Greg Fleming flies from Auckland to Shanghai with Air New Zealand
The plane: A 787-9 Dreamliner.
Class: Economy — I’d requested a recognition upgrade but Premium Economy was full.
Airport experience: Couldn’t check in online as Air New Zealand need to check your Chinese visa is okay before giving you a boarding pass. The construction work at Auckland International terminal seems to have finished and there’s a much wider range of shopping and dining options than when I last passed through.
Arrived early and killed two hours in the Koru lounge. First time I’ve seen a chef there cooking up dishes. Once the US lights cleared out there was plenty of room. Coffee, dinner, shower, download some podcasts for the flight — that little bit of downtime before a long flight makes all the difference.
My seat: 40D — an aisle seat in the middle row, and no one next to me.
The flight: Clocks in at a little more than 12 hours. Air New Zealand flies direct to Shanghai every day, arriving about 7am the next day in the most populous city in the world (25 million and counting). Our flight was delayed 25 minutes as passengers came over from a late flight in the domestic terminal. Then waited another 15 minutes for flight paperwork. The flight got very cold around four hours in, everyone had to rug up and grab their coats from their carry-on bags. We got in about an hour late.
Service: Efficient, but you’re pretty much left to yourself. I flew Premium Economy on the way back and the difference was quite noticeable. Entertainment: A good selection as always with Air New Zealand — including Ben Stiller’s excellent Escape
at Dannemora — but ended up watching Gloria Bell, which is billed as a comedy but is anything but, despite a great performance from Julianne Moore.
How full: I’d say three-quarters full in Economy — Business and Premium Economy were full. Food: Dinner was served a couple of hours after takeoff: beef, green beans, salad and a roll — okay. Dessert was Kapiti icecream. Breakfast was served about an hour and a half before landing — eggs, beans, sausage, fruit and yoghurt.
Verdict: A convenient way of getting to Shanghai and the late departure makes getting some sleep not such an ask. Just pack a coat in your carry-on.