Planereality just launched its first installment of airline rankings beginning with the International Business Class category. For a nominal fee, readers can access the rankings of 16 International Business Class Products. In time, I will also be posting 3 other category rankings: Domestic (US) Economy Class, International Economy Class and Domestic (US) First Class.  These rankings only include the products I have experienced first-hand.  I use a numerical ranking that assigns scores to 20 different quantitative and qualitative factors.  Access the rankings and additional information HERE.
Questions? chris-at-planereality.com
Enjoy!

Or did they ever? Which magazines you ask? You know, the ones on the top shelf wrapped in plastic that you see in nearly every airport newsstand in the United States. Who exactly are marketers targeting by selling pornographic magazines in an airport? They have been there as long as I can remember. Perhaps it dates back to when one could walk their spouse all the way through the airport to the actual gate? On the way back they could pick up a little somethin’ somethin’?

Are business travelers and airline crew being targeted because they are away from home and can get away with “it”? Really. It makes no sense to me. It isn’t sissy stuff either, it’s harder core than what’s in your local mega-warehouse bookstore.

Maybe it’s a package deal, like cable. If you want Sports Illustrated, People and Southern Living, you have to carry Hustler and Penthouse too… (?)
Peculiar indeed…

When I make short jaunts around the US, I typically try to fly Delta Economy Class and hope for an upgrade. When I sit in coach, I continue to be surprised by the selection and quality of food for purchase in the back of the bus. Some of the offerings are better than what is served in First Class.(Delta’s roast beef sliders were fantastic). Alaska clearly states on their menu that the items are available for purchase in First Class as well as Economy. I have heard of mixed availability of food for purchase in Delta’s First Class.

On my last Domestic trip, one segment was on Alaska Airlines and while I did not eat, I was also pleasantly surprised by the food for purchase selection; both in creativity and in presentation (the menu, anyway)
Things on each menu that stood out to me:

A) Who eats egg salad for breakfast? (Delta)
B) Heavy Hawaiian theme on Alaska’s menu; why the focus? You’re based in Seattle. Because of the heavy West Coast traffic?
C) Alaska also has arrows to denote which way is East/West for those passengers who… well, you know…

As for prices on each, they seem reasonable considering I am sitting 5 miles above the earth. I’ve paid much more for much worse food at sea level.

I posted both menus below for your perusal. Anybody tried Alaska’s offerings?

ALASKA AIRLINES MENU

A few years back, someone dragged me to see Louis CK’s stand up show in Atlanta. At the time I had never heard of him, but it turned out to be the funniest stand-up I have ever been privy to. This video is a few years old, but never really gets old. I have been meaning to post it for a while.

I think Louis provides a very fair characterization of society in general. Meaning, when we get all worked up and frustrated, just take a step back and put things into perspective. He starts talking about airlines at the 2 minute mark, but it is worth listening to the whole segment to get the gist of what he is talking about. Have you seen this before? Enjoy.

The contrast between flying a few foreign airlines and then returning to the United States to take 1 more flight to get home is always amusing. In this case, I bestowed the “last flight” honor on United Airlines. I received a complimentary upgrade which I was quite appreciative of. Was it a terrible experience? Absolutely not, but (no news here) not in the same league as many foreign airlines.

I knew where I was as soon as I was seated. The lead FA was shouting through the PA system telling boarding passengers to hurry up and sit down so we could leave on time. All the while UA deliberately delayed boarding because 1 crew member was M.I.A.

The meal was decent, but have had better on United. The sausage had the consistency of steak, but tasted like dinner sausage (?)
The indecipherable over-head monitor and bat phone are not disappointing, more comical than anything. The pilot was in the First Class cabin during boarding. I asked him if he would be broadcasting Channel 9. He replied that he would be happy to. To be fair, I took these pictures with my blackberry as opposed to my “good” camera.

the blue dot is our location at LAX; courtesy of the ipad

pre-departure beverage

breakfast

Last month I flew Korean Air’s inaugural A380 flight from JFK to Seoul Incheon. I took these videos from my seat while I was watching the nose camera displayed on the personal T.V.
The first video is departing JFK. It almost looks like a mid February white out, but it was just fog and rain. The second video is landing at ICN, where it was also very foggy. Enjoy!

After arriving from Auckland on Air New Zealand flight #2, I reported directly to
In-N-Out Burger at the base of runway 24R.
A.) Because I wanted one of the best burgers money can buy
B.) I wanted to snap some photos of various aircraft
It was my first visit to this spot and it is most enjoyable; if you love jet noise of course. Here is what I saw in the late afternoon. Special nod to Konstantin who was also there (from Germany), enjoying the sights.

CHECK-IN
Air New Zealand provides a separate check-in area for premium passengers at the Auckland Airport. A friendly gal named Robyn checked me in for the 11hr 40min flight to LAX. Robyn asked if I enjoyed my stay in New Zealand. I replied that I indeed had… all 8 hours of it. Once you check in, there is no need to go back into the main check-in area as there is a dedicated elevator that takes premium class passengers to a dedicated customs and security screening area. I waited less than 1 minute to complete this process. The customs official also asked me how I had enjoyed my stay. Air New Zealand does have a 7 kilogram maximum weight for carryon luggage.

SEATS
Shortly after I arrived in the Air New Zealand Lounge, I was surprised to hear an announcement made by our in flight concierge. He had come into the lounge to greet passengers and answer any possible questions or concerns those passengers on flight #2 may have. This was a first for me.
As mentioned in the previous post, the Spaceseat is very unique looking and noticeably better than other Premium Economy offerings. The seat provides plenty of privacy and features a fixed back shell so nobody reclines into your space. A beanbag foot rest, oversized pillow, fleece blanket and bottle of water were at each Premium Economy seat. Full seat report here.

SERVICE/CREW
The flight attendant who would be dedicated to my area came by and introduced herself. The flight service manager then introduced himself and gave me a customs card. For those keeping track, the Business Class cabin was full, there were 2 open seats in Premium Economy and 15 open seats in Economy Class. I found all of the crew members I interacted with extremely friendly with a refreshing sense of humor and none took themselves too seriously. Yet at the same time they were very professional. Air New Zealand takes a very unique, effective approach in their cabin service. In addition to flight attendants serving passengers, 2 other flight crew members simply roam around the cabin to ensure all passengers have what they need.

FOOD
As soon as were cursing over the Pacific, drinks and an appetizer of seared tuna were served. After several days of eating noodles, I chose to have the burger with beetroot & horopito chutney for dinner. There were 3 other choices: beef fillet with cabernet jus, madras chicken and potato curry and hot smoked salmon with salad greens. How good can a burger be? Would you expect to have one of the best on an airline? This was one of the best I have ever tasted, in the air or on the ground. The roll had a fresh out of the oven texture and the meat was moist, tender and perfectly seasoned. I have never heard of putting chutney on a hamburger but this purple tinted goodness was outstanding and a slight onion bite.

After dinner, I explored the entertainment system which I also felt was above average. Instead of having 1 or 2 episodes of a TV program, a whole season or 2 of a particular show was available. After flipping through some programming, I visited the galley where an FA was ready to serve snacks and drinks.

It seems that everything Air New Zealand did on this flight was a little different and enhanced the experience. From the service before and during the flight, to the wallpaper and music in the bathrooms.
This flight was so enjoyable I was hoping it wouldn’t end. Air New Zealand has re-invented the Premium Economy product.
Many thanks to Aaron N. and the rest of the flight crew for a very memorable experience!
**Disclaimer: This flight was provided to me by Air New Zealand.

premium economy cabin

safety video w/ richard simmons

foot space and bean bag for feet

armrest & storage

plenty of wine choices

flight “schedule”

bathroom

galley

approaching lax

business class after arrival

bar

ZK-OKN

This is the first part of a flight from Auckland to Los Angeles. This 777-300ER (ZK-DKN) featured Air New Zealand’s innovative Space Bed and Sky Couch Seats. I have heard people say that this Delta cabin resembles a spaceship, and maybe it does, however, compared to Air New Zealand’s interior, Delta’s looks very normal.

The Premium Economy Spaceseats look quite futuristic and combined with the mood lighting and overabundance of white/cream hues, they were unlike anything I had ever seen. When I first took my seat (24D), I thought: “where the hell are my legs going to go for 12 hours?”
Then I realized there is space under the seat in front of you to stretch your legs. No, not as much space a Business Class seat, but that is not what this is. Air New Zealand also provided a fluffy beanbag to rest your feet on.

The black divider between the two seats is actually two separate pieces that lift up several inches to become an armrest. The top also flips open and there is a storage area inside. If the seat next to you is vacant, as mine was, one can easily lay down flat on your side for a snooze. If the seat next to you is occupied, not to fear. The whole seat is in a large shell and you will be able to rest your head to the side (see photos)
Air New Zealand will be removing a row of Premium Economy Seats, giving passengers in this cabin an additional 6″ of pitch.

The seat has 2 levers, one to recline the seat and one to tilt the entire seat backward. I included a few pictures of the Sky Couch and Business Class seats below. In the next post I will share the actual flight experience where it will become evident that Air New Zealand has re-invented the Premium Economy Class concept.
**Disclaimer: This flight was provided to me by Air New Zealand

23 a&b

23 d&e

24 d&e

32 d&e

premium economy cabin

looking down into seat area

across the aisle 23 a&b

meal tray

seat guide

economy cabin

sky couch-all 3 seats feature extension

seats 34 a&b

business class

Here at Sea-Tac airport and am thoroughly un-impressed with the synergies between Delta and their “partner” Alaska Airlines. To be sure, there is 0 synergy. Today’s itinerary: SEA-LAX-ATL. I booked this on delta.com and the 1st leg is operated by Alaska Airlines. I called the Delta Gold Medallion desk last night to inquire about flying directly to Atlanta. I was told that this was not a problem if I called 3 hours before the time of departure of the flight I wanted to standby on.

When I arrived at the airport, however, a different story unfolded. It took a full 25 minutes for a huffing, puffing and annoyed priority desk agent, assisted by no less than 3 other agents, to inform me that because my itinerary started on an Alaska Airlines flight, same day standby was not available unless space was immediately available on the Delta flight I was standing by for; which it was not. OK, I kind of understand this part, but why all the confusion? Nobody has ever done this in Seattle where Alaska owns half the joint?

“Can you assign me a seat on Alaska?” I asked. Nope. Couldn’t do that either.
Did I mention I could not check in online last night either? Also because my 1st flight was operated by Alaska Airlines.

I was able to check in at an Alaska Airlines kiosk, but it only provided me with 1 boarding pass to LAX. The Alaska agent told me to go to the Delta counter for the lax-ATL boarding pass.
I laughed. I wasn’t falling for that.

Unfortunately, I have had similar experiences with other airlines’ “partners”
Airlines celebrate and publicize these partnerships when they are created. They are touted as creating a more seamless flying experience for the for the traveller. Looks great on paper but when it comes down to the nitty gritty, it’s more hassle than it’s worth (for the traveller). In my case:

No seat assignment
Can’t check-in online
Can’t get boarding for all flights
Can’t fly standby
AND still not checked in for ATL-LAX – can’t do it online or in SEA