The airline

Cathay Pacific.

The route

Auckland to Hong Kong, an 11-hour flight. We were scheduled to leave at 2.50pm, but delayed because of the late arrival of the aircraft. We took off shortly after 4pm, landing in Hong Kong just before 10pm (local time).

The plane

The new generation Airbus A350-900. Cathay Pacific is the first airline to operate the aircraft to New Zealand.

The A350 competes with Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner, and boasts all sorts of snazzy features. There’s special LED lighting which is meant to recreate sunrise and sunset to make sleeping easier and reduce jet lag. There’s advanced air conditioning, with cabin air recycled every three minutes. It’s supposed to be 25 per cent more fuel efficient than other aircraft in the fleet, and so quiet that passengers are able to talk in a whisper.

The loyalty plan

The Marco Polo Club. Cathay Pacific also has an alliance with Air New Zealand for the Auckland to Hong Kong route, which means if you book through Air New Zealand and end up travelling on Cathay Pacific, you can still earn Airpoints.

Up the back or at the pointy end

Somewhere in the middle. I was seated in Economy, in row 41 – just behind the Premium Economy cabin. By some great stroke of luck, I ended up having the whole row to myself.

Special LED lighting is meant to recreate sunrise and sunset to make sleeping easier and reduce jet lag.

The seat stuff

Economy seats have an 81-centimetre pitch, 46cm seat width and 15cm recline. The new headrests can apparently be adjusted six ways – up, down, and angled at the sides – but I couldn’t figure out how to do this, so just left mine as it was. Other new features include a tablet holder, cup holder and USB port. The tray table seemed a little smaller than usual.

Baggage allowance

Checked baggage 23kg, and 7kg for carry on.

Comfort factor

The new pillows and blankets were