'What a joy': Traveller's surprise on board Air New Zealand flight

There's something special about flying into a country on the national airline.

And on my first trip to New Zealand, I flew on Air New Zealand.

I travelled economy return from Sydney to Auckland on the airline, which is consistently ranked among the world's best. Here's what it was like.

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Check-in and boarding

I didn't have any cabin bags and checked in online using the app.

I was able to select a free seat, though only middle ones were available on the outward journey, I got a window on the return.

One thing I did notice at Auckland Airport were plenty of self check-in booths, perhaps more than I've ever seen for any airline. Impressive.

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The app kept me informed throughout, including alerting me when we were boarding.

Once on board I enjoyed the quirky safety video featuring Kiwi basketball player Steven Adams before take off.

The legroom

I was on an Airbus A321 plane and I found the leg room to be reasonable (I am almost 6ft) and the seats comfy.

The crew looked immaculate and even had a bit of banter with passengers I noticed, which was refreshing.

Entertainment and Wi-Fi

I was surprised and pleased to find free Wi-Fi on board, and it worked well. (Voice calls are banned, can somebody tell these people)

Headphones are handed out and you're encouraged to reuse them which also gets a big tick.

There was plenty to watch too on the seatback screens. The entertainment boasted of 84 new releases, from recent films like Final Destination Bloodlines to decent TV shows such as The Last of Us.

The food

I had a sinking feeling when I noticed the person in front of me being given a vegan/veggie meal (they always come out first).

I had not even considered ordering one as I am so used to budget airlines where you're forced to buy them. And this trip happened quite last-minute.

Luckily, there was a veggie option as part of the two on offer for breakfast.

Now, I have to commend one crew member for their enthusiasm. Her presentation of the breakfast menu choice over the intercom was Oscar-worthy.

"First we have overnight oats, HMMM DELICIOUS!" she said.

"You also get some fresh Australian FRUIT... JUICY!"

"The bacon and egg wrap ... SO TASTY".

What a joy it was to hear such enthusiasm. (Unfortunately many of the passengers around me must have dozed off as when the trolley arrived they asked what the choices were....)

Those overnight oats, WARM chocolate croissant, and return lunch of lentil stew, mash and veg, were some of the tastiest I've eaten on an economy flight.

And I easily updated my choice for my return flight to veggie while on board via the app, a nice change from having to log onto the website as usual.

Then there are the famous lollies.

Yes, the airline famously hands out boiled sweets before landing.

On my return flight they announced they had a special 'apprentice' helping - a seven year old boy.

How adorable.

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The verdict

Both flights were slightly delayed but made up their time landing roughly on schedule.

It's easy to see why it's one of the world's best airlines.

Despite the accolades Air New Zealand retains a homely feel with those special Kiwi touches and announcements in English and Māori.

I enjoyed my flight so much, I'll be looking at options to fly further afield with Air New Zealand, such as Sydney to New York City via Auckland.

I would love to try their innovations such as economy stretch, the famous sky couch, or business premier.

The writer travelled as a guest of Accor Hotels.