sbiddle

Had a Skycouch row on the way over to YVR as a HVC benefit, just a regular seat on the way back.

curioustill

Doing a few dummy searches in April for AKL -> DXB in Business shows that both the non-stop flight and the flights with a stop in Australia are at the same price. So if you want to enjoy the better business in A380 you don't have to pay more - just spend some more time travelling

sbiddle

I noticed Grant Bradley in The Herald thinks Air NZ have 2 classes in their 777-200. He's terrible as an aviation writer with errors in a significant percentage of the stories he writes.

Kamadan

There is your problem, you're reading The Herald. :P

And yes, sometimes I wonder if anyone is qualified to write articles for them... Grant knows almost nothing about aviation/travel and does no fact checking.

NZbutterfly

Anecdotal but on the EK flights I've been on I can't say I've seen lots of spare seats. Definitely got some great brand recognition going for them. There are people that hate LAX and LHR and fly west to the UK to avoid those airports at all costs. EK are also cheaper flying west than using Air NZ to fly to Europe. At least when I've checked. That's gotta sway a significant portion of the market.

I don't have a problem flying west. Imagine...one stop to Oktoberfest

It's funny the one carrier I'm itching for - EY isn't coming!! (But I'll keep my fingers crossed). Saving the best for last

Edit: I wonder if they'll let you earn QF sc/points on this sector.

mad_atta

I'm surprised that none of the publicity materials mention that this will be the world's longest nonstop flight... at least until QR finally launches its AKL-DOH. It's substantially longer than the current champion, QF's SYD-DFW route, and longer also than EK's announced (but delayed and, according to some, unlikely to eventuate DXB-PTY route).

Though perhaps with the subpar equipment on offer, EK isn't keen to stress the extreme length of the flight...

kyanar

He probably thinks the two classes are Business and Not-Business.

Kiwi Flyer

Yes, and also redeem awards although only economy seems to be available on award at the moment.

QF codeshare hasn't yet been added, so less points if you have QFF status.

KeepDiscovering

I reckon it is a strategic move in response to QR's entry into the market (which may in turn motivate EY to come). The non-stop, direct flight probably will affect NZ and SQ's operation to SIN most, followed by the other East Asian hubs connecting to Europe.

Interesting that a few years back Air NZ had dominant position in its core markets; now, competitors appear all front, for example, the 'big three' Chinese carriers on the Chinese routes, AA on its Trans-Pacific routes and even JetStar on its regional domestic routes.

If the new EK flight does not have good on-time performance, it will be a nightmare to arriving passengers to AKL since most long-haul flights ex-Asia will arrive in early afternoon. It will be a very crowded terminal!

KeepDiscovering

Well-done, finally someone knows the proper definition of the term ^

KeepDiscovering

And it highlights the lack of precision and facts checking on some news articles they publish

Kiwi Flyer

No they don't mostly arrive early afternoon.

In my experience early morning, mid afternoon and midnight are the busiest times at AKL immigration and customs.

pbl22

That sounds like he has perfect credentials to be a Herald journalist!

Yes, he is an embarrassingly bad travel reporter. And the Herald is an embarrassingly bad newspaper.

pbl22

Of course it is! Not sure, though, whether EY will be tempted. NZ is, after all, a tiny market and all the many options available now (especially if the QR one evolves) are starting to make it feel a bit "overfished".

jcamp028

I find it hard to believe the business case exists for such a route. Then again, state subsidized..