Aussie Flyer

After a pleasant day and a half wandering around Auckland it was time to head for the airport for my flight to Bangkok. Today I would be taking the daily Boeing 777-200ER Thai Airways non stop flight from Auckland. My transport to the airport was by the airport shuttle bus, it was just a 5 minute walk to the nearest pickup point on the main street in Auckland. The cost is NZD16. Quite reasonable really and a lot cheaper than a taxi! After dropping off a few passengers at the domestic terminal we arrived at International departures and I made my way to the Thai Airways check-in desks. There was no queue in the business class line and I was quickly issued my boarding pass by the Air New Zealand staff member manning the desk. I had been assigned an aisle but asked for a window seat and I was offered 16K, the last remaining window. I accepted it despite knowing there is one window missing from this row and you have to lean forward to see out. With check-in complete, I headed upstairs

Hi all, With the recent change of the website name and new URL can you all please ensure you update your RSS feed. The new feed is at: http://feeds.feedburner.com/AussieFlyer Thanks all, Aussie Flyer

I recently had a stay in the Rydges Harborview in Auckland. It was my first time in this city and the location works really well. It's very central and located opposite the Sky City Auckland complex. The rooms have fresh modern look and have all that you could want including a large LCD television. The bed was really comfortable and I got a great night's sleep. Rydges Harbourview standard room The hotel is very highly rated on tripadvisor and you will find some good deals on wotif.com and lastminute.com.au. There is a paid for broadband cable service available but there was also a wifi network throughout the hotel which was free when I logged on. The handy access to the casino complex means there is plenty of nearby restaurants and entertainment options and it's just a short stroll down to the harbour front. Overall I was quite impressed with the hotel for the price and would stay there again. It's a 5 minute walk to the airport bus as well. Harbour area Sky T

After flying Emirates back in 2008 on a return trip from Sydney to Bangkok I had acquired enough frequent flyer points to upgrade a Melbourne to Auckland ticket from economy to business class. I decided to take advantage of this and booked a cheap one way ticket which I immediately upgraded to business. It's only a little over 3 hours flying time but I was looking forward to trying out the EK product! The online upgrade process was quick and easy on emirates.com and I was able to select my new seat instantly. I arrived at the airport a little after 6am for the 8am flight. The Emirates check-in desks certainly stand out with large billboards featuring attractive Emirates cabin crew inviting you to queue: After check-in was complete I was through security and heading up the escalators to the Emirates Lounge which is a shared lounge for both First and Business passengers. Emirates Lounge Entry Melbourne Airport After a long night at work with zero sleep before the flight I was p