An Air New Zealand Boeing 767 over Auckland. Photo / Supplied
Shandelle Battersby flies Air New Zealand NZ245 from Auckland to Denpasar, Bali.
The plane: A Boeing 767-300.
Class: Economy.
Price: Air New Zealand flies this route non-stop until October 10, with one-way Economy fares starting from $619. Not having to go via Australia on the way maximises your holiday time on the ground and avoids transit time.
Flight time: To Bali: 9hr 30min; back to Auckland: 7hr 45min.
On time? I spent a few days before leaving worried about the volcanic ash cloud that's been disrupting flights in the region, but we had no worries.
We were a few minutes' late leaving but made up time en route. Island time, no worries. Getting through Customs at Ngurah Rai International Airport, Denpasar, takes a while despite the fact Kiwis don't need to buy an entry visa on arrival anymore. It's also worth noting that you no longer have to pay departure tax - it's now included in all tickets bought after February.
My seat: 36E, the centre in a 2-3-2 combo at the back. When I checked in online the night before this was the only available seat, but it transpired that there was an empty seat in my row. Same deal on the way back. This is a reasonably short flight for us Kiwis, but it's still a bonus to catch a bit of shut-eye thanks to some extra room.
How full? Not as full as the online check-in indicated (see above) but still pretty chocka.
Entertainment: I got to see three films I'd been wanting to catch, two of which featured in the New Zealand International Film Festival (Banksy Does New York and Inherent Vice), and the Kurt Cobain documentary, plus a couple of episodes of Better Call Saul.
The service: Friendly and familiar.
Food and drink: I had a tasty beef casserole with mashed potato and peas, potato salad, Kapiti icecream and Egmont cheese and crackers for dinner, and a ham and cheese toastie, Pandoro slice and fruit salad for supper before the 10pm landing.
Toilets: Standard, with Antipodes hand wash.
Luggage: A max of 23kg in the hold, 7kg cabin baggage.
Airport experience: Easy both ends. Ngurah Rai International Airport is pretty luxury, with high-end shops and pretty good food options, including a Hard Rock Cafe.
Would I fly this again? The older I get, the more I favour direct flights - it makes the experience a lot less painful.
The writer travelled courtesy of Air New Zealand.
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