Air New Zealand's revamped Dreamliner is now bookable
Air New Zealand has announced dates and routes for its first completely revamped 787-9 Dreamliner. That means in just a couple of weeks, you can check out the airline's brand-new seats (and carpet, curtains, entertainment systems and more).
The airline overhauled all cabins — including economy, premium economy and business class — on its first retrofitted 787-9 over a 184-day period. It also added two new all-new business-class products styled Business Premier and Business Premier Luxe. This is the first of 14 Air New Zealand Dreamliners set to be redesigned by the end of next year.
So, how can you experience these new seats for yourself? The new Dreamliner will fly between Auckland and the following cities: San Francisco; Brisbane, Australia; Rarotonga, Cook Islands; and Vancouver, British Columbia. These routes are available to book as of Wednesday, May 7, with flights taking off in the coming weeks.
For instance, the inaugural Auckland-to-San Francisco flight will take off on May 19 at 7:45 p.m. local time and land at 12:50 p.m. PDT on the same date (time travel!). The return San Francisco-to-Auckland flight departs May 19 at 10:05 p.m. According to a press release, there will be "more routes to follow as more of the retrofits are complete."
Related: What to know when planning a family trip to New Zealand
How to book Air New Zealand's new Dreamliner with points and miles
Air New Zealand Airpoints are hard to come by; it's much easier to book Air New Zealand award seats through its Star Alliance partners. However, to find flights with this exact plane, it can be helpful to start your search on Air New Zealand's website.
For instance, on the inaugural revamped 787-9 flight from Auckland Airport (AKL) to San Francisco International Airport (SFO) on May 19, the new Business Premier Luxe seats are mentioned under the business-class fare.
On the next page, you'll have the option to upgrade to Business Premier Luxe. Or you can select these seats from the seat map later in the booking process.
This same flight is available on United Airlines' website for 60,500 miles one-way in economy, plus $47 in taxes and fees. Or, if you have an eligible United cobranded card, you'll pay only 55,000 miles. You'll see here, too, that the 787-9 Dreamliner is called out near the flight number.
While Business Premier and Business Premier Luxe aren't available with United miles on the above flight, a business-class award between the U.S. and New Zealand would typically cost 110,000 miles (or 100,000 miles for United cardholders), so hopefully we see those redemptions pop up soon for the new 787-9.
The same flight booked through Air Canada Aeroplan is an even better deal, costing only 50,000 points in economy. You'll pay slightly more in taxes and fees: 136 Canadian dollars (roughly $98), which is still very reasonable for a long-haul international flight. Similarly, there is no Business Premier or Business Premier Luxe available to book on this flight through this partner, but generally, business-class redemptions on other planes that fly this route go for 75,000 Aeroplan points.
With cash rates for the same date starting at 992 New Zealand dollars ($589) one-way in economy, this comes out to around 0.98 cents per point — slightly under value for Aeroplan points, which are worth 1.4 cents each per our May 2025 valuations.
You can transfer credit card rewards to Aeroplan at a 1:1 ratio from American Express Membership Rewards, Bilt Rewards, Capital One miles and Chase Ultimate Rewards. You can transfer Chase points and Bilt Points to United, but you're better off transferring to Aeroplan since it offers better award rates in this case.
Another way to book the new Air New Zealand Dreamliner is with Singapore Airlines, which charges 66,000 KrisFlyer miles (plus $42) for one-way economy saver award seats. (Similarly, there are no business-class redemptions available on this specific flight, but they can be found for 146,500 miles on other planes on this route.)
This isn't the cheapest way to fly on Air New Zealand's new Dreamliner, but it's a nice option if you have a stash of credit card rewards that can be transferred to KrisFlyer, such as Amex Membership Rewards or Chase Ultimate Rewards points.
Related: How I used 75,000 Chase points to fly business class to New Zealand
Bottom line
Thanks to points and miles, there are several ways to test out Air New Zealand's revamped Dreamliner — and explore the Land of the Long White Cloud — without breaking the bank. We recommend booking with Aeroplan, where you can get truly outsize value for your points in business class.
The downside is that, for now, specialized seat types like the new Business Premier Luxe and the economy Skycouch don't seem to be bookable through partner airlines. But we'll be watching this space to see if and when award bookings become available.
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