Key Details

Date: 15th June 2023

Flight No: NZ681

Route: Wellington to Dunedin

Aircraft: Airbus A330-232

Registration: ZK-OJQ

Cabin: Economy

The Route:

The route between Wellington which is the capital of New Zealand and Dunedin which is the South Island’s second largest city is much less travelled than most of main trunk line routes in New Zealand such as between Wellington, Auckland, Christchurch and even Queenstown. Air New Zealand are the sole operator on the route offering typically two direct daily services with their Airbus A320 aircraft whilst flying via Christchurch opens up more options. Flight time on the route typically take around an hour with a total distance time of today’s journey of 632km. For the direct flights you have an option of either a 8.50am or 3.05pm departure from Wellington which should provide for a convenient time slot for most people.

Pricing on the route seems competitive despite the lack of competition with today’s airfare inclusive of luggage costing only around $100NZD.

Checking in at Wellington Airport

Early that morning prior to setting off to the airport I had received a warning text that may flight may be disrupted due to anticipated fog that morning at Dunedin Airport. Interestingly enough upon further investigation I realised that there can be massive temperature inversions around the city of Dunedin and its outskirts and what seem like was going to be chilly 2 degree celsius there this morning was actually freezing minus 3 out at the airport with thick fog setting in! Full marks to Air New Zealand for anticipating possible delays although this did mean I headed out to the airport with uncertainty whether the flight would depart anywhere remotely on time. To the airline’s credit they had already offered the opportunity to rebook to another flight at no additional cost but I declined as was still holding on to hope to make a full use of a day for sightseeing in Dunedin.

Once arriving at check in hall, there seemed to be no further talk of the potential for delays with this particular flight which significantly boosted my confidence that we would get to Dunedin on time although I still didn’t think we were just out of the woods either with freezing conditions still being reported at Dunedin Airport.

Check in was super easy having completed the night before on the Air New Zealand website so I proceeded straight to the kiosks to print off a bag tag and also a paper copy of my boarding pass. Air NZ have the latest in check in and bag drop kiosks at Wellington meaning my bags were tagged and off to Dunedin (weather pending) in only moments. Plenty of staff were on hand though just in case you have any issues which is great.

Due to the interesting quirk in New Zealand aviation security regulations not requring flights with under 90 seats to go through aviation security screening this means that Wellington Airport, like New Zealand’s other major airports has multiple different zones for departing flights. For Air New Zealand flights departing from Wellington jet services (Which are typically to Christchurch, Dunedin, Auckland or Queenstown) Air New Zealand has its own dedicated departures area after security located to the left hand side of the terminal whilst all Jetstar services by default have to go through security and depart from a seperate wing to the right hand side of the terminal. All other Air New Zealand regional services (operated by Q300 and ATR 72 aircraft) leave from a different area again with no security screening required. Due to this nature of the airport, it has a central dining and retail percint that is accessible before any security screening checkpoints and this is the best place to eat or drink prior to any flight.

Seating in Economy Class

Today’s flight was operated by an Airbus A320 which is the stalwart aircraft of the national carrier’s intercity jet network although A320 and A321 Neo aircraft are increasingly being deployed on flagship domestic routes. Air New Zealand does not offer Business Class on any of its domestic network or Airbus A320 aircraft for that matter. Air New Zealand’s domestic Airbus A320 aircraft comes installed with 171 seats in a 3-3 configuration across 29 rows. Seat pitch ranges from 30-34inch depending on where you are seating but the average standard economy class seat comes in with a fairly standard 31in or roughly 78cm seat pitch. The best seats in the house in terms of seat pitch are the Space+ Seats which occupy the exit rows in aisle 1,11 and 12 offer up to 86cm seat pitch.

The seating itself is reasonably comfortable and practical for the short domestic flights within New Zealand although it is a step behind that of the A320s used for its trans-tasman and short haul international flights to the Pacific Islands which have slightly better amenities at the seat. They come equipped with a fairly standard tray back table and a hard-shell dug out for the inflight magazine and safety briefing card.

Entertainment

Unlike the Air New Zealand Airbus A320neo aircraft that operate international flights there is no IFE screens built into nor any wifi or steam to you own device options (wifi is however are being rolled out across certain other Air New Zealand aircraft). To be honest unlike domestic flights in Australia which can reach up to 5.5 hours in length with the longest flights in NZ not even reaching 2 hours it’s not really essential. Each seat however does a complimentary copy of the in flight magazine which you are free to take home after the flight.

Inflight Service and Food and Beverage

Shortly after takeoff the friendly Air New Zealand crew spring into action offering their fairly standardised tea and coffee service which comes with a Cookie Time chocolate chip cookie. This service is complimentary on Air New Zealand Domestic flights although they do have Koru Hour flights that depart between 4.35pm and 7.05pm Monday to Fridays which are jet operated services on the main trunk routes between Wellington, Christchurch, Dunedin and Queenstown where you do get a complimentary soft drink, beer or wine along with cheese and crackers or a savoury snack.

There is no buy on-board menu so if you were hoping for something fancier or more substantial that what is complementarily offered than you are out of luck flying domestically with Air New Zealand.

Arriving into Dunedin

Despite the concerns of a significantly delayed flight we arrived into Dunedin on time just after 10 am. Luckily the fog had lifted to a beautiful but cold and crisp morning down in the beautiful Otago Region of New Zealand. Click here to see the magnificent landing video! Shortly after disembarking what has to be one of the most scenic airports in the whole of New Zealand there was only a short wait for my bag to arrive marking a good end to an otherwise perfectly fine and uneventful flight.

Dunedin Airport is located a significant distance of around 30km from the city centre so we would recommend booking a shuttle service in advance to avoid the hefty cost of a taxi or uber into town.

Summing Up:

Overall this morning’s flight with Air New Zealand was a pleasant and otherwise uneventful flight (even as it seemed it was going to be disrupted with flog. For the price I paid I was very satisfied with today’s journey, the crew were really friendly and professional, the seating on the aircraft whilst not not the most spacious was adequate and the complimentary coffee and snack although basic was adequate for such a short flight.

In summing up today’s flight got me between Wellington and Dunedin in comfort and with a minimum of fuss at a really competitive fare so really hard to find to many criticisms of it!

Stay tuned for my dedicated video review of this flight which will premiere this Sunday July 2, in the meantime feel free to check out my most recent Air New Zealand video review between Auckland and Napier on the airline’s ATR72 aircraft here!