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poopbunny

From memory the early PE seats were the same as Y seats but with better legroom and mostly Business Class meal. It was introduced with or about the same time as Business 'Premier' (lie flat). BP replaced First Class which at the time had a lot of space and very good incline (like the lazy-boy) but not lie flat. The later non-capsule seats had better width and some other extra minor features but never really had the width nor legroom of even the old business class seats. The meals and service almost J, but seat and space was more Y than J.

What I miss most was the turquoise interiors. The colours had a calming effect and the particular shade/tone was unique to NZ.

libertyuk

Yes the original NZ PE WERE the same Y seats, but on the 747 had slightly more seat width with the fixed armrests, and about double the recline of the Y seats, with 4-6 inches more pitch (bear in mind the 747 Y seats had 33-34" pitch, which isn't seen now). The downstairs minicabin on the 747 was quite pleasant, upstairs in a 3-2 configuration was less so, not least because BP was in the front half of the cabin.

Of course the 777s had the same seat width, but they were all in 3-3-3 (which now seems generous), but when the capacity of PE on the 777s was doubled the pitch was increased to 42" to help offset for the same 3-3-3 configuration in economy. Then came the Spaceseat on the 77Ws, and now the current generation which thankfully retains the excellent 41-42" pitch of the 777-200's original PE.

trooper

I do miss that little 8 seat section on the 747! That was my introduction to Y+ so I might remember it more fondly than it deserves...

sbiddle

It was always a tough decision for me.. in the cozy area downstairs or getting to walk up the stairs and during in the front row of PE.

toop28

I traveled for the first time several years ago and was very comfortable. I liked that even with the seat in front reclining, it wasn't in your face.
Even better if you are traveling with someone so you don't need to keep getting up to let whomever is next to you go to the loo
I'm flying again in a couple of weeks and selected the front seats for extra $$, so we'll see how that goes.

sbiddle

While you do get a little extra space in the front bulkhead row I wouldn't recommend it if you watch a lot of IFE content.

On the 789 the screens are in the bulkhead and are too far away to touch without leaning forward. On the 777 the screens are in the seat and IMHO the height and angle of these isn't great for extended viewing.

toop28

Oh no!! And I do watch a lot. Crap. I'll try it - I may have to change seats on my way back.

Shamrock55

Yeah agree with the above, and to be honest I find the bulkhead a little less legroom then the other seats for someone that's tall.

kiwifrequentflyer

If I'm on a daytime flight without expectation anyone will recline into me I opt for row 2 so I can stow my bag. But if it's a nighttime flight you may still want to consider it if you don't mind reduced leg room since you don't have to worry about people reclining into your space.

toop28

Update on front seats.
From LAX to LHR (return). A touch of extra space but won't do it again. The screens were under the seat are at a weird angle. Paid extra for it and not sure why now.

kiwifrequentflyer

Funnily enough with the 747 I preferred economy to PE. The seats were pretty much the same but with pitch/leg room, but the window seat had a storage unit between it and the window. It meant I couldn't rest my pillow comfortable against the window, which is how I rely on sleeping in Y seats. So I slept better in economy.

Current PE seats are big enough that I can curl up and get 3-5 hours of sleep with a sleeping pill, but will wake up sore. Still better than 1-2 hours in economy IF I have a window seat (and usually prefer aisle which means no sleep).

BP is the only place I can sleep without medication.

I flew one of the final space seat flights ever. I liked it but I slept much better in the new seats. Granted I am just over five foot. For a day time flight the space seat was obviously superior.

mad_atta

I'm still puzzled by the love for the space seats (and I know many others are far more effusive than you). The only ways in which I think the space seats were superior were 1) aesthetics - they looked amazing; and 2) for their privacy and width, with the 2+2+2 config. I find the current PE seats better in every other way: more legroom, more comfortable for lounging, more padding, better alignment to and distance from the TV screen, much more recline, better leg support, and vastly better for sleeping.

I'm not a good sleeper on planes, but with a mild sleeping aid (eg 0.5mg Xanax and a couple of glasses of wine) I sleep very comfortably in NZ's PE seat, often getting 7+ hours sleep if the flight is long enough. Having flown a number of other PE products (QF, SQ, CI and TK) the only one to equal or exceed NZ's seat for comfort was TK's 'Comfort Class', which has been discontinued because it was not economical. Yes it would suck to be stuck in a middle seat between strangers (the biggest drawback of the design) but if you're not booking or upgrading at the last minute that is generally avoidable, and otherwise it's a great product.

nzkarit

How is is avoidable? Only the last row on the 77W is 2 in the middle. So all the rest of the PE will still have some one climbing over you or asking you to stand up. So there is still social interaction required and potentially getting woken up. At least with things like Sky Couch there is no extraneous social interaction required to sit there.

kiwifrequentflyer

Oh I agree that comfort wise the new seats are superior. But for a daytime flight I am not sleeping so would prefer the privacy and the ability to always have aisle access. With space seats I found it easy to slip out from the window without having to move/seriously hop over anyone. And there were only 2 seats in the middle so you were always guaranteed an aisle.

For me, I fly mostly overnight flights with Air NZ long haul so I much prefer PE if for some reason I can't fly BP.