I fly economy.  Because of the economic condition of my wallet, the only flying option that I got for both domestic and international flights is to go economy class.

I have flown quite a number of airlines from the coolest to the most senseless.  And my recent Air New Zealand (ANZ) experience seem to stand out among all these air travel providers.  It came as a big surprise actually.  Except for the pre-flight safety video, I never expected this airline to possess and feature high standard facilities and services.

lighting before the take-off

lighting during the flight prior to dinner service

lighting prior to bfast service

My recent flight from Auckland to Singapore was something to remember.  I need not encounter a lifesaving scene nor a bizarre experience nor an out-of-the-ordinary circumstance for me to get impressed with the quality of service and facilities of this airline.  The simple features are the ones that really impresses me.

The airline food was superb for one.  As compared to the nightmarish quality of food chomps that other airline serves, ANZ (for me) was above average.  I particularly loved the Kapiti Premium Ice Cream.  It was so delicious I asked the crew for another cup.

Aside from the above average meals, the airline serves generous amounts of tasty New Zealand premium red and white wines.  Flights crews would walk the aisle with large bottles of wines ready to fill passengers’ thirsty cups.

Another simple surprise by ANZ are their cleverly designed cabins and seat-space.  The actual height and look of the cabin makes you feel like being in a very big airplane.  The leg space in particular was indeed very good.  I for one who possess rather long legs would usually have difficulty fitting in a rather small space but not with Air New Zealand.

awesome… this kept me from not reading my book

Another plus in my being captivated by this airline was their inflight entertainment system.  The high definition touch screen was simply stunning for every passenger who enjoys viewing movies and TV programs or simply playing games during long haul flights.  I discovered that it has a feature called “seat chat” where you get to send instant messages to your friend and family seated in another row.  And everything seem to be in that small high definition screen: from turning on your reading light, to good music and even on the need to talk to an airline crew.

And lastly are the flight crews.  I hate it when crews on board are too chatty or too snobbish.  My ANZ flight just had the average cool dudes and dudettes as flight attendants.  They were simply friendly, helpful and thorough, which for me was a big plus.

I was in economy class during my ANZ flight, but it felt more than the usual economy.  ANZ was such a big surprise.  I was impressed!

Pang mayaman…