He's a kind of unofficial envoy for Kiwi Regional Airlines, an ambassador at large.

'It's the little Kiwi airline that you can relate to, that you can trust,” says 15-year-old Mount Maunganui College student and aviation nut Bailey Pellow.

His report card follows four months of observing and experiencing Kiwi Air – at the airport, in the air and online. 'To me, that speaks truckloads on how they deal with their customers.”

And if all this smacks of a paid endorsement then it's time for a declaration of interest. The airline did flick Bailey a complimentary return ticket to Nelson. It was payback for Pellow advocating for the airline late last year. One favour deserved another.

'Get that 34-seat twin turbo prop Saab 340-A into Tauranga,” Bailey said on the Facebook page he created to encourage Kiwi Regional Airlines to come to town in late-2015. The fledgling airline had just pulled out of Queenstown and was looking for other opportunities.

'Anything to make it cheaper to fly in and out of Tauranga,” said Bailey. That's all history now, and Kiwi flies into town twice a week – and Bailey is well satisfied.

'To think I may have had a tiny part in making that happen is fantastic,” says Bailey. He was proud and excited, and Kiwi Regional Airlines was very grateful.

Dave Macpherson, the airline's route network and revenue manager posted on Bailey's Facebook page. 'Bailey, we would like to congratulate you. Here's a free ticket.” Or words to that effect. It was a free return trip to Nelson.

'That was quite cool because I wasn't expecting anything out of it. I did it ‘cos it was cool to do.”

Recently Bailey took up the Kiwi offer and flitted off to Nelson for four days. He travelled with Mum and Nana. He also travelled with a critical eye.

'There were some really nice touches,” says Bailey. Like when he rang to book his seat, the chief executive Ewan Wilson apparently answered his call. 'He's really involved.”

Then there's the ticket, which is not a ticket but a cow tag; the row letter and seat number on the front and the airline's logo on the back. 'At first I thought it was strange but then I got thinking that it was a neat way to demonstrate they're a Kiwi airline.”

He had a special shout for ‘Sophie and E' – the flight attendants who were very slick, courteous, helpful and professional. 'They dispensed sugar cachets with tongs.” A Tim Tam provided another sugar hit; and in the mind of a young aviation critic that deserves a mention.

'While the 340A is not a new plane, it is still a fantastic ride,” says Bailey. 'We ran into some turbulence but we can hardly fault the airline for that.”

The plane was 'functionally clean” – vacuumed and wiped down. 'And if there was any grime I wouldn't be curling into a ball because it was unhygienic.”

Bailey had trouble levering his 183cm frame into the Sabre's loo. 'But having said that a loo on a 737 isn't that easy either.” He also wondered about the need for a toilet on a short-haul flight. 'It's just an hour-and-15-minute flight.”

And he had a grumble about luggage, which is not a problem confined to this airline. 'Maximum of 7kg carry-on and no check-in luggage. When you have to spend a minimum of two days and maximum of four in Nelson – or any place – then you really need more luggage. You can pay $50 for another 20kg but I feel that's a bit steep.”

From a 15-year-old travel critic's perspective, Kiwi is a 'simple, straightforward and uncomplicated airline”. No hidden fees, no hidden clauses or surprises, according to Bailey.

And they listen. When the airline planned a grey livery for its new plane there was considerable negative feedback. 'So they changed it to clean white and clean green, which reflects who New Zealanders are and what we stand for.”

Bailey has been monitoring the airlines' Facebook page and he says generally people seem satisfied. 'It seems to be working – time will tell.” Perhaps it's a sign that the plane was full one leg of Bailey's trip, and two free seats the other.

Meanwhile, the aviation observer will have to make some life decisions soon-ish. The young man, who has a flight simulator loaded into his PC and is a self-confessed plane spotter, will have to decide whether to fly with Kiwi Air or fly for it.

'I would fly with Kiwi Air again, especially if it relaxed its carry-on rules.” And he remains hellbent on being a pilot one day.