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Air Canada launches YVR-AKL route

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Old Feb 28, 2019, 11:44 am
  #46  
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Originally Posted by Jasper2009
That's awesome news!!!

- potentially better fares for pax originating elsewhere in Canada etc..
did you mean?

- guaranteed better fares for pax originating in USA etc
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Old Mar 1, 2019, 2:00 pm
  #47  
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Originally Posted by ACYYZ/SD
The announcement (mandated) is kept to a minimum
Seat Belts Please
Ceintures de Securite SVP
I often hear something like "Ladies and gentlemen, the captain has turned on the seatbelt sign due to light turbulence. Please return to your seat and fasten your seatbelt."

And then in French. And potentially another language, depending on the route.
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Old Mar 26, 2019, 4:52 pm
  #48  
 
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I just picked up a couple of one way award tickets in J AKL to YOW via YVR and YUL for early next March, perfect for us as we return home from a South Pacific cruise. The biggest shock -- the utter lack of fees and taxes on these tickets, totalling $44 each. Undoubtedly it is one of the best value for points redemptions I've ever experienced, especially since I found that on most flights to and from SYD AC appears to load only one J award seat (researching I found there were sometimes pairs available on flights Monday to Wednesday -- of course booking the tickets at the earliest possible moment. I sense like all hard to find long range award tickets you need to be able to plan with quite a long horizon and grab the seats when you can, but when it works, it is certainly a great experience.
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Old Mar 28, 2019, 2:12 pm
  #49  
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I've mentioned previously that NZ is making mucho dinero on the AKL-YVR route. Not unexpected of course that AC launched the route as well.

There are many reasons some would prefer to fly NZ over AC as mentioned here, in other recent NZ / AKL routing threads (e.g. Aeroplan) and of course, there may be those who would want AC, even if not daily.

For those of us who have flown NZ recently on any of their TPAC or longer routes, or those who fly them regularly, there is much we really like from the seats, the memory foam mattress, the NZ wines, the food and service.

Well, here is another reason.

Inflight Wi-Fi is FREE for the long haul Inflight

Wi-Fi is on the house, to help you stay connected.


Details on this very informative page on NZ's website

https://www.airnewzealand.com/wifi


Some interesting comments here by Lucky

QUOTE:

"Installing wifi on planes is expensive, so it’s interesting to see the focus shift long term. Wifi is increasingly being installed as a point of differentiation in terms of the passenger experience, rather than something that airlines are hoping to make a direct profit on."

https://onemileatatime.com/air-new-zealand-free-wifi/

***

I have my own thoughts on AC's installation of wifi on their wide bodies, which I know some others share. This kind of decision is an important differentiator for the customer experience.
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Old Mar 28, 2019, 3:40 pm
  #50  
 
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FI also provides free wifi to their J customers. A nice touch.

But I think NZ is far ahead of the game even without the wifi!
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Old Mar 28, 2019, 6:02 pm
  #51  
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Originally Posted by 24left
I've mentioned previously that NZ is making mucho dinero on the AKL-YVR route. Not unexpected of course that AC launched the route as well.

There are many reasons some would prefer to fly NZ over AC as mentioned here, in other recent NZ / AKL routing threads (e.g. Aeroplan) and of course, there may be those who would want AC, even if not daily.

For those of us who have flown NZ recently on any of their TPAC or longer routes, or those who fly them regularly, there is much we really like from the seats, the memory foam mattress, the NZ wines, the food and service.

Well, here is another reason.

Inflight Wi-Fi is FREE for the long haul Inflight

Wi-Fi is on the house, to help you stay connected.


Details on this very informative page on NZ's website

https://www.airnewzealand.com/wifi


Some interesting comments here by Lucky

QUOTE:

"Installing wifi on planes is expensive, so it’s interesting to see the focus shift long term. Wifi is increasingly being installed as a point of differentiation in terms of the passenger experience, rather than something that airlines are hoping to make a direct profit on."

https://onemileatatime.com/air-new-zealand-free-wifi/

***

I have my own thoughts on AC's installation of wifi on their wide bodies, which I know some others share. This kind of decision is an important differentiator for the customer experience.
I tried checking for some economy YVR-AKL fares for the fall and I noticed that the AKL-YVR books as S-fare, which gets nothing on OZ. Yet, YVR-AKL books as T and that get me some miles.
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Old Mar 28, 2019, 6:13 pm
  #52  
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Originally Posted by 24left
I've mentioned previously that NZ is making mucho dinero on the AKL-YVR route. Not unexpected of course that AC launched the route as well.

There are many reasons some would prefer to fly NZ over AC as mentioned here, in other recent NZ / AKL routing threads (e.g. Aeroplan) and of course, there may be those who would want AC, even if not daily.

For those of us who have flown NZ recently on any of their TPAC or longer routes, or those who fly them regularly, there is much we really like from the seats, the memory foam mattress, the NZ wines, the food and service.

Well, here is another reason.

Inflight Wi-Fi is FREE for the long haul Inflight

Wi-Fi is on the house, to help you stay connected.


Details on this very informative page on NZ's website

https://www.airnewzealand.com/wifi


Some interesting comments here by Lucky

QUOTE:

"Installing wifi on planes is expensive, so it’s interesting to see the focus shift long term. Wifi is increasingly being installed as a point of differentiation in terms of the passenger experience, rather than something that airlines are hoping to make a direct profit on."

https://onemileatatime.com/air-new-zealand-free-wifi/

***

I have my own thoughts on AC's installation of wifi on their wide bodies, which I know some others share. This kind of decision is an important differentiator for the customer experience.
How will performance be when it's free for everyone? Forget the total bandwidth - just having 300+ devices connecting to the AP will cause other issues.
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Old Mar 28, 2019, 6:13 pm
  #53  
 
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Originally Posted by lsquare
I tried checking for some economy YVR-AKL fares for the fall and I noticed that the AKL-YVR books as S-fare, which gets nothing on OZ. Yet, YVR-AKL books as T and that get me some miles.
Aren't T and S both Standard fare classes? I mean with branded fares could also be others, what did you pick? Basic or Standard?
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Old Mar 28, 2019, 6:14 pm
  #54  
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Originally Posted by lsquare
I tried checking for some economy YVR-AKL fares for the fall and I noticed that the AKL-YVR books as S-fare, which gets nothing on OZ. Yet, YVR-AKL books as T and that get me some miles.
Supply & demand. The cheaper fare buckets get sold first, then to the next higher fare bucket, which may get ff miles. You may be able to upfare by phoning (will cost $). Websites generally do not allow you to select or change fare booking classes. Or with a real (living breathing) Travel Agent.
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Old Mar 28, 2019, 6:25 pm
  #55  
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Originally Posted by canadiancow
How will performance be when it's free for everyone? Forget the total bandwidth - just having 300+ devices connecting to the AP will cause other issues.
That's what I thought too. Paid wifi is already pretty slow given the amount of bandwidth available. This sounds great from a PR perspective, but my experience with free wifi have been pretty bad. I suspect it'll be the same on NZ. Basically just unusable.
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Old Mar 28, 2019, 6:27 pm
  #56  
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Originally Posted by jc94


Aren't T and S both Standard fare classes? I mean with branded fares could also be others, what did you pick? Basic or Standard?
I'm not an expert, but that's what I had thought. There's no way I'm going to buy that fare if I get nothing on the return leg.
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Old Mar 28, 2019, 6:33 pm
  #57  
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Originally Posted by jc94


Aren't T and S both Standard fare classes? I mean with branded fares could also be others, what did you pick? Basic or Standard?

Originally Posted by lsquare
I'm not an expert, but that's what I had thought. There's no way I'm going to buy that fare if I get nothing on the return leg.
Definitely Basic, Standard, or Flex... maybe even Comfort but I can't remember exactly.

The full fare basis is important now (well the suffix code at least) in order to know what you really have, if you don't trust other sources simply saying "Basic" or "Standard" or etc etc.

The fare class letter/bucket alone does not necessarily tell the full story anymore.

I have never flown NZ but one day I will. Everyone I know who has (any class) loves/d it. Some of them are FOTSGs and some FFs.

If AC fixes their J seats I would still consider AC though for this new route.
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Old Mar 28, 2019, 6:34 pm
  #58  
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Originally Posted by canadiancow
How will performance be when it's free for everyone? Forget the total bandwidth - just having 300+ devices connecting to the AP will cause other issues.
Good question. But considering how well NZ does in other service areas and also that other airlines offer free wifi, I'll assume those airlines have done the research and analysis to determine what would happen if all pax wanted to use wifi at the same time (which never seems to be the case).

One source of a list of airlines

https://pointmetotheplane.boardingar...lines-have-it/

And the CEO of DL (an airline that leads the pack in creative offerings to customers) said they plan to offer free wifi as well

https://skift.com/2018/09/28/delta-c...-fi-is-coming/

***

Either way, if NZ plans to offer it and it will be available on their long-haul routes such as YVR and AC plans to launch that route, maybe there are those who don't think NZ's decision will make a difference to those who choose to fly AC. The value proposition of what AC offers compared to NZ, will make the difference. And I wouldn't dismiss NZ's optimism.
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Old Mar 28, 2019, 6:45 pm
  #59  
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Originally Posted by 24left
Good question. But considering how well NZ does in other service areas and also that other airlines offer free wifi, I'll assume those airlines have done the research and analysis to determine what would happen if all pax wanted to use wifi at the same time (which never seems to be the case).

One source of a list of airlines

https://pointmetotheplane.boardingar...lines-have-it/

And the CEO of DL (an airline that leads the pack in creative offerings to customers) said they plan to offer free wifi as well

https://skift.com/2018/09/28/delta-c...-fi-is-coming/

***

Either way, if NZ plans to offer it and it will be available on their long-haul routes such as YVR and AC plans to launch that route, maybe there are those who don't think NZ's decision will make a difference to those who choose to fly AC. The value proposition of what AC offers compared to NZ, will make the difference. And I wouldn't dismiss NZ's optimism.
Free doesn't mean it's good. Using that logic, I could say a highly rated airport like HKG have done their research and would offer a good free wifi experience for their customers. I was in HKG earlier this year and the free internet was not even usable for VOIP. Fortunately, I was able to buy a simcard after getting my luggage so it wasn't so bad.
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Old Mar 28, 2019, 6:51 pm
  #60  
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Originally Posted by lsquare
Free doesn't mean it's good. .
I dunno, the free internet on Qatar is damn good....

Give it a couple years, free internet will be standard on all respectable airlines (and by 2040 on AC)
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