PE on 789 is good for day flights, I actually prefer it over BP, overnight i would try for an upgrade if you can

im sure Steve Biddle can comment more on this

A bed is always better. 

I'd prefer the one-person "sky couch" to PE overnight.....the three seats make a good bed - shorter than business class, but a lot wider. Great if you sleep with your knees bent. I don't know if they offer sky couch on the 787s. 

Update: I just checked. Air NZ operate flights with Sky Couchs to Singapore and back. 

On March 16th, the 3-seat sky couch to SG is just over $1900. 

On March 23rd, the 3-seat sky couch to AK is just over $1700. 

So all up, $3600 return. 

To be clear, unless you are freakishly tall, this gives you a lie-down bed that's more or less as comfortable as the one in Business Class.....just a bit shorter (I'm 6'4" / 190cm)......but a lot wider. 

I've flown it a number of times. What do you want to know?

Linuxluver:

 

A bed is always better. 

I'd prefer the one-person "sky couch" to PE overnight.....the three seats make a good bed - shorter than business class, but a lot wider. Great if you sleep with your knees bent. I don't know if they offer sky couch on the 787s. 

 

The skycouch is a horrible product unless you're a single person traveling by yourself - and then the price of it would make it unaffordable. I would never choose it over a PE seat.

sbiddle:

 

Linuxluver:

 

A bed is always better. 

I'd prefer the one-person "sky couch" to PE overnight.....the three seats make a good bed - shorter than business class, but a lot wider. Great if you sleep with your knees bent. I don't know if they offer sky couch on the 787s. 

 

 

The skycouch is a horrible product unless you're a single person traveling by yourself - and then the price of it would make it unaffordable. I would never choose it over a PE seat.

 

I can't comment on PE/BC on the 787-9....

I've flown a lot over the last 20 years, and economy normally isn't that big a deal for me. Once you've done it with kids and their stuff in tow... well you harden up fast :-)

We did have a break in January that involved a 9-hr flight each way on a 787-9 in normal economy. The plane is very new - less than 6 months - and i was really surprised by how rubbish the seats were. The seat width is uncomfortable, the pitch is incorrect for my height - I'm 5'8 - and the lumbar support isn't. On top of that I had a big bloke next to me going out that forced me to sleep on my side, and a teenage strop coming back that made the flight very long. My back still hasn't recovered from it.

Although the other passengers didnt help, the seats are the worst I have experienced for any flight. I really miss the 747's as a consequence.

If you can get PE or BC I would definetly say go for it. Spaceseat just looks and feels quaint and ineffective.

Geektastic: I liked the Space seat to LA.

How comfortable is the new PE seat?

BP is best but with no corporate travel budget to pick up the tab....! We got PE return to Bombay for $5k for two of us.

I love the Spaceseat and am saddened they've dumping it - but the main reason (ignoring the financial proposition of more seats in the same space) is that it's such a polarising product. 50% of people love it and 50% hate it with no in between. 

I've had 3 flights in the new Zodiac PE seat so far and while I really wanted to hate it the first time I flew it I couldn't. IMHO it's not as good as the Spaceseat, but it's still a great seat and those who hate the Spaceseat will probably fall in love with the new seat.

My only suggestion for PE on the 789 is to try and get row 24 A/B or J/K if you're travelling as a couple. The front bulkhead rows don't offer any extra legroom and the screens being on the bulkhead rather than the seatback mean you struggle to reach them if you have any recline on your seat. I always avoid last rows because you have everybody walking past you to get to the bathroom. The one downside of the current high density 789 config is a single bathroom for 21 pax which can mean you have to wait at times.

I also have flown PE to SNG on the 787 and like the seats. The newer Zodiac seats in the 777-200 and 787 are reasonably comfortable, but avoid the first row if you have long legs as the bulkhead can be a problem.

I've heard they are changing the configuration on the newer 787s to put more PE seating in.

sbiddle:

 

Geektastic: I liked the Space seat to LA.

How comfortable is the new PE seat?

BP is best but with no corporate travel budget to pick up the tab....! We got PE return to Bombay for $5k for two of us.

 

I love the Spaceseat and am saddened they've dumping it - but the main reason (ignoring the financial proposition of more seats in the same space) is that it's such a polarising product. 50% of people love it and 50% hate it with no in between. 

 

I've had 3 flights in the new Zodiac PE seat so far and while I really wanted to hate it the first time I flew it I couldn't. IMHO it's not as good as the Spaceseat, but it's still a great seat and those who hate the Spaceseat will probably fall in love with the new seat.

 

My only suggestion for PE on the 789 is to try and get row 24 A/B or J/K if you're travelling as a couple. The front bulkhead rows don't offer any extra legroom and the screens being on the bulkhead rather than the seatback mean you struggle to reach them if you have any recline on your seat. I always avoid last rows because you have everybody walking past you to get to the bathroom. The one downside of the current high density 789 config is a single bathroom for 21 pax which can mean you have to wait at times.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Your experience accords with my hypothesis - and we have got seats 24A/B booked already!

I really liked the large PE bathroom on the Spaceseat planes - to actually have a bathroom I could turn round in without hitting something was awesome!

I really like the Air NZ PE experience. It's a gigantic step up from economy and from a dining perspective is very similar food but with fewer options that is served on a tray rather than plated. My only annoyance is that the first drink is served in a plastic cup whereas everything else is served in the standard Air NZ glassware. While you don't get champagne in PE the Dulcet bubbly they serve is drinkable when it's very cold, but drinking this from plastic just tastes terrible.

sbiddle:

 

I really like the Air NZ PE experience. It's a gigantic step up from economy and from a dining perspective is very similar food but with fewer options that is served on a tray rather than plated. My only annoyance is that the first drink is served in a plastic cup whereas everything else is served in the standard Air NZ glassware. While you don't get champagne in PE the Dulcet bubbly they serve is drinkable when it's very cold, but drinking this from plastic just tastes terrible.

 

 

 

 

 

We're on SQ in PE from SIN to DEL and there you do get champers although overall the slant seems to be more Economy Plus rather than the NZ Business Lite...!

sbiddle:

 

Geektastic: I liked the Space seat to LA.

How comfortable is the new PE seat?

BP is best but with no corporate travel budget to pick up the tab....! We got PE return to Bombay for $5k for two of us.

 

I love the Spaceseat and am saddened they've dumping it - but the main reason (ignoring the financial proposition of more seats in the same space) is that it's such a polarising product. 50% of people love it and 50% hate it with no in between. 

 

I've had 3 flights in the new Zodiac PE seat so far and while I really wanted to hate it the first time I flew it I couldn't. IMHO it's not as good as the Spaceseat, but it's still a great seat and those who hate the Spaceseat will probably fall in love with the new seat.

 

My only suggestion for PE on the 789 is to try and get row 24 A/B or J/K if you're travelling as a couple. The front bulkhead rows don't offer any extra legroom and the screens being on the bulkhead rather than the seatback mean you struggle to reach them if you have any recline on your seat. I always avoid last rows because you have everybody walking past you to get to the bathroom. The one downside of the current high density 789 config is a single bathroom for 21 pax which can mean you have to wait at times.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm part of the 50% that finds the space seat uncomfortable. I love the privacy aspect of the configuration but just can't get the recline angle right so don't bother reclining. I'm interested in how I will find the Zodiac. So far I've got AKL LA and AKL Orlando and AKL LON via LA lined up over the next few months but not sure which planes will have zodiac. Does anyone know?