Above: My 377-seat A330-300 from Sydney to Auckland for AUD27 plus taxes.
With the train to the airport back in operation, it was a swift and easy ride, arriving at the terminal at 0825. I expected a long wait for the AirAsia X counter to open but it opened at 0840, which was 3h30 prior to departure.
The queue for kiosk immigration was long. It was made worse because it didn’t work for me, meaning it took about 30 mins to get airside.
I spent over an hour in the lounge, having some breakfast before heading to the gate. It was nearly boarding time. It just shows that at a large airport, checking-in 3h30 ahead of departure can only give about an hour of spare time.
My 377-seat A330-300 from Sydney to Auckland for AUD27 plus taxes.
Having not paid for seat selection, I had been assigned the very last seat of the 377-seat aircraft. Last row, starboard side.
It was a long wait between boarding and actual departure, with delays to the cargo loading process, waiting for a tug to pushback and then air traffic approval to actually pushback.
We actually pushed back an hour after our scheduled departure of 1210. This is my first flight on an Asian airline, since the pandemic, to see the cabin crew not wearing masks!
I had paid only AUD27 for this flight from Sydney to Auckland plus departure and arrival taxes, making it a grand total of AUD199. I hadn’t paid for any extras such as meals or seat selection. So, I won’t make a fuss over the delay. Much worse things can happen in travel these days!
My fare from Sydney to Auckland was AUD27 plus taxes.
Approaching Auckland to land at 1825, I saw an Air New Zealand B777 landing ahead of us. I later learnt that they were delayed about 90 mins compared to our one hour.
Today, it took only about 25 mins to exit Auckland airport to the public area. Kim picked me up and along with Jo, we ate at Shivani, our favourite Indian vegetarian restaurant on the way home.