Cry Freedom as you pack your own fun

With Freedom Air ready to take off from Auckland next week, VICTORIA BARTLE test-flies the airline across the Tasman and finds the no-frills option a winner.

It was a natural reaction. Everyone did it, eyes drifting right as they joined the queue inside the airport's glass corridor. There she was - the only aeroplane sitting on the tarmac at Hamilton.

"You reckon we'll get across the Tasman in that?" one passenger whispered to her travel companion. "It just looks kind of, well - small."

Someone else confessed to having the same thought but she was grinning and no one seemed genuinely concerned.

It's all a matter of what you're used to. When you've had your share of 747s and 767s, of course a 737 appears rather economy-sized. It's like watching a big-screen television all weekend, then going home to your 14-inch model. Doesn't mean the big one works any better.

Six-year-old Freedom Air's planes might be dwarfed by the king-size models used by its owner Air New Zealand, but that's exactly what this airline is all about.

Call it a budget airline and you'll be politely set straight: "Budget implies we scrimp on everything, even safety, which of course, we absolutely do not. We prefer to be described as value-based. It's about passengers getting value for money."

Boarding a Freedom aircraft for Australia is reminiscent of popping down to Wellington - three seats either side of one aisle for a total of 142 passengers.

The difference in travel time between a 737 and a 747 is little more than 10 minutes, and getting out the gate is a much faster process for a plane that needs to load only 142 passengers and fire up two engines.

What Freedom Air's planes lack in size, the cabin crew of three, sometimes four, make up for with personality, which is a requirement at Freedom Air. Unlike their Air New Zealand cousins, Freedom Air's students must demonstrate how they would captivate an inflight audience.

They've passed muster with tricks like foot-aerobics, in-your-seat yoga, and even the art of origami. The crew are even cheerful on a rubbish collection trip along the aisle.

After all, ladies and gentleman, the cabin crew are the entertainment. Don't bother looking for that tiny socket where headphones plug in - there are none. No choice of glossy magazines. If you always have to sit tall to see the movie screen, there's no need - no movies, not even on-screen safety demonstrations or patriotic promos.

So, will you be bored? Not likely. Though tucking a good novel or magazine into your hand luggage is a must for a three to four-hour flight, part of the journey will be pure playtime.

The crew clearly relish competition, handing out paper serviettes on which passengers can scribble their answers to quiz questions, asked over the intercom.

There's a prize for the best poem, guessing the crew's ages, or you might be handed half-a-dozen iceblock sticks to construct the best aeroplane.

When you're trying to dream up a decent rhyme while shoulder-to-shoulder with a stranger who's trying to do exactly the same thing, it's likely you'll leave the aircraft knowing each other's names, jobs and probably the names and ages of each other's children.

On Freedom Air, with around 140 passengers and no class divisions, it would be a very stiff-upper-lip who remained unaffected by the holiday mood.

The prize pool includes the airline's logo T-shirts, baseball caps, tickets for wildlife and adventure parks or a $50 voucher towards another flight.

"We're unabashedly a leisure carrier," says Freedom Air's vice-president and general manager Wayne Dodge.

"It's no-frills flying, but the whole process is also low-stress because we're friendly and relaxed while still being professional."

While the airline ensures passengers realise there's no free lunch (those are the words on the ticket), don't assume there won't be any service.

Those who cannot go without food should pack their own snack supply (no personal alcohol supplies).

The tea, coffee and iced-water trolley is wheeled out on all transtasman flights - and it's free. Everything else, from doorstop-size cookies, chips and nuts to juice, fizzy water, beer, wine and spirits is for sale - nothing is more than $4.

While that's the extent of the airline's menu, you never know what's in the crew's cabin bags. Faced with a hopeful "You don't have Milo, do you?" one flight attendant disappeared to the rear of the plane, and triumphantly returned, handing a hotel sachet of Milo to the grateful passenger.

On the late-night return flight from Melbourne to Hamilton, one weary passenger found sleep elusive because of an armrest that refused to fold away.

Her seat was next to an emergency exit and one of the few with fixed armrests - a safety requirement. With less than 30 minutes to arrival, one of the crew delivered a rescue snack of tea and a chocolate biscuit from his personal supply.

Hamilton, Palmerston North and Dunedin are the three international airports used by Freedom Air, which flies to Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane with its fleet of four 737-300s. However, from next week, travellers can get to Coolangatta on the Gold Coast from Auckland, a destination it already services from Palmerston North and Hamilton. From December 15, Freedom Air starts a service to Newcastle in the Hunter Valley region. For now, these will be Freedom's only international destinations out of Auckland.

The value-based philosophy also means no air-point reward system or special airport lounges and travel is virtually ticketless. Booking on-line will cut another $6 off each seat booked.

Freedom Air says it strives to "always offer the most competitive prices". Although specials offered by other airlines can sometimes come close to matching its low fares, those deals often come with strings attached, involving travel dates, advance-booking requirements and accommodation packages.

But the other airlines are not usually in direct competition because they depart from different New Zealand cities. Auckland, Christchurch and Wellington are not Freedom's target market when transporting people to cities such as Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane.

If you're planning to visit Australia, and the departure port suits you, all you need do is ask yourself: "Am I much of a reader? Can I hold a conversation with a complete stranger? Am I much too grown-up for a little light-hearted silliness? Would I suffer withdrawal symptoms if I travelled without a block-buster movie and that tray laden with airline delicacies?"

Chances are, the journey will become one of your memorable holiday anecdotes, not just the means of getting there.

CASE NOTES


FREEDOM AIR PRICE COMPARISONS: To snag Freedom Air's absolute cheapest fares, you must book on-line.

The company recommends being first-in, first-served. Other fares can be booked through the reservation centre, freephone 0800 600 500.

From Auckland to the Gold Coast Airport in Coolangatta is $393, which includes a $6 discount for booking on-line, but does not apply during the summer high season. The same fare will apply to the new Auckland to Hunter Valley route.

Flying to Brisbane or Coolangatta from Hamilton or Palmerston North is priced from $473.

Air New Zealand flies to Brisbane (an 80-minute drive from Coolangatta) with standard economy return fares from Auckland starting at $599.

Cheapest Freedom Air adult return fare to Melbourne or Sydney is $453 departing from Hamilton or Palmerston North. From Dunedin, $473.

Air New Zealand return fares to Melbourne from Auckland start at $619 or to Sydney, from $599.

Air New Zealand regularly offers lower fares, and does offer a less-stringent refund policy than its valued-based airline.

Freedom Air