Air New Zealand Skycouch Review (2018)

Air New Zealand’s flights between London, Los Angeles and Auckland operate from Terminal 2 at Heathrow; which is otherwise known as The Queen’s Terminal. T2 is located in the “Central Terminal Area” of Heathrow Airport. If arriving by public transport, then ensure you book a service to the Central Bus Station or Heathrow Underground Station T1, 2 and 3.

After a two-and-a-half-hour coach journey from my home to Heathrow Airport, it was a nice surprise to encounter a very short check-in process which must have taken a little under five minutes to complete. Soon enough I was through security and into the duo-level departures area. You’ll find a plethora of retail and dining outlets, including the very first John Lewis at an airport, and a restaurant by Heston Blumenthal.

Air New Zealand flights depart from the gates located in T2B. It’s a satellite terminal which can be accessed via a passenger tunnel. Be warned that it is a 10-15 minute walk away from the departure lounge. But it’s good to enjoy a brisk walk before a long flight, right?

After a leisurely walk towards my departure gate, I took a seat and waited to be called forward to board the aircraft.
As the Skycouch seating is located within the forward section of the Economy cabin; you'll usually be invited to proceed along the air-bridge towards the end of the boarding process; unless you are a Airpoints Gold Elite, Gold or Koru Member.

I was welcomed on board with a cheery “Kia Ora” by two of the in-flight crew, who then checked my boarding pass and directed me towards my allocated seat, or should that read seats in this instance. As with any large aircraft, you'll board through the second door and walk through parts of the Business Premier and Premium Economy cabins; however I wasn't that bothered seeing as my Skycouch was waiting for me!

The 244-seat Economy cabin is split into two sections that are located from the middle of the wings through to the rear of the aircraft, mostly in a 3-4-3 configuration. This is inclusive of the Skycouch rows.

Although the Economy cabin is quite large, there is a lot of space. Each seat has a pitch of approximately 32-33″ which is generous as compared to Air New Zealand’s competitors on the route. In addition, the cabin feels very bright and airy thanks to the overhead storage bins which drop-down from the ceiling and contemporary LED lighting. You’ll also find there are five washrooms; two in the middle, and four at the back.

If you’re in the Skycouch row, flight attendants will come and explain how to work the seats and distribute special seat-belts that you can use when lying down once you are airborne. It is worth mentioning that you can also view this information at any time via the special Skycouch information card which is located within the seat pocket.

Each seat features a very responsive 9” touch-screen on-demand in-flight entertainment system with over 500 hours worth of movies, TV shows, documentaries, audio and games to choose from. You will also find an in-seat power an USB port which is perfect for charging your laptop, iPad, Kindle or any other device you have with you, so long as you activated flight mode prior to departure.

You’ll find a small pillow, blanket and headphones waiting for you at your seat, If you’re in need of some amenities then you’ll be happy to know that you can request a toothbrush, toothpaste, eye mask and/or earplugs through the in-flight entertainment system during the flight or by simply asking the flight attendants.

On Air New Zealand, you can also order drinks and snacks from the “in-flight kitchen” in-between meal times, something which their competitors are yet to introduce. Additional highlights of the IFE include a detailed destination section, seat-chat messaging service and the opportunity to participate in a survey relating to your in-flight experience.

As technology continues to involve, Air New Zealand are currently introducing Inflight Wi-Fi onto their aircraft. What’s more is that until the 28th of February 2019, passengers can enjoy the in-flight Wi-Fi for free! Yes that’s right. It’s a little treat from the Auckland-based carrier. 🙂

After stowing away my things, it was time to push-back and ascend into the clouds above London.

Once we had reached our cruising altitude, I was handed a Skycouch seat-belt pack from one of the flight attendants; whom provided me with a brief overview on how to operate the leg rests; which was actually fairly simple. The crew member was incredibly friendly and was always popping by to see how I was.

Prior to the dinner service, the crew passed through distributing arrival documents for the USA and offering iced water with lemon. As part of the Air New Zealand’s commitment to help reduce the use of single-use plastics, an announcement was made asking if customers would like to help assist the flight attendants by reusing their water cup, wherever possible.

Following dinner I decided to watch a couple of movies on the in-flight entertainment system which I found to be incredibly responsive. The system features more than 500 hours worth of movies, tv shows, audio and games to enjoy including many blockbusters that you may have only seen in the cinema a few weeks before. There was even a few festive favourites as I was flying during December.

A couple of hours later and I was starting to feel tired which meant it was time to put the Skycouch to the test. One of the good things about the Skycouch is that you don’t have to have all the leg rests up at once (or on the same level), unless you want to lie fully flat, that is. So I notched seats A and B up to a 90 degree angle and snuggled down. Comfortable, Spacious and Brilliant spring to mind. You see, you don’t need to be sitting closer to the front in order to enjoy some horizontal sleep? 🙂

Following my afternoon nap I thought I would try out the on-demand drinks and snacks service; which is available in-between meal times on the flight. As I mentioned earlier, you are able to order soft drinks, teas, coffees, and a selection of alcoholic beverages and snacks using the easy-to-use in-flight entertainment system. Once you place your order, it will be brought to your seat within a matter of minutes by the flight attendants. For the purposes of this review I timed it and on average received my order within three and a half minutes, which is incredibly efficient.

For younger travellers, Air New Zealand offer some great features seat-back TV there is a special area just for them. The young or young at heart can play fun games, watch family-friendly movies, TV shows and documentaries and listen to music. There is even a dedicated Disney section for all those Mouseketeers out there.

Approximately 90 minutes prior to landing a light snack was served which consisted of the following:

Chilled fruit salad
Mozzarella and Tomato and Basil Foccacia
Carrot and Apple Cake

Once again the meal service was accompanied by a selection of hot and cold drinks from the bar. I’d say this type of snack was “just right” for an early-evening arrival into Los Angeles. I admit I am sad to see the scones have now disappeared, but then offering something different isn’t always a bad thing…

As we were nearing the city of Angels, I selected the moving map function on the in-flight entertainment system and kept an eye on our progress; seeing as we flew fairly close to Grand Canyon and Las Vegas; two of the many destinations that is on my ever growing bucket list. Shortly afterwards, we were on our final descent into Los Angeles and soon enough it was time to gather my things and begin my adventure in Los Angeles.

We arrived at our gate at the Tom Bradley International Terminal at LAX a few minutes early which was great. It was then a little walk to the immigration hall for the usual formalities etc. NZ1 usually arrives at a similar time to the BA269 flight which is an A380 with 469 passengers. Thankfully more electronic kiosks are being introduced in the immigration hall in order to expedite the arrival of passengers; so hopefully the waiting times will decrease moving forward.

Throughout any flight I tend to jot down some notes about my experience; below are some from this particular experience:

– In-between meal times the crew passed through the cabin offering iced water every thirty-forty minutes.
– The “Kitchen” where you can order drinks and snacks via the in-flight entertainment is available for approximately 5-6 hours of the flight.
– The flight attendants were extremely friendly and responded to any requests in a timely manner.
– They were always polite and were keen to engage in conversation with passengers.
– A seat-chat function is available on the IFE, which you will need to opt-in to if you wish to participate.

Overall I was extremely impressed with the Kiwi-style service an on board experience by Air New Zealand. The Skycouch is certainly an innovative and popular product which I am happy to have experienced. If you can’t afford to experience the lie-flat seats in Business Premier nor the additional comforts of Premium Economy; then the Skycouch is a fantastic option at an affordable price. So in all, would I recommend the Economy Skycouch to a single, business-traveller, couple or small family looking to fly between London, Los Angeles and Auckland? Without a doubt.

*This review was updated in December 2018.