As KiwiFlyer posted, there should be no problem getting a seat on the LA flight as availability is usually wide open. It always seems to be full in Y, but seldom in J.

As for LA's catering on the SYD-AKL, I was not impressed at all. It consisted of a toasted sandwich, which, for a 3 hour flight was not really enough. Given the flight departs around 10.30am and arrives around 3.30pm, I expected a decent lunch service and found the toasted sandwich sorely lacking. I've not flown QF J on this route, but understand that it would be more substantial.

However that was the only thing I was disappointed with. The A340 is a lovely bird to be aboard, the cabin felt a lot more spacious than QF's 767 and the seat was fine. AVOD is good, and the selection of movies is fairly current. Cabin crew were efficient, but not overwhelming. Didn't indulge in a huge conversation with them, but had no language difficulties.

Overall it was a pleasant change from the alternative (QF).