Flight time: 10hr 50min. We had a nice smooth run up with only a few bumps as we hit the ocean after crossing Australia.
Fellow passengers: Hey! Isn't that the band Fat Freddy's Drop over there! Awesome… oh, no, wait… I get to spend the next six weeks in extremely close proximity to those guys on a tour bus.
How full: Barely half of the Premium Economy seats are taken, and ahead of me I can see the same is true for Business Class. This is a good result as we all spread out as soon as we're in the air and stagger ourselves around the available seating so no-one has to have a seat thrust back into their laps when everyone starts to nod off.
Entertainment: Good quaility screens and controls, but the usual selection of bombastic blockbusters and things featuring the "skills" of Jason Stratham and Vin Diesel. A couple of good documentaries though and nice to finally see Kiwi sensation Thomasina MackEnzie's Leave No Trace.
The service: Attentive and friendly without being overly so.
Food and drink: Singapore itself offers such an amazing culinary experience it's a shame that doesn't translate to the national carrier — the selection on both fronts is pretty average to be frank.
The toilets: Small, but clean.
Luggage: Generous in the extreme; my ticket comes with two checked bags at 23kg each.
Plus an extra bag as a Koru Gold flyer. 60kg! Look out credit card!
The airport experience: Auckland Airport conducts a random evecuation drill just as I sit down in the Koru Lounge — so now I'm on edge. Thankfully, a large bed in the Crowne Plaza at Changi Airport awaits. Along with the Cantonese delights of Paradise Dynasty for dinner, also in Terminal 3.
The bottom line: I will fly again, in fact tomorrow I do it all again as I fly on to London. If you can grab the seats for a decent price then its's probably worth the exta spend to upgrade a section. Still, I think Air New Zealand's Premium Economy experience is a cut above.
