Flying Business Class should definitely be one of the best experiences while traveling. However, it doesn't simply end there. Every airline has a unique product to offer premium passengers, and selecting them is a privilege for passengers traveling on a premium product. 

Usually, Asian carriers such as Korean Air, Thai Airways and Japan Airlines are considered one of the best airlines to fly business, while American carriers are not much desired when it comes to the overall experience. However, there is one other airline that you might like to avoid, and that airline is Air New Zealand, based in New Zealand in Oceania. Today we will be looking at why this business class leaves much to be desired.

An Aging Hard Product

First impressions are very important, and for a business class experience the hard product (mostly the seats) make up over 90% of that. Unfortunately for Air New Zealand, this is where they will lose the most points, right from the start. What is important is that this is their flagship product that they have to offer.

Air New Zealand uses herringbone seats for their business class products. These kind of seats were first introduced by Virgin Atlantic back in 2003, and it was at the time a significant breakthrough from all the angled lie flat seats and recliners. Soon a lot of airlines such as Air Canada started introducing similar products.

Just by looking at the photos, these seats might make it seem like a decent business class cabin. However, with close observation, it becomes pretty obvious that the seats are very narrow for a modern business class seat. This is not surprising, as the seats were designed more than two decades ago, in 2003.

By comparison, a modern business class seat offers much more room, as seen here in Korean Air's new business class product that debuted a month ago.

While the seats may be old, the screens seem to have had a nice update, as they were updated in 2016 or after. However, they are not very high definition, due to the Air New Zealand software itself being old and not updated.

What makes it worse is the fact that most of these seats were never updated after being introduced, meaning that old planes would probably have severe wear & tear. Still, there are good sides to this seat design too, as everyone gets aisle access and doesn't have to jump over other passengers to go to the lavatory.

The seat design has a striking resemblance to Virgin Atlantic's old Upper Class product, obviously due to being designed by Virgin Atlantic. However, Virgin Atlantic does offer a consistent and competent soft product, as opposed to Air New Zealand which we will cover right now.

The Service is Inconsistent, though Regarded as 'Good'

To start off, Air New Zealand does not offer wi-fi on board its flights, which is an issue for those that like working on the move. Then comes the food, where it is best described as 'above average' by reviewers. It does not offer consistently amazing food like Virgin Atlantic does.

However, other aspects such as amenities offered or general friendliness of crew are regarded as being good, so there still are upsides to Air New Zealand business class.

Why the Title Includes 'Awkward'

So the reader might be thinking, 'if this is all its wrong, with Virgin Atlantic also currently offering the same seat, what is so bad about it?'. The issue here is that this seat is Air New Zealand's flagship product, as opposed to Virgin Atlantic where they offer other better seats. For example, this is Virgin Atlantic's latest Upper Class product.

What makes it more awkward is that Air New Zealand is actually known for its creative ideas for long-haul travel. For example, Air New Zealand was the first airline to offer 'bed seats' in economy class, which gives economy passengers an affordable way to travel lie-flat.

Air New Zealand also introduced a new economy bed concept called "Skynest", which received very positive reaction.

So this raises the question: why does such an innovative airline that has a clear vision of passenger comfort, continue to neglect its premium passengers? If the airline cares so much about long-haul comfort, it seems like it should start renovating their business class cabins too.

Fortunately, Air New Zealand does have plans to renovate their current business class product, as they have announced the concept for their new cabins. These seats are to be installed on the new Boeing 787 Dreamliners that are planned for delivery later this year.

These seats, named “Business Premier Luxe,” are to be introduced in late 2024, along with a wholly new layout, pictured below. What is notable is that the Skynest mentioned above is also set to be on board the new Dreamliners.

Bottom Line

So yes, the current state of Air New Zealand, business class might not be a desirable product compared to others. Its narrow seats, wear and tear, and above average food might deter travelers and cause them to seek other available options. 

However, with the new aircraft to be introduced later this year with new products, Air New Zealand would be a great option for those planning travel to the Southern continent.