which was tasty enough but could have done with a few more pieces of fruit.
That was then followed by a selection from the Bakery. I chose Toast, which I covered in butter and jam and in the process covered my fingers with gooey jam. The toast was not piping hot the way I like it but didn't bother asking the FA to reheat it. I am not sure how they cook toast on board but I'm dam sure they don't have a toaster!
For the main I chose the Poached egg florentine and I certainly made the correct choice. The egg was cooked to perfection with the sausage and potatoes were just as tasty - and the proportions were just right. This had to be one of the nicest airline breakfasts I have ever had - and I have had quite a few in my flying 'career'. I asked the FA to compliment the FA doing the food preparation, which I subsequently overheard him doing.
Mad_Atta would have been proud that I skipped coffee/tea and decided to enjoy a Marlborough Sav Blanc. Thank goodness I was sitting in Row 1 so no one could see me having a wee tipple or two - not that that ever bothered me before.
This service on this flight was of the usual Air New Zealand standard: impeccable. Business Class was crewed by a mature male FA, a young Japanese lass with food preparation done by a mature Maori women named Heather who was just marvellous!
My only criticism of this flight and something Air New Zealand is about to remedy, is the IFE. The PTVs are terrible in that it's difficult getting it into a watch able angle. The movie selection was atrocious which didn't bother me given the flights duration. Remember, I flew SQ in Raffles last year and the selection was equally dismal so there you go!
After the Breakfast service was completed and I abandoned the IFE, I just read. FA Heather was constantly popping her head around the corner to check my drink was fully replenished. When she gave me the second top up I laughed and said It’s a bit embarrassing but I am the only person drinking!' She laughed as well and replied 'Don't worry, that's what it’s there for'
After awhile boredom set in so I decided and chatted to the crew since who, since the flight was only half full ( 113 in Y and 16 in J) weren't particularly busy. Ended up having a nice chat with the FA's. They were saying what wonders the current CEO, Ralph Norris had done for the company. As one of the FA's said 'He has energised the company to such a degree and changed the way NZers travel'. Collectively, they were were quite defamatory towards previous CEOs and mentioned one nameless CEO who literally drank the plane dry every time he flew. Another mentioned that one CEO in particular, Selwyn Cushing, who was a pompous arse who couldn't care less about the staff or customers and who left with a sqillion dollar payout while the airline was bleeding dry. It was unusual for a crew to be so vocal but this was a crew that had been flying for a long time and had 'seen it all'. Some of you might think this unprofessional but as they were criticing previous managements I thought this acceptable. I did laugh when one FA desribed the CEO at the rime of the Erebus Disaster, Morrie Davis, as 'that horrible little toad'. We moved on from that subject and they mentioned how great it will be to fly to SFO as an alternative to LAX and, of course the fleet replacement. Heather told me she had been flying for 24 years and first started on the DC8s and that her favourite aircraft was the much-maligned DC10s
Time was marching on and I decided to return to my seat and let the crew get back to their duties. As we began our descent, the Purser Dave (pommy bloke) came around and asked each passenger if they had enjoyed their flight. When Dave got to my seat I asked him how he felt about the announcement yesterday of the new fleet replacement. Dave replied it was the best news staff had received in some years.' We have come a long way since the dark days of 2001' . He then smiled and said ' The next few years are going to be very exciting times for Air New Zealand'. Good one!!!!!
We made our descent into a cloudy Auckland and arrived at Gate 5, 5 minutes before schedule.
Utilising the Express Immigration lines, I collected my luggage and was outside the main doors 15 mins later. I have read previous trip reports on Flyertalk complaining about arrivals but I have never had a problem. Maybe I have just been lucky!
Conclusion
Check-in: 9
Lounge: 10
Catering: 9
Service: 10
IFE: 3
Arrival: 8
767 - 300 ZK NCJ
NZ102
Thursday 3 June 2004
Business Class Seat1K
Depart: 9.30am
Arrive: 2.50pm
I was off to NZ again for a week then it was onto Los Angles to visit family. I used my complimentary Business Class upgrade to fly to Auckland. I was actually flying to Wellington and would have preferred flying direct but the ticket would only allow me a stopover in AKL which meant I had to purchase a separate AKL WLG AKL ticket. Naughty MrSydney bought a smart saver fare which aren’t meant to be used in conjunction with international tickets, but that was a gamble I was prepared to make.
Since I live near a railway station I decided to take the train to Sydney Airport. It was a very quick trip indeed. The train is a great way to go but my one criticism is having to board a packed commuter train with luggage. Though in my case I was travelling so early that crowds weren't an issue. I took the 6.02am train to Central from Stanmore, swapped platforms then got another train to the International Airport. I was there just after 6.30 - a cab is not that much faster and is twice as expensive!
Airpoints had previously informed me that my upgrade would be confirmed 48 hours prior to departure. However, when I rang Airpoints ''Caroline' who I spoke to was hopelessly confused but very nice about it. She couldn't find my comp upgrade on the system then when she did, advised me I would have to obtain the upgrade at check-in. I was confused and had the previous e-mail from Airpoints stating it would be confirmed 48s hours before hand. I wasn't really going to argue the point as she told me there were plenty of seats in Business Class. I later contacted the erstwhile Air_NZ_Boy who enlightened me. For some reason Air New Zealand had closed off 'Ú' availability despite there being plenty of J seats being available. He wasn't sure why but suggested it was just a trans Tasman thing or in case the aircraft had to be switched to a A320 which has only 8 J seats as opposed to the 763 which has 24.
The Check In agent at SYD was extremely friendly and allocated me seat 4K. Once that was out the way, rather than hanging around the terminal, I proceeded thru immigration and security, bought some duty free then headed up the escalator to the Air New Zealand lounge. Warmly greeted by the Lounge Attendant I found a seat by the window, then headed over to the self service food & beverage area and made myself some toast to keep those hunger pangs at bay. I won't bother describing the Lounge as numerous other Trip Reports by a host of authors have detailed the joys of this lounge. Alas, today was particularly wet and overcast so it wasn't a great day for neither spotting nor photography. There was the usual collection of early morning aircraft: Emirates, Thai, Australian Airlines, United, Korean,etc.
While having me second cup of coffee I suddenly remembered I should have asked for the seat next to me to be blocked off. Not that I am anti-social but I really do prefer sitting by myself. I headed to the front desk and the congenial attendant tapped away with no joy and said she would get back to me. An hour later she returned truimphment - she had finally got another agent to block off the seat next to me.
Finally at 9.15 a boarding announcement was made and I my way to Gate 58, which is only a brief 5 min, walk from the lounge. They were boarding the final group of passengers and announcements were constantly being made urging all remaining passengers to go immediately to the gate. The agent slipped my Boarding Pass thru the machine, which it rejected. I had been reassigned seat 1K.
Made my way down the air bridge to the 763 and was greeted by a warmly by an FA. Since l was in Seat 1K it did not involve much of a walk. Another joy of flying Business Class.
Doors were at last closed at 9.45 and we were off. We had a long taxi to the third runway, which seemed to take forever. Finally we took off! Disappointingly, immediately after take off we made a sudden turn to the left and flew over the eastern suburbs and the sublime views of the oil refineries and container terminal of Port Botany. Once the seat bells sign was turned off, the announcements about the service began ie: IFE, food, arrival info, blah,blah which seemed to be interminable.
After 10 mins in the air an FA came through distributing the Business Class Breakfast menus. Good to see these have been retained. Breakfast looked promising even if it was just after 10am.
Breakfast
Beverages
Start your day with an energising breakfast drink, your choice of juice,
Freshly brewed or decaffeinated coffee, tea, herbal tea or hot chocolate.
Bakery Selection
Croissants, muffins, white and
Wholemeal toast, with fruit conserve.
Breakfast Options
Continental Selection
with fruit, assorted cereals and yoghurts.
Poached egg florentin
Poached egg on spinnach, topped with
hollandaise sauce, accompanied by mushrooms, bacon and
baked potatoes.
Cinnamon French Toast
with grilled bacon rashers, fried banana and maple syrup.
The Breakfast service commenced with the FA placing a damask Teal table cloth on my tray followed by a pre-prepared tray complete with red napkin which included forks, yukky plastic knives and spoons. The first course was a fruit platter, which was tasty enough but could have done with a few more pieces of fruit.
That was then followed by a selection from the Bakery. I chose Toast, which I covered in butter and jam and in the process covered my fingers with gooey jam. The toast was not piping hot the way I like it but didn't bother asking the FA to reheat it. I am not sure how they cook toast on board but I'm dam sure they don't have a toaster!
For the main I chose the Poached egg florentine and I certainly made the correct choice. The egg was cooked to perfection with the sausage and potatoes were just as tasty - and the proportions were just right. This had to be one of the nicest airline breakfasts I have ever had - and I have had quite a few in my flying 'career'. I asked the FA to compliment the FA doing the food preparation, which I subsequently overheard him doing.
Mad_Atta would have been proud that I skipped coffee/tea and decided to enjoy a Marlborough Sav Blanc. Thank goodness I was sitting in Row 1 so no one could see me having a wee tipple or two - not that that ever bothered me before.
This service on this flight was of the usual Air New Zealand standard: impeccable. Business Class was crewed by a mature male FA, a young Japanese lass with food preparation done by a mature Maori women named Heather who was just marvellous!
My only criticism of this flight and something Air New Zealand is about to remedy, is the IFE. The PTVs are terrible in that it's difficult getting it into a watch able angle. The movie selection was atrocious which didn't bother me given the flights duration. Remember, I flew SQ in Raffles last year and the selection was equally dismal so there you go!
After the Breakfast service was completed and I abandoned the IFE, I just read. FA Heather was constantly popping her head around the corner to check my drink was fully replenished. When she gave me the second top up I laughed and said It’s a bit embarrassing but I am the only person drinking!' She laughed as well and replied 'Don't worry, that's what it’s there for'
After awhile boredom set in so I decided and chatted to the crew since who, since the flight was only half full ( 113 in Y and 16 in J) weren't particularly busy. Ended up having a nice chat with the FA's. They were saying what wonders the current CEO, Ralph Norris had done for the company. As one of the FA's said 'He has energised the company to such a degree and changed the way NZers travel'. Collectively, they were were quite defamatory towards previous CEOs and mentioned one nameless CEO who literally drank the plane dry every time he flew. Another mentioned that one CEO in particular, Selwyn Cushing, who was a pompous arse who couldn't care less about the staff or customers and who left with a sqillion dollar payout while the airline was bleeding dry. It was unusual for a crew to be so vocal but this was a crew that had been flying for a long time and had 'seen it all'. Some of you might think this unprofessional but as they were criticing previous managements I thought this acceptable. I did laugh when one FA desribed the CEO at the rime of the Erebus Disaster, Morrie Davis, as 'that horrible little toad'. We moved on from that subject and they mentioned how great it will be to fly to SFO as an alternative to LAX and, of course the fleet replacement. Heather told me she had been flying for 24 years and first started on the DC8s and that her favourite aircraft was the much-maligned DC10s
Time was marching on and I decided to return to my seat and let the crew get back to their duties. As we began our descent, the Purser Dave (pommy bloke) came around and asked each passenger if they had enjoyed their flight. When Dave got to my seat I asked him how he felt about the announcement yesterday of the new fleet replacement. Dave replied it was the best news staff had received in some years.' We have come a long way since the dark days of 2001' . He then smiled and said ' The next few years are going to be very exciting times for Air New Zealand'. Good one!!!!!
We made our descent into a cloudy Auckland and arrived at Gate 5, 5 minutes before schedule.
Utilising the Express Immigration lines, I collected my luggage and was outside the main doors 15 mins later. I have read previous trip reports on Flyertalk complaining about arrivals but I have never had a problem. Maybe I have just been lucky!
Conclusion
Check-in: 9
Lounge: 10
Catering: 9
Service: 10
IFE: 3
Arrival: 8
Jun 8, 2004, 4:51 pm
#2
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: Stanmore, Sydney, Australia.
Programs: NZ Airpoints GE
Posts: 1,360
B]Auckland - Wellington
737 - 300 ZK NGH
NZ449
Thursday 3 June 2004
Express Class Seat 1A
Depart: 4.30pm
Arrive: 5.30pm.[/B]
Caught the shuttle across to Air New Zealand’s ramshackle domestic terminal - now that Air New Zealand have some brass perhaps a new terminal might be in order. Boarding commenced at 4.10 through Gate 32. The flight was delayed by some confusion with staff travelling non-rev and some last moment paying customers turning up. The flight departed 10 mins late, which was nerve wracking, as I had to catch the 6.18 train to Masterton from Wellington Railway Station. If I missed it I was stuffed cos it was the last train of the day. Typical New Zealand rail service. Still the AKL WLG sector usually takes about 45 mins so I was praying.... well, maybe not praying but...
Seated myself in 1A and a very chatty fellow sits next to me in 1B. He was witty, affable entertaining and certainly outspoken. In the space of less than 50 mins he outlined, amongst other things, his views on: Solo Mothers on benefits ('a wasted space - and the scourge of the nation’; public housing (' demolish the lot and sell the land privately'); the welfare state (make them all get a job'), food in economy class in Air New Zealand ('great airline but the food is uneatable'). Apparently this fellow was off to Wellington to attend some meeting for two hours then it was back to Auckland that evening. I then proceeded to extol the virtues of Wellington - though I must admit I would never live there again - and that it was certainly the better of the two cities. I told him I was no great fan of Auckland and he responded by saying that Auckland was the second biggest city in the world to LA in terms of land area. Quite frankly, comparing anything to LA is not necessarily a compliment
As the plane was descending into Wellington around the southern bays I asked him what he did for a job. He replied Mayor of Auckland, John Banks'. I replied 'Oooooh really'. Still he was pleasant enough and I figured that people have said worse to him in the past...much worse!
When we arrived at the gate, he wished me a good holiday and scrammed off with two officials who met him at the gate. I subsequently found out he was attending a political dinner where he lambasted Wellington, saying he had 'no interest in little port towns like this one' and that Auckland was the engine room of New Zealand' which is rather like saying that the rest of NZ is of little consequence in the wider scheme of things.
As it was my luggage was pretty much first of the plane, made a mad dash to the taxi rank - $32 to Wellington Railway Station I have you please. Ended up arriving with about 8 mins to spare and would you know it, the train was running 10 mins late anyway.
MrSydney is flying to LAX this Friday on Air New Zealand in - gasp/horror - Y. So watch this space to see how he copes with traveling at the back.
737 - 300 ZK NGH
NZ449
Thursday 3 June 2004
Express Class Seat 1A
Depart: 4.30pm
Arrive: 5.30pm.[/B]
Caught the shuttle across to Air New Zealand’s ramshackle domestic terminal - now that Air New Zealand have some brass perhaps a new terminal might be in order. Boarding commenced at 4.10 through Gate 32. The flight was delayed by some confusion with staff travelling non-rev and some last moment paying customers turning up. The flight departed 10 mins late, which was nerve wracking, as I had to catch the 6.18 train to Masterton from Wellington Railway Station. If I missed it I was stuffed cos it was the last train of the day. Typical New Zealand rail service. Still the AKL WLG sector usually takes about 45 mins so I was praying.... well, maybe not praying but...
Seated myself in 1A and a very chatty fellow sits next to me in 1B. He was witty, affable entertaining and certainly outspoken. In the space of less than 50 mins he outlined, amongst other things, his views on: Solo Mothers on benefits ('a wasted space - and the scourge of the nation’; public housing (' demolish the lot and sell the land privately'); the welfare state (make them all get a job'), food in economy class in Air New Zealand ('great airline but the food is uneatable'). Apparently this fellow was off to Wellington to attend some meeting for two hours then it was back to Auckland that evening. I then proceeded to extol the virtues of Wellington - though I must admit I would never live there again - and that it was certainly the better of the two cities. I told him I was no great fan of Auckland and he responded by saying that Auckland was the second biggest city in the world to LA in terms of land area. Quite frankly, comparing anything to LA is not necessarily a compliment
As the plane was descending into Wellington around the southern bays I asked him what he did for a job. He replied Mayor of Auckland, John Banks'. I replied 'Oooooh really'. Still he was pleasant enough and I figured that people have said worse to him in the past...much worse!
When we arrived at the gate, he wished me a good holiday and scrammed off with two officials who met him at the gate. I subsequently found out he was attending a political dinner where he lambasted Wellington, saying he had 'no interest in little port towns like this one' and that Auckland was the engine room of New Zealand' which is rather like saying that the rest of NZ is of little consequence in the wider scheme of things.
As it was my luggage was pretty much first of the plane, made a mad dash to the taxi rank - $32 to Wellington Railway Station I have you please. Ended up arriving with about 8 mins to spare and would you know it, the train was running 10 mins late anyway.
MrSydney is flying to LAX this Friday on Air New Zealand in - gasp/horror - Y. So watch this space to see how he copes with traveling at the back.
Jun 8, 2004, 5:05 pm
#3
Moderator, Hilton Honors
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: on a short leash
Programs: some
Posts: 71,422
Thanks for the great report ^^^
Dont worry about the early drinks - the FAs are well used to it
FYI - in biz on the airbus you get a discman and selection of about 20 movies.
Your taxi fare in Wellington sounds high - did they take the scenic route, or did you go in style in a limo?
Dont worry about the early drinks - the FAs are well used to it
FYI - in biz on the airbus you get a discman and selection of about 20 movies.
Your taxi fare in Wellington sounds high - did they take the scenic route, or did you go in style in a limo?
Jun 8, 2004, 7:47 pm
#4
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Oz, Wales, Fiji. AirNZ Gold Elite, Virgin Australia Platinum, Qantas Gold, Hyatt and IHG Platinum.
Posts: 541
Great report, and I agree there's certainly nothing wrong with enjoying an earlyish glass of Sauv Blanc (or two 
) on the way to NZ. Also great to hear that Ralph Norris is popular with the crew, he definately has done some fantastic things for NZ and with the 777 and 7e7 orders and the new inflight products coming up, the best is probably still to come. Enjoy the LAX flight as well 
Cheers, Zac
edited to add:
I once asked one of the FAs about the toast, apparently it's pre-toasted by the caterers and then warmed up carefully in the ovens, but that it's one of the hardest onboard food items to get right
) on the way to NZ. Also great to hear that Ralph Norris is popular with the crew, he definately has done some fantastic things for NZ and with the 777 and 7e7 orders and the new inflight products coming up, the best is probably still to come. Enjoy the LAX flight as well Cheers, Zac
edited to add:
I once asked one of the FAs about the toast, apparently it's pre-toasted by the caterers and then warmed up carefully in the ovens, but that it's one of the hardest onboard food items to get right
Last edited by Zaco; Jun 8, 2004 at 7:52 pm
Jun 8, 2004, 10:28 pm
#5
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: SYD
Programs: Too many golds, no plat: OZ*G, AC*G, NZ*G, VA Gold, QF Gold, HH Gold, Bonvoy Gold
Posts: 5,350
Originally Posted by MrSydney
Mad_Atta would have been proud that I skipped coffee/tea and decided to enjoy a Marlborough Sav Blanc.
Originally Posted by MrSydney
Thank goodness I was sitting in Row 1 so no one could see me having a wee tipple or two - not that that ever bothered me before.
Anyway, a great report as usual. Glad to hear the service was up to scratch. I'm surprised that you were served breakfast on that flight - I thought 9.30 departures onwards got lunch? Breakfast is my least favourite meal on an aircraft, but it sounds like they managed to get it right anyway. I was interested to see that they don't offer the personal DVD players in J on the 767s - they really are a huge leap forward. You can think of me in Y on SYD-WLG this evening with only one movie choice to look forward to! Then again, a few glasses of Lindauer special reserve in the lounge and I can find anything fairly entertaining.
As for sitting next to Banksy on the domestic sector - what an irritating redneck he is. How very satisfying that you didn't recognise him - that can't have done his ego any good at all! BTW, did you find the legroom limited in row 1 - I always find bulkhead seats a bit of a problem as I can find any room for my toes. And did you check out the new lounge at AKL? The beauty of upgrading trans-Tasman then connecting to domestic in these post-domestic-business-class days (assuming you don't have lounge access anyway) is that you can present your business class boarding pass and say you're connecting from an international J-class flight and they will let you in! Cheeky but effective.
Have fun on that long haul to LA!
Edited to add: How on earth did you get charged $32 for a taxi from the airport to the railway station? I know Wellington taxi charges went up recently, but that is daylight robbery. It should be under $20 for that distance. You was robbed, girlfriend!!!
Last edited by mad_atta; Jun 8, 2004 at 10:31 pm Reason: Too much wine at lunchtime
Jun 10, 2004, 8:29 am
#6
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: SE1, London
Posts: 23,444
Originally Posted by MrSydney
[B], the Purser Dave (pommy bloke) came around and asked each passenger if they had enjoyed their flight.
) on my flights from AKL to APW and from NAN back to AKL 2 weeks later. Small world.I would echo your comments about NZ cabin crew. I thought they were simply superb - friendly, very hard working, efficient and very keen to make every passenger happy. The only thing that would put me off flying NZ again is that horrible rock hard J class seat.
Great report too!
Jun 15, 2004, 12:03 am
#7
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: Stanmore, Sydney, Australia.
Programs: NZ Airpoints GE
Posts: 1,360
Mad_Atta,
I can never work out whether they wil be serving breakfast or lunch on those approx 9.30am flights ex SYD. Interesting but that flight was double catered ex AKL.
Despite my male model looks ^ ^ I always get fleeced by those taxi drivers from WLG to the Railway Station and worse still ,we never go the scenic route either!!! Girlfriend, I was robbed - do you think cabbie could smell the liquor on my breath after my Chardie(s) in the Koru Lounge?
BTW How was Blenheim . As glam as ever?
I can never work out whether they wil be serving breakfast or lunch on those approx 9.30am flights ex SYD. Interesting but that flight was double catered ex AKL.
Despite my male model looks ^ ^ I always get fleeced by those taxi drivers from WLG to the Railway Station and worse still ,we never go the scenic route either!!! Girlfriend, I was robbed - do you think cabbie could smell the liquor on my breath after my Chardie(s) in the Koru Lounge?
BTW How was Blenheim . As glam as ever?
Last edited by MrSydney; Jun 15, 2004 at 12:08 am
Jul 1, 2004, 3:05 am
#10
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: ADL, AKL & SIN
Programs: QF WP/LTG
Posts: 854
Thanks Mr Sydney for your interesting trip report.
I recently flew SIN-AKL-SIN on Air NZ C class. I also got Heather as a lead FA in the C cabin on the SIN-AKL flight. She was simply wonderful! Had a really warm personality and made small-talk to all the pax in the C cabin. Even went to the extent of folding away the blankets and stashing away the pillows on the C cabin prior to serving breakfast. Our SIN-AKL flight was first diverted to WLG due to fog at AKL. Flew back up to AKL with the same set of pilots and crew. Was expecting nothing or perhaps only the domestic express class offering but Heather somehow managed to organise a proper morning tea service for the C cabin on the short 45 mins WLG-AKL flight back up with full C class flatware and silverware.
Catering on Air NZ was fantastic! Especially ex-AKL. In C class, we had a full lunch, afternoon tea, and then a full dinner prior to landing at SIN. There was so much food to go around that the FAs were begging us to take 2nd helpings of the Kapiti ice-cream, the cakes and sandwiches at tea, and dessert at dinner. A spicy lobster soup was served as an appetiser course for lunch with chunks of lobster meat in it. This is in contrast with a C class experience on SQ on the same AKL-SIN route where only a light meal and dinner was served and I was still hungry after landing at SIN. I am also pleased to report that Air NZ has gay-friendly inflight entertainment where an episode from "Will and Grace" and "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" each were featured in the C class PTV system as well as on the Y class main screen. ^
I recently flew SIN-AKL-SIN on Air NZ C class. I also got Heather as a lead FA in the C cabin on the SIN-AKL flight. She was simply wonderful! Had a really warm personality and made small-talk to all the pax in the C cabin. Even went to the extent of folding away the blankets and stashing away the pillows on the C cabin prior to serving breakfast. Our SIN-AKL flight was first diverted to WLG due to fog at AKL. Flew back up to AKL with the same set of pilots and crew. Was expecting nothing or perhaps only the domestic express class offering but Heather somehow managed to organise a proper morning tea service for the C cabin on the short 45 mins WLG-AKL flight back up with full C class flatware and silverware.
Catering on Air NZ was fantastic! Especially ex-AKL. In C class, we had a full lunch, afternoon tea, and then a full dinner prior to landing at SIN. There was so much food to go around that the FAs were begging us to take 2nd helpings of the Kapiti ice-cream, the cakes and sandwiches at tea, and dessert at dinner. A spicy lobster soup was served as an appetiser course for lunch with chunks of lobster meat in it. This is in contrast with a C class experience on SQ on the same AKL-SIN route where only a light meal and dinner was served and I was still hungry after landing at SIN. I am also pleased to report that Air NZ has gay-friendly inflight entertainment where an episode from "Will and Grace" and "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" each were featured in the C class PTV system as well as on the Y class main screen. ^
Jul 1, 2004, 7:12 pm
#11
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: SYD
Programs: Too many golds, no plat: OZ*G, AC*G, NZ*G, VA Gold, QF Gold, HH Gold, Bonvoy Gold
Posts: 5,350
Thanks for the update, igel - good to hear your flights back were great too. I'll keep my eyes peeled for heather next time I find myself upfront on NZ.
What sort of a question is that? Blenheim is :-: glamour central :-: - relative to Masterton, anyway! :-P
Originally Posted by MrSydney
BTW How was Blenheim . As glam as ever?
Jul 1, 2004, 8:05 pm
#12
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: Stanmore, Sydney, Australia.
Programs: NZ Airpoints GE
Posts: 1,360
Originally Posted by mad_atta
What sort of a question is that? Blenheim is :-: glamour central :-: - relative to Masterton, anyway! :-P
. At least Blenheim has an airport whereas all Masterton has is a miserable grass aerodrome!!!!