Flying from Auckland to Cairns with Air New Zealand

An Air New Zealand Airbus A320. Photo / Ngaire Ackerley

Ngaire Ackerley flies NZ775 from New Zealand to Queensland

The plane: Airbus A320.

Class: Economy.

My seat: 26F, a window seat at the rear of the plane. For a small compact person such as I, it was perfectly fine with plenty of beautiful views out the window as we flew over the Great Barrier Reef.

Price: A cool $625 for Seat + Bag.

On time: It was in the air about 10 minutes after the departure time, which is pretty good. The flight time was less than expected, so we flew in just on time.

How full: Almost entirely full. It wasn't a big plane, with just 28 rows.

Fellow passengers: Besides the odd screaming child it was pretty standard. I was initially sat next to a mother and daughter who enjoyed a few too many selfies. However, halfway through when I asked to get out they moved over to the other side of the plane next to the son. So that left me with three seats to myself! I spotted a few of the air hostesses in the last row enjoying a bit of Graham Norton while munching on their breakfast, but otherwise the flight had very few seats free.

Entertainment: I opted for the Seat + Bag option which meant no entertainment or food.

However, after checking in my earphones, choosing the Works option would have been a good idea. The movies available were pretty recent releases with the likes of Lion, La La Land, Moana and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story being pretty good picks.

I, on the other hand, enjoyed finishing the book on my kindle and writing a few blog posts.

Service: Very friendly, as always with Air New Zealand. Offered me iced water a few times and tea when they did their beverages rounds.

Food and drink: Again I missed out due to my ticket type. Breakfast offerings for Works customers included hotcakes or a ham and cheese frittata with roast potatoes and tomato relish. Both sounded a lot better than they looked... I enjoyed my airport-bought chicken, brie and cranberry sandwich instead.

Toilets: Compact, clean and tidy. Always a good thing on a plane. Two at the rear of the plane and not too busy.

Airport experience: Auckland International Airport is pretty standard, clean and early on Easter Saturday morning it wasn't too busy. The food and shops past security feel a bit limited compared to some of the bigger airports around the world, but there is always a good flat white to be had.

Would I fly it again? Sure, but I'd probably take the Works option to enjoy a movie or two, and hope for no screaming babies on the flight.