Flight time: We were down for 13hr 40m, and arrived on time. The good news — Houston airport has ditched the arrival cards.
Entertainment: Lots of good movies but I ended up reading for most of the trip. The reading light was very directional so didn't disturb my neighbour. Then Den of Thieves for the third time — a Gerard Butler movie that thinks it's Heat — it's not — but it's perfect fodder for a plane ride.
Service: Good — I got plenty of bottled water brought to me throughout the flight.
Airport experience: Checking in at the Air New Zealand premium hub at Auckland airport was easy. No standing in queues and the area offered a little oasis of calm in a busy airport.
Food: Dinner started with chicken salad, toasted walnuts, fried eggplant with pickled red onions, coriander and mint. For main I had the hapuka. Other options were beef cheek or roasted chicken. To finish — a chocolate creme with macerated dark cherries. Tomato juice for my beverage and a cracker and slice of Kapiti Egmont cheese for an after-dinner snack. A couple of hours before we landed in Houston we were served breakfast. I had the sweet hot cakes but the scrambled eggs looked the better option.
Would I take this flight again?: My destination was Chicago (there's a direct route from Auckland to Chicago starting on November 30). But Houston is definitely on my radar; even the border patrol were friendly!