#948959 by honey lamb
25 Feb 2019, 16:23
Our stay in Auckland was simply lovely and all too short. I had fallen in love with the place even before the plane had touched down and there was nothing about our stay that made me change that feeling about the place. Our hotel apartment certainly helped and the only fly in the ointment was that we were not able to meet up with a V-Flyer who had relocated there a couple of years ago.

Our return was on Air New Zealand as a Virgin Australia codeshare and we were both delighted to be able experience this airline and Aer John was looking forward to his first flight on a 777. It was an early morning flight and so we were up with the lark and because we had cleaned up the apartment the night before we planned to get breakfast in the airport. The journey there was quick and uneventful and at the airport we found that checking was via kiosk, after which a staff member would come and tag our bags. After the lengthy and fraught experience in MEL on our way out, this was an absolute delight. The only problem for me was that the screen still showed my old FC number and would not let me change it. The staff member suggested I do it at the gate and so we were on our way.

A quick recce round the showed that there was nowhere really that we could get breakfast and so we headed to Passport Control and thence through security which again was really smooth. At this stage I was completely enamoured with the airport but that feeling was quickly tarnished as we couldn’t find anywhere for breakfast. OK, there were plenty of coffee shops and snack bars but nowhere where you could get a decent breakfast. Eventually, with Aer John reverting to grumpy teenage mode, we managed to find somewhere where we could take the edge off our hunger and just hope for the best on the flight.

When the boards showed our gate number, we headed down there and I proferred my request to the gate agent to have my FC number changed. Try as she might, she could not get the system to accept it and all I could do at this stage was to thank her for trying and fall back on contacting VS on my return. As an aside, I cannot understand why miles accredited to my old account number were not automatically transferred. Back to the trip report. I hadn’t really taken much notice of the details of our flight (or else I had forgotten them) and assumed that we were on a 737 just as we had been on the flight over. However as the crowds gathered it was obvious that there were too many for that type of aircraft and a remark to Aer John about this had him reminding me it was a 777. Boarding was done by rows and was strictly enforced. We were in 46A/B and I was delighted to find that we were in the last row of that section which meant we could recline at our leisure without disrupting any passengers behind us.

The seat, albeit in economy was spacious enough and the pleasing sight was that of a TV monitor in front of us. No having to download an app onto our phones as on the VA flight and indeed, in the flight magazine that was a USP in a comparison between VA and NZ of the service between Melbourne and Auckland. There was a really good mix of films and TV programmes available and, unlike a lot of other airlines, had many UK programmes as opposed to the proliferation of US ones that one usually finds.

Take-off was smooth and on-time. There was a quick hot towel run and then it was announced that breakfast would be served. It seems as if there was a two-tier system of service depending on one’s ticket. Some (including the guy in 46C) had free non-alcoholic beverages but buy-on-board was available to them, whereas those with “The Works” on their boarding card were entitled to a complimentary meal (which was undoubtedly reflected in the price paid for the ticket). We were among that happy throng! Aer John had the cooked breakfast and I had the continental one and we both found our meal to be generous. Unusually for me, I watched a few programmes on the IFE and felt the mix was excellent.

It was a smooth four hour flight and soon we were back in Melbourne. We were in familiar territory having landed in the same terminal the week previously. Since we were far enough back on the aircraft there were queues for the Immigration machines. We by-passed these as Aer John knew his would not be accepted and so we both went to an agent which was a swift and easy procedure. Unlike the previous week, when the line for customs was short, this time it snaked around the baggage claim area. However it moved quickly enough and we were not requested to go to the X-Ray machines so, in no time at all, we were back in Melbourne and in our new hotel for our last few days.

So what did you think of Air New Zealand, honey lamb? I liked it. It was probably one of the best long/medium haul flights I had taken. I haven’t mentioned the crew but they were very good and interacted well with us and did several runs up and down the cabin to see if everything was OK. The meal was generous and of a good quality; the IFE had an eclectic mix of programmes; the seat was comfortable and spacious enough for an economy product. I now need to try their business offering!
#948970 by ScoobySu
25 Feb 2019, 22:12
Many thanks Honey Lamb - no disasters this hop other than the lack of breakfast offerings though!

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