Air New Zealand Christchurch To Perth – Air New Zealand Business Class, called “Business Premier”, on their Boeing 787 fleet, operates frequently on routes from New Zealand to Australia and to many destinations in the United States, South America, the South Pacific and Asia.
As such, it’s worth knowing what to do if you’re booked to travel with Air NZ longer in the future. This trip was from Sydney to Auckland in early 2017.
Air New Zealand Christchurch To Perth
In my case, I was able to find availability at a price and used 17,500 KrisFlyer miles plus a few dollars in taxes to book this one-way flight.
History Of Air New Zealand
Air New Zealand is known to release very few Business Class partner award slots per book using partner free flight points, making it very difficult to find opportunities to redeem points.
As such, Air New Zealand Airpoints are probably the most reliable way to enjoy Business Class without paying the full fare, noting that they can be used for any seat on the plane.
Award availability will always show up with partners though, so it’s worth looking at velocity Points, KrisFlyer miles or United MileagePlus miles on redemption if this makes more sense to you.
Air NZ began operating its first 787-9 between Auckland and Sydney in August 2014, now has nine in its fleet (with four more on order) serving flights between its Auckland hub and:
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Air NZ uses the 787 on at least some flights between its seven destinations in Australia (excluding the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast)
Air New Zealand flight numbers starting with flight numbers NZ1XX are the key to getting a 787 or 777 aircraft on a short hop like Auckland to Sydney, making the experience much more comfortable than on the narrow bodies that normally fly such short routes.
The 787 Business Premier cabin differs from what you’ll find in the 777-200ER and -300ER configurations, both of which push extra seats into the center in a 1-2-1 configuration.
On the narrower 787, you’re in a 1-1-1 configuration (as on Virgin Atlantic 787s), with 18 or 27 business seats, depending on the version.
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The window seats on both sides are tilted towards the center of the cabin instead of the windows (not such an ideal design), which reduces privacy.
If you’re traveling alone, you might prefer an A seat where you still face inwards, but look at your head in the middle of the J seats (instead of your face).
Couples can rather take a center seat and a corresponding K on the other side, allowing them to face each other (well, diagonally).
Business section sinks are in row 1 and right after the last business row in premium economy, so you can position yourself between them which gives you the least noise problem.
Air New Zealand Hi Res Stock Photography And Images
Legroom is adequate, but for a 185cm tall guy like me, the limited width of the footrest didn’t leave as much room as I would have liked.
The bed is made by folding down the backrest, which you can ask the crew for help with. On this trans-Tasman flight I don’t recall blankets being offered proactively, but available on request. I still snuck in a few hours of sleep to catch up.
An 11-inch screen drops out of the seat back in front of you. This makes watching movies or TV difficult if you have to stop the screen during takeoff and landing, but otherwise it’s a pretty flexible arrangement to get it as close to you as you need.
The service was usually friendly, as I would expect from Air New Zealand based on my previous experience with them. The food was decent, but not remarkable, again, as I expected on a 3½ hour flight across the Tasman.
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The main currencies Kiwis can use for Air NZ flights are Air New Zealand Airpoints, Velocity Points, United MileagePlus miles and KrisFlyer miles.
As you can see, United MileagePlus offers much cheaper redemptions on 787 flights between New Zealand and Australia, where Velocity is coming soon after KrisFlyer’s devaluation in December 2017.
All airlines are prohibited by the New Zealand government from charging fuel surcharges, so your flight across the Tasman will cost less than your flight home from Australia.
You can search and book Air New Zealand flights directly through the Velocity Frequent Flyer website or through United MileagePlus.
Domestic & International Flight Routes
Another option is to use Air New Zealand Airpoints Dollars (APD) on Business Class flights, but since it’s a revenue-based program and one-way Business Class fares from Auckland to the east coast of Australia hover around $900 NZD , you need the same amount in APD that means generally not good value.
If you already have a significant number of Airpoints dollars, it may be worth using a card like the Air New Zealand Airpoints Mastercard to unlock $1 NZD on APD.
You would transfer 56,000 Membership Rewards points to 28,000 KrisFlyer miles for this flight, after the December 2017 devaluation (but you have the additional limitation of running into tight award availability).
On the other hand, you need to transfer about 140,000 Membership Rewards points to 800 Airpoints dollars for a $900 NZD flight, assuming about $100 is taxes/fees, as you cannot use Airpoints dollars to pay for this.
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Read more in our beginner’s guide to using your points to get from New Zealand to the Australian East Coast and South Australia and Western Australia.
If you pay for flights with cash, you can get cash back from booking through Expedia and cash rewards.
Access to Air New Zealand lounges is free for all passengers ticketed with an Air New Zealand Business Premier same-day ticket.
I like to try and find options on trans-Tasman flights to get out of the traditional Virgin Australia, Qantas or Air New Zealand exclusive options and onto a long-haul when redeeming points for Business Class offers more value.
Touring Air New Zealand’s Brand New Boeing 787 9 Dreamliner
Air New Zealand’s NZ1XX flight is one of the less accessible ways to do this with points, but if you find availability I wouldn’t hesitate to use my points for a flight of this length. Air NZ often has decent business class fares too.
That said, the seat itself is the weak point. It’s a little too narrow for me – you only have to bend like a banana in one direction if you’re a side sleeper, and there’s not a lot of room for your legs to get hit by people walking around who aren’t careful.
For longer trips, if you use your own money for Air NZ Business Premier, I would look closely at the options. Their business class isn’t incredibly bad, but the competition has gotten better since it was designed and introduced, and there are more great options out there.
Daniel is the Managing Director of Point Hacks New Zealand. Originally from Adelaide, he decided he hated the heat and was going to move to (actually) greener pastures. He is currently based in Auckland, New Zealand, where he spends his time working as an urban planner, and the rest of his time traveling and searching the internet for great travel deals.
Air New Zealand Reveal 787 9 Interiors
Previous Beginner’s Guide to Using Your Points to Get to Australia (East Coast & South Australia) Nov 28, 2017 Enjoy more legroom with the largest seat in its class and relax with 50% more back space than fuel economy.
We have custom made a beautifully comfortable inked luxury leather seat with generous armrests, leg rests and footrests. Seats have 41″ (104.1 cm) recline, 9″ (22.9 cm) back and 19.3″ (49 cm) width with 5″ (12.7 cm) wide armrests.
Our menu is full of fresh, high quality ingredients that deliver delicious flavors with a modern kiwi twist. We also offer a wide selection of quality New Zealand wines to complement any meal. The extensive wine list includes some of New Zealand’s most popular wineries and the country’s most popular wines, selected by leading wine consultants.
Our wide variety of in-flight entertainment will keep even the most avid pilot engaged throughout the flight.
Last Flight For Air Nz Jumbo
Enjoy over 1,700 hours of content – including the latest movies, TV box sets, video games and special kids’ sections – all on your personal widescreen touchscreen. If you need more, there are always USB and iPod connections to plug in.
We understand that it’s the little extras that can make the trip, which is why our Premium Economy customers will enjoy Premium Check-in.
On board you will also find an amenity kit with key toilets and other items to ensure a comfortable journey. The Convenience Kit is only available when traveling long distance, Perth and Hawaii.
The information shown is for journeys on AirNewZealand operated Long Haul services only. Some tours may include travel on partner airlines where the aircraft and flight experience may differ.
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*The 360° panorama is from our 787-9 service. Please note that when onboard the 777-300 long-haul service, your experience may differ from that shown in this panorama.Seat: 4K. Eighteen full
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