The incident unfolded after Sir Bob, who was seated in an exit row, refused to say "yes" when asked if he could open the exit in an emergency, a witness told NZME. News Service.
In his column, the former rich lister said he had travelled for more than half a century all over the world, "but no airline, not even in the worst Soviet Union days, matches the infantile nappy-statism of an Auckland-Wellington Air New Zealand flight".
"The incessant and unnecessary hostess babble over the intercom, the utterly childish and pointless screeching safety video, the absurd seat-by-seat check that we're an inch or two upright at exactly 20 minutes before landing, and worst of all, the 'this is your captain speaking'."
He said his long ordered twin-engine Cessna Citation Mustang jet - believed to be valued between $2 million and $2.5 million - finally arrived from abroad last week.
"Oh glory; my self-respect finally regained. No unnecessary 20 minute x-rays queues, no holding pens and more queues to board, no sitting around for five minutes after landing before the doors are opened, nor long baggage waits amidst the sun-glasses topped cell-phone bawlers."
Instead, he drove to the Wellington hangar, threw his bags on board and flew away. The return was equally satisfying.
"We landed and taxied straight into our hangar where my car awaited. Two horrific hours saved."
And he had this advice for Air New Zealand management, whose mindset was "still in the 1970s".
"Auckland-Wellington is simply a commuter flight. There's no need of the palaver, the x-ray queues, the intercom earbashing, the tea and coffee and so on. Just have one uniformed hefty bloke to deal with improbable events and leave the passengers alone."
