I have always been of the opinion that your trip starts at your doorstep. How many of us absolutely dread long flights and, like myself in the few days leading up to the trip reflect on whether we should be upgrading our flights? Its certainly a conversation we have in our office often wth our clients. Equally I have always wondered if the extra to upgrade to premium economy was value for money. So loyalty paid off on my last trip and I was fortunate enough to have a recognition upgrade with Air New Zealand I could use. I applied and wasnt getting my hopes up, but on arrival at the airport I was delighted to be informed I was successful. Perhaps going extra early helped? From the minute I filed through the premium boarding gate I knew I was in for an enhanced onboard experience. Whilst there were no bubbles before takeoff we were certainly well looked after. The seats are tricky but once you get the hang of them it is like being in a recliner in your lounge. Super comfortable seating!
The staff were fantastic and demonstrated for those newbees, however if you felt shy to giveaway your virgin status in the cabin you could follow the short video explaining all the featurs of your seat and entertainment system. We were provided an inflight pack which included eye mask, earplugs and a few other goodies including a toothbrush and paste. I really appreciate these onboard as I like to travel really light and having disposable options means I dont have to carry everything with me. The meals were offered from a premium menu and the meal service was a real treat with plenty of options to choose from with the beverage service.
It has never been cheaper to fly a premium service and with Air New Zealand leading the way in expanding thier premium offering across the fleet you have alot more options to upgrade and hopefully at continuing great value rates.
I had viewed the premium economy cabin before on an inspectiion of the Dreamliner but didnt fully appreciate the value in it, but now I can confirm it is 100% worth the extra $$. Air New Zealand was revolutionary in introducing this "inbetween" offering and others have followed suit. Dont get me wrong when it comes to Air New Zealand I think all of their onboard experience is exceptional, but if you are looking for that step up in comfort Premium economy definately fills that brief.
What do you get?
- Dedicated check-in counter
- Free standard seat selection
- Two pieces of carryon (up to 7kgs) and two pieces of checkin (up to 23 kgs)
- Higher Aipoints dollars and Status Points earn rate
- A larger inflight entertainment screen
- Device charging options
- More space made working onboard easier with my laptop rather than elbowing the neighbour and gteting the frown
- Better food, and thorougly attentive service.
