What It's Like to Fly in Air New Zealand's New Business Class

Condé Nast Traveler

23-07-2025

'Is this the new plane?' the man in seat 1K asks the flight attendant, who is dressed in a well-tailored, deep purple Emilia Wickstead uniform. 'That it is,' she says with a happy little curtsy. 'It's quite nice,' is the man's initial review—we've only just boarded, after all. I'm one row behind in seat 2K, and finding Air New Zealand's business class cabin to be quite nice as well.
It's mid-June 2025 and my second trip aboard this newly-retrofitted 787-9 Dreamliner, the first of its kind to get such a nose-to-tail makeover. It first took me to Auckland ten days prior direct from New York-JFK—on that flight, I rode Economy Skycouch—and now the time has come for me to make my return by way of Vancouver. For this 13 hour sojourn, I get to sit in Business Premier. These seats have a new angle and layout to allow for increased privacy and space. My neighbor in 1K has it even better as he's scored a Business Premiere Luxe ticket, with a larger bed and a door that fully closes. I'll be alright, though. Below, find the details of Air New Zealand's new business class product.
The Auckland Airport experience
This bit is not a new product: When you arrive in Auckland as a Business Premier customer, check-in (including bag check) is expedited and conducted in a private suite that's hard to miss at the airport's entrance. The lights are dim, the airline's signature deep purple soothes from all sides, and before you know it your luggage has been sorted and you're heading through the fast lane of security. The airport lounge, too, is not new, but has all the modern amenities you could need: showers, hot food, a full bar.