Originally Posted by
TemboOne
Exactly. NZ provides a much better service to the US than Canada, and there's no logical reason to transit the US unnecessarily. If NZ provides an inferior product to Canadians then why on earth should we patronise them?
The non-stop NZ service to YVR was started with lots of hoopla about helping Canadians avoid the US. Inferior service was never mentioned.
(Actually if we were interested in transiting the US to AKL we'd fly TN and break the journey in PPT).
NZ doesn't offer an 'inferior' product just to Canada, they only have a few 77Ws with the new interiors and those are operating LAX/SFO & AKL-HKG-LHR. They are in the process of refurbishing their 772s to the 'new' standard. The first one will be released in June or July 2014. The 772 will have the same same J, a PE that resembles AC's 787 PE (currently they only offer more pitch on their PE on the 772 9 across) and not the angled PE of the 77W. Y will go 10 across like everyone else is doing.
The city who really isn't feeling the NZ love is NRT who get the old 767s on half their routes. Recliner style J on a 9 hour flight. This route will get the 789.
I just flew YVR-AKL return, plus a few other NZ flights. According to the SDs YVR is one of the first routes that will get them because the capacity is high enough to justify the new higher load 772s but not enough to increase the frequency (which would require a second plane.
That being said, the YVR-AKL is an AC codeshare. I doubt there is enough capacity to justify 2 operators and AC currently doesn't have the planes to operate that route without taking one from an existing route.