zorn - Looking forward to your trip report too, especially as I'll be visiting AKL in several months time.
I agree with you, the YYZ Transborder MLL T1 is great. That must have hurt, having to pass on the $500 voucher. Are you saying, it was cheapest to fly YYZ-ORD-LAX-SFO, rather than just YYZ-SFO on AC?
Anxious to hear that UA in C offered you more than just
sac de pretzels avec beaucoup de sel.