Leased 777 J Review (zk-oki)
 

I was booked PE Christchurch to Perth recently but was upgraded to the leased 777 J class. Took a few shots as I couldn't find many myself when searching.

I had chosen 11K without putting much thought into it. Turns out there wasnt too much more space being at the bulkhead so didnt see much advantage.

The seat itself was wonderfully wide, but was really showing its age. Once I sat down I realsied it wasnt actually lie flat and that there would have been no space to stretch out legs 100% even if it had been. Compared to the last time I flew a brand new Singapore A380 in J it was fairly poor in comfort. But the overall area gives you tons of space to sit, read and work, and if you want to lie down you can get a reasonable angle of incline before it stops.

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...85009ea72a.jpg

The IFE was terrible, I don't remember this low level of functionality since 2008. There were about 30 movies and no other tv, music or moving map offerings, none of the usual great Air NZ entertainment. I managed to find one decent movie to watch then gave up, the video and sound quality were pretty terrible. Controls and Seat Arm very old and worn as you can see.

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Thankfully Perth was only 6 hours away so I got plenty of work done on the laptop, which was quite comfortable thanks to the "rising" table and then tried to relax. After only 3-4 hours though the seat was really uncomfortable and I couldnt really find a decent position meaning time to get up and walk around or stand for a while to let the butt wakeup :) I don't think I could have actually slept in the weird sideways angle required if this had of been a night flight. You could also notice a lot of marks, scuffs and scratches on the upholstery and wall panels, this plane sure has worked hard its whole life.

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...8de8356b0a.jpg

Dinner was served about 45 minutes from takeoff. Usual good quality Air NZ J, no real difference to their own service. Very attentive crew who constantly kept checking on us and offering refills. I saw no difference to the cutlery or plates etc to their own hard product. I had the excellent beef dish, just served a tiny bit too cold. But still very good. Paired with St Clair red wine.

The galley area didnt seem to get stocked much with their usual snacks though i'm sure I could have asked for something.

Finally a light lunch was served about 1.5 hours before we landed, the usual sandwiches and fruits, followed by tea and cakes.

So to sum up, the hard product is ancient and will disappoint you greatly if you actually have paid real money for it. As an upgrade from PE it wasnt even worth it considering the IFE The aircraft interior is a few generations back from what we're now used to, so bring your own entertainment and comfort needs for a long flight. The cew though were excellent did their very best with what they had to offer, apologizing profoundly to some passengers who obviously were not expecting the leased aircraft.

ZK-OKI seems to rotate between CHC-PER-AKL-RAR-SYD-LAX so if IFE and Seat Comfort are very important to you it might pay to try avoid this aircraft. But for a free upgrade from PE to see what J looked like 5-10 years ago its fine!

Should be lie-flat, just need to flip over the seat from the back?

Normally go PE to Perth but had a personal trip and wanted to try sky couch so booked economy and got an aircraft swap! If we'd booked PE we would have received J. No room for upgrades given J and PE were now all in J. Even if I could have upgraded I'm not sure I could bring myself to do it from a value perspective so yeah, trying to avoid the aircraft on the Perth route. I can handle it short haul though.

Thanks for the review.

Whole I agree it's a sub standard product compared to NZ it's worth remembering SQ fly thousands of paying pax per day in those very same seats still, not to mention all the people (incl SIN-MEL-WLG) who get an even older product.

Thanks for posting your photos and experience. I've actually posted photos on the SQ forum.

I've flown those SQ aircraft with those seats often on the intra-Asia routes. Sure only +/- 4 hours but while they are old, I found them spacious and they do the job.

On a personal note, I really feel for NZ as they have suffered significantly due to the Trent issue and how it has affected their 789 fleet. Leasing is better than not having aircraft and at least the BR and SQ aircraft are better than some of those from companies that lease out as a business.

(Unrelated but as an example, AC and other Canadian airlines have been forced to lease aircraft from all over the place to replace all of the flights that were schedules with the 737MAX8 aircraft which are grounded.)

I am an idiot. Never even occurred to me even though I've been in their A380 J that flipped the same way. I just assumed it was too old!

OKI and OKJ both finish up in a few weeks. Fitting the seats would be a major job and would mean no IFE.

I also can't agree that everybody hates the 789 seat. Is it narrower? Yes it is. Is the cocktail tray useless where it is because of the different seat angle? Yes it is.

Apart from that however I notice zero difference when I'm lying down or asleep. I would still opt for a 789 any day over a 777.

Middle pair is best for couples. The checkin agent advised against us doing this, but I think it's the best option. It's a lean forward to talk to your partner. Next best would be across the aisle.