2018 – Part 37 – Flight Report Sydney to Auckland

2018 – Part 37 – Across the Tasman Sea, Sydney to Auckland

After a leisurely lunch at Rydges Sydney Airport’s Touchdown Bar we made the short walk to the international terminal to check-in for our flight.

Trip Plan

As part of our plan to make use of loyalty program points to maximize our budget during the trip, this flight was obtained by redeeming Aeroplan points.  At the time of our reservation it was 27,500 miles for a one way fare in business class.  The additional charges were low, approximately $100 Australia to New Zealand, and $60 in the opposite direction. I felt it was a good use of miles to enjoy business class on three hour long flights.

Check-in

Check-in by airline is assigned a letter area.  For example Qantas and oneworld alliance members seemed to have most of the A-K check-in counters.  Air New Zealand was in K or L.  The desks was clearly marked and we found Air New Zealand check-in without an issue.  Bag drop was on the left-hand side, and our check-in was on the right.  As we had arrived early for our flight there were only a few people in the bag drop line.

This was the first time we have flown on a one-way ticket internationally, and I was asked for proof of departure from New Zealand.  After a few moments of searching, I found our flight number take would return us to Australia.  With that formality completed our luggage was tagged, we received our boarding passes and were off to security.

Security and Terminal

A benefit of our business class ticket was that we were allowed to use Sydney airport’s Express Path.  This too is well marked and its entrance is much closer to Qantas (and oneworld alliance) check-in counters.  For us, the short walk was fine, the line, again given the lull in departures had us with no wait to proceed through automated passport control, and then security screening.  Once complete, we were in the terminal, with an expansive duty free store, as well as many more stores and quite a few restaurants.

Signage in the terminal was good and sufficient to direct passengers to gates, washrooms, and airline lounges.  So we began our walk to Air New Zealand’s lounge.  Although the picture is blurry, the approximate distance is included in the signs.  Below gates 24-37 are approximately a 6 minute walk, and gates 50-63 (ANZ’s lounge & gate) were listed at 9 minutes.

The walk to the lounge included a few moving sidewalks, and with the windows a chance to see other aircraft at their respective gate:

Moving sidewalk in SYD

Jetstar 787

Gates are clearly marked

Second food court

Escalator to the lounge

Lounge

The full post can be found here.  The summary is that it offered an okay spot to watch activity at the airport, the snacks were good, the bathrooms were clean, and even though the lounge did fill up prior to departs of 3 flights it did appears that places to sit could be found.

After leaving the lounge we headed to our assigned gate, #51.  Our timing was excellent as we arrived just as gate agents had made the call for those with small children or requiring assistance to board the plane.  Within 10 minutes boarding commenced and we were the first to board.

Flight

Air New Zealand
Sydney – Auckland (SYD-AKL)
Flight Number: NZ108
Scheduled Departure: 18:55
Scheduled Arrival: 23:55
Seats: 7A & 7K

Once the re-scheduled flight was confirmed, I was unable to change our assigned seats, however both of us were content with having a window seat.  Even though the flight was take-off after sunset, being able to watch take-off and landing is something I quite enjoy regardless of the time of day.  Air New Zealand has herringbone business class seats. 

Direct aisle access is wonderful and when this style of seating was first installed in aircrafts it was a significant improvement over the over-sized recliners, or angle-lie flat seats.  However, with the roll-out of reverse herringbone seats (on Air Canada 787s), these seats, were adequate however lacked three important things.

First: Lack of storage

Outside of a tiny footwell underneath the ottoman, and a literature pocket there wasn’t a spot to place anything.  The pillow I received ended up wedged between me and the window.

Secondly: Ability to stare out the window

Window seats are at an angle facing the centre of the plane.  If you want to look out the windows just off your shoulder, you have to turn your whole body.  On our Auckland-Brisbane flight, I found it easier to look out the windows on the opposite side of the plane versus the ones that were right beside me.

Third:  Seat width

Granted, I’m a little taller and heavier than average, I noticed the width of the seat more at the shoulder than any other part of the seat.  For me, the space required me to slouch a little to prevent my shoulders from being pressed up against the partition during the whole flight.

Truthfully, they are minor problems as I didn’t have to battle it out for an arm rest, and there was plenty of overhead luggage space.  The final item, that isn’t a concern, more of a design choice — to have the seat turn into a fully flat surface the seating surfaces combine and one sleeps on the back of the chair.  The design to allow this to occur then limits how much recline you have when you are in the seated position.  You can have the chair lean back a bit, but you can’t make it mimic a patio lounge chair where only your head and shoulders are slightly elevated.

Back to the Flight…

I always enjoy Amber’s reaction when we are seated up front, and this flight was no exception:

Boarding was quick, and during that time, Champagne, or juice were offered.  I gladly accepted some champagne.

It wasn’t until well after dinner was finished when I figured out how to use the light above the glass.  It’s a touch sensitive light that is set to full bright during boarding, however you can adjust it whenever you wish.  The small table to handy to place the drink, however I kept thinking I would knock the table, and the glass with my shoulder.

Seat

A few pictures of the seat:

Ottoman & Menu

IFE controls, literature pocket and cup holder

Controls on the left side

IFE Screen

IFE interface

Headphones

Example of seat to seat messaging

One cool feature that we used during the flight was the seat chat option.  We used this to make sure we were okay during the flight, as well as compare movie choices and what we thought of the meal.

Food

After departure I was offered a drink and some whole almonds.  The bottle of water was at my seat upon arrival and merely moved it to be easier for me to reach during the flight.

The menu for the flight was as follows (photo gallery to click through):

Service during a three hour flight had pre-meal drinks offered 25 minutes after take-off, and appetizers and selection of bread and rolls being served 20 minutes after that.  Main course arrived 15 minutes afterwards.  One of the pictures below show our location after I finished the main course. Overall I enjoyed the meal, and as we had a 2 hour drive awaiting us upon arrival, I enjoyed a cup of coffee at the end of the meal.

A few Final notes

I’m not an expert for all the details in this flight report Sydney to Auckland.  I didn’t get the last names of the flight crew, however the captain for the flight was Harvey and flight officer was Steve.  During the pre-boarding announcement a different flight number was read out, however the flight attendant standing by my seat looked at me and the passenger in the aisle across from me and noticed we looked puzzled.  Instantly he smiled and joked “We’re still heading to Auckland”

Flight attendants were professional, friendly and personable.  This combination showed itself, after meal service concluded. I went to the galley to get the name of the wine that was served, and while taking a picture of the bottle one of the crew asked of our plans in New Zealand.  When I said how we wanted to go to an aquarium, he turned and asked another flight attendant to confirm the name of the Aquarium in Auckland.  This simple gesture shows the high level of customer service onboard a Air New Zealand flight.  The flight attendants appeared to enjoy the flight and serving everybody on board.

Our flight was on time, and it was midnight local time as we walked off the plane.  Navigating passport control, baggage claim and biosecurity was quick

— we spent more time at biosecurity (to confirm we weren’t bringing any new invasive species into the country) than at border control.  With those steps completed we entered the arrivals hall, found our rental car, and were off to our hotel, a mere 2 hour drive away.

Read more about our trip by clicking here.