Air New Zealand SYD-AKL-SYD Y
Dec 5, 2013, 4:03 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Sydney, Australia and Stockholm, Sweden
Programs: VA Platinum, SQ Gold, TK Gold, Hhonors Gold, Accor Plus Platinum, Bonvoy Gold, Radisson Premium
Posts: 1,022
Air New Zealand SYD-AKL-SYD Y
You can find some of my previous trip reports here:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...-paradise.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...-long-way.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...evitation.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...less-bird.html
This time though I'm up the back of the plane on my first trip to the shaky isles, the land of the long white cloud, Aotearoa, New Zealand. There's no photos I'm afraid.
NZ 704 SYD - AKL A320 - ZK-OJH
Normally I fly business class, but this time it's a fairly short hop at 3 hours so I get to schlep my hand luggage further towards the steering gear than I'm used to. But it does mean for the first time I actually get some benefit from my Star Alliance Gold membership. Priority check in, express customs card and lounge access.
I found a great deal to park at the Sydney International terminal for a week for about $150. That's cheaper than a taxi both ways for me so I grabbed it and enjoyed the convenience of a very short walk from the car park to International check in.
The airport was very busy for this late morning departure and every check-in had long queues except for Air New Zealand! You could walk straight up to the kiosks and there were two assistants there to help. Alternative, as a priority member you could go to a manual check in if you wished.
A quick scan of my passport and I asked one of the assistants for an express card and away I went in less than 2 minutes. I didn't have any luggage, but if I did the kiosk would print out that label (complete with priority label) which was attached to the bag before presenting it at the luggage drop off.
I was on a seat only fare (so no meal for me) but when booking online I sprang for the extra leg room of an exit row (a bargain at $20) as I'm 6'4". I had a spare green immigration form from a few days earlier so that was already filled in ready to go.
The express path card was worth more than its weight in gold with long queues at immigration and security for those not in the express lanes.
I had time to visit the Air New Zealand Koru lounge which is excellent. I had time for a hot breakfast, not a wide choice, but certainly sufficient consisting of sausages, scrambled eggs, baked beans and toast. This was cleared away promptly by 10 and replaced with a wide selection of cakes, biscuits and savoury snacks. So if you feel like breakfast get there by 0950.
There was also a selection of cold offerings, juices and the bar was open. So a glass or two of the New Zealand sparkling white helped to settle travel nerves. Well that's my story and I'm sticking to it.
When a UA flight to Melbourne was called the lounge emptied somewhat, but it was never really full with plenty of available spots. The SQ lounge was still closed for renovations at this time so I presume there were more people than normal.
Announcements for flights were really quite loud and I felt for the handful of people trying to get some sleep in the chairs. In between announcements Christmas music was playing faintly on the PA - and it's still November! Spare me please.
Despite having used this lounge a number of times I found a quiet little bar around to the right and behind that has toilets (less heavily used than the main ones) and a cluster of shower rooms.
Boarding was 10 minutes late and started with those requiring assistance. Following them was priority customers through one lane and those seated in window seats (A & K) in the other lane. It's the first I've seen this but it makes sense.
Initial impressions were excellent. ZK-OJH is painted in Star Alliance livery. I received the most friendly and warm greetings from all the FAs, the seats where in a all black fabric and the seat back IFE was also black. Very smart indeed. The music was a good volume and rather cool - American Girl by Bonnie McKee.
My Exit Row (12A) had a little bit more room, but not much. I should have picked 1C from the online seat selection. The exit door doesn't intrude into the seat space as indicated by Seat Guru.
The flight was full so boarding and luggage seemed to take for ever then I heard the most negative part of my Air New Zealand flight experience. The "Host" over the PA began his welcome with "Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls....". Argh! I was so pleased when Virgin dumped that but it seems the flying Kiwi has picked it up. Mind you, the "Host" was called Beauregard so that was kind of cool.
Pushback was 17 mins late at 1147 and take off shortly after 12 then a series of right turns saw us track out over the Tasman with very limited views of Eastern Sydney.
Great IFE available gate to gate. TV shows and music were freely available. I believe you could pay $10 for movies (or its free with the Works fare), but there was no point. The flight information is very modern with lots of innovative ways of showing the flight data including a simulated instrument cluster and a simulated view from the cockpit.
Coffee, tea and water were free, works passengers got a meal, the rest of us could order a snack through the IFE system. The initial water pour wasn't the best system. It was poured from a jug containing lemon and ice but the lid dripped some water into my neighbours lap. Later servings were poured from a bottle and didn't have this problem.
The safety video was the Betty White one which I had seen on You Tube and it certainly got everyone's attention. Never before have I seen so many passengers actually watch the safety video. Even the non-stop talkers in front of me shut up for it.
Having stuffed myself in the lounge I had no need for more food so I proceeded the while away the time with my book and some offerings from the IFE. This is a good thing because this has to be one of the most boring flights straight out over the ocean for about 2'45" of the 2'50" flying time.
Good views of Auckland surrounds on approach and at gate at 1655 (20 mins late. Out on the street at 1715 (nothing to declare at customers) and caught the excellent public bus service in to town.
NZ105 - AKL - SYD - B767-300 (winglets) ZK-NCJ
Upon entering Auckland airport I noticed the check in desks are "numbered" the wrong way around A to D start from right to left. Like Sydney all other carriers had long queues but Air NZ had none. The kiosk worked as planned but when I asked for an express pass for Sydney the assistant said it was the first time he had been asked for one. I got the last pass he managed to dig out of a cupboard. Interesting.
From the dedicated premium check-in area there is a lift up to a dedicated immigration desk (and a nice sitting area if you need to fill out your immigration form) which then leads to a short cut into the security queue.
At security there was an Indian guy in traditional dress who must have been flying for the first time (I presume) as he didn't have anything ready for security. Do you want me to remove my mobile phone? Coins? Watch? etc. Sigh.
Anyway, pretty soon I'm inside the duty free shops and terminal and head to the lounge where I received a friendly welcome after scanning my BP.
There was plenty of room with lots of different seating configurations. The décor was a little dated but comfortable. Announcements were loud (like Sydney). WiFi had one short outage but apart from that worked fine.
There was a great chilli con carne available and the best salad bar I've seen in a while. Three servings meant I didn't need to order anything on the plane. After lunch the salads were replaced with snacks both savoury and sweet. There was a reasonable selection of booze include quite a few NZ and imported beers.
I went to the gate at the advertised boarding time 1515, but boarding didn't start until 1540. Why do they do this?
2-3-2 seating configuration and we were in the rear cabin and seated next to us was a family with young, noisy children and the lady in front reclined her seat immediately the fasten seat belts sign went off. She ate her meal like that and spent the entire flight leaning forward so she could better watch the IFE. Double sigh.
It was the same IFE as the A320 but seat fabric was blue. No inflight magazine in either direction. Doors closed at the advertised departure time and take off at 1617. There was a low layer of cloud so no views of Auckland unfortunately. During taxi I saw 2 Emirates A380s and a new China Southern B787 Dreamliner.
After a smooth flight we landed in Sydney from the South with the sun shining on Botany Bay. Landed at 1712 and at gate at 1721. We had our luggage and in the car at 1740 even including some duty free shopping time.
The ePassport thing is a great time saver and is now available to visitors from the UK and US provided you have the ePassport.
Putting fellow passengers to one side for a moment, this was a first class act by Air New Zealand. No queues at check-in, great lounges, good flights with friendly service by FAs. For the fare you couldn't ask for anything more - except maybe to ditch the "Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls" bit.
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...-paradise.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...-long-way.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...evitation.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...less-bird.html
This time though I'm up the back of the plane on my first trip to the shaky isles, the land of the long white cloud, Aotearoa, New Zealand. There's no photos I'm afraid.
NZ 704 SYD - AKL A320 - ZK-OJH
Normally I fly business class, but this time it's a fairly short hop at 3 hours so I get to schlep my hand luggage further towards the steering gear than I'm used to. But it does mean for the first time I actually get some benefit from my Star Alliance Gold membership. Priority check in, express customs card and lounge access.
I found a great deal to park at the Sydney International terminal for a week for about $150. That's cheaper than a taxi both ways for me so I grabbed it and enjoyed the convenience of a very short walk from the car park to International check in.
The airport was very busy for this late morning departure and every check-in had long queues except for Air New Zealand! You could walk straight up to the kiosks and there were two assistants there to help. Alternative, as a priority member you could go to a manual check in if you wished.
A quick scan of my passport and I asked one of the assistants for an express card and away I went in less than 2 minutes. I didn't have any luggage, but if I did the kiosk would print out that label (complete with priority label) which was attached to the bag before presenting it at the luggage drop off.
I was on a seat only fare (so no meal for me) but when booking online I sprang for the extra leg room of an exit row (a bargain at $20) as I'm 6'4". I had a spare green immigration form from a few days earlier so that was already filled in ready to go.
The express path card was worth more than its weight in gold with long queues at immigration and security for those not in the express lanes.
I had time to visit the Air New Zealand Koru lounge which is excellent. I had time for a hot breakfast, not a wide choice, but certainly sufficient consisting of sausages, scrambled eggs, baked beans and toast. This was cleared away promptly by 10 and replaced with a wide selection of cakes, biscuits and savoury snacks. So if you feel like breakfast get there by 0950.
There was also a selection of cold offerings, juices and the bar was open. So a glass or two of the New Zealand sparkling white helped to settle travel nerves. Well that's my story and I'm sticking to it.
When a UA flight to Melbourne was called the lounge emptied somewhat, but it was never really full with plenty of available spots. The SQ lounge was still closed for renovations at this time so I presume there were more people than normal.
Announcements for flights were really quite loud and I felt for the handful of people trying to get some sleep in the chairs. In between announcements Christmas music was playing faintly on the PA - and it's still November! Spare me please.
Despite having used this lounge a number of times I found a quiet little bar around to the right and behind that has toilets (less heavily used than the main ones) and a cluster of shower rooms.
Boarding was 10 minutes late and started with those requiring assistance. Following them was priority customers through one lane and those seated in window seats (A & K) in the other lane. It's the first I've seen this but it makes sense.
Initial impressions were excellent. ZK-OJH is painted in Star Alliance livery. I received the most friendly and warm greetings from all the FAs, the seats where in a all black fabric and the seat back IFE was also black. Very smart indeed. The music was a good volume and rather cool - American Girl by Bonnie McKee.
My Exit Row (12A) had a little bit more room, but not much. I should have picked 1C from the online seat selection. The exit door doesn't intrude into the seat space as indicated by Seat Guru.
The flight was full so boarding and luggage seemed to take for ever then I heard the most negative part of my Air New Zealand flight experience. The "Host" over the PA began his welcome with "Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls....". Argh! I was so pleased when Virgin dumped that but it seems the flying Kiwi has picked it up. Mind you, the "Host" was called Beauregard so that was kind of cool.
Pushback was 17 mins late at 1147 and take off shortly after 12 then a series of right turns saw us track out over the Tasman with very limited views of Eastern Sydney.
Great IFE available gate to gate. TV shows and music were freely available. I believe you could pay $10 for movies (or its free with the Works fare), but there was no point. The flight information is very modern with lots of innovative ways of showing the flight data including a simulated instrument cluster and a simulated view from the cockpit.
Coffee, tea and water were free, works passengers got a meal, the rest of us could order a snack through the IFE system. The initial water pour wasn't the best system. It was poured from a jug containing lemon and ice but the lid dripped some water into my neighbours lap. Later servings were poured from a bottle and didn't have this problem.
The safety video was the Betty White one which I had seen on You Tube and it certainly got everyone's attention. Never before have I seen so many passengers actually watch the safety video. Even the non-stop talkers in front of me shut up for it.
Having stuffed myself in the lounge I had no need for more food so I proceeded the while away the time with my book and some offerings from the IFE. This is a good thing because this has to be one of the most boring flights straight out over the ocean for about 2'45" of the 2'50" flying time.
Good views of Auckland surrounds on approach and at gate at 1655 (20 mins late. Out on the street at 1715 (nothing to declare at customers) and caught the excellent public bus service in to town.
NZ105 - AKL - SYD - B767-300 (winglets) ZK-NCJ
Upon entering Auckland airport I noticed the check in desks are "numbered" the wrong way around A to D start from right to left. Like Sydney all other carriers had long queues but Air NZ had none. The kiosk worked as planned but when I asked for an express pass for Sydney the assistant said it was the first time he had been asked for one. I got the last pass he managed to dig out of a cupboard. Interesting.
From the dedicated premium check-in area there is a lift up to a dedicated immigration desk (and a nice sitting area if you need to fill out your immigration form) which then leads to a short cut into the security queue.
At security there was an Indian guy in traditional dress who must have been flying for the first time (I presume) as he didn't have anything ready for security. Do you want me to remove my mobile phone? Coins? Watch? etc. Sigh.
Anyway, pretty soon I'm inside the duty free shops and terminal and head to the lounge where I received a friendly welcome after scanning my BP.
There was plenty of room with lots of different seating configurations. The décor was a little dated but comfortable. Announcements were loud (like Sydney). WiFi had one short outage but apart from that worked fine.
There was a great chilli con carne available and the best salad bar I've seen in a while. Three servings meant I didn't need to order anything on the plane. After lunch the salads were replaced with snacks both savoury and sweet. There was a reasonable selection of booze include quite a few NZ and imported beers.
I went to the gate at the advertised boarding time 1515, but boarding didn't start until 1540. Why do they do this?
2-3-2 seating configuration and we were in the rear cabin and seated next to us was a family with young, noisy children and the lady in front reclined her seat immediately the fasten seat belts sign went off. She ate her meal like that and spent the entire flight leaning forward so she could better watch the IFE. Double sigh.
It was the same IFE as the A320 but seat fabric was blue. No inflight magazine in either direction. Doors closed at the advertised departure time and take off at 1617. There was a low layer of cloud so no views of Auckland unfortunately. During taxi I saw 2 Emirates A380s and a new China Southern B787 Dreamliner.
After a smooth flight we landed in Sydney from the South with the sun shining on Botany Bay. Landed at 1712 and at gate at 1721. We had our luggage and in the car at 1740 even including some duty free shopping time.
The ePassport thing is a great time saver and is now available to visitors from the UK and US provided you have the ePassport.
Putting fellow passengers to one side for a moment, this was a first class act by Air New Zealand. No queues at check-in, great lounges, good flights with friendly service by FAs. For the fare you couldn't ask for anything more - except maybe to ditch the "Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls" bit.
Last edited by sydunipete; Dec 5, 2013 at 4:27 pm
Dec 5, 2013, 8:29 pm
#2
Join Date: Feb 2007
Programs: NZ Koru
Posts: 6,414
Most of NZ's regulars don't leave the lounge till they have made the second boarding call in the lounge. They usually haven't started boarding when they make the first call. It very funny watching people that have been guested into the lounge from other countries, traveling co-worker from NZ.