Jennifer Lawrence, in Red Sparrow. Photo / Supplied
Joshua Price flies from Auckland to Doha on Qatar Airways.
Plane: Boeing 777-200.
Seat: Economy 22K, an emergency exit row seat, next to the toilets.
Flight time: 17h 8m
How full? Two thirds. Plenty of spare seats, I shared a row with a young Kiwi woman and we used the middle seat as a place to keep our blankets, pillows and electronics when we weren't using them.
Food and drink: Pretty good. I had the slow-cooked chicken in a barbecue sauce for dinner, which when mixed with the rice went down really well; shame the mixed veges were cold by the time I got them. A solid start. We were then delivered a delicious snack box, including a great cheese-and-cracker number and a bag full of kalamata olives, which went down well with the Heinekens, delivered two at a time. Ask for one beer get two, ask for two, get four — I didn't try to take it any further. For breakfast I had the vanilla pancakes, which I didn't finish as they resembled slosh, however the bun and cream cheese that came with them were very tasty.
Service: Apart from the over-eagerness to serve me beer, it was great. Always happy to help and fetch an extra water. I was also delivered a tea when I didn't order one, but I enjoyed it anyway.
Entertainment: It had an okay selection. They really try to sell you on Star Wars, but otherwise the movie options were films you would consider watching but never go to the movies to see, such as Red Sparrow, Jumanji (the new one), and Game Night.
Toilets: Fared well considering they endured 17 hours of straight use, although rubbish bins began to overflow well before they were emptied.
Final word: As a nearly 2m-tall person, I was dreading the longest commercial flight in the world, but the flight was far more pleasant and comfortable than I could have hoped for — still glad I got emergency exit row.
