Good evening from Los Angeles, fresh of my first flight on Air New Zealand’s new 777-300ER aircraft.
I’ll save all the details for the trip report, though will point out two noteworthy things.
First, if you haven’t seen Air New Zealand’s safety video, check it out:
It’s painful enough to watch alone at your computer, but it was even worse on an airplane. There was a five year old boy flying with his mom in business class that yelled out “that was the weirdest thing I’ve ever seen” after the safety video. Yeah, that sounds about right.
The other noteworthy thing is that I experienced my first lightning strike in an airplane. The weather in London was awful, so it was a very bumpy ride out. About five minutes after takeoff we got struck by lightning, consisting of a loud noise and an incredible light filling the cabin. The first officer walked towards the back of the cabin to have a peak at the wings, and moments later the captain made an announcement saying we had been struck by lightning and that they were in touch with the company to see whether they needed to divert. We didn’t need to divert in the end as everything was fine, though it was an adventure nonetheless.
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May 27th, 2011 at 1:39 am
Nick said,
We r in la till Monday if you want to chill….
May 27th, 2011 at 3:20 am
Vito said,
Is that Richard Simmons leading the safety video?
May 27th, 2011 at 4:12 am
Gene said,
@Vito — Yes. Scary, eh?
May 27th, 2011 at 5:47 am
Nybanker said,
Is this award travel or a paid ticket?
May 27th, 2011 at 7:32 am
lucky said,
@ Nybanker — I’ll give you one guess…
May 27th, 2011 at 7:35 am
MSPpete said,
Are these ‘new’ seats? I flew NZ from Auckland to LA last fall and the biz seat was narrow and uncomfortable in either upright or lie flat positions. I am not a large guy. Any improvement?
May 27th, 2011 at 7:40 am
lucky said,
@ MSPpete — The seat is mostly the same, minus a few aesthetic changes. It’s a bit on the tight side, though that didn’t stop me from getting a solid seven hours of sleep.
May 27th, 2011 at 7:50 am
Dan said,
I noticed the window seat faces the aisle. Does the seat swivel in towards the window?
May 27th, 2011 at 7:52 am
lucky said,
@ Dan — Nope, no swiveling. The lack of being able to look out of the windows easily is one of the downsides of a herringbone configuration.
May 27th, 2011 at 7:53 am
chitownflyer said,
Does NZ Business class use the same or very similar seats to AC and VS? And is the IFE also similar?
May 27th, 2011 at 7:55 am
lucky said,
@ chitownflyer — There are some minor differences I’ll cover in my trip report, but the seats and entertainment are very similar to VS, AC, etc.
May 27th, 2011 at 9:28 am
patrick said,
No swiveling? That sucks. That’s the only reason I book a window seat.
May 28th, 2011 at 11:22 am
geek traveler said,
Lucky, when taking pictures of food and cabin never felt weird as other’s may think you’re crazy or say anything? I do the same, and I have that feeling that’s why I’m asking.
May 28th, 2011 at 11:25 am
PapaSmurf said,
How did you find the dinning experience in terms of speed and attentiveness? From everything I’ve read and experienced first hand, it’s been extremely slow and chaotic. I wonder if this has improved.
May 31st, 2011 at 8:00 am
Jim said,
Love the cameo from Phil the host of the amazing race
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