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Up up and away - well no, not really
Feb. 9th, 2011 01:55 pmAir New Zealand have been showing off their new 777-300ER by landing one at Wellington. There has been some other hoopla about. I'm interested because should I want to make a long haul flight next year (say) then this is the type of plane it would most likely be in.
But the reality is very different from the hype. Last year, I took a flight from Melbourne to Auckland in the current 777-200 planes. I took the time to judge whether I could survive a longer flight and the answer was "yes - just". It wouldn't be pleasant, but I would probably survive it.
Now read this article in the NZ Herald. Finally a travel writer who is prepared to call it how it really is. Also have a read of the comments. The shiny new plane will be much more cramped in economy class - absolute torture to the tall and the wide. I can possibly do something about the wide but it is the claustrophobic distance between seat rows and the greater rake of the seats to compensate which is really confronting. To judge by the comments this is also true in premium economy. I can't do anything about the tall. Except perhaps start introducing cadmium into my diet - perhaps a smidge drastic.
There is still hope - other airlines (although Air NZ is a "premium" airline - I don't want to contemplate a "budget" one) or even better a sudden infusion of money to allow me to fly business class. But I am getting the feeling that I'll never leave Australasia again.
ETA: And if that wasn't bad enough: cellphones on short haul flights!
But the reality is very different from the hype. Last year, I took a flight from Melbourne to Auckland in the current 777-200 planes. I took the time to judge whether I could survive a longer flight and the answer was "yes - just". It wouldn't be pleasant, but I would probably survive it.
Now read this article in the NZ Herald. Finally a travel writer who is prepared to call it how it really is. Also have a read of the comments. The shiny new plane will be much more cramped in economy class - absolute torture to the tall and the wide. I can possibly do something about the wide but it is the claustrophobic distance between seat rows and the greater rake of the seats to compensate which is really confronting. To judge by the comments this is also true in premium economy. I can't do anything about the tall. Except perhaps start introducing cadmium into my diet - perhaps a smidge drastic.
There is still hope - other airlines (although Air NZ is a "premium" airline - I don't want to contemplate a "budget" one) or even better a sudden infusion of money to allow me to fly business class. But I am getting the feeling that I'll never leave Australasia again.
ETA: And if that wasn't bad enough: cellphones on short haul flights!