The latest in business class: Airlines with new aircrafts

Air New Zealand

We kicked off this series with Qatar Airways’ business class on its new Airbus A380, and now continue with Air New Zealand’s business class on its newly acquired Dreamliner 787-9.

It was a world first for Air New Zealand, being the first airline to take delivery of the stretched version of this revolutionary aircraft back in July. It was four years delayed but as you will see in the following, it was well worth the wait.

The Seat

Air New Zealand have named their business class ‘Business Premier’ and has much the same look as the seats on its flagship Boeing 777-300 jets. The 787-9 is a the larger edition of the 787-8 and is about six metres longer and can hold 40 more passengers – in the premium cabins this can only mean one thing – more space.

There are 18 seats in Business Premier with a 1-1-1 layout, which means every seat has direct aisle access. It also means no seat mate but if you do have a travel companion the ottoman feature allows for 2-person dining or socialising. The seats are upholstered in fresh, white ‘chalk’ coloured soft leather and fold out to a fully flat bed with separate ‘memory foam’ mattress, full sized pillows and duvet are also provided. The cabin crew transform the seat into a bed when you are ready to sleep.

Passengers can get a good night’s (or day’s) rest in the spacious seat which boasts 22 inches of width, 33 inches of shoulder room, and plenty of leg room at 79 inches when folded out into the bed position.

IFE

Although the 11 inch screen is standard in all Business Premier, the new inflight entertainment system is a custom system adapted from the Panasonic eX2 product with an ‘app-based design’ that functions similarly to a smartphone or tablet. Air New Zealand has also partnered with Tripadvisor to bring passengers all the information they could possibly need on the destination the flight is heading to.

But the most impressive feature of the new system perhaps is the crew call button. It not only allows you to call a member of the crew, but also specify what you need. You can ask for a glass of water or arrival documents, or ask a question (or simply just chat!) using the chat system. The food and beverage menu is also available and passengers can order directly from it…

Food and beverage

Which brings us to the food and beverage offerings. In keeping with its Kiwi roots, the airline has employed well-known top chef Peter Gordon who is New Zealand born but London-based. Passengers can enjoy fusion food which Gordon is famous for such as Sumac salmon salad for a starter, Hapuka fish filets poached in ginger and saffron served with noodles and minted peas for a main dish, and a passionfruit lemon curd and nectarine muscavado ice-cream to round off a satisfying meal.

A panel of wine experts are also called upon to carefully choose the selection of wines for Air New Zealand. Such judges include John Belsham from Foxes Island Wines and Jim Harre a judge from International Wine Show.

The aircraft

There are many features found on a stretched Dreamliner that can be found on no other aircraft types. This ‘game changing’ air frame is a firm option for ANZ not only because it can fit more passengers but also because it can operate with 20% less fuel than other similar sized aircrafts and offers unique design features such as larger, dimmable windows replacing the standard window shades, and in-cabin LED lighting. It also has a greater range of 8,000 to 8,500 nautical miles compared to the 7,650 to 8,200 range of its predecessor the 787-8.

The aircraft has also been designed to draw fresh air from outside which, together with lower cabin pressure, results in a more humid environment. The idea being that the increased humidity could help reduce jet lag.

Air New Zealand’s Dreamliner delivery flight was from straight out of the Boeing factory in Seattle to Auckland in July, and the first regular service route was from Auckland to Perth this month, with Shanghai and Tokyo to follow before the year’s end. The carrier hopes to have 10 Dreamliner 787-9s in service by 2017.