Air New Zealand Seats

Interesting. I suppose it would, of course, depend on how different airlines configure their cabins.
I was on SIA and I think what made an impression on me was the u-shape of the lower deck I was on, giving a lot more headroom than normal. That, and the quietness made for a very comfortable aircraft indeed.

IAnd, one doesn’t have to pay extra to benefit from the A380’s vastly more spacious and quiet economy cabin.

It’s amazing how folk’s perception of the same thing can be so different.

My friends recently took a few A380 flights and 3 out of the 4 of them cannot honestly say they noticed anything different in space or comfort from any other new widebody they had been on in the last few years. They’re fans of aviation too and one of them lurks here. The odd out out was the Airbus fan boy… we generally don’t listen to him in such assessments. 😀

In all the long-haul flights I take, I must admit (somewhat guiltily, because I am a New Zealander) that I have never flown ANZ. It is primarily because I try to fly the A380 where possible on the grounds that anything that makes long-haul flying a little more tolerable has to be made full use of. And, one doesn’t have to pay extra to benefit from the A380’s vastly more spacious and quiet economy cabin.
My problem with ANZ’s sky couch seats is that I might be forced to share a cabin with couples who are getting a little too close, forgetting because of their cosy seats that they are in a public place. That said, I admire ANZ for having the proverbials to bring out these new products and wish them well.
As for BA, I generally find them ok but their aircraft look very tired to my eyes. Even the B777-200 I was on two weeks ago looked like it had seen better days.

The one thing that I have admired the most about NZ is that they come across as a far more “forward-thinking” and, in my opinon, are more “in tune” with the needs of their customer.
……………….

BA/QF are far more focused on protecting their “legacy” and their bottom line, so much so that the customer does in fact suffer.
………….

Your usual anti-BA bias aside, you must take into account that ANZ is much smaller than BA. Not sure about QF.
BA is also just beginning a fleet modernisation, ANZ are well into it.

BA operates more 747s alone than all of ANZ longhaul fleet put together.

The bigger the fleet, the more foibles there are and the harder it is to make each cabin product consistent.
I’ve flown BA and have no complaints.
On my LHR-ATL leg, my PTV screen was broken. The FA’s genuinely tried their best to sort it out by restarting the entire system 4 times, checking power connections, etc. I asked them to stop after the 4th restart, as I was beginning to feel guilty by inconveniencing everyone else.

One FA sat beside me for a while, talked to me, asked me if I wanted to move, if there was anything else they could do for me. I cannot fault this service. I felt I mattered to them.

I’ve spoken to others in waiting lounges and they all have similar stories of kind, attentive crew.
I just don’t know why you are so anti-BA.

I don’t give two hoots about what the service is like in First or Business class. They could have swimming pools, double beds, showers, bathtubs, big vats of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream and I would not care. Why? Because unless I win the lottery, I’m never going to sit in those cabins. It doesn’t affect me in the slightest. I rate airlines on the only product I know, Economy class. So far, BA are level pegged with Continental at the top of the list.

Each airline has a kink in it’s chain. ANZ are no different. Their premium seating is all well and good, but if you sit in Y in ANZ, the experience is, from many accounts, much different. Their Y seats have short legroom and are very narrow. (They squeeze in 10 abreast on their 777s).

Well I recently had the pleasure of travelling in the All Blacks B777, and was in business class, and all I can say is it was FANTASTIC!

I’ve traveled in business on Qantas, United, Singapore etc, and they pale in comparison to the Air New Zealand product.

They certainly got it right this time!

The one thing that I have admired the most about NZ is that they come across as a far more “forward-thinking” and, in my opinon, are more “in tune” with the needs of their customer.

They are more willing to take substantial risks by rolling out a new type of seat, or they are simply more innovative when it comes to trying new ideas that can not only help increase their revenue, but more importantly something that really does improve the comfort of their customers when travelling.

And it seems to have paid off…seeing as they recently won “Best Premium Economy Class Airline” title at the 2011 World Airline Awards.

BA/QF are far more focused on protecting their “legacy” and their bottom line, so much so that the customer does in fact suffer.

If I was in the same situation as you have found yourself to be in, I would choose NZ over BA/QF in an instant…why, simply because they make it far more appealing to want to fly with them than what BA/QF do, but also because I would love to travel on their newly delivered “All-Black” 777-300 aircraft!

Your loss. I hear that the seats have had great feedback from those that have flown on them and that they are selling well.

Another thing you “shan’t” be experiencing by flying with BA/QF, is the excellent level of service that ANZ offers throughout the journey.

Enjoy your flight!