While rummaging through some files (of the hard-copy variety) I came across this Boeing 777 brochure. I could stare at this for hours as I’m sure some of you can appreciate. I chopped it up in the scanner to make it a bit more legible. Enjoy!

During my trip to the Aircraft Interiors Expo in Seattle, I was able to catch a few departures from the top floor of the Doubletree. International departures pick up around 1pm, with a handful of flights to Asia and Europe. The last one that I saw, which is the first picture I posted, was a British Airways 747.
The Delta A330 was either to AMS or NRT, don’t recall. Doubletree is a great spot assuming you are in the tower portion of the hotel, facing Sea-Tac.

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

Hard to imagine that these flat-bed first class seats, at 35″ wide & with 71″ pitch, are not the most luxurious First Class Product that Singapore Airlines Offers, but they are not. The First Class Suites on the A380 are considered Singapore’s top of the line as they are private suites marketed as “a class beyond first.” The seats below were on the flight from Singapore to Auckland aboard ship 9V-SWS a Boeing 777-300ER. Many thanks to Tay Soo for letting me up front.
Enjoy.

business class cabin

singapore fleet

It’s pretty well known and/or accepted, that Singapore Airlines has one of the best business class products in the industry. Some would argue the best. But what about Singapore’s Economy Class product? Is there anything to be said for it? Or is it just run of the mill?
I decided to find out on SQ 285 from SIN-AKL. Of course I would have rather sat up front for this flight. I’d rather sit up front on any flight, but I was eager to see what it was like in Singapore Coach.

Boarding was quite chaotic considering I was boarding and deplaning outside the US. Boarding planes in the US is always more chaotic than abroad. Boarding on this flight, SQ285, was frantic, crowded and fast-paced, yet somehow under control. The gate agent called for boarding by the normal pecking order, but no one was verifying boarding passes. In theory, you could have boarded whenever you wanted. This may have had something to do with furor.

Ten minutes into the flight, I was already impressed. Hot towels were passed out, followed by headphones, dinner menus and a small amenity kit. And get this; the economy class menu included a drink menu! Shortly after reaching cruise altitude, packaged nuts and cocktails were offered.

It’s worth noting that in exit row 31, the door does not protrude into your leg room, even if you are seated in the window seat. Also, there are no bathrooms in front of row 31, jut a curtain that leads to Business Class, so passengers do not congregate in front of you seat. Despite row 31 being the very first row of economy, the flight attendant do alternated where they start meal service.

I chose the curry chicken for dinner and while it was tasty, it wasn’t exactly boneless, skinless chicken. Well, it may have been but there was plenty of fatty inedible pieces. An appetizer of duck came with dinner. I took one bite, but I am simply not much of a fan of duck. Liquor was not kept on the catering carts on this flight. This is consistent with all flights I have taken on international airlines. They are happy to fix you a drink, but it takes quite some time as they wait until they finish serving the cabin. This is 1 thing that US Carriers are much better at than international carriers- they always keep booze on the cart.

An hour after dinner service, flight attendants offered water and juice. An hour after that they offered apples despite 90% of the cabin being asleep. Two hours before landing, a second hot towel service was offered, just before breakfast was served. Breakfast was pretty standard airline fare including soggy hashbrowns.

Despite some food shortcomings, this was one of my favorite flights in economy class. The other being Etihad Economy Class I didn’t want this flight to end, at least for the first 6 or 7 hours. I would not hesitate to fly Singapore Economy Class regardless of flight length.

I have some pictures of the First Class Cabin on this aircraft which I will post next.

31 A,B,C

view into business class

amenity kit: socks and toothbrush

cheese, crackers, bread, chcolate, duck, curry chicken

personal tv’s in ext rows

amenities in coach bathrooms

breakfast (item on right is cereal)

9V-SWS

United is in the process of replacing the First Class Seats on their international 777 fleet.  They have already done so on their 767′s and 747′s.  I flew from Denver to Chicago on a 777 equipped with the “old” seats.  But that’s not an international route Mangi!  No it’s not, but the flight was to Amsterdam with a stop at ORD.  That’s not why United flew this aircraft from DEN to ORD though.  More than likely they were re-positioning the aircraft for some other flight because a change of aircraft was required for those travelling onward to Amsterdam.

Anyway, I told myself this post would be United First Class Seats in photos only and I have already written 106 words.   The First Class seats were more than adequate for a 2 hour flight BUT they are worn out and being replaced with this.  Here are the seats (and lunch) in pictures. Denver to Chicago on “Spirit of United” N225UA

good chicken sandwich (everything is good with that much cheese)

warm cookie

Here are a few shots from my layover yesterday at JFK. The angles from the Delta terminal were tough and the sun was doing weired things. Plus, I’m not much of a photographer. Anyway, these are the best of about 100.

I’m at Denver now, awaiting 777 service to ORD. Had an impressive breakfast coming over from SFO. I will post pictures of that flight soon. Help me decide who to fly next by voting on the right. Thanks y’all!

A short ride from where I now live… Miami International Airport. There is certainly something magical about this place. There are airlines representing so many far away places. Places that seemingly have nothing in common except crossing paths at MIA. Some of the places aren’t even that far away, but may as well be on the other side of the world. Miami International is Caribbean meets Europe meets South & Central America… with some New York City on top. Every time I am at MIA I see an airline I have never seen before. It’s one of my favorites. These photos were take yesterday.

It’s that time of year.  The time to think about what happened in 2010, both the planned and the unexpected, and to ponder what might take place in the upcoming 365 days.  I don’t stand a chance of telling you about the latter, but I will share some insight into the former as it relates to Planereality.com

You may have noticed that I am not and expert at writing or photography.   Or blogging for that matter.  I don’t even know what blogging really means.   Anyway, there are 101 statistics that are supposed to help one evaluate whether their blog is doing what it is intended to do.

As a summation of 2010, I thought I would share one of Planereality’s statistics: Which posts are people reading and, of course, which posts are not read very much. Why? Because you may have missed a topic you are interested in. (And to generate more traffic!)

A friend once said to me: “I can’t wait until 2009″
I said: “Why?”
He said: “Odd numbered years are always better for me”

Whatever your strategy or thoughts are today,  I wish you a happy, healthy and properous 2011.  Thank you for coming by Planereality. Happy New Year!
Cheers.

posts that recieved the most traffic in 2010

Delta’s Lie Flat (Not Angled) Seats

The Lufthansa A380 trip to Tokyo

Delta’s Angled Lie Flat Seats

United’s “Old” 777 Business Class

United 747 Business Class Seating

posts not read as much

Asiana Airlines Business Class: Taipei to Seoul

Air France A380 Innagural Back to Paris

Virgin Atlantic Upper Class: Kingston to London

ANA Business Class: Tokyo to JFK

Etihad Economy Class to Manila