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BUSINESS CLASS : the seat offers a fair sleep comfort in flat bed position,
and quite private when full reclined, but many passengers will find the
high side partitions
claustrophobic. The shoulder area is quite narrow when in full recline, and most noticable when you try to turn over. We don't like the angled
layout of cabin - no proper window views, standards of seat privacy are not
good. Storage areas restricted. Relaxing / seated position is not as
comfortable as some conventional seats. IFE screen poorly located & quite small.
Overall score : 8/10 |
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Date: 28 MAR 2007 |
Aircraft: Boeing 747-400 |
Cabin: Business Class |
Review: John Hawk |
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RATING |
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The business class seats are very much a mixed bag. Some touches are
nice (LCD lights, large video screen, decent color scheme. Other
aspects are puzzling. The placement of the controls over the right arm
rest leads to frequent accidental activation. The LCD screen cannot be
turned off when in "auto" mode set by the cabin crew. Dissapointing:
The seat is too small for anyone over 1.87 m. Feet literally will get
stuck on one end and the head on other end. At the shoulders the seat
is so small that any movement is next to impossible. There is also no
storage space to speak off - a regular laptop does not fit into the
magazine pouch. Overall much better than UA or AA, but not as good as BA
or SQ.
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Date: 28 MAR 2007 |
Aircraft: Boeing 747-400 |
Cabin: Business Class |
Review: Paul Akkermans |
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RATING |
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LHR-AKL. I am a regular on this route so base my review on a number of
recent journeys since the introduction of the new business class seats.
I do not have a problem with the configuration although would agree it's
not the best for travellers who enjoy company. I often travel on my own
and enjoy the personal space the seat provides. When I do travel with
company I do use the extra seat for dinner and no, it's not the most
comfortable but it does serve its purpose. Apart from the one journey
when the entertainment system wasn't working at all (!!), I find the
selection of films and programmes generally good and the system easy to
work. They could alternate the film selection between inward and outward
bound journeys though. The bed itself is adequate - fully flat is
definitely better than an angled seat - but the mattress is fairly hard
and the 'sleeping sheet' provided is useless as it slides off the bed or
out of position very easily and takes a lot of adjustment. Some sort of
elasticated edge to hold it in place would be a great idea. I have taken
to bringing my own pillow on these long haul flights as the one they
provide is small and spares are rarely available on full flights. The
meals are always fantastic, the service is always fair but
unexceptional. The front nose section can get really hot and
uncomfortable. I was surprised to find a British Airways flight for the
same journey cheaper, but overall, worth my regular custom.
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Date: 28 MAR 2007 |
Aircraft: Boeing 747-400 |
Cabin: Business Class |
Review: G F Dines |
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RATING |
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Business Class Upstairs is overpriced and a waste of money. You become
second class passengers when you need the toilet as they are in premium
class, children from this area can run up and down your aisle, with no
seperation between the seats, and no privacy. The service is poor
because of amount of seats the stewards have to cover not good.
We refused to travel back in this area, and after much fuss moved
downstairs in the front, for the return to Heathrow.
What a difference, first class facilities, quiet, wonderful attention,
money well spent. There is no comparison between upstairs in the nose
and downstairs, we would never pay this amount to travel upstairs again,
with Air NZ. I loved the seats and would travel with this airline again
but only if downstairs
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Date: 28 MAR 2007 |
Aircraft: Boeing 747-400 |
Cabin: Business Class |
Review: David Simpson |
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RATING |
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The flat-bed BP class, which I had on the first two sectors, in the
front cabin is superb! Maybe taking off slightly sideways is a little
strange. Maybe the nice big dining 'table' does pop up when it ought
not to - a little adjustment should fix that. But the crew and the
attention is excellent. AKL-LAX was on a 767 which was a bit of a let
down after the flat-bed 747 but still comfortable and great crews.
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Date: 27 FEB 2007 |
Aircraft: Boeing 747-400 |
Cabin: Business Class |
Review: Tom Smith |
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RATING |
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LAX-AKL-LAX in NZ Business Premier. Jan. 6-21, 2007. In seat 4A. Excellent. Seats comfortable and
very private. Seats 1A and 2A (or B) would be a problem as there is no overhead storage. Forget
the back section of Premier Business, way too crowded. And on the upper deck they have both Bus.
Premier and Pacific Premium Economy (confusing to the crew and it shows). Entertainment system
needs work. The audio did not work on any of the movies. Seats were good (compared to United),
they were terrific. Food was very mediocre (overcooked and no flavor). We were given a wine menu
but there were only 2 selections of white and red. And the flight attendants rushed us through both
meals. I had to grab my plate once and said "No!" What's the hurry on a 14 hour flight? Break time
for the staff? I agree there are only 2 bathrooms for business class downstairs, yikes what a mess!.
Come on Air New Zealand you can do better. The Koru Lounge in Auckland needs some work (and
cleaning).
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Date: 2 JAN 2007 |
Aircraft: Boeing 747-400 |
Cabin: Business Class |
Review: Adam Crosby |
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RATING |
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LHR - HKG return. Excellent product. I like the ottoman and the fully flat bed
gave me 6 hours of sleep. The PTV is a good size and the selection varied. Like
the previous entry the attendants were professional and attentive, and catering
very good. The first Star Alliance partner to operate this route on a direct
flight and at least £300 cheaper than all the other direct full service
carriers. For the time being you have my custom.
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Date: 20 NOV 2006 |
Aircraft: Boeing 747-400 |
Cabin: Business Class |
Review: Christopher Orr |
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RATING |
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LHR-LAX return. Upper deck on outer leg, downstairs front cabin on return. Very
comfortable new seats, which were very private & a lot of space when flattened.
As some people have said, the controls are located in a place where they can be
easily nudged. Otherwise excellent - no trouble in getting a good night's sleep.
Crew were friendly and attentive and the food & drinks closer to first class on
other airlines - certainly better than many other carriers on this route
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Date: 20 NOV 2006 |
Aircraft: Boeing 747-400 |
Cabin: Business Class |
Review: Christopher Orr |
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RATING |
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LHR-LAX return. Upper deck on outer leg, downstairs front cabin on return. Very
comfortable new seats, which were very private & a lot of space when flattened.
As some people have said, the controls are located in a place where they can be
easily nudged. Otherwise excellent - no trouble in getting a good night's sleep.
Crew were friendly and attentive and the food & drinks closer to first class on
other airlines - certainly better than many other carriers on this route
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Date: 20 NOV 2006 |
Aircraft: Boeing 747-400 |
Cabin: Business Class |
Review: Christopher Orr |
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RATING |
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LHR-LAX return. Upper deck on outer leg, downstairs front cabin on return. Very
comfortable new seats, which were very private & a lot of space when flattened.
As some people have said, the controls are located in a place where they can be
easily nudged. Otherwise excellent - no trouble in getting a good night's sleep.
Crew were friendly and attentive and the food & drinks closer to first class on
other airlines - certainly better than many other carriers on this route
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Date: 20 NOV 2006 |
Aircraft: Boeing 747-400 |
Cabin: Business Class |
Review: Rob Peterson |
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RATING |
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After seeing the Air New Zealand advertisement for the new "improved" Business
Class I was excited to try out their service. As other reviewers have noted
there are many problems. The seat configuration does not allow for any privacy.
There is much noice from the bed next to you when they move their table or
adjust any component. The beds just are not comfortable - Don't confuse with
other airlines First class flat bed. There is no comparison. Don't believe the
pictures in their ads. You can share a meal with a friend only if they sit on a
little ottoman in a very cramped space. Because of the angle of the seats you
will feel like you are flying alone for 13 hours making it difficult to carry on
a conversation with the person next to you without getting a kink in your neck.
Also with the sideways angle of the seats at take off or in turbulence the force
tends to force you to the side of seat. The seat back gives you no support
during these times. If you have back problems do not fly Air New Zealand
Business Class! Food and service were OK at best.
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Date: 27 SEP 2006 |
Aircraft: Boeing 777 |
Cabin: Business Class |
Review: Lee Teirney |
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RATING |
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I only had 3 hours in the new lie-flat seats from (SYD-AKL), but I found them to
me a bit uncomfortable with no lumber support or head rest winglets to adjust,
they have only been in service for a short period of time and are starting to
look tatty. The controls for the table are right next to your arm and I hit them
about 10 times by mistake witch is irritating. The entertainment system is very
very slow to react to any commands and that courses the system to crash and has
to be restarted. I have also flown Auckland – London with Singapore airlines and
found there sky bed much more comfortable even thought they don’t fully recline.
I think overall the Air New Zealand is heading in the right direction but needs
some work.
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Date: 30 JUL 2006 |
Aircraft: Boeing 747-400 |
Cabin: Business Class |
Review: Eileen Wilson |
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RATING |
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Business Premier London-Auckland via LA vice versa. The new-style seats can be
claustrophic and not very robust - 2 seats were inoperable when I flew. Seats
near to galley can be noisy and what happened to the upgraded toilets? Like
other reviews on this site found the in-flight entertainment system tricky to
work at first. Service on the LA- Auckland and Auckland-LA were abominable -
rude and inattentive. However, service on the London-LA and LA-London legs were
brilliant. Sorry but not worth the money. Score 3/5 - but only just.
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Date: 30 JUL 2006 |
Aircraft: Boeing 777 |
Cabin: Business Class |
Review: Mark Davidson |
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RATING |
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Auckland-Singapore return. As a seat, comfortable with a wide range of
adjustment. The controls are prone to being bumped by a knee, if turning round
to talk to someone. I thought it also made a very good, albeit slightly firm
bed. Slightly short of width, for sleeping on the side; if you can sleep on the
back it's better. The "herringbone" layout is novel, takes a little getting used
to, but I found it OK.
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Date: 28 APR 2006 |
Aircraft: Boeing 747-400 |
Cabin: Business Class |
Review: Mark Chapman |
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RATING |
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New business class cabin, with the Virgin style lie-flat seats. Okay when fully
flat, although does not feel as spacious as ads portray. But, like the Virgin
seats, it is a little like being in a toilet cubicle in terms of the dividers,
and do NOT like the angled positions that are not at all private and give you a
very stiff neck if you want to look out. Why oh why did Air NZ opt for this
style when there are some better lie-flat beds out there
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Date: 28 APR 2006 |
Aircraft: Boeing 747-400 |
Cabin: Business Class |
Review: Steve Thomas |
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RATING |
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New business class premium seats (SFO/AKL). Quite a few problems with
entertainment systems, seat functions, crew not conversant with new config. Lie
flat seats comfortable though not comparable to a first class lie flat. Choose
carefully where you sit (3 cabins to choose) as privacy is limited in most
positions when not in full recline. Annoying bumps come from adjoining seat when
screen /table used! Reading lights from opposing seats can shine directly in
your eyes. Lateral roll on ground in air very pronounced due to seat at 45deg
angle to nose of plane. Take off and landings allowed in full reclined position
due to airbags in seat belts!
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