Air New Zealand (NZ), the country’s national carrier, operates from was founded in 1940 as Tasman Empire Airways Limited or TEAL. It is a member of the Star Alliance. The airline operates from hubs like Auckland Airport (AKL), Wellington International Airport (WLG), and Christchurch International Airport (CHC). It also ties up with other regional subsidiaries like Air Nelson, Eagle Airways, and Mount Cook Airline and flies to 52 destinations, including 26 international ones in 15 countries including Europe, North America, Asia, and Oceania. Apart from this It also has Codeshare with more than 20 different carriers which enable passengers to transfer and use their frequent flyer points with other airlines at Air New Zealand. Air New Zealand operates in 4 classes namely: Business Class, Premium Economy, Economy SkyCouch, and Economy Class, however, all classes are not available in all aircraft.
Air New Zealand targets heavily the Australian’s connecting to long-haul networks.
Flying Air New Zealand’s Business Class, often dubbed as ‘Business Premier’, on routes like Australia to New Zealand, The US, South America, and Asia makes sense as it has wide options of using frequent flights membership programs on Air NZ flights besides having some decent paid fares of the Business Class.
Business Premier is available on all Boeings operated by Air New Zealand like 777-200, 777-300, and the long haul services of 787-9.
Features of Business Class flying in Air New Zealand:
With Air New Zealand Business Premier fares, you will get:
- A lie-flat leather armchair
- Free standard seat select
- You can carry 2 pieces of carry-on baggage each up to 7 Kg
- 3 x 23kg on long-haul flights
- Premium check-in
- Courtesy lounge – Star Alliance Lounge and International Lounges worldwide
- In-flight entertainment
- Complimentary meal and drinks from our Business Premier menu
- A higher Airpoints Dollars™ and Status Points earn rate^
- Chauffeur service and valet parking facilities
Sleep on an indulgent memory foam mattress for a comfortable retreat:
In Business Premier, you’ll enjoy a super soft leather seat that can be converted into a lie-flat bed (all have direct access to the aisle), two full-size pillows, and a soft duvet. The ottoman footrest offers an extension to relax your feet on which can double up as guest seating. All these flatbeds have access to the aisle.
The soft chalk-colored leather draped luxurious armchair is 22″ wide that can be converted into a 6’7.5″ bed.
There is a large table for dual dining which is adjustable to allow access to the aisle while in use. The 12.1” touchscreen folds out from the back of the seat ahead of you. On-demand entertainment option is available on a Personal 12.1” touchscreen along with noise-canceling headphones.
In a 777-200ER and -300ER’s setup, both have a herringbone 1-2-1 configuration which squeezes in an extra seat into the center. On the narrower 787, the configuration is kept at 1-1-1 with 18 or 27 Business seats depending on the version of the aircraft.
However, a slight drawback with the window seats on both sides is that these are angled toward the center of the cabin instead of being window facing which doesn’t make for an ideal design and also hampers privacy to an extent.
Seat Distribution:
Boeing 777-300 and the 777-200ER aircraft seat plan
| Class | Configuration | Seat pitch |
| Business Premier | Rows 1-14 (44 Seats)
777-200ER (26) |
Full Flatbed |
| Premium Economy | Rows 23-30 (54 Seats)
777-200ER (40) |
41 – 42” |
| Economy | Rows 34 to 60 (244 Seats)
777-200ER (246) |
32-33” |
| Economy Skycoutch | Rows 37 to 46 (6 Seats) | 33” |
Food & Wine from the choicest selection:
Air NZ serves some authentic New Zealand food that has a full-bodied flavor. Food choices although limited contains a selection of starters like Tea smoked salmon with harissa, Mains include dishes like Salmon dusted with New Zealand lemon kelp or Masala rubbed chicken breast, spiced rice with cauliflower, green beans, and aubergine pickle, Desserts include lemon shortcake ice cream with meringues or a selection of fine New Zealand cheese. There are other options available like Mid-flight snacks, Wake-up drinks, offerings from the bakery and from the stove.
How to travel cheap in a Business Class via Air New Zealand (NZ):
Redeeming points for Business Class offers more value while traveling via Air New Zealand (NZ), The main currencies that travelers can use for Air NZ flights are the Velocity Points and the KrisFlyer Miles.
Here what’s required points-wise for a one-way flight in Business Class to Auckland:
| Origin | KrisFlyer miles | Velocity points | Velocity points transferred to KrisFlyer |
| Sydney/Melbourne/Brisbane/Adelaide/Cairns | 17,500 | 35,500 | 23,625 |
| Perth | 17,500 | 49,500 | 23,625 |
- Velocity members are not able to redeem points on the Pacific and The Americas route.
- Trans-Tasman, flights to Asia, and domestic NZ are the only ones eligible for Velocity redemption options.
Along with some decently paid fares in Business Class and Velocity points to exchange Air New Zealand makes a good choice.
However, the seats are its weakest point along with a limited menu. It is a little too narrow and you got to twist yourself in one direction to sleep. Proper relaxation needs comfortable stretching of feet but here also the downside is that there’s isn’t much room for the feet, which can get knocked by people passing by the aisle.
Flight deals & Cheap Business Class Tickets on Air New Zealand:
Together with Singapore Airlines and SilkAir, Air New Zealand is one of the most connected airlines between the USA and New Zealand. There are other Hot deals from Air New Zealand via the Business class.
From Sydney to Wellington and Christchurch it’s just nearly $ 355 & $ 377 respectively, Auckland and Queenstown are priced at $ 436 whereas a round trip to San Francisco, Los Angeles $ 1,249 and $ 1,139 respectively.