Whenever I fly across the ditch with Air New Zealand I’m confident it’s going to be a good trip. My flight from Christchurch to Sydney onboard their stylish new Airbus A320neo was everything I expected and more.
The great thing about Trans-Tasman Air New Zealand flights is that passengers are given the freedom to pick and choose what they want and only pay for the products that they actually need.
There are four options available on the Airbus A320 and new A321 Neo aircraft: Seat, Seat + Bag, The Works and Works Deluxe.
I settled in for my three and a half hour flight with The Works, knowing I’d have everything I needed from a checked 23kg bag to a tasty main meal, drinks and movies.
Check-in & Boarding
I was able to check into my flight via an Air New Zealand self-check-in booth at Christchurch Airport. Everything went smoothly for me, but for anyone who had questions, there were ample Air New Zealand staff scattered about to help. It was a good sight to see, as I know some people struggle to use these machines.
Boarding was relatively smooth. The flight was slightly delayed but good tailwinds meant we arrived in Sydney on time anyway.
The Cabin & Seat
I’d have to say one of my favourite things about this aircraft was the stylish, soft New Zealand leather upholstered seats. It certainly gives the entire cabin a classy feel.
Their slim-line and curved design mean you can sink further into the seatback, creating up to 7% more usable space. I certainly found these seats very comfortable and roomy for an Economy class cabin.
Note that the seat recline is quite different onboard this aircraft – it’s a lever at the back in of the seat. It took me a while to find it – however, there are details on how to operate it within your entertainment menu.
The overhead lockers are nice and roomy too (with around 25% additional volume of space for cabin baggage storage than the previous international A320 fleet) which saved any need to compete for space.
Food & Drinks
A great feature onboard is that you can order food and drinks via your entertainment screen on the back of your seat. Nifty.
I didn’t use this option as with The Works package, I knew I’d be served a full meal shortly into the flight.
I had beef curry, rice and beans and it was all really tasty. My absolute favourite thing about the meal though was the scrumptious Kapiti ice served for desert. It’s a really creamy, delicious local ice cream. I had the lemon shortcake flavour with my meal and it was 10/10.
Entertainment
There is a sleek touch screen TV on the back of every seat.
One of the first things we watched on there was the safety video. And if you know anything about Air New Zealand, you know they do these exceptionally well! It generates a great mood on board hearing everyone laugh and engage with the safety video.
As a Works customer, I had access to complementary movies (including several awesome new release movies), TV shows, music and games.
There was also free inflight wifi for everyone board which is a great added bonus. It’s fast enough for checking emails and facebook.
The Verdict
Air New Zealand has a really strong reputation worldwide, including scoring this year’s Airline of the Year in airlineratings.com coveted awards.
I am pleased to say they’ve really earnt it. The cabin staff were smiley and approachable, the in flight entertainment and food great and the mood on board was really positive.
I particularly enjoyed the perks of the A320neo which offers a quieter flight and more luxury Economy cabin.
The Deets
- Flight NZ883 on an Airbus A320neo
- Departs 4:00pm, arrives 5:35pm Terminal 1
- Duration 3h 35m
You can find NEO services are on selected services from all airports along the East Coast to AKL, WLG, ZQN and CHC.
Air New Zealand flies to 20 domestic destinations in NZ, with over 400 domestic flights per day and fly from Australia to New Zealand with 190 weekly flights, giving them the highest frequency & connectivity.
Find out more: www.airnewzealand.com.au