Air New Zealand ZK-OJO NZ898 MEL - CHC | 2018 Photos and Videos

hkore · Wed Sep 26, 2018 2:29 pm

Air New Zealand ZK-OJO NZ898 Melbourne - Christchurch

Flight details:

Airlines: Air New Zealand
Flight No: NZ898 MEL - CHC
Reg: ZK-OJO
Aircraft: Airbus A320-232
Departure Melbourne Terminal 2 Gate 6A: 09:15 AEST
Arrival Christchurch Int'l Terminal Gate 28 : 14:24 NZST
Flight time: 3 hours 09 minutes
Distance: 2,508 km

Full trip video: Air New Zealand ZK-OJO NZ898 Melbourne - Christchurch

Do watch and experience the trip.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bbh50YhsxVo

Introduction

This trip report covers flight to New Zealand in 2018. Had booked the flight few months ago.

Arriving at Airport

Drove on the Tullamarine Freeway to airport. Being a weekday, started early to avoid the traffic. Parked car at Long Term Parking and took shuttle bus to terminal 2.

Long Term Parking

Check-in

After reaching the departure area, checked the flight check-in counter.

Check-in area

Check-in Counter J

Had already check-in the flight before arriving at the airport. Baggage was drop was through self check kiosk.

Had to scan passport, answer question regarding content and dangerous good. Baggage tags printed for number of bags. Since had booked seat + bag, got the tags. stuck them to bag and took bag to drop off area. Baggage was weighed, scanned and passed over conveyor belt.

Breakfast

Headed for breakfast as this flight had Buy-On-Board [BOB] service. View of tarmac from restaurant.

View of Qantas Domestic flights

Immigration and Security

First was security, which was quick. Followed by Immigration which was through self-check kiosk,

Duty Free Shops

Flight Schedule

Walk to gate

Flight departing from Gate 6

Long walk

Air China Special Livery

Waiting Area

As had arrived before gate open, waited for the boarding call. Boarding started around 9.00 a.m.

Singapore Airlines 9V-SWO - Boeing 777-312(ER)

Boarding

Gate 6 had two flight of Air New Zealand. Gate 6A for Christchurch and 6B for Queenstown. Boarding for the Queenstown flight was called first , followed by Christchurch. Air New Zealand ZK-OJO was operating to Christchurch. Boarding pass was scanned and passengers were called by name when handing back the boarding card. My name was not called.

Aerobridge

Queue was formed to board the aircraft. Boarding pass was checked at the door and directed to seat. The flight was full and overhead bins had no space for additional bags.

Side view of NZ A320

Settled in seat

Window view

Boarding completed

Boarding was completed quickly, Announcement was made with details of flight. The aircraft had arrived from Christchurch and was returning on same route.

Cabin crew carried out pre-flight checks

Pushback and Taxi

Pushback commenced while Antarctica themed safety demonstration video was displayed on individual seats. Crew pointed to the exit in case of emergency.

Taxi to cross runway at Tullamarine

Main runway was used for landing. While both runways were being used for departure.

Queenstown bound Air NZ departing

Flight details

Holding

Held for few minutes on the runway while a Virgin Australia B737 departed from the main runway.

Ready to depart

Window view

Headed West after departing before turning South East

Seat view

Port Melbourne

Melbourne Beaches

South East Melbourne

Flight details

Flight map

75th Anniversary of Air New Zealand

Watched video on the IFE

McDonald Douglas DC10

Flight path

Reading material

Found a magazine in seat pocket along with safety card and sickness bag.

Immigration Card

Crew distributed New Zealand immigration form to all passengers after departure.

Safety card

Air New Zealand A320R Safety card

Destination information

Cabin Service

Cabin service started with water being provided. Crew came with trolley and handed food packets to those who had purchased The Works ticket. For other passengers, it was buy on board. As had booked Seat + Bag, skipped the food on board.

Tea or coffee was provide free for drinks to all passengers. Meal and drinks can be ordered through the seat IFE for charge.

Tea

Flight map

Entertainment

Entertainment was buy on board for movies with first 5 mins being free. Didn't watch any program and rested.

Flight closer to NZ

Flying over the Tasman sea, it was sunny outside. Kept the window shades down most of the way till sometime before landing.

Flight information

Cabin view

Cabin didn't have partition, being an all economy flight,

Flying over the Clouds

Lollies

Crew distributed lollies to all before descend commenced.

Cloudy over West Coast of South Island

Window view of the mountains

Descending on approach to Christchurch

Announcement was made regarding arrival into Christchurch. Flight would be reaching few minutes early.

Flight map

Outside view

Flight information

On approach

Flight map

Landed in Christchurch runway 20

Exiting runway

Flight map

Flight Information

Arriving at gate 28

Air New Zealand and Emirates

At gate 28

On reaching gate, doors were disarmed, passengers queued in aisle to exit aircraft.

Disembarkation

Air New Zealand ZK-OJO preparing for next flight

Towards immigration

Immigration

After passing through duty free shops, arrived at the immigration. At immigration there was no queue. Tried to use the self-check kiosk, which didn't work. Had to use immigration counter, got a "S" written on the immigration form.

Baggage Collection

Baggage arrived at carousel after about 5-10 mins,

Bio-security Check

Long queue was formed at Bio-security check. Took approx. 25-30 mins. Someone checked the immigration form then directed to another officer. Who asked If carrying any food stuff. Answered "No", was asked to head for bag to be X-rayed. Understood the meaning of "S" on the card. Put the bags through x-ray scan was allowed to exit.

Near the exit door an officer came with dog and sniffed the bag, made me wonder purpose of the million dollar machines.

Annoyed not for the dog sniffing the bag but officer laughing about it with another officer.

In Australia, that dog sniffing is done at the bag carousel,which is fair. Wasn't happy with what I saw as I had been to to New Zealand twice before never experienced this kind of unprofessional act.

Exiting the terminal

After exiting, headed to the rental car provider, took car keys and headed for the parking. It took about an hour to exit the Terminal.

First things on the list was to head to Countdown for grocery and local sim.

Realtime Driving: Christchurch Airport to Memorial Avenue

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjRv24Pzx9Y

Hope you enjoyed the trip, Thanks for reading.

End of trip

Ionosphere · Sun Sep 30, 2018 3:36 am

It's amazing how much the service levels have changed. I flew QF CHC-SYD in 2004 on a 763 with printed menus and a choice of two hot meals (Lamb or Pasta) in Y.

Cointrin330 · Sun Sep 30, 2018 12:07 pm

Great report. Brought back good memories of my January 2016 trip from MEL to CHC, which was on JetStar, on an A320 and one of the most uncomfortable seats I have ever experienced on any airline.

hkore · Mon Oct 01, 2018 2:29 am

Ionosphere wrote:
It's amazing how much the service levels have changed. I flew QF CHC-SYD in 2004 on a 763 with printed menus and a choice of two hot meals (Lamb or Pasta) in Y.

Cointrin330 wrote:
Great report. Brought back good memories of my January 2016 trip from MEL to CHC, which was on JetStar, on an A320 and one of the most uncomfortable seats I have ever experienced on any airline.

Had booked the ticket early. The seats on Air NZ were fine, JQ leather seats feel uncomfortable on longer flights. Wasn't expecting any form of service on board as had paid for the seat + bag.

Thanks for the comments.

Air New Zealand ZK-OJO NZ898 MEL - CHC | 2018 Photos and Videos

Air New Zealand ZK-OJO NZ898 MEL - CHC | 2018 Photos and Videos

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