Originally Posted by
cz4ever
Thank you all (og, Mwenenzi, and Dave Noble)! I very much appreciate the quick, clear responses! They clear up a lot of mysteries, especially with regard to what qualifies as "preferred seating" (pretty unappealing on QF) and the reason why I could not select seats (that policy is odd, Mwenenzi).
I'll take a look at the other options, especially an Air New Zealand triangle route (IAH-AKL-SYD-IAH), since we would want to visit NZ. SYD seems to be the cheapest option for Australia proper, but I'll definitely keep an eye on MEL and BNE.
Air Sydney (some times know as Qantas) does some strange things.
AA (LAX-AKL) & UA (SFO- AKL) also fly to NZ non stop.
For Aust<---->NZ there are many routes & airlines. And not just from the major cities. But may be cheaper to purchase separately (~3:30hr flight)
With premium economy, economy plus, economy extra, premium plus and other airline jargon need to check what is just an economy seat with more leg room and what is a different class with better seats, better meals and other features (ffp earning).