Originally Posted by hfly
Probably because Aus and NZ are actually quite small markets that are very expensive to operate (due to time involved you need twice as many a/c) ... What i find funny is that the people that generally ask these questions are either those that wish to redeem miles for a once in a lifetime trip down under, or would probably purchase economy - not a reason for an airline to fly down under.
You hit the nail on the head here. I've flown to SYD via a few different cities, and found that even the business cabins were dominated by leisure pax. QF doesn't even offer F service on many of their 744s, even some of the 744ERs (QF being the only carrier to operate such equipment in pax configuration).
The only long-haul route out of SYD that I see which seems to have a lot of competition is SYD-SIN, where QF, BA and SQ all offer multiple daily flight options. I flew this on QF (mistake!), and was on a 2-class 744, with what I'd call an "old fashioned" J cabin.
Users should also keep in mind that SYD and AKL really are way out there. It's 5,000+ miles SYD-HNL, 3,900 miles to SIN, 4,500 to HKG, 4,800 to NRT and 7,400 to LAX. AKL-LAX is 6,500. (AKL-EZE is 6,475!) There are no puddle-jumpers (except CO-Micronesia service to CNS, I guess).
That being said, SYD and AKL are wonderful spots to visit - even if, gasp, you have to pay to fly there.