Hello Flight-Report #avgeeks. After spending a couple days in Wellington it was time to move on. Wellington is a beautiful city with great views, restaurants and places to visit. At the end of this report are some photos of the Wellington area. As part of the Emirates flight to Brisbane I took an EK codeshare on Jetstar to Auckland. It was interested to see the differences between the two carriers that fly between Auckland and Wellington.
jetBlue A320 Ecomomy service ORD-JFK
Singapore Airlines A380 Suites Class JFK-FRA / JFK Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse
Singapore Airlines Suites Class FRA-SIN / FRA Air Canada Lounge
Thai Airways A350 Business Class SIN-BKK / SIN The Private Room
Thai Airways B747 First Class BKK-SYD / BKK Thai Royal First Lounge and Spa
Air New Zealand B787 Business Class SYD-AKL / SYD Air New Zealand Lounge
Air New Zealand A320 Economy Class AKL-WLG / AKL Air New Zealand Domestic Lounge
JetStar A320 Economy Class WLG-AKL
Emirates A380 Business Class AKL-BNE / AKL Emirates Lounge
Qantas B737 Business Class BNE-SYD / BNE Priority Pass Lounge
American Airlines B777 First Class SYD-LAX / SYD Qantas First Class Lounge
Virgin America A320 First Class LAX-ORD
Take a holiday down to Wellington? Unbelievable fares. Yes, this fare may be a little lower than most, but typically the going rate is about $50. Air New Zealand pretty much has hourly flights back and forth. Go for dinner!
The Wellington airport entrance.
Enter and turn left for Air New Zealand.
Or turn right for Virgin Australia, Jetstar and some other niche players.
You can't go to the gate until your flight is about to begin boarding. This is the airside terminal area which has plenty of places to eat, shop and watch the tarmac.
Or check out cool cars.
Soon enough Jetstar's newer A320 arrived from Auckland.
Once passengers were unloaded the announcement was made to proceed to security. Pass security (you can bring water through security domestically in New Zealand) and immediately enter the aircraft.
Overhead bins are narrow and Jetstar has strict weight rules for carryons. I believe 7kg is the limit otherwise it goes downstairs in cargo. While I was on an EK business class ticket there was no charge, but the $50 Y fares surely have a bag fee.
Row one on the right side has a bulkhead wall with plenty of legroom for an economy seat. Of course this is a premium seat so you can pay up for it. But for an hour flight is it necessary?
The left side doesn't have a bulkhead wall.
An orange flag hung from the overhead bin so passengers didn't get a rude awakening.
The seats are a typical economy slimline seat but these were in excellent condition.
And away we go.
And to my surprise a decent sandwich was served along with choice of beverage.
53 minutes after wheels up it was wheels down.
I stayed at the Intercontinental Hotel in Wellington. It's downtown next to the pier. Walking distance to many places. Recommend.
From the dock next to the hotel.
The cable car up to the the town of Kelburn where there is an observatory and the Cable Car Museum. It's only a 5 minute ride.
The views from Mount Victoria lookout.
