The airline: Air New Zealand
- Route Melbourne-Auckland-Vancouver, NZ122, NZ24
- Frequency Daily
- Aircraft Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner
- Class Premium Economy seats 26K (window) and 23F (bulkhead aisle)
- Flight time 3 hours, 35 minutes (first leg) and 13 hours (second leg)
Checking in
This is pain-free but also human-free (although they are there if you need them): touch-start the little kiosk, it scans my passport, decides I’m OK, prints me a bag tag, I attach the sticky bit to the other bit and for once, probably the first time, match the two sides. I say goodbye to my bag and I’m on my way.
Baggage
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In premium economy the allowance is two pieces of checked luggage, each weighing up to 23kg, and two pieces of carry-on totalling up to 14kg.
Loyalty scheme
Airpoints is free to join and allows members to earn Airpoints Dollars to use for flights and upgrades on Air NZ and Star Alliance flights. The scheme will have an overhaul in April, when it will be renamed Koru.
The seat
Should you pay more for a bulkhead seat in premium economy? I wouldn’t – read on. The new seats are very good, feel wide and live in a shell, so any recline they offer doesn’t affect the passenger behind. There’s a leg rest, handy storage space, easy to reach charge points, side wings for privacy and an adjustable headrest. The seats are in a 2-3-2 configuration and have a 41 inch (104cm) pitch, width of 19.3 inches (49cm) and a nine inch (23cm) recline (most of that recline comes from raising the footrest, rather than lowering the seat back). While the bulkhead seats offer more legroom, what you don’t get is the footrest you have when there’s a seat in front. For me (I’m 178cm so taller people may differ), that combination of footrest and leg rest is a winner. The bathrooms are well located – around a little corner from the seating area, so if there’s a need to queue, it isn’t beside somebody’s seat. Overall, the premium economy cabin feels roomier.
Entertainment + tech
The new screens are up to 50 per cent bigger and come with a reasonable selection of music, movies and TV shows, not over-endowed with recent-release movies, but enough to keep you amused. You can connect your phone to the screen and use it as a remote, or mark favourites to watch and to track the flight. Good headphones are supplied, but they’re not noise-cancelling. If you want to connect your own headphones via bluetooth, that’s simple. There’s free Wi-Fi, but it isn’t high speed.
Service
Consistently good on this airline – the cabin crew are like the Air NZ safety videos – good-humoured in the way they deliver their service but thoroughly professional when it counts.
Food
Two main meals with the two legs – braised beef rib on the first one and chicken curry on the second, both delicious and served with fresh bread, an appetiser (a goat cheese dip and prosciutto with olives and artichoke) some NZ cheese and dessert of either ice cream or a chocolate mousse. The drinks cart preceded dinner and good quality Kiwi wines were served with the meal.
Sustainability
Air NZ has a stated goal of being carbon-neutral by 2050, largely through operational efficiencies and advances in aircraft and aviation fuel technology.*
One more thing
Trans-Tasman rivalry makes me laugh. Taxiing in to Auckland after the Melbourne flight, our intended gate was occupied because the aircraft there required maintenance. In most cases that would be enough explanation, but our captain got on the PA to announce that “there’s a Qantas aircraft stuck at our gate, so unfortunately we’ll need to taxi you around and bus you into the terminal.” Then, when the Vancouver flight was delayed, and required a gate change, the staff at the gate explained that it was because “there’s a Qantas plane at our gate that they can’t move”.
The price
From about $6800 for premium economy, Melbourne to Vancouver return.**
The verdict
Exceptional cabin upgrades by Air NZ – I can’t recall flying to the west coast of North America and getting off the aircraft feeling this good.
Our rating out of five
★★★★½
*For more information about air travel and sustainability, see iata.org
**Fares are based on those available for travel three months from the time of publication and subject to change.
The writer flew as a guest of Air New Zealand. See airnewzealand.com.au
Jim Darby is a senior producer for Traveller and the author of White Gold, a history of Australia in winter sports.Connect via X or email.
