Wellington to Auckland (WLG-AKL) on Air New Zealand 737-300 in space+
I turned up early because you can't check in online or use the kiosks for trips such as this. I knew that the one or two manned desks would have lengthy queues for the flights up to Auckland at this time of day have many passengers connecting to the middle of the day bank of international flights.
Since the previous time I'd needed to check in at Wellington at a manned desk the signage had gotten worse and instead of a premium queue for elite and first and business class passengers, and a separate queue for economy, there is only one queue. It always annoys that there are several airline staff wandering around to check if anyone using the kiosks has any issues or to point people to the baggage drop (despite the big signs) yet there is only one or two people checking in those unfortunates who cannot use the kiosks. I put those thoughts to one side with the prospect of the upcoming flights to enjoy.
Today was a bad day for manual check in. Probably due to being close to Christmas. It took nearly an hour - or about as long as my flight. Rather than attempting and failing to get the first and subsequent flights credited to different frequent flyer programs (first leg to NZ Airpoints because earning on other programmes on an Air NZ flight is pathetic and subsequent legs on another program for which I was in the process of earning lifetime star gold status), I made things easy for the check in agent by requesting check in only to Auckland. It takes more effort for me, by forcing a check in at Auckland when I could have gone straight to the lounge, but in saved grief from mileage crediting to the wrong program it is worth it to me. It is a shame you can't use the kiosk and check in just for the first leg.
Finally I made it to the tranquility of the lounge. Or rather the slightly less noisy and less chaotic than the terminal lounge.
With the slower than usual check in queue I only had time for a quick drink and check of my emails before boarding was called. The usual queue at gate security as all the lounge-eligible passengers make their way to the gate at the same time. On some flights it seems as if there are more passengers in the lounge than not.
No empty seat adjacent this time - not unusual in general, and especially at this time of year. I can usually tell if the person in the middle seat is a regular/elite flyer or not. The person who only flies once a year or so is surprised at the legroom in space+ compared to the seats they have flown in before. When space+ was introduced it was reserved for elite and full fare passengers, but subsequently with higher loads and now selling seat selection, the seats are open to all and an empty middle seat is more likely near the back of the aircraft than in the front.
Anyway, the flight itself was typical. I dozed. Water, tea or coffee was served. No lolly on descent - this has been hit and miss for a while. We landed on time and got a stand near the Jetstar end of the domestic terminal. I took the Jetstar exit as it is much shorter route to international terminal than traipsing to the Air NZ exit and doubling back. Very few people seem to realise you can do this. I don't know why - the exit is clearly signposted. It was a nice enough day for me to walk across to international terminal, which is my strong preference.
Last edited by Kiwi Flyer; May 30, 2014 at 5:55 pm