From Kuala Lumpur to Melbourne, I managed to get 3 seats because some passengers moved. So each seat cost me about NZD10 only! For 8 hours!!
I’ve always noticed that the Airbus A330 (which operated the flight) is eerily quiet, especially if you sit near the engine (ironical). Many a time I have hopped off an A330 and transferred onto a Boeing B777 at Hong Kong within an hour. My first impression on the B777 while on the ground with the engines off was that it was noisier than the A330 inflight! A lot of the noise on the B777 on the ground came from roaring ventilation.
Landing at Melbourne at 1110 with 7h20 to kill until my flight to Auckland, I googled for the reasons … and found this:
“Airbus used a latest generation Hamilton Sundstrand product in those planes, which reduces cabin noise due to air circulation through the pressurization system. Air circulation is actually one of the largest noise sources inside a plane behind external wind noise and engine noise …. Boeing is using Hamilton Sundstrand on the 787 to make some key cabin air components which should help it reduce noise.” Source is an aviation forum, not Airbus!
The final leg of this journey was an Air New Zealand flight leaving Melbourne at 1830 getting me to Home Sweet Home one minute before midnight.