I've written privately to Bruce, but the more I read abiout this the less I like it.

I understand that there is a WLG/CHC/OOL problem, and would not object to their services being solely aimed at economy pax.

But applying this solution on all short-haul A320 ops is absurd, and can only succeed in massively reducing yields on AKL-BNE/MEL/SYD/ADE/CNS.

I seem to be being told that as an OOL passenger who flies Business Class via AKL to HNL/LAX/SFO/YVR/LHR that I can just go up the road to BNE and take the lunchtime widebody to/from Auckland. That, it is implied, is "the business flight". Well it isn't when I have to fly to work in New Zealand - I want either the 5pm A320 flight (allowing a full day's work first) or the 630 am A320 flight back from AKL into either BNE or OOL, either of which I can go to work from.

I don't care what Business Class costs, because I'm not paying for it and there is no danger of my employers disallowing it. But now I have to effectively use two extra days of my holidays to fly Air New Zealand, or else accept a downgrade to Economy class.

There is a vague implication that I might just luck out and score Row 1, which is the only one with more than 33 inches legroom, but that is not in any way guaranteed. Moreover, when I do have a Tasman fare it's much more likely to be "Works" than "Works Deluxe" because as a Gold Elite I have lounge access and priority check-in anyway, so people on Works Deluxe fares will presumably beat me to Row 1 as they have paid more.

It's fair to say that I'm really, really pi**ed off with these changes. Why do all the rest of us have to accept an inferior product just because the piffling little markets of WLG and CHC (combined population less than 1 million) don't support a full-service model?

What's next? Why not cancel the 777-300ER order because a flight on it to CHC or WLG wouldn't fill 44 Business Premier beds? Why don't Qantas sell their A380s because they couldn't sell all the first and business class seats on a flight from Hobart to London?

Surely you base your model on the highest yielding parts of the operation, and if certain markets are unprofitable let their passengers choose between flying Jetstar or connecting via AKL. But don't penalise AKL passengers for the lack of demand in other centres.