Air New Zealand confirms no business class for A321neo jets

Interesting comment by NZ. SQ/CA/EY where pushing NZ to have J class on the A321neo's.

It seems that SQ/CA/EY/UA premium customers will be using premium product on B777/B789 services between New Zealand and Australia

So, it look like Works and Works Deluxe products utilizing space+ seating, forward of the wing in all 'economy' class seating configuration, as currently on all existing A320's on short haul international services. Doing this way keeps costs down and higher yield on cheaper fares.

Most of NZ's short haul international services are at usually 3 hour flight time except AKL/ADL which 5 hours and AKL/MEL 4 hours.

There is nothing wrong with the Works Deluxe product on international short haul flights. The best thing with the product from NZ point of view, it is easy to manage the product inventory for each flight.

NZ uses seat+ product for passengers who pay full economy fare and who are Airpoints Koru, Gold and Gold Elite and Star Alliance Gold members of NZ partners.

NZ is buying 5 A321neos and 8 A320neos.

240 seats with only two toilets doesn't sound good.

28 Inch Pitch.......No Thanks!

Sounds like AirNZ and Qantas have given up on business class across the tasman unless you're on a 777.  Makes sense to let Emirates take that on as their product is better in my humble opinion.

Those 18" seats that Airbus continue to go on about are so uncomfortable. Very thin and not much padding.

So unlikely to see a non-QF business class between Sydney and Wellington then. Hmm... Hello QF! :-/

I'd hoped that they would put a few rows of their new Premium Economy recliner product on their new A321's. I think that would be sufficient for a 3-4 hour flight and an improvement over Works Deluxe.

The 28 inch pitch and 10 abreast 77Ws. Now I can say proudly: I'm slim enough to board an Air NZ flight!

For Koru 17. Are you thinking that the 1st compartment on the A321, having Premium Economy seating with standard meal service?

It would have to be 3 aisle 3 seating. I have a look at Zodic Aerospace product range and they don't seem to have Premium Economy product for single aisle aircraft for 3 aisle 3 configuration. Thompson Aerospace does.

NZ could do it but reading between the lines of Cam Wallace statement, that NZ wants to have standard seating configuration across all of the A320/A321 domestic and short haul international fleets.

Another possibility, NZ may go for 210 seat capacity for the A321's using standard economy seats. This would have 9 rows of 3 aisle 3 instead of Airbus recommended 10 rows for the 1st compartment, to allow a greater pitch between seats and seat recline but still have works or works deluxe product.

I'm waiting to see how long it will take airlines to announce they will install wooden benches for the plebian class.

@ william the plebs will likely be stacked and packed at the rate they're going.  i find air asia seating cramped and that's with a 29" seat pitch.  i'm not sure i could sit in 28" seating as my knees already bump the seat in front on air asia.  could be a ploy to limit human growth.

This will be studied at business schools under the 'what were they thinking' lecture.  Very disheartening on the part of NZ leadership to say the least. 

everyone seems to be forgetting that they do still offer options for J to SYD, MEL and PER to AKL, so they're not dropping it completely

I was right that the A321's are going use to 3 aisle 3 seating at the pointy end.

There was talk within Air NZ, to have 9 rows of 3 aisle 3 seating in the 1st compartment but it seems the current plan is to have 10 rows as per Airbus specification with seat pitch 83 to 86cms. This will allow Air NZ to cater for its own and its airline partners premium customers in this compartment.

By keeping the same Airbus seating configuration for A321's, will allow Air NZ to use these aircraft for domestic, international short haul and charters.

The Works Deluxe product (being the middle seat not being used) is going to be retain across the A320/A321neo short haul international fleet.

Air NZ is planning to use the A321's for AKL to SYD/ADL/BNE/MEL/RAR/NAN routes as supplement to B777/B787 trans Tasman and Pacific services. There has talk of using the A321's for CHC to SYD/MEL during peak holiday periods.

It's absolutely awful! 

Hate, hate HATE the Air NZ one-class A320 (and soon A321) slum class across the Ditch and I avoid it completely. It is totally grim, basic, cramped air travel with neon-type lighting, school-type regimentation (everybody sits there looking whipped while the meal trays remain uncollected for quite some time and has to cooperate like good little school kids when the rubbish collection comes through). As for a drink? One with your dinner and be grateful. Ask for more and you get the tweezer lips and a searching look to see if you are an alcoholic. Air NZ has always had a cheese-paring, nanny-type aspect to its culture - a Presbyterian primness that is part of the Kiwi psyche. At least though there is a hint that there will be more Air NZ wide-body services with P and J service - but even there you're not free of the wowsers.

Air NZ management are sick of hearing their customers tell them how bad their J product is on Trans-Tasman flights compared to EKs, and this move tells us that they've effectively decided to abandon the fight. Even their Y product is inferior to EKs, so they're better off going for the lowest common denominator in this market in order to maximise profit