From what I read here, I now expect the NZ fligth to similar to LX business which I just had the pleasure of flying SFO-ZRH. Yes, UA's first seat is bigger, and screen is better, etc., but UA SFO-SYD can have some serious burned out staff, that can often make it a grumpy experience.

Since I will do one airline each way, I'll report back. My main drawback on NZ is the connection - sometimes just nice to get on the plane, and get off at your final destination. But UA arrives so early in the morning, not much to do anyway......

NZ All the way!
 

If you enjoy the experience of flying, then you should definitely do NZ in Business.

The UA crew to Sydney is the most senior and THE MOST burned out! I upgraded the the fare mistake to AKL via SYD to UA First a couple years ago and I was extremely disappointed.

The FA's are mean!

The NZ FA's are funny, professional, and attentive.

UA's International F experience doesn't touch any other airlines F that I have tried (Thai, Oz, LH, SQ, Emirates - all on awards)

IMHO

There simply is no comparison between UA F seat and NZ business seat. I've been in both and the NZ seat compares very unfavorably to UA F. I find it to be a lousy seat since its recline is limited. To convert it into a bed, you have to get up out of the seat and flip it over.

NZ food is nothing special - not bad, not great.

If going to New Zealand, by all means take NZ. But if going to SYD and F is available, it makes no sense to take a detour through AKL to get an inferior product.

You sound like you're talking about SQ, you don't have to get up to change the NZ seat into a bed, unless I missed something. :confused:

This is getting interesting! Thanks everybody.

I'm on a waitlist for the UA flight for the date I need, so I might not even get the choice.

Good luck, and if you do clear the waitlist, I wish you additional luck that your UA flight actually leaves that day (let alone on time). Unless I was on a pure award, or I had a couple extra days to spare on the tail end of my trip before needing to get back to work, I wouldn't choose UA.

I admit I am partial to great airlines like NZ that take their service and reliability of their aircraft very seriously (and I actually don't mind the connection in AKL with its excellent lounge and nice selection of wines and manuka honey at the duty free).

NZ business class required you to get up and flip the seat over to make a fully flat bed as of a year ago. I think they may have come out with a new seat but not sure if it is rolled out across the entire fleet yet. I would take UA simply because on this flight you'll want to sleep as much as possible and UA will have a quieter cabin and wider flat bed thanks to it being a true first class seat. If you were flying the other direction I'd choose NZ for better service, food and entertainment. NZ's biz seat is one of the best in the sky but UA's first still tops it as far as comfort.

Sounds like an interesting route :D
http://www.gcmap.com/mapui?P=Syd-auk

And an earlier post said they do this on a 737! Now that's a flight to fear:)

I've done both. UA F is a slightly bigger seat, but you do have more "space" of your own outside the actual seat itself. To me, the NZ seat is far far more comfortable even though it's a little smaller.

Service is completely in favor of NZ. It's exceptional service, good food, great wine, pleasant, etc. On UA's very best day their service is merely "equal" to what I get on NZ every time.

The 767 NZ102 depart SYD for AKL each week day at 9.30ish....the weekend 767s leave at 11.30pm.

Business Class on the 767 is not BP but sure beats Y.

Yes, the NZ biz seat is the same as VS - you have to get up and flip it over (by pressing a button) to convert it into a bed. Ergo, you need to make a real decision when it's time to sleep (or wake).

Having recently flown a bunch of NZ and VS as well as UA F, I can't imagine a universe in which the NZ hard product is better. The VS/NZ seat was awesome in 2004, but now is a tatty relic.

Staff were generally good/friendly.

-G

While many previous posters are citing having to get up to flip the seat as a disadvantage, I actually much prefer this design, as it results in a single, solid, flat bed to lay on rather than a bunch of seat sections with cracks that your body can wedge into. That said, UA's new F seats aren't anything to avoid anymore. And I'd take NZ C over UA F soft product any day of the week.

The seats on NZ's new 773's are not (yet) tatty...;)

..and the addition of the new mattress pad has turned a decent C bed into a very good one indeed... (at least IMO)

There are 777s' that head down to SYD as well- just few and far between.

Yes, I'd agree in going for NZ on this route over UA.