Air New Zealand review by Sue 2014-01-06

1 August 2013 we flew from Auckland to San Francisco, paying the extra for premium economy comfort. We were shocked to discover on climbing the stairs to the upper level that the plane was a dinosaur. In the PE section the seats were 2 and 3 across, and fortunately we were 2. The seating was very old style with a totally useless footrest. My seat was lumpy and extremely uncomfortable, and gave me pain in my coccyx before too long. There was no room for items we wanted to use during the flight, except on the floor. We finally located the sockets for USB to use our gadgets with power - they did not work. We asked a steward about it, and she muttered something about checking it, but nothing happened. She just didn't care, but was perfectly happy to chat with passengers opposite for hours. The A/V sound system was likewise a dinosaur - it had the old style of remote that only worked (reluctantly) by pressing buttons to go up, down or sideways. Sleep was impossible because of the discomfort, so I battled the video system and watched a lot of films. The entertainment choices were actually pretty good. I don't remember the food and drinks, only that the menus have improved since I last flew regularly with Air NZ. Or maybe it was just the PE food was better. I have flown Air NZ many times, having once lived there for 16 years. But at a time when other airlines are working hard to make flying a positive experience for its passengers in all classes, Air NZ clearly has a lot to learn. If they must use these terrible old planes, at least bring out the better ones for the long haul flights. EDITORS COMMENT: It won't be long before the last two remaining 747's in their fleet are retired and replaced with the impressive 777's.