Peter, flying coach on a domestic US carrier is definitely below the level of service and food on a domestic OZ carrier. Upgrading on a US domestic is much more of a necessity than upgrading on an OZ flight. I wouldn't waste points upgrading within OZ, even on a flight to Perth, and I'd use points to go somewhere new rather than upgrading on an Air New Zealand flight to New Caledonia. With the low-cost competition that is starting in OZ, you may soon see the same decrease in service there that now exists in the US. I'm old enough to remember when coach in the US was not that unpleasant. Cheers.