Air NZ's first domestic A321neo

[Antonio]

News Hub link:  www.newshub.co.nz/home/travel/2022/11/air-new-zealand-celebrates-arrival-of-its-first-domestic-airbus-a321neo.html

Air New Zealand celebrates arrival of its first domestic Airbus A321neo


Air New Zealand's first Airbus A321neo for domestic routes. Photo credit: supplied

The first of Air New Zealand's domestic-configurated Airbus A321neo aircraft touched down in Auckland late on Wednesday evening, the airline has announced.

It's the first of the aircraft joining the airline's fleet this year, with another five set to be introduced over the next few years.

The new plane arrived in the same week as Virgin Australia and Air Asia X returned to the Aotearoa market as the air travel industry's recovery from COVID-19 ramps up.

Air NZ's domestic A321neos will mainly fly on primary routes between Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Queenstown and Dunedin.
They can hold nearly 50 more passengers than the A320 aircraft on domestic flights, the airline said.

According to Simple Flying, Air NZ's domestic-configurated A321neos have 217 seats, which is three more than those configured for international flights.

The new Airbus aircraft travelled 19,352km to Auckland from Hamburg via Muscat, Kuala Lumpur and Cairns.

In just a few weeks, an Airbus A380 - the world's largest passenger airliner - returns to New Zealand as Emirates restarts its direct Auckland-Dubai route.

Air NZ's new aircraft is undergoing five days of pre-service readiness in Auckland before it commences its first flight on November 8, when it will fly Auckland to Wellington.

[johnnyfalcon]

...217 seats v 180(?) means a further 10 minutes of disembarking at destination 😉

[oj]

Still no jet service for Hamilton, lamented since the 1970's ...

[Dave Homewood]

Erm, I remember flying several times to and from Hamilton in the 1990's in jets (Boeing 737s)...

[aircraftclocks]

I flew in a jet from Hamilton in 1982. I was on my way to my recruit course, it was a B727.

[scrooge]

Re Hamilton.

Kiwi Travel Air Charters (July 1994-December 1994) which became Kiwi Travel International Airlines (December 1994-September 1996)

Freedom Air (Late 1995-March 2008) absorbed by AirNZ (March 2008-April 2009).

[flyinkiwi]

I flew Hamilton to Melbourne return on Freedom in 2007. The trip back was pretty cool because there was a Kapa Haka group coming back from Aussie and they led the whole cabin in a singalong. It felt more like a bus trip than an international flight.

[Dave Homewood]

We have not had jets on the national routes flying from Hamilton for a long time. Any idea what year they stopped flying on the HLZ-WGN and HLZ-CHC routes?

[flyinkiwi]

I remember flying HN to DN in turboprops in the early 90's so it must be the 1980s. Someone here will know for sure.

[Dave Homewood]

No, as I said I flew in the Air New Zealand 737's between Christchurch and Hamilton times in 737's in the early 1990s when I was based at Wigram and would come home to Cambridge on leave.

In fact they'd fly to Wellington and then you'd change to another 737 to Christchurch, and you would get a full meal served plus a tea or coffee service on each flight! Being in the RNZAF I got the ticket heavily discounted, which as nice to.

[camtech]

Hard one to pin down, Dave. B737 operations ceased in NZ 2015, but I'm sure Hamilton was off the schedule well before that. I see that B737s began operating into Hamilton in 1975.

[Dave Homewood]

We used to always hear the Boeing 737's taking off from the airport from here in Cambridge, they were pretty loud on the climb-out before they got hush kits fitted to the engines. After they got the hush kits the wind had to be in the right direction.

[kevsmith]

Freedom Air -anyone remember a photo of a B737 bogged at Melbourne Tullamarine when the guys cut the corner taxying at night and finished up on the grass and still stuck there the next day?

[oj]

"Hard one to pin down, Dave. B737 operations ceased in NZ 2015, but I'm sure Hamilton was off the schedule well before that. I see that B737s began operating into Hamilton in 1975."
Thanks guys. I too was referring only to the loss of domestic/national jet service to Hamilton ...

[nuuumannn]

What the article doesn't state is that A321s have been flying domestic routes for some time already, the difference is that the new aircraft do not have the same safety equipment requirements, as the existing fleet are configured for short-haul international routes. A 'Regional' configured A321, meaning short-haul international, rather than ATR and Dash territory as opposed to a 'Domestic' A321 as the newest one is, departing CHC for AKL.

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[Antonio]

Another view:

From: www.traveller.com.au/traveller-letters-i-was-excited-to-fly-on-the-new-a321neo-but-now-ill-try-to-avoid-it-h27qlp

Traveller Letters: I was excited to fly on the new A321Neo, but now I'll try to avoid it.


Air New Zealand's Airbus A321neo gets the thumbs-down from one Traveller reader.

IT'S A NO FOR NEO

"After recently heading home to New Zealand I was a bit excited to be flying on the brand new Air New Zealand A321Neo. The plane seats more than 200 passengers but it is a single aisle plane with 37 rows and only three (yes three) toilets. Both flights were delayed and the boarding process was tediously long. Fortunately I was in the front of the plane so managed to escape quickly at the other end but the poor passengers at the rear of the plane would have waited quite some time. While the service from Air New Zealand staff was excellent, one must wonder how they feel about this plane. I will avoid the NEO where possible for future trips home. If you are going to squeeze that many passengers into a plane, airlines need to consider getting them on and off efficiently."

[oj]

Presumably it meets the fire escape egress requirements if you punch out the emergency exits.
However, if there is any problem with some of them not opening (for a range of reasons) it could become interesting ...

[Dave Homewood]

I really have never understood why some people get so angry about a couple of extra waiting minutes to get off the plane that they've just happily spent many hours sitting in... especially when they still have to wait for their luggage when they get off anyway. Maybe these angry people are the dickheads who take full sized suitcases and put them into the overhead luggage bins.

[machina]

Nov 14, 2022 12:46:44 GMT 12 nuuumannn said:

What the article doesn't state is that A321s have been flying domestic routes for some time already

I’m fairly certain I was on one in April back from Queenstown to Auckland. The only other one I’d been on was a Norwegian Air one in 2017 and I was immediately reminded of how fast and smooth the take-off is.

[Calum]

Nov 14, 2022 19:10:31 GMT 12 Antonio said:

Another view:

From: www.traveller.com.au/traveller-letters-i-was-excited-to-fly-on-the-new-a321neo-but-now-ill-try-to-avoid-it-h27qlp

Traveller Letters: I was excited to fly on the new A321Neo, but now I'll try to avoid it.


Air New Zealand's Airbus A321neo gets the thumbs-down from one Traveller reader.

IT'S A NO FOR NEO

"After recently heading home to New Zealand I was a bit excited to be flying on the brand new Air New Zealand A321Neo. The plane seats more than 200 passengers but it is a single aisle plane with 37 rows and only three (yes three) toilets. Both flights were delayed and the boarding process was tediously long. Fortunately I was in the front of the plane so managed to escape quickly at the other end but the poor passengers at the rear of the plane would have waited quite some time. While the service from Air New Zealand staff was excellent, one must wonder how they feel about this plane. I will avoid the NEO where possible for future trips home. If you are going to squeeze that many passengers into a plane, airlines need to consider getting them on and off efficiently."

I flew on the Neo from SYD-AKL and back this year and was pleasantly surprised how roomy and comfortable the seats were. I think I was near the front but I don't recall it being any worse / better than embarking /disembarking on a similar sized aircraft.

Unless you're in the front, getting on and Off is always a faff regardless of the aircraft type and size.. It's just a feature of air travel