Flight Review: NZ7 SFO-AKL Economy

Economy

Check-In

I was in transit from London, so didn't experience check-in at SFO. I covered the initial check-in with Virgin in a previous post. It was pretty seamless at SFO to collect bags, take it to the transfer desk, and have them re-checked in.

I was able to use the priority security line using my NZ Gold card and boarding pass. Security didn't take very long and I was airside within a few minutes.

An annoyance with Air NZ's new app — the boarding pass on the app makes your actual name appear very small, which delayed the TSA verifying my identity.

Lounge

There is only one Star Alliance lounge at SFO — United Club. This has to be the worst airport lounge series out of any airline I've ever flown with. The food is dismal, the bar was closed, the decor is straight out of the 1960s, and the bathrooms are dark and dirty. No showers, insufficient seating, and a weird seating layout which means everyone faces everyone.

After taking some photos, I left the lounge and sat in the comfort of the SFO terminal — which is refurbished, modern, and has an excellent outdoor patio where you can watch aircraft.

In-Flight

A Skycouch Saga

I managed to get an entire Skycouch row to myself and took the opportunity to bring up the seat fold to create the couch. I was quickly warned by the IFM (In-Flight Manager) that I hadn't paid for Skycouch and shouldn't bring up the seat fold, and wouldn't be getting a seatbelt to stay buckled in during the flight.

After a bit of back and forth, we reached a compromise where I was told to put down the seat fold when the seat belt sign was turned on, and would be woken up to do so if not. This is a far cry from previous flights where Air NZ would proactively give you a seatbelt and told you that you got lucky. Now giving stern conversations about only using what you paid for, even if it's right there to use.

The IFM then walks to the flight attendant nearby and warns her I hadn't paid for Skycouch! The irony of not being able to select a seat, being allocated a Skycouch seat, and then being told I can't lie-flat in the row — you'd think I was freeloading a business class seat at this rate.

Food

I pre-ordered a special meal for this flight so I could eat early and get to sleep. For dinner service, the special meals came out early, but were dismal. The bread roll was ice cold (vs. Virgin where it's piping hot), and the main consisted of a tray full of rice with some reheated frozen vegetables on top.

I requested a main meal if any leftovers were available. The IFM managed to get me the typical chicken sausage, hash brown, and cheese omelette breakfast served on most Air NZ flights. It's standard fare.

Overall, the portion sizes have clearly reduced, as well as the quality of the meals. Cost reductions are definitely in-force.

Service

Service was not very existent on this flight — I actually had more attention on Ryanair flying from Barcelona to London. Apart from meal service and takeoff/landing, you won't see anyone around for the rest of the flight.

Mid-flight, I ordered a milo and two cookies. Soon after, a flight attendant minimally attended to the request and walked away — no hello, goodbye, or napkin even. Although a minor thing, it just shows the lack of attention to detail Air New Zealand now has.

The in-flight service was quite poor, and this is a common theme on Air New Zealand these days. I suspect it has to do with new flight attendants filling the ranks who are still learning on the job. Having just flown with Virgin Atlantic, the contrast was stark.

On boarding, it was evident the seat allocations had gone wrong, with most passengers crammed into the middle aisles, while the outer seats were empty. The IFM was walking around moving passengers, which created more chaos as bags and everything else was being reshuffled. Luckily, the flight was delayed by 35 minutes due to refueling, which provided enough time to get settled in.

Overall Conclusion

This flight definitely made me feel like I was flying a budget airline with meals and bags rather than an award-winning airline. It's interesting to see the decline of Air New Zealand — their business premier hard product is now one of the oldest and shabbiest around, and their economy product is really a low-cost carrier-style service.

Their Airpoints program is pretty much useless when you realize it only gives access to United Club and no extra treatment on board. Would I fly this route with Air NZ again? No way.

With Qantas, Delta, United, and American all starting to compete on the North American routes, Air NZ is probably the worst option you could go with for a non-stop economy service between New Zealand and North America.