Kiwi Flyer

Auckland to Sydney on China Airlines A330-300 in business (AKL-SYD CI C)

After some more domestic flights a week later I was back in Auckland heading out on the third trip of this report.

I'm not sure if it was because of the schedule change after commencement of daylight saving, or for some other reason, but the on the ground experience was better this trip. No queues at check in. Unfortunately I only managed to get a single boarding pass. No airport staff weighing carry-on bags at the entrance to immigration. No immigration queues or security queues. Even the lounge was, for the first time I can recall in years, not very full and a quiet haven.

I headed out to the gate a short time after the boarding call, but boarding had not yet actually started. This is a peeve of mine at Auckland - they call flights far too early. The departure monitors are even worse as the "boarding", "final call" and "flight closed" messages are automated based on scheduled departure times. It doesn't take as long to board a A320 or very lightly loaded A330 than it does to board a full A380 or to do the extra screening required at the gate for US-bound flights, so the actual boarding times vary.

There was some new IFE content to view on this trip, and also new menus. The flight was uneventful and I enjoyed zoning out watching a movie, thinking about nothing in particular and putting my feet up.