What Air New Zealand’s business class looks like

When flying business class on any major airline, you have the right to expect a comfortable armchair-bed, superior cuisine and priority service.

With Air New Zealand Business Premier, travellers benefit from all those assets but with one very important bonus – privacy.

What I love about Business Premier is that your seat – and your laptop or your entertainment screen – is not overlooked by your fellow passengers.

I’ve always admired the clever herringbone design of the cabin, where every seat has direct access to the aisle. So whether you are working, relaxing or visiting the larder for a snack, you won’t disturb your “neighbours” and nor will they disturb you.

Another great advantage of Business Premier is that, if you are travelling with a companion, you can share a table for meals because each armchair’s ottoman footrest can be used as a companion seat.

Indeed, each seat is ultimately adaptable. At the press of a button, they convert into a generous 22in wide, 6ft 7in long completely flat bed. In my case, the ever-helpful cabin crew did this for me, arranging my cosy duvet and fluffy pillows and offering me a nightcap before I shut my eyes.

Those beds are something special. The memory-foam mattresses are supremely comfortable and even someone like me, who finds it difficult to sleep on flights, was able to doze off peacefully.

Like all Business Premier passengers, I had appreciated priority check-in at Heathrow, then relaxed in the Star Alliance lounge before being welcomed on board with a glass of bubbles.

Settling into my soft leather seat, I quickly noted the useful storage for all the accessories that one needs during a long-haul flight, such as the deluxe amenity kit and bottle of water that were supplied.

I was keen to try the personal entertainment system, donning the noise-cancelling headphones to watch one of the many movies available on the large, fold-out screen.

Soon I was presented with a menu and, from a tempting selection, chose the prosciutto with goat’s cheese, salmon from Marlborough Sound and delicious ginger ice-cream. The menus have been devised by London-based Kiwi chef Peter Gordon, who is renowned for his fusion cuisine, influenced by his Maori heritage.

I’ve always loved Kiwi wines and, after tasting a fruity pinot gris and a velvety syrah, was not surprised to discover they had been hand-picked by experts from the Fine Wines of New Zealand programme.

Plugging my laptop into the convenient USB socket, I was able to assemble some research using the free Wi-Fi before stretching out on my bed to sleep.

Waking an hour before arriving in Los Angeles, I gratefully accepted the offer of a reviving smoothie before being served a warm bagel for breakfast.

After a pleasant respite in the business lounge at the airport, I again boarded a modern Boeing 777-300ER, which would take me to New Zealand. Next time I will take advantage of the free stopover to have a browse around the City of Angels.

The accommodation and cuisine in Air New Zealand Business Premier were faultless, but if there’s one thing that made the flight even more memorable, it was the service.

The crew are unfailingly professional yet also demonstrate the amiable, laid-back charm that I was to embrace when I arrived Down Under. You really feel like you’re their guest rather than a passenger.

Air New Zealand’s motto is “A better way to fly” – and in Business Premier, this claim is effortlessly proved.