New Air New Zealand Dreamliner retrofit

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#3508562 4-Jul-2026 15:52

i've been a Gold Elite for a while but i have seen it turn into a budget airline, sadly i have decided to just let it lapse. partly (but not the main reason) because there isn't anywhere to fly to with air NZ, or without air NZ, due to the global security. but the main reason is air NZ itself!

Yea, the status is largely pointless with AirNZ as the Airline is almost entirely economy/budget. I mean when can you actually use the upgrades? NZ is entirely economy and long haul "premium" are almost always full. In 20 years I have had one successful PE to business upgrade. Upgrades almost always expire. One annoying thing is if you have paid for business you can't use the award upgrade to do premier elite for those few planes that have it. The old business class is a sad joke, PE is just as good just without the lay flat which you only use on overnight flights. The 777's are going to keep that crappy layout for years to come I bet as they have not announced when they are going to start the retrofit of those. I mean every other airline outside of ULCC's has worked out that premium seats have a far better profit margin and they subsidise the economy. Many people are happy to pay more but AirNZ has no way to extract that value due to some weird NZ attitude that we all have to pretend we are poor so no one feels bad.

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#3508564 4-Jul-2026 16:21

Batman:

i've been a Gold Elite for a while but i have seen it turn into a budget airline, sadly i have decided to just let it lapse. partly (but not the main reason) because there isn't anywhere to fly to with air NZ, or without air NZ, due to the global security. but the main reason is air NZ itself!

This is also why Qantas sent Jetstar in to compete with AirNZ domestically not Qantas itself as they know there is almost no difference apart from a couple of inches of leg room between Jetstar and AirNZ for the average punter. AirNZ let the fleet run down across the board and now they are backed into a corner with no easy way out.

stubbed

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#3508565 4-Jul-2026 16:46

AirNZ are retiring the 777s when the 777-10 start arriving, which they just delayed, not expecting them to be retrofitted, they'll be exited.

Agree on the sheen of AirNZ coming off, it's a shame we don't have more natural competition to keep them more honest with their service and trying harder with their products. Their app is an embarassment. Uniteds app is the leader by far, doesn't look anywhere near as "nice" but it actually has functionality you want and need when you travel.

I fly Longhaul often, all economy class tickets, often enough to be KBL (ELT prior) despite getting 50-70 status points a leg, and I've not actually flown in an Economy seat since having ELT/KBL. Double stack recognition upgrades to get a Business seat once a cycle, but I've had every Air Points Elite or OneUp come through. AKL <> LAX/SFO/IAH and AKL <> SIN primarily.

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#3508567 4-Jul-2026 17:20

stubbed:

AirNZ are retiring the 777s when the 777-10 start arriving, which they just delayed, not expecting them to be retrofitted, they'll be exited.

I will NOT miss those Cathay Pacific 777s. I look forward to trying the 787 retrofit soon...

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noroad

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#3508634 4-Jul-2026 19:43

stubbed:

AirNZ are retiring the 777s when the 777-10 start arriving, which they just delayed, not expecting them to be retrofitted, they'll be exited.

https://simpleflying.com/air-new-zealand-boeing-777-retrofit-business-class/

noroad

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#3508635 4-Jul-2026 19:49

MaxineN:

I will NOT miss those Cathay Pacific 777s. I look forward to trying the 787 retrofit soon...

The business seats are a lot better than the herringbone things even if the plane is pretty old and shabby with no wifi. PE is about the same.

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#3508637 4-Jul-2026 19:51

noroad:

MaxineN:

I will NOT miss those Cathay Pacific 777s. I look forward to trying the 787 retrofit soon...

The business seats are a lot better than the herringbone things even if the plane is pretty old and shabby with no wifi. PE is about the same.

I've seen the business seats on the Cathay planes and whilst I would have liked to experience those, I am but a mere economy peasent... So I experienced awful twice on one of the three Cathay planes they have currently. Twice. AKL-NRT and back... Hence why I'm looking forward to the 787 retrofit... migth try Economy and PE.

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#3508640 4-Jul-2026 20:05

Recently flown old fit-out, Cathay leased and new fit-out. Would rank them in that order so new is better. But…. It’s still worse than SW, EK etc who are all better at similar or lower prices.
Air NZ are now 2nd tier with first tier pricing. I’m stuck there because there’s none other with a local loyalty program.

noroad

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#3508641 4-Jul-2026 20:05

MaxineN:

seats on the Cathay planes and whilst I would have liked to experience those, I am but a mere economy peasent... So I experienced awful twice on one of the three Cathay planes they have currently. Twice. AKL-NRT and back... Hence why I'm looking forward to the 787 retrofit... migth try Economy and PE.

I hear you on that... PE is my normal for business flights with the occasional business when I can get a good deal (or my one award upgrade, which was on the Cathay 777 to LA... nice). I've managed to snagg business to Sydney last month and later this month as it was only a couple of hundred more than PE, and the difference between the Cathay seats and the old herringbone seats is crazy. The problem with the Dreamliner economy is the 3x3x3 is very narrow. Any economy over 8h with strangers next to you is rarely a fun experience. I've got two flights in September (with my partner) on the retrofitted 787's, Auckland-LA in economy Sky-couch and returning NY-Auckland in PE, so it will be interesting to see if these are significantly better than the old ones. I was going to get one of the brand new 787's on the NY flight but they bumped that to a retrofitted one about a month ago.

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#3508645 4-Jul-2026 21:29

noroad:
The problem with the Dreamliner economy is the 3x3x3 is very narrow. Any economy over 8h with strangers next to you is rarely a fun experience.

This.

The Dreamliner was designed for 8-across economy class seating, but the accountants much preferred 9-across. The 10-across 777s (designed for 9-across economy) are almost as bad. Hard cheese, passengers.
Only one airline - JAL - still runs Dreamliners with 8-across in Economy.

Although I've been an Air NZ Frequent Flyer member since the 1990s, I won't fly long haul economy with them.
If I'm flying long haul economy, I will always try for an A380, then an A350 then an A330, they're just so much less squeezy. A B767 is quite nice, but old & likely to be tired nowadays.
If it's Boeing then I'm not going if I have to go economy.

Once you step up to PE, then it's all so much nicer whether it's A or B.

noroad

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#3511444 15-Jul-2026 11:55

More information on the 777 retrofit https://www.executivetraveller.com/news/air-new-zealand-new-777-business-class-refit

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#3511452 15-Jul-2026 12:58

PolicyGuy:

Although I've been an Air NZ Frequent Flyer member since the 1990s, I won't fly long haul economy with them.
If I'm flying long haul economy, I will always try for an A380, then an A350 then an A330, they're just so much less squeezy. A B767 is quite nice, but old & likely to be tired nowadays.
If it's Boeing then I'm not going if I have to go economy.

Once you step up to PE, then it's all so much nicer whether it's A or B.

Personally most A380 services these days are a bit tired. I love the A350, it is very comfortable and I feel much better after a long flight than on a 777 or A380. I'd usually avoid an A330.

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noroad

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#3511485 15-Jul-2026 14:32

openmedia:

If I'm flying long haul economy, I will always try for an A380, then an A350 then an A330, they're just so much less squeezy. A B767 is quite nice, but old & likely to be tired nowadays.
If it's Boeing then I'm not going if I have to go economy.

Flew the Qantas A330 in economy last year to and from Bali, the two abreast is great but oh boy they are tight in pitch. I've flown the Hawaiian A330 and that was much more comfortable pitch wise.

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#3511540 15-Jul-2026 15:06

noroad:

openmedia:

If I'm flying long haul economy, I will always try for an A380, then an A350 then an A330, they're just so much less squeezy. A B767 is quite nice, but old & likely to be tired nowadays.
If it's Boeing then I'm not going if I have to go economy.

Flew the Qantas A330 in economy last year to and from Bali, the two abreast is great but oh boy they are tight in pitch. I've flown the Hawaiian A330 and that was much more comfortable pitch wise.

A330 is 2-4-2 in Economy with Qantas and the seat width is really narrow. I find the 787 far more comfortable from a seat width perspective.

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#3511593 15-Jul-2026 15:58

noroad:

Flew the Qantas A330 in economy last year to and from Bali, the two abreast is great but oh boy they are tight in pitch. I've flown the Hawaiian A330 and that was much more comfortable pitch wise.

Even within the same airline it can be different. A few years back I flew with Qatar AKL-DOH and then DOH-AKL on their 777 (IIRC) during their switch from a 3-3-3 layout to 3-4-3 (so for a couple of months/years they had a mix of aircraft, some had the former and others had the latter). The different going from 3-3-3 layout (going to DOH) to 3-4-3 layout (back to AKL) was night and day. Just luck of the draw but it took me by surprise on the return trip. Did make me realise the seat size does make a difference even though almost every other aspect of the service was similar. Ironically, on my way home I flew to DOH from Prague on a Qatar A320 with what i swear was a roomier seat than I got on the 3-4-3 layout 777 -- again disproving the common assumption that bigger planes equals bigger seats.

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