I'm trying to decide whether or not to fly AKL-PER-AKL leaving on a Wednesday in November, and returning on a Wednesday in November.

The details aren't really important, but they're posted in this thread if anyone's interested http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=691353

I've never been to Australia or New Zealand before, and have certainly never flown NZ metal. My questions are:

1. Will the flight be crowded? Obviously if it has a load factor < 50% in economy, then getting 2 seats to myself seems pretty sweet.

2. How comfortable are the economy seats? I've checked out the stats on seatguru, but would like to know of anyone's first-hand experiences of them and if possible, how they compare to AA, UA or BA.

3. Is it possible to book economy seats in advance? I have no relevant status.

4. If I manage to get assigned 15JK or 16JK on the 767-300, what are the chances that they will suddenly decide that they need those seats for "Crew Rest Area" needs and bump me out of them?

Thanks!

(This was originally misposted in Other Asian, Australian and South Pacific Frequent Flyer Programs. I have asked mods to close/lock the misposted thread. Please reply here - thank you!)