Aboard the time machine, the 787 from Auckland to Honolulu lands before it took off

We had written an article in the past where we listed. Lesser-known flights where you land before you take off, they are not famous but there are some in Europe as well. 

Specifications

Aircraft:

B787/9

Class:

Economy

Treat:

AKL - HNL

Price:

79 pounds

Book

This, on the other hand, is one of the best known and makes it possible to go from Oceania to the American continent. There are plenty of flights every day connecting, for example, South America with Australia and New Zealand, and vice versa, and there are even more flights connecting the two Commonwealth states with the United States and Canada.

This flight is one of the "shorter" ones New Zealand to Hawaii, from Auckland to Honolulu: lasts 8 hours and takes off at 9:55 p.m. to land at 9 a.m. the same day.

Reservation

This flight was the fifth leg of my ticket to go around the world. A ticket that was born out of madness and after more than 2 years has become a reality.

I arrived at the airport after a journey of about 45 minutes through traffic and in autumn rain, rain that accompanied me for the entire two days of my stay in New Zealand.

The international terminal was quite deserted, actually the only movement there was just from the check-in counters of Air New Zealand, the carrier of this my route.

A little trivia, just on the day of this flight, Air New Zealeand received the award for best economy class in the world.

Check-in

As I have been recounting in all my articles, to make this experience more "hard" I wanted to book all flights in economy, because doing it in business is too easy and especially because the whole ticket cost me only 550 pounds.

I traveled in economy, but I took advantage of the the benefits of Star Alliance status, thanks to which, on the ground, you are treated the same as a business class passenger, indeed in some cases even better.

For example, here at AKL, Air New Zealand has a dedicated check-in area for business passengers and an even more exclusive one dedicated to holders of at least Gold status.

This area is located near the A desks of the international terminal, those dedicated to NZ passengers. Many airlines offer an area reserved for premium passengers, but certainly few have such a pleasant environment.

Because of the small number of passengers, only the first part of the hall was open. Inside there are totems to check in independently, print the baggage tag and then board it.

There are then two counters for traditional check-in, in my case being bound for the U.S. and having to have the attendants verify all the documents, I had to go through here.

I've never seen so many people have trouble checking in for a flight, at least 5 passengers in front of me had expired ESTAs, considering that when the covid broke out all ESTAs had been canceled it means they were all passengers who had forgotten to make the new application.

When my turn came, I was "inundated" with questions, the problem with my itinerary I realized with the first flight: so many routes, in so few days, passing through so many countries trigger the phantom SSSSs in automatic.

However, I had done my homework and had the correct answers to all the right questions. I also tried to ask about the availability of an upgrade for business, even though I was sure that I would not have paid to fly in what I think is one of the worst business classes in the world. More like flying in birdcages than a biz. In the next few days I will post a review of this business class where I traveled from Sydney to Auckland, but that I had already tried it aboard Virgin Atlantic, another carrier that uses this configuration.

Of course for 50€ I would have accepted, but not for 1200€ amount I was asked for

Having obtained my boarding pass and baggage tag, I went to the bag drop and shipped my suitcase.

This area offers passengers an additional advantage, an elevator which leads directly to the departure floor in the screening area, skipping all the lines and serpentines that passengers without priority do instead. Of course there's no red carpet like with Virgin Atlantic in London, but it is really a premium service.

At the airport

Deserted outside and deserted once I got through security. Of course, I headed immediately to the Air New Zealand lounge.

Having the status, as I said, allows you to access and be treated as a premium passenger. 

The lounge is very nice, in fact Is the older sister of Sydney's. The decor, arrangements, buffet and all areas are like those in Australia, only much larger.

Outside there was little, the lounge was instead full, but I still managed to stand in my favorite area: near the windows to admire what is happening on the track.

The buffet was very varied with different kinds of offerings, great for a pre-flight dinner, especially considering that flying in economy you definitely do not have a starred meal on board.

By airplane

Embarkation took place from the airport's most remote gate, say at least a 15-minute walk from the lounge.

As is often the case with U.S.-bound flights, there was a second passenger screening and incredibly I was not "selected" for a re-inspection of my carry-on luggage.

Embarkation was not at all Anglo-Saxon, or rather there were no lanes for different areas as I had seen for example in Sydney. 

Classic announcements were made, but Ryanair model all passengers got up and headed for the door regardless of ticket class or boarding priority. This chaos resulted in a situation where families with children, business class passengers and normal travelers were all crammed into two rows, very un-British.

This route is also operated with the 787/9 which is the main vehicle in NZ's long-haul fleet. It is outfitted with 3 classes: business, premium and economy.

Business class configuration is the worst in the market today, the only thing that saves it is that all passengers have access to the aisle, otherwise it's rubbish. Fortunately, both New Zealand and Virgin Atlantic are saying goodbye to these seats.

There are then three rows of premium economy with a 2-3-2 configuration.

And finally, the classic 3-3-3 configuration of the economy cabin.

This time, contrary to what I usually do, I chose a window seat. The flight is long, about 8 hours, but being overnight Having those extra inches for the head and legs compared to the aisle side seat is very helpful.

In this flight one sleeps, or tries to sleep, so better the cm to the comfort of being free to move around. Last factor, not least, also the advantage that you will not be awakened by anyone having to go to the bathroom in the middle of the flight.

NZ equipment is standard: a pad, a cover, and headphones for the entertainment system. Each chair is equipped with a touch screen with USB port, and the three chairs have 2 standard power outlets available.

The beauty and the ugliness of the 787 is the windows. They are larger than average and do not have a curtain, which is replaced by an electronic system that gradually darkens the glass. On a night flight there is no problem, but when the flight is daytime the cabin is never really dark.

Excellent sitting especially because. NZ gives passengers a few mm more than other airlines and offers a backrest that reclines abundantly. Of course, this applies to both your own and the one in front, but it is bearable if you are intent on sleeping.

Service

I must say that the staff was super efficient in all phases of the flight. 

My classic test of requesting assistance in the middle of the trip set a new record with the assistant who arrived less than 1 minute after the doorbell rang.

Food & Beverage

We are in economy and on a plane, so the expectation bar is already quite low, but I must say that NZ satisfied me 100%.

It definitely affected my judgment that I had a choice of what to eat: as far as I could tell, one of the two options between chicken and veal had sold out, and many passengers had to make do with what others had not taken.

I opted for chicken with rice, let's say it's one of those choices to play it safe or almost safe.

It was served along with a salad and cheese with crackers. The gem of the tray, however, was the ice cream; I had only had it in business. In economy, it always has the classic Hagen Daz cover, but here it was a white chocolate and raspberry stick. Truly a perfect ending.

About 2 hours after landing, the lights came on and the breakfast service began. Again two choices between savory and sweet dish. This time I opted for pancakes with vanilla syrup, fruit and orange juice.

More than sufficient plate and courteous and quick service. To remedy the problem of running out of options, an announcement was made by the cabin crew: service would start from the middle of the economy cabin and then resume with the front. A way, they explained from the intercom, to give everyone a chance to have what they wanted at least at breakfast. Excellent initiative.

IFE

The screen is not giant but is average for the category, the USB socket is convenient as is the headphone jack.

Then for every three seats there are two traditional power outlets.

The content was not much: 96 movies and documentaries/episodes of TV series. No live channels, no cameras or special features. Even the interactive map was very basic. Above all, it was inconvenient how to choose what to watch; everything was mixed up.

However, there are two functions I had not yet found: 

• Messages for passengers
• The ability to make requests of the crew

Messages for passengers appear on the screen throughout the flight. For example, before dinner started, available options appeared on the screen, or messages are sent during the flight based on special situations. 

For example, a message appeared during the flight that an earpiece had been found and could be requested directly from the attendants.

Also innovative is the button for calling assistants. Instead of simply turning on a small light, one can send a message from the pre-filled ones: ask for food, a glass of water, general assistance, and so on. Very useful and clever system, should be copied by other carriers as well.

On board New Zealand aircraft, wi-fi is always free and unlimited, I experienced it on the flight from Sydney to Auckland, unfortunately, however, this plane had a problem and it did not work. Small mole.

In conclusion

Effectively an above-average service, with a full plane practically at 100%. Gastronomic proposal well presented and of sufficient quality, the ice cream is worth half a grade more.

Too bad about the lack of wi-fi, but the presence of a film like Every Damn Sunday among the proposals made me happy; I had been wanting to see it again for a long time. Half a mark more for that as well, which evens out the lack of connection.

• round the world tour

The verdict

I don't know if NZ is really the best airline in the world, it was certainly an enjoyable 8-hour trip with some goodies. However, it was too bad we lacked wi-fi also because this airline is one of the few in the world, if not the only one, that gives in-flight internet to all passengers throughout the flight.

7.5

Service

8

IFE

7

F&B

7.5

Cabin and Armchair

7.5

Pro

• Ice cream
• THE IFE
• The service

Against

• No Wi-fi
• Messy multimedia content