I recently travelled to New Zealand for the first time with my mum and since it was a last minute decision, there weren’t many flights available. One of the most straight forward options available was Air New Zealand which was what we went with. We flew with Air New Zealand from Singapore to Queenstown, with a transit in Auckland and this Air New Zealand economy review is based on our experience.
The economy flights cost us SGD 6,206 in total for 2 pax, including SGD 50/pax seat selection fee for the flights from SIN – AKL and AKL – SIN. The high cost was also likely due to booking the flights less than 2 weeks before the trip, and the trip was taken in December. A quick search for flights 90 days from the time of writing this shows flights going for around SGD 1,700/pax for a return trip, so the flights do not have to cost as much as what we paid.
For context, this is the route we booked, with a stopover in Auckland.
SIN – AKL: NZ 283, Boeing 777-300ER, usually scheduled for 6.40pm departure
AKL – ZQN: NZ 619, Airbus A320, usually scheduled for 11.35am departure
However, we missed the domestic flight between Auckland to Queenstown due to the first flight being delayed (more on that later), and were rebooked on the next flight:
AKL – ZQN: NZ 637, Airbus A320, usually scheduled for 12.20pm departure
This review is largely based on our experience on the international flight, NZ 283, from Singapore to Auckland, however I will include bits of the domestic flight from Auckland to Queenstown if relevant.
In This Air New Zealand Economy Review
About Air New Zealand
Air New Zealand is the flag carrier of New Zealand and is headquartered in Auckland. Air New Zealand is one of the safest airlines in the world and is also part of the Star Alliance.
Baggage Allowance
All Air New Zealand international long haul flights come with baggage allowance. However the weight varies by route.
These are the general baggage allowance. You can check the baggage allowance for your flight using the baggage calculator on the Air New Zealand website.
Economy: 23kg
Premium Economy: 2 x 23kg
Business: 3 x 23kg
Carry-on: 7kg
Punctuality
The flight we took, NZ 283 is scheduled daily for SIN – AKL for 6.40pm departure. On the morning of the flight, I received a text about the flight being rescheduled to 7.30pm, which worried me because we had a connecting flight to catch to Queenstown. The flight ended up leaving the gate at 7.40pm and only took off at 8pm, landing in Auckland at 10.17am local time and arriving at the gate at 10.26am. This was 51 minutes later than the scheduled time.
By then, it was too late to make it for our connecting flight to Queenstown, which was scheduled for 11.35am. Fortunately, the airline rebooked us on the next flight to Queenstown, at 12.25pm. We were informed about this right before landing and were assured we would be able to make it for this new connecting flight. This is also why I highly encourage everyone to book your connecting flights from the same airlines if possible, as they would most likely try to do something if you miss your connection due to delays.
The screenshot above shows the flight history of NZ283, the week of our flight. Not a single flight took off on time. Our return flight from Auckland was also delayed by over an hour, due to late arrival of aircraft in Auckland, this however, might have been due to a thunderstorm in Singapore that day.
Travelling Between AKL International and Domestic Terminal
If you have a connecting flight in Auckland (which we had), you will have to collect your luggage(s) and proceed to the domestic terminal to recheck-in your bags. The domestic terminal is around a 10 minute walk from the international terminal. There is also a free shuttle service between the 2 terminals every 15 minutes. Luckily, the bags didn’t take too long to come out on the baggage carousel. We also got lucky and the shuttle bus was already at the bus stop and we didn’t have to wait for it.
On our return trip, we tried walking between the domestic and international terminal and it felt like it took less time than the shuttle bus, so if you’re in a rush, maybe just run between the terminals rather than wait for the shuttle bus.
Comfort
As usual, each seat had a blanket, pillow and earpiece.
The seats were relatively comfortable, no backaches so that’s good enough in my opinion. We paid extra to select our seats, for SGD 50 per pax, so there were only 2 of us in our row. Leg room was ample but for context, both of us are around 150cm.
Entertainment System
The entertainment system had a touch screen with a USB and earpiece outlet right below the screen. There is also a socket outlet nearer to the seat pocket.
Shows
The movie and tv options were decent, though not many interest me. However, there was the Harry Potter series and Lord of the Rings on the entertainment system, so I’m pretty sure these would entertain many people.
One of my favourites on the entertainment system though, was a local series called Kiwi Diaries, by the Department of Conservation in New Zealand, showcasing their conservation efforts for Kiwi birds in Fiordland. It was so cute and really gave me insights to local conservation efforts.
Order snacks on the Air NZ Entertainment System
The entertainment system also allows you to order snacks and drinks outside of meal hours. However, there were only 2 snack options. You can also “order” amenities, like toothbrush, on the entertainment system.
WiFi
Wifi is available on many Air New Zealand flights and you can use it even in economy! However, the WiFi speed wasn’t the fastest, only good for messaging. WhatsApp messages sent out smoothly, but Telegram messages were a little slower. Social media platforms don’t load well. Having WiFi is already a big plug in my opinion, regardless of the speed.
Cleanliness
Overall, it was clean, no grime in random corners. Toilets were also clean throughout the flight (though the passengers on the flight also probably plays a part as to how dirty the toilets end up during the flight).
In-flight Meal
On the international leg of our flight from Singapore to Auckland, we were served 2 meals, dinner and breakfast. Both meals were great.
For the domestic leg of our journey from Auckland to Queenstown, we weren’t served a full meal, but offered snacks and drinks.
Dinner
For dinner, I picked lemon chicken, which was accompanied with a salad for appetiser and kiwi cake. The chicken was tender, rice was moist but not mushy, and the cake was soft and fluffy. Definitely one of the better in-flight meals I’ve had.
Breakfast
For breakfast, I picked the sausage and omelette option. The main was accompanied by a croissant, a cup of fruits and yogurt. The sausage is on the softer side while the egg was on the chewier side. The croissant was slightly warm and was also quite fluffy. Overall really good for airplane food in my opinion.
Air New Zealand Economy Review – Final Thoughts
Overall, Air New Zealand was comfortable enough for a our trip and service was quite pleasant.
However, punctuality was a huge problem, for both flights from Singapore to Auckland and Auckland back to Singapore. I’m not sure if we just picked the wrong flight and got unlucky as NZ 283 has a bad track record for punctuality. When I looked at the flight history of other Air New Zealand flights departing Singapore to Auckland, such as NZ 3287, they did not show the same punctuality issue and in fact, mostly departed on time.
However it is what it is, and this review was based on what we experienced during our trip.
Rating, based on our experience:
Punctuality: 2/5
Cleanliness: 4/5
Food: 4/5
Value: 3/5
Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post. There may be affiliate links in the post but all opinions remain our own. A purchase through affiliate links earns us a small commission and if you found this post useful, do consider making a purchase through the link, it greatly supports our ongoing work.
