Flight check: Flying from Auckland to Los Angeles with Air New Zealand

An Air New Zealand 777-300 at Los Angeles International Airport. Photo / Getty Images

Jonathan Norman flies with Air New Zealand, from Auckland to Los Angeles

The plane: A Boeing 777-300ER.

Class: Economy.

Price: $1100.

On time: Left on time and arrived slightly early.

My seat: 34K. I paid an additional $160 for an exit row seat.

How full: Totally full.

Entertainment: It was a night flight so I didn't really find out what was available.

The service: Courtney was lovely and the others as friendly and approachable as ever on Air NZ.

Food and drink: With it being a 10.50pm flight I slept through dinner and so awoke, starving, a couple of hours out of Los Angeles. Sadly for me the chicken sausage was overcooked, tasteless and tough, the scrambled eggs soggy and baked beans burnt. Very disappointing. In the spirit of fairness I should say that the person next to me devoured it without problem.

The toilets: I was in an exit row seat so the toilet was the other side of the curtain that separated Economy from Premium Economy. My bag was also stored in that part of the plane so I didn't think anything of pushing the cloth aside to queue up and use the facilities. While waiting, the steward very politely explained that as this flight was going to the USA I wasn't allowed to walk the floor between the classes. In a Post 9/11 world even a conversation between passenger and steward in these circumstances would lead any CIA operatives on board to deduce a hijacking was taking place. I was allowed to use the toilets (which were clean and without a big queue), but it was a reminder about the differences between flying through America or Asia.

Luggage: Paid $110 for an additional bag to check in.

The airport experience: Abhorrent. I remember complaining to friends about the LAX holding pen that used to contain passengers in transit between London and Auckland or vice versa. No longer. I look back at that small room where crisps and water were freely available with fondness. I remember being able to pace around that small room without bother or look out of the window at the aeroplane being refuelled. An hour or so later it was back on board and off you would go. Now it's data-harvesting time and a queue that snakes slowly back and forth in front of stern faced immigration officers. My fingerprints were taken twice, irises scanned and seemingly my suitability as a human being judged. In among all of this the elderly and those passengers with children were forced to stand for over an hour without refreshment or respite. It's unacceptable.

Would I fly this again? I had to use this route because of work but if it's up to me I will never, ever fly through LAX again.