I don't have a complete row to myself, although there are some empty rows further back I could move to if I want.
The A320 economy seats are a bit roomier than the 737 so I don't bother moving. We push back only a few minutes late, the boarding being completed in 10 minutes. Once airborne breakfast is served. A choice of french toast or scrambled egg + sausage potato and tomato. For some reason the FA forgets to offer me a bread roll but it doesn't matter since I am not that hungry having eaten in the lounge. Coffee juice and water to hydrate (or the choice of beer, or wine including Lindaeur sparkling wine).
The flight over the Pacific Ocean is uneventful. We get a few bumps crossing a jetstream about 2/3 of the way over, the crew take an age to clear away breakfast trays (2 hours from serving until finally being cleared away) and I manage to catch up on reading some reports I needed to review.
After 3 hours we descend through scattered light cloud getting reasonable views of Vanuatu's islands through the tropical haze. We descend seemingly inches above the forest to land at Port Vila's airport right on time. A small light shower is peppering one end of the runway while the terminal area is dry. By the time the steps are brought to the a/c and we deplane, the shower has reached us so get a few spots walking across the tarmac in the humid morning.
The terminal is of modest size and reminds me of that at Noumea. There are only 2 immigration officers - one for Vanuatans and one for everyone else, and being island pace it takes a while to process the handful of people in front of me. The officer seems bemused I am here for such a short time but is happy to stamp a full page at my request and I am quickly through customs also. A few paces brings me to the check in counters, where there is a big queue even at the business/elite line. I wondered if there was a lounge here (airport seemed to be substantial enough to have a small lounge) but decided against queueing to get an invitation, for the turnaround is short (perhaps 15 minutes until boarding) and the half of the ceiling fans that are working are providing some comfort.
So I proceed to immigration, fill in the form and duly get stamped out. It takes the officer a while to locate the entry stamp - there are too many stamps in my nearly full passport!
Through security I take a look at the duty free and souvenir shops, and note there is indeed a lounge with a big sign on the door proclaiming that no entry will be permitted without an invite - no matter what your boarding pass or frequent flyer program status card. Oh well.
Boarding starts late - even after the scheduled departure. I am glad that when I booked, on a separate ticket, some further flights today I chose the second one after I was due to arrive back at Auckland, not the first.
As with many other pacific islands, they do not accept my boarding pass issued in Auckland and the agent heads off to check in to see if it is okay and get a replacement one. Standing here in front of the open door I realise it is more pleasant outside than inside - the fans aren't really helping much.