High quality airline overall (Recommended)

Pros I flew economy class from London to Auckland, with a stopover in LA. It was a busy plane both going and coming back, but this didn't spoil my enjoyment.

This was the first time I'd flown to New Zealand and so it was the first time I'd handled such a long haul.

The food in economy is good, they offer you a choice of two meals and if you have special dietary requirements you should let them know at the time of booking your tickets. The food was always hot and tasty. They offer New Zealand wines on board too.

Cabin crew frequently pass through the plane offering water and are in general very helpful.

The entertainment selection is very good, lots of music to chose from, latest and classic film releases, including releases in foreign languages too.

Cons Seats not good for sleeping, they obviously don't recline all the way back, they give you a little cushion for sleeping but it's always slips off. I didn't get much sleep at all.

My headphones weren't very comfortable and sometimes I was given a pair that didn't work properly.

Having looked at the premium economy seats, I there isn't as much of a difference, slightly more legroom, but I'm not sure it justifies the price.

air new zealand (Recommended)

Pros Great value took the stress out of long haul flying

Cons the price

Excellent for long haul flights (Recommended)

Pros I flew with Air New Zealand to Hong Kong last September, and the service was nothing but excellent - I had never flown long haul by myself before, and I was made incredibly welcome. They had possibly the best airline food I've experienced, and a brilliant selection of films and television shows to keep yourself amused during such a long flight. The seats were far more spacious than I have experienced even in economy, and all the staff had brilliant attitudes.

Cons Potentially more expensive than the budget airlines, however personally I had few costs once I was there as I was staying with a friend, and when it comes to long haul flights I'm more than happy to pay a little more to get the sort of service Air New Zealand provided!