This flight happened only because the only SQ Saver redemption I was able to find not far from Auckland was Melbourne – and that I was able to cover the cost of my ticket with my Air New Zealand credits from my cancelled ticket one year ago.
NZ127 Auckland – Melbourne – (Business Premier)
- AKL 11:45 – MEL 13:45
- Flight time: 4 hours 0mins
- Aircraft: Boeing 787-9
- Seat – 3A
Price – I initially booked an Economy Flexi fare for SGD391 since it was only a 4hr flight, and placed an OneUp bid to Business Premier for SGD$230. But later months, my acquisition of the Ritz Carlton credit card was successful, and I decided to burn my 2025 USD$300 airline incidental credits on a direct upgrade to Business – I was quoted an additional SGD502 for this upgrade and I took it as it was greatly buffered by the RC card credits. YAY. I thought SGD100 out of pocket to try their infamous coffin seats was worth it.
Boarding – almost too orderly so much so I was the first to board – yay? It was probably because the flight was delayed by at least an hour and I was getting restless. So I managed to snag a photo of the cabin in its glorious purple hue.
Seat & Cabin – my seat 3A was easily covered at one glance. I mean…how much more is there, right?
There was the ottoman / buddy seat / leg rest which actually allowed plenty of leg space for a 1.6m height.
There were seat controls to the right of the seat, window angled to the back of your neck, and a small platform which my welcome drink of choice was laid on (bubbles!).
Even as I already kind of expected it, the complete lack of privacy is astonishing for 2026 and one has to really love looking at the top of people’s heads or their feet to not mind this product for long haul.
The IFE screen is also squished to the left of my seat and when swiveled out, provides what feels like a poor attempt to provide entertainment and positioning itself as an obstacle course during meal service.
I even had the time to try the seat in bed mode which was actually very comfy. But I could think differently for a long haul. The helpful crew offered to help me put it in bed mode and later passed me the blanket and bed cover.
Meals (Lunch Service)
Lunch was served on this day time flight and with no pre-order functions, everyone had to order from the in-flight selection. The crew went seat by seat to take orders before take off so peruse the menus early!
Soon after, food came in quick successions and it was actually very good food except for the fact that I forgot ‘fish pie’ meant alot of carbs Opps.
As for the drinks, its weird that Air New Zealand don’t have a wine list in Business Class and staff had to answer wine related questions as and when but when recommendations came, they were great. I had the most delicious white and red on this flight and I still remember how tasty they were!
In-Flight Entertainment (IFE) – there weren’t alot of great choices but I did manage to pick a brainless murder plot movie just for fun.
Service – great service all round from the friendly crew!
In Summary,
I feel sorry for the crew when great service is let down by subpar hardware but that’s the reality of things I suppose. At least now I can say I’ve tried Air New Zealand in a premium cabin.