Flight Check: Singapore to Auckland on Singapore Airlines

Singapore Airlines Airbus A380.

Liana Thaggard flies from Singapore to Auckland on Singapore Airlines SQ285.

The plane: Singapore Airlines A380.

Class: The new Premium Economy class.

My seat: 32A - window seat, in the second row. The new Premium class seats are generous with space, a godsend for taller people. I was able to recline the full 8" and pop out the calf and foot rests to make myself a little bed.

Price: Return from $2634, with special upgrade levels available throughout the year.

Entertainment: The screens are wonderfully large 13.3" monitors which really make a difference when watching with my provided noise-cancelling headphones. A few of my neighbours on our AKL-SIN flight had no power in their seats, meaning no IFE on the 10-hour flight, a hiccup in Premium's first weeks.

How full: Premium Economy was full up, but Economy had loads of full rows available.

Fellow passengers: Everyone seemed to be loving the extra comfort in their seats, most travellers getting a few hours shut-eye in between meals. There was at least one child from Economy racing up along the aisles every few hours making for a cute interruption.

Food and drink: Onboard you can take your pick from three main meals, bread choices and sip on fancy Champagne throughout the flight. I chose the Book the Cook service - a personalised meal booked up to 24 hours before my flight - arriving fresh before everyone else was served.

Service: Super-friendly.

Toilets: A short wander through to Economy.

Airport experience: Hassle-free and efficient. We got priority boarding and baggage handling and an extra 5kg at check-in, which was nice on return after shopping in Singapore.

Would I fly this again: Absolutely.