Ben Torkington flies aboard Air New Zealand’s flight NZ441 from Auckland to Wellington

The plane: An Airbus A320-232. This one (ZK-OXE) has been with the national carrier since 2014.

Class: Economy. Just a little less leg room than I was comfortable with, something I didn’t notice on the Dash 8 I had earlier taken from Whangarei.

My seat: 21A. Perfect for me, away from the aisle. The neighbouring seat was vacant.

Price: My business associate paid some $750 to fly me Whangarei-to-Wellington return.

Flight time: We were slightly ahead of time as we approached Wellington when we climbed again. The thunderstorms that were forecast had set in, and we circled over Cook Strait three times. The screengrab from Metservice below shows what we were up against.

Once they’d cleared, the captain announced that wind was southerly at the south end of the runway, and northerly at the north. I had to take his word on this, and looked forward to what could my first real Wellington landing. Only a brief bit of turbulence was hit on the approach, and the landing was unremarkable. We made the gate 25 minutes late.

How full: There would have been about 20 empty seats out of 171 spots.

The service: 10/10. The reminder that the armrest between me and the empty seat must be down for takeoff was gentle.

Food and drink: The usual on a shorthaul, a choice of a cookie or corn chips with a hot drink. Cookie Time always have something new, and today it was a gingernut with my coffee. Simple, but yummy.

Luggage: I’m down for five days. The 23kg allowance was more than enough for my computer and clothes which despite preparing for any weather came in at just under 18kg. The toilets: Available. I’ve yet to visit one in the air. The entertainment: Trivia questions on the overhead screens. Unobtrusive and fun. Final word: A well-run service. Just enough ceremony that I still look forward to flying long after the novelty has worn off.