TheJayHatch

My first time back to NZ in over a decade, and with my kids, brought back some great memories of ANZ of old. I’d love to hear some others...mine, in no particular order:

- Those boiled sweets they used to give out on take-off, and being asked to hand them out as a kid...I remember being given a huge sick-bag-full on a flight from PN to AKL, and being affronted when the next time I was only given a small plastic cup’s worth;
- The red/orange domestic livery - a faint memory but I’m sure it’s true!
- The tiny beige salt and pepper that came with a meal.
- Being allowed to stay on the plane to sleep whilst in LA in transit.
- Those bumpy old Fokker Friendships.

Love to hear more.

jawnbc

My first NZ flight was LAX x/HNL RAR in 1991 or 1992. Big empty plane (no cabotage LAX HNL and not many pax got on for HNL RAR) meant many of us got a block of middle seats to ourselves. Still didn't sleep well, but what really stuck out in my mind was the first ever decent cup of tea in the sky.

Beano

I remember there was a day when you could upgrade two classes and elites received a gift at Xmas ....oh for those days again :-)

libertyuk

Old WLG domestic terminal, the big scales, the lino floor, the newsagents in the middle, Koru Club upstairs. Going back MUCH further, the overseas departure area in the corner with very few amenities, and passengers boarding DC-8s by steps. First Class on DC8s with sheepskin seat covers (First Class had those for many years).

10 channel loop of two sets of programmes in Business and First Class only on 747s and 767s. Economy still had the big screen. Bear in mind this was the case until 2003/2004 (and the 767s for longer until they were refurbished).

Business Class fruit and cheese course served by trolley service, able to choose your own selection of both.

Multi-course hot meals on absurdly short domestic flights in Business Class. I recall flying WLG-CHC (connecting onto CHC-SIN in business and then Swissair SIN-ZRH) and being served a continental breakfast and as the descent started being offered steamed salmon with a cake. On another occasion as Gold Elite, I was Op-Upd to business WLG-CHC because the flight was full in economy. I also recall flying WLG-CHC in business (again for the same route) and the only other passengers in business were one Winston Peters and Lockwood Smith. NZ conveniently seated Winston next to me and Lockwood on the other side of the aisle. Before take off, Winston asked to move seats and went two rows in front, I felt snubbed

Flying on a 737-200 PMR-WLG once and WLG-NPE a few times (with full meal service)

Old NZ AKL lounge short lived Chinese massage service available for Business Premier and Elite passengers.

Old UA lounge at LHR T3 with First Class lounge for NZ First Class (that lounge is now BA)

brenrox

When staying at my grandparents, I remember going to ZQN daily when the building was nothing more than a two-storied house with a great cafe on the second floor that had great views of the runway and planes on approach from the Crowne Range. There was usually 2-3 daily NZ 737s & Ansett Bae146, as well as numerous Hawker Siddley (replaced by ATR72). I remember the HS748/ATR used to do several daily return trips to TEU back then too.

One day I was walking back from the airport (age~10?) past the helicopter hangers and a pilot from Southern Lakes Helicopters who'd noticed me going to ZQN daily offered me a spare seat up-front on a couple of short-trips up to Cardrona

dadig

Good PR material if any AIr NZ affliliate is lurking - I’ll go:

- Gold Elite only required accumulating 1500 Airpoint dollars, there is no such rubbish concept of SP
- 747s and looking at the upper deck before being hurried down Y - and who could forget projectors where everyone watched the same movie
- walking from domestic to international terminal (oh wait that still happens)
- old school carbon copy itineraries

macdo

I was nearly stranded in Edinburgh on a complex, multi-leg trip because the red carbon copy didn't line up with the form on the 5th or 6th layer. Had to go up two levels of supervisor before I was given the OK.

Meanwhile, back on AirNZ I remember the Temuka ware crockery for meals. Plenty of character but must have weighed a ton.

cavemanzk

Getting an breakfast meal on ATR 72-500 services, now thinking about it was probably bigger than what you get on the Tasman.

curioustill

Flying economy and being able to ask for a cup of instant noodles and soup while flying Auckland to Hong Kong.

mad_atta

Nice thread idea! A few random memories of mine:

• I definitely remember the red and orange livery for domestic aircraft, it was adapted from the old NAC livery, which used to run the NZ domestic services. There are various photos of it online. It's a bit reminiscent of the UA red livery from around the same time
• Flying BHE > WLG > NPE on the old F27 Friendships. Blenheim airport at the time was a weatherboard cottage with a few rows of plastic seats and a space invaders machine. Wellington airport was the dreadful old hanger, which was drafty and leaky
• As a kid, getting to hand out the boiled lollies just before descent, and sometimes being given an incredibly generous serve to take home (one time the FA got me to grab my carry-on, unzip it, and they just poured all the sweets in - total sugar overload!)
• The terrible catering on a 767 on a breakfast flight CHC-SYD in 1989. Back then QF and NZ codeshared on the Tasman, there was virtually no competition, prices were high and service was patchy
• The awesome domestic catering once Ansett NZ came along and forced AirNZ to up its standards. I remember flying CHC-AKL as a student on a dinnertime flight on Ansett (which I think they called a 'blue ribbon' flight, due to being main trunk and mealtime?) and being served delicious chicken and a mini bottle of wine while looking out the window at beautiful scenery in the early evening light, and thinking 'this is fun...'. I think that set me on a quest for upgrades and airlines with decent wine and food. Then a few years later, having flown LHR-LAX-AKL and my early morning connection on Ansett AKL-WLG had to turn back to Auckland because an engine failed (luckily the BAe146 had four...), getting the last seat on the AirNZ AKL-WLG service and being served the most delicious hot breakfast of spicy apple pancakes... yes, in Y.
• The 12 seat business class cabin on the international 733s that NZ flew across the Tasman in the late 90s/early 2000s. Upgrades were cheap and I had many happy flights on them, with great service, food and wine. Even the Y class catering on those flights was excellent... until Tasman Express came along.

SilverTP

• My first memory is looking out of a plane window and seeing the propellers turn. I think it was a Fokker F-27 - would have been mid 1970s.
• Parking at the end of Invercargill airport and watching the 737s take off and land.
• Carefully studying the Domestic and International timetables.
• The 15 minute flights between Invercargill and Dunedin in a 737.
• Having my first ever glass of wine when flying to Tahiti on a 747 for a six-week student exchange - I was 16 at the time.
• Being allowed to board the plane when I worked for Hertz at Dunedin airport to retrieve keys from customers. This was around the time that Ansett were running an ad whereby the stewardess stated "I gave the keys to the pilot and he threw them out the window". One day when I came onboard, the Air New Zealand staff made an announcement stating that the competition threw the keys out the window, but they looked after their customers' possessions a little more carefully.
• Visiting the London branch on Haymarket to purchase tickets home.

mad_atta

Ha! I remember that ad. Funny that NZ took the opportunity to one up them

trooper

Flying CHC to HKK in the Beech 1900!

Often a beautifully scenic flight...but not always...... Low cloud all around Hokitika... 2 attempted approaches abandoned.. "We will have to go back if we can't get in this time"...
Sneaky and very low approach from seaward and in under the clouds....

Not really NZ but....HKK again... picking up keys to a car owned by the Bach owner - from the airport staff..and they had MULTIPLE sets waiting to be collected!

Chatting to one of the in flight "Concierges"....telling her the only things missing in J were pyjamas and slippers....
Getting a parcel in the mail 2 weeks later with a pure wool subtly NZ logoed long sleeved thermal type shirt....and a note saying this was as close as she could get to pyjamas! (yes, was Elite at the time..or Gold Elite as it was called then)

Seat 10A on the 763.

brenrox

I remember doing the same on teletext

Pretty sure there used to be the occasional ZQN-IVC flight too.

sbiddle

I still have a number of the timetable books from the early to mid '90s. The pricing is pretty interesting to read.