Bliss for a serial offender

OUR flight is delayed by almost an hour thanks to a warning light set off after the hold had been sprayed by quarantine officers.

Last flight

OUR flight is delayed by almost an hour thanks to a warning light set off after the hold had been sprayed by quarantine officers.

That's the message, with regular updates, from the chipper captain, who then points out we will have to taxi for a bit because the safety video, most of which we watched earlier before the power failed, has to be shown in full before takeoff.

It doesn't seem too much of a glitch and such delays are always less frustrating when information is forthcoming; the flight attendants set a cracking pace with the drinks (Moet et Chandon brut imperial NV, or apple or orange juice), an efficiency that will continue for a speedy trans-Tasman flight to Christchurch.

But as we get into the three-hour flight, I realise I am not all that eager to get anywhere; there simply isn't time to make even a dent in the ICE entertainment system, which surely has to be the flying world's most comprehensive assembly of channels and options.

Aside from new and recent-release movies, there are Film Club classics (Ghostbusters, Taxi Driver and the original Wall Street all beckon), Nostalgia on Celluloid (sample offering: The Grapes of Wrath, 1940) and television channels that give, say, 12 episodes of Dexter or the whole brilliant Band of Brothers series. The Couch Potato Heaven selection features bucketloads of 30 Rock or I could create my own playlist from the audio menu or polish my French on the Berlitz language-learning channel. At this rate, I will need to turn around at Christchurch and fly back to Sydney, perhaps on to Dubai if I am still halfway through The Pacific 10-parter and unravelling the mysteries of the French pluperfect.

But, wait, it's time for brunch, or lunch perhaps, as our watches are going forward two hours. There's a choice of two entrees and four mains; I opt just for the poached red emperor in broth with enoki mushrooms, wilted Asian greens and udon noodles. It needs a fair shake of the pepper pot, and the broth is more of a drizzle, but it's light and healthy and served piping hot.

That's it for me; you can take away that trolley laden with strawberry sponge cake and an international cheese selection because things are hotting up in the corridors of power at Pawnee, Indiana, and now I have less than 90 minutes to watch three back-to-back episodes of Parks and Recreation.

Emirates' business-class seats make a perfect platform for airborne couch potatoes and convert to lie-flat beds. They are configured 2-3-2 across the cabin so if flying alone you could find yourself tucked into a middle seat, which is worth noting.

But access to aisles is easy and there are privacy dividers and wide arm-rests that create segregation. Oddly, there is a large divider between the bulkhead and window seats in row six that requires a sideways shuffle to enter and exit and could be irritating on a long flight.

Whoosh, we are there, and barely time, either, to peruse the duty-free catalogue, which at a glance does seem encouragingly cheap. A 100ml Eau de Cartier spray for $62? I can't wait to be back on board.

Tip: Emirates operates 28 flights a week to New Zealand (daily to Christchurch from Sydney and daily to Auckland from Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane) and has a generous check-in baggage allowance of 50kg for first, 40kg for business and 30kg for economy.

More: 1300 303 777; www.emirates.com/au.