Surprise: Air New Zealand Unveils New Business Class For Boeing 777 Fleet - Other Airlines

Surprise: Air New Zealand Unveils New Business Class For Boeing 777 Fleet

Ben Schlappig — Wed, 15 Jul 2026 23:53:54 +0000

Air New Zealand has just unveiled plans to retrofit its entire Boeing 777 with new business class seats starting in 2027. However, these won’t be the same new business class seats that are currently being installed on the Boeing 787 fleet… and that’s probably a good thing?

Continue reading: Surprise: Air New Zealand Unveils New Business Class For Boeing 777 Fleet

Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.

Janna OLoughlin — Wed, 15 Jul 2026 12:50:15 +0000

We flew ANZ in March. Actually, I really liked the old configuration. Yes, at first, it looked weird with everybody’s feet in the aisle. However, sleeping was much better. Your legs were free to move. In the new configuration and in most business class seats, your feet are in a coffin box and movement is very restrictive. Just my two cents worth.

Jack — Wed, 15 Jul 2026 08:20:20 +0000

Doors help to disconnect you from every movement in the cabin. It’s more relaxing when you don’t have to see absolutely everything going on, including other passengers’ screens. In any event, these “what is it with doors” comments are tedious. Some passengers like them, so let them like them.

This comes to mind — Wed, 15 Jul 2026 07:24:34 +0000

My first thought on the benefits on doors is not that I can now do something behind it I couldn't do without one, for fear of being seen. It ain't on the list. You can just not use them, you...

Todd — Wed, 15 Jul 2026 04:44:58 +0000

What is it with you and doors in business class. People can still look over and see what you're doing. It's nothing more than a gimmick

mike — Tue, 14 Jul 2026 23:14:02 +0000

Air NZ keep making weird (read bad) choices. These seats are perfectly fine, but a bit meh for something being introduced in 2026. The 787 seats are absolutely terrible. Out of all the options for that aircraft, they chose what has to be the worst: herringbone (aisle facing) seats.

fergus — Tue, 14 Jul 2026 23:00:55 +0000

There is a very good technical reason NOT to use the herringbone arrangement (head near wall) with reverse herringbone (head away from wall) being acoustically much better. Aircraft suffer from an "acoustic boundary" effect which means the noise level is loudest right at the aircraft wall. In the old Air NZ and Air Canada herringbone seat, when it is put in the flat position your head is right in this boundary area, and the noise level is significantly higher. It is the noisiest part of the aircraft - in the old Air Canada 777 herringbone seats it was like putting your head next to a diesel tractor! On top of this there is the cricked neck to look out the window, and the fact you are facing all the activity in the aisle. I was dumbfounded when Air NZ started reconfiguring their 787’s with a fancier herringbone, seemingly not to have learned anything from experience. These days Air NZ don’t fly anywhere much useful long haul for us anyway, their flyer scheme is a standalone and unfathomable dollar value rather than distance points; plus for Australians, their Pacific network doesn’t connect seamlessly. It nearly always requires an overnight in Auckland in either direction, and a propensity to departing or arriving in far flung Pacific ports at 2am. Despite the usually friendly crew, they are altogether an oddly disjointed airline we long ago abandoned.

Mike O. — Tue, 14 Jul 2026 22:21:01 +0000

Forget the OEM question, I should've read the entire article and looked at the seat in its entirety.

This comes to mind — Tue, 14 Jul 2026 22:06:24 +0000

I haven't considered NZ for TPAC flights since switching to J. The 787s were bad 1-1-1 that became a 1-2-1 herringbone. With current 777s in 1-2-1 herringbone, I've opted for more modern, better designs on other carriers. This move might make me consider using them on a 777 TPAC. Yet, I will be on a 777 in J trans-Tasman with them. This allows me to see if I really will dislike the current layout in an environment where I wouldn't be trying to sleep (4 hour morning flight) with a pretty decent price.

Alert — Tue, 14 Jul 2026 21:30:08 +0000

More of the same twisted abnormal seats to be sold at increased fares .