An excellent flight on Air New Zealand’s new 777-300ER (and my first lightning strike)

An excellent flight on Air New Zealand’s new 777-300ER (and my first lightning strike)

15

Good evening from Los Angeles, fresh of my first flight on Air New Zealand’s new 777-300ER aircraft.

I’ll save all the details for the trip report, though will point out two noteworthy things.

First, if you haven’t seen Air New Zealand’s safety video, check it out:

It’s painful enough to watch alone at your computer, but it was even worse on an airplane. There was a five year old boy flying with his mom in business class that yelled out “that was the weirdest thing I’ve ever seen” after the safety video. Yeah, that sounds about right.

The other noteworthy thing is that I experienced my first lightning strike in an airplane. The weather in London was awful, so it was a very bumpy ride out. About five minutes after takeoff we got struck by lightning, consisting of a loud noise and an incredible light filling the cabin. The first officer walked towards the back of the cabin to have a peak at the wings, and moments later the captain made an announcement saying we had been struck by lightning and that they were in touch with the company to see whether they needed to divert. We didn’t need to divert in the end as everything was fine, though it was an adventure nonetheless.

Conversations (15)
The comments on this page have not been provided, reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any advertiser, and it is not an advertiser's responsibility to ensure posts and/or questions are answered.
Type your response here.

If you'd like to participate in the discussion, please adhere to our commenting guidelines. Anyone can comment, and your email address will not be published. Register to save your unique username and earn special OMAAT reputation perks!

  1. Jim Guest

    Love the cameo from Phil the host of the amazing race

  2. PapaSmurf Guest

    How did you find the dinning experience in terms of speed and attentiveness? From everything I've read and experienced first hand, it's been extremely slow and chaotic. I wonder if this has improved.

  3. geek traveler Guest

    Lucky, when taking pictures of food and cabin never felt weird as other's may think you're crazy or say anything? I do the same, and I have that feeling that's why I'm asking.

  4. patrick Guest

    No swiveling? That sucks. That's the only reason I book a window seat.

  5. lucky Guest

    @ chitownflyer -- There are some minor differences I'll cover in my trip report, but the seats and entertainment are very similar to VS, AC, etc.

  6. chitownflyer Guest

    Does NZ Business class use the same or very similar seats to AC and VS? And is the IFE also similar?

  7. lucky Guest

    @ Dan -- Nope, no swiveling. The lack of being able to look out of the windows easily is one of the downsides of a herringbone configuration.

  8. Dan Guest

    I noticed the window seat faces the aisle. Does the seat swivel in towards the window?

  9. lucky Guest

    @ MSPpete -- The seat is mostly the same, minus a few aesthetic changes. It's a bit on the tight side, though that didn't stop me from getting a solid seven hours of sleep.

  10. MSPpete Guest

    Are these 'new' seats? I flew NZ from Auckland to LA last fall and the biz seat was narrow and uncomfortable in either upright or lie flat positions. I am not a large guy. Any improvement?

  11. lucky Guest

    @ Nybanker -- I'll give you one guess... :D

  12. Gene Diamond

    @Vito -- Yes. Scary, eh?

  13. Vito Guest

    Is that Richard Simmons leading the safety video?

  14. Nick New Member

    We r in la till Monday if you want to chill....

Featured Comments Most helpful comments ( as chosen by the OMAAT community ).

The comments on this page have not been provided, reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any advertiser, and it is not an advertiser's responsibility to ensure posts and/or questions are answered.

Jim Guest

Love the cameo from Phil the host of the amazing race

0
PapaSmurf Guest

How did you find the dinning experience in terms of speed and attentiveness? From everything I've read and experienced first hand, it's been extremely slow and chaotic. I wonder if this has improved.

0
geek traveler Guest

Lucky, when taking pictures of food and cabin never felt weird as other's may think you're crazy or say anything? I do the same, and I have that feeling that's why I'm asking.

0
Meet Ben Schlappig, OMAAT Founder
5,163,247 Miles Traveled

32,614,600 Words Written

35,045 Posts Published