Premium economy.
DURATION
13 hours and 10 minutes,a haul so long it gets a laugh from the pilot when he announces it. Our flight departs one hour late,but makes up most of it while crossing the Pacific.
FREQUENCY
Air New Zealand flies to Houston up to five times a week via Auckland from Sydney,Brisbane,Coolangatta,Melbourne,Adelaide,Perth and the Sunshine Coast.
CHECKING IN
I start the journey in Brisbane,where machines are not my friends. I have a stand-off with a frozen check-in kiosk,then a bag drop that won't read my bag tag. Luckily,the human staff are very friendly and sort these issues out in a flash. Immigration is a nightmare thanks to a mass passport control machine failure across Australia,meaning all passengers need to be processed manually,but this is no particular airline's fault.
THE SEAT
Seat 25E,in the middle of the middle of a full plane. Thanks to quiet neighbours,a 41 inch (104-centimetre) pitch giving me masses of legroom,a 23-centimetre recline (50 per cent more than economy) and an extendable footrest,I get comfortable quickly. The soft,49-centimetre-wide leather seat feels more armchair than airline seat,and Air New Zealand's short video explaining how your seat works helps save time and aggravation fiddling with levers.
BAGGAGE
Two check-in bags of 23 kilograms each. A decadent 14 kilograms of carry-on is also allowed for premium economy,spread over two bags of seven kilograms each,plus one small item.
COMFORT
Once my seat is fully reclined and my blanket is wrapped around me,I'm almost as snug as I would be in business. Turbulence gets severe about 90 minutes into the flight,but our pilot's relaxed explanation that we're"bumping across the tops of the clouds"helps soothe the nerves,as do a couple of glasses of that famed New Zealand pinot noir. I'm able to sleep for almost 10 hours. The feather pillow helps,as does the amenities kit which includes comfy blue socks and a nice,rich lip balm from Auckland-based company Ashley&Co.
ENTERTAINMENT
Air New Zealand's touch screen entertainment system has a very user-friendly design like a smartphone app. There's a great selection of high definition new releases includingA Star Is Born andBohemian Rhapsody,as well as arthouse films,classics,documentaries,TV box sets,video games and more. There are also nifty extras like Seat Chat,which lets you message friends and family onboard;Screen Share,so you can watch the same movie as the seat next to you at the same time;and Destinations,which includes guides,photos,videos and more about your destination.
SERVICE
Staff are efficient,helpful and not overly friendly,which suits me since I prefer minimal chit-chat. Sparkling wine is offered after take-off but in plastic cups – given we're in premium,it would be nice if they opted for glass. Staff are very forthcoming with the water,always appreciated on long-haul flights.
FOOD
My vegetarian meal starts with a healthy quinoa,black and green olive and pea salad,which I devour,with fresh garlic bread,followed by a chickpea stew with rice and boiled vegetables. Breakfast is fruit,granola,a chocolate muffin and yoghurt.
ONE MORE THING