There are many people who have no problem sleeping on airplanes. I am not one of them. I’ve seen people nod off for the duration of brief connecting flights and transatlantic voyages at all hours of the day and night. The last time I took a redeye, I wound up watching The Iron Claw at the equivalent of three in the morning to pass the time.
So when the opportunity presented itself to try out Air New Zealand’s new Business Premier Luxe setup on a flight from Vancouver to Auckland, my interest was piqued from the outset. But beyond the general curiosity of what the revamped cabin had in store, I had another question on my mind. This would be a flight that lasted for over 13 hours. Would these seats be able to accomplish what no airplane seat has done so far? In other words, was I going to be able to get some actual sleep in transit, as opposed to nodding off for a few minutes at a time?
The Basics
The 787 Dreamliner I took from Vancouver to Auckland was the first in Air New Zealand’s fleet to have its Business Premier cabin upgraded to the new configuration. The impression I got was that this new layout emphasizes privacy a bit more; my seat included a divider to create some (metaphorical) space between the seat and the aisle. Though for people who weren’t traveling alone, the Business Premier Luxe seating also included seating for two, making it possible for (say) a couple traveling together to eat their meals together.
Air New Zealand got extra points for one of the most purely entertaining flight safety videos I’ve seen, in which Houston Rockets center Steven Adams plays a game of basketball against a group of kids. (Spoiler alert: the kids win with an assist from Adams’s sister, multiple Olympic gold medalist Valerie Adams.)
The seat put a big emphasis on charging; there were multiple plugs available, including both USB and USB-C ports and a wireless charger. In theory, I could have charged a laptop and my phone and some other device simultaneously if I’d needed to do so. As someone constantly worried about losing device power while traveling — I have a lot of power banks — I appreciated this.
The Small Details
What stood out the most for me were the little things. My favorite part of the revamped design came from a very small touch: on the remote control for the seat’s entertainment system, there was a small panel that showed exactly how long the flight had left before reaching its destination. There was no need to turn on the screen, select the correct option and refer to it there. It was conveniently located and eminently accessible.
There was also a welcome emphasis on the tactile, which extended from the fabric and wood used in the seat to the packaging for the amenity kit, which had a handmade and sustainable feel to it. The contents of said kit continued that motif, with a wooden toothbrush and pen among the items included. The magnetic fasteners also closed with a satisfying click.
Avid birders may also be interested to learn that the cabin’s designers took some inspiration from New Zealand’s Tui bird — specifically, its feathers and coloring.
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On my flight back to the States, I got to see Air New Zealand’s existing Business Premier setup up close, which offered a way to see what elements of the experience are and are not changing. The addition of Business Class Luxe seating will alter the configuration somewhat.
Currently, Air New Zealand’s Dreamliners have two different configurations: one with 18 Business Premier seats and another with 27 of them. By comparison, the revamped Dreamliners will feature 22 Business Premier seats along with four Business Premier Luxe seats. Air New Zealand is also set to receive new Dreamliners in 2026; those will feature more of each type of seat. Specifically, they’ll have 34 Business Premier seats along with eight Business Premier Luxe seats apiece.
Certain other things are remaining the same: the memory foam seat toppers will be a slightly different shape to accommodate the new seat configurations, but the toppers themselves will be made from the same material. This feels like a classic “if it ain’t broke…” situation: on the flights to and from New Zealand, I slept better than I have on any flights prior to this trip. That made for a welcome change of pace — and a memorable experience both arriving at my destination and getting back home.
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