Outbound on Jan 16, NZ19 LAX - CHC was packed. There wasn't an empty seat anywhere, but the NZ crew handled everything in stride, offering thier usual cheerful and warm hospitality. I know a lot of folks like the Asian airlines for their service CX, SQ etc. but I'll take NZ anyday.

My return on Jan 27 NZ18 CHC-LAX was very lightly loaded, only 160 Pax in total. There were probably 10 of us on the lower deck in J and maybe 2-3 in F! The service was excellent as I've come to expect. The only glitch was a computer problem that seemed to kill all of the terminals save 1, when I arrived to check in. The ground staff handled everything as well as they could and instead of asking eveybody to line up at the working terminal, the agents came out from behind the counter and checked us in on the spot by running back and forth to the one working terminal. Fortunately the problem appeared near the end of the boarding process and there were maybe only a dozen or so Pax left in line.

I've always though highly of NZ and when the new seats arrive for the 744, the Asian carriers will get a real run for their money. IMHO, NZ is the most civilized way to get to OZ from NA.

DF