Flight check: Wellington to Tauranga on Air NZ

Air New Zealand's Bombardier Q300. Photo / Supplied

Adrian Schofield flies NZ8566 from Wellington to Tauranga.

The plane: One of Air New Zealand's 23 Bombardier Q300 turboprops, the workhorses of the regional fleet. These will be the airline's smallest aircraft once its Beechcraft 1900Ds are retired.

Class: Only one class in the turboprops, so business travellers, politicians and the commoners all get to rub shoulders.

Price: This flight was provided by Air New Zealand for me to cover an airline event. A quick check online revealed a one-way fare of $154 (with carry-on bags only) two weeks in advance, and with 14-21 days notice the prices would have been $79-$154, depending on the day. There is also a $4 card payment fee.

On time: About 10 minutes late, with a flight time of approximately an hour.

Seat: 12B - I always go for the aisle. The seat had plenty of legroom.

Fellow passengers: Seemed to be predominantly families and other leisure travellers on this midday flight. I assume morning and evening flights on this route would feature more business travellers.

How full: Just a couple of empty seats.

Entertainment: On these short hops, it's whatever you bring on board or can see out the window. Although the flight attendant did have books on hand for kids.

The service: One flight attendant, who was kept pretty busy. I always find the service refreshingly pleasant and informal on the regional routes. And I love the fact that the crew will hang up your jacket or garment bag, even on the smallest turboprops. This is certainly not always the case when you fly on domestic routes in other countries, even on larger aircraft.

Food and drink: A biscuit and a hot drink, also water. And of course, the good old lolly basket before landing. I can never figure out why more airlines don't do this - such a great idea, for kids in particular.

The toilets: No idea. Nobody used them on this flight. I would not be surprised if some of the turboprops went days without the toilets being used.

Luggage: One carry-on that may have strained the 7kg limit, and one garment bag.

Airport experience: I checked in online and pulled up a boarding pass on my smartphone, so the airport was a breeze. I was surprised that only a few of the passengers on my flight did this, even though most seemed to be using smartphones. There is no passenger screening for regional flights, so you just walk straight through without taking out your laptop or liquids. The process is so much more relaxing without the security line - amazing to think it used to be like that for all flights. It was nice that the gate seating area was so close to the aircraft, compared to the longer walk at Auckland's regional gates.

Would I fly it again?: Yep, the regional routes are my favourites. It really is a different flying experience, where you feel much closer to the action. And it sure beats driving.