What it’s like to fly from San Francisco to Auckland on United Airlines

A United Airlines 787 Dreamliner. Photo / Supplied

Airline: United Airlines

From: San Francisco International Airport

To: Auckland International Airport

Visa and requirements: New Zealanders (even if you’re just passing through in transit) need an Esta under the Visa Waiver Programme to enter the United States. Your passport must also be valid for at least six months beyond your period of stay. Returning to NZ you’ll be required to fill in a passenger arrival card, which from next month will be done online. Neither country require proof of vaccination against Covid-19 or negative tests.

Departure airport experience: As San Francisco was a stopover between Cancun and Auckland we had to clear customs, collect luggage and re-check our bags at the bag drop-off area. Customs was a painstakingly slow experience, but luckily due to having a connecting flight to catch, we were ushered through a shorter queue.

Terminal 1 had a handful of high-end shops, a large Duty-Free area and a variety of places to eat or drink. A few quick pre-departure red wines did set us back around US$100 though, so be wary of those airport prices. There was also only one small newsagent which had a disappointing selection of snacks and magazines.

Seat: An aisle seat in economy.

Crew: Friendly, professional, not too in-your-face but not exactly memorable service.

Passengers: Economy wasn’t anywhere near full, with the middle seat in most rows empty. In fact, quite a few people managed to score three seats to themselves. One American loudly stated they thought it could be because “Auckland isn’t a popular route”, which I would debate, but being May it wasn’t peak season for US travellers coming to NZ.

Food and drink: Dinner after take-off was either butter chicken (surprisingly delicious) or vegetarian stir-fry. Both were accompanied by a salad, a (very cold, hard) bread roll and one of the famous New York Milk Bar cookies for dessert. Drinks were the usual beer, wine and non-alcoholic options. A turkey sandwich was offered as a snack mid-flight but most people were asleep. Breakfast before landing was waffles or scrambled eggs. As far as plane food goes, it was nice but nothing special.

Entertainment: A decent selection of new-release films and TV shows as well as some old favourites you can call on for easy entertainment (thank you Bring It On). Movies featuring adult content are heavily edited in case of young peeping eyes, making Margot Robbie’s latest hit Babylon interesting, very blurry viewing. There are also games, podcasts and music options. In-flight Wi-Fi is available for purchase through the United Airlines app.

Arrival airport experience: Clearing customs in Auckland is often a hit-or-miss experience. This one was a miss with a relatively slow line after baggage collection.

The best bit: Having a bit of space to spread out with an empty middle seat.

The worst bit: Walking through Business Class while disembarking and seeing how the other half live.

Final verdict: As far as long-haul overnight flights go it wasn’t too bad but it’s a different experience from travelling with Air New Zealand. Sleep helps the time pass fast enough but for those who struggle with sleeping on planes, there’s enough entertainment and snacks to get you through.