Just flew AKL/LAX return in PE and thought I would give some thoughts.

In both legs, we used One Up for me and Recognition Upgrades for my wife, who has Gold status (I have none - just basic).

Outbound we were in the centre pair, about half way back in the cabin, return we were in the centre again, but right at the front where PE begins and Business ends.

First, I do not recommend the front pair in the centre. The leg room is compromised by a large bulkhead that curves towards you and it removes all the floor space in between the two seats. In the other rows, there is quite a good space there. I also found that the plastic edge of the storage net on the bulkhead (where the safety cards etc live) pressed annoyingly into my leg throughout. I am just under 6ft tall, so perhaps if you are shorter or something it would be less of an issue. It also felt as though my feet were in the aisle the whole time. (We'll ignore the visual torture of seeing the Business folks settling down on flat beds under duvets through the curtain gap...!)

Second I found the service a bit ho-hum if I am honest. I first took ANZ PE from AKL to YVR in 2008, which I think was not too long after PE was introduced. The service then was excellent - the Purser (or whatever they call that person these days) went round with the passenger list, introducing himself to the passengers with "Good evening Mrs Smith, I am Joe Bloggs, the Purser..." etc. , we were served champagne on the ground as we waited for boarding to complete, we had linen table cloths, china crudités and a wine list.

Now, all that nicety seems to have vanished into the ether. We were 20 minutes into the flight before we saw a drink, no one introduced themselves to the passengers, there was no table linen, just plastic trays and the wine choice was "red or white". Salt and pepper had been banished to the same Economy paper packets rather than nice china shakers.

It all rather felt as if the bean counters had been through it and slashed out all the niceties that made it so pleasant before.

The Space Seats were great - wide and reasonably comfy (although a bit firm for my taste, I like soft chairs!) and it was a joy not to have anyone tipping the seat back in front of you into your lap. Screens were good, although I did not watch much as I had seen all the movies I wanted to see already and so I mostly read my Kindle.

Food was passable. Better out than back. Not noticeably better than the last Economy meal I had though. The cheese was another change - last time, it was served as a seperate course. There were 3 or 4 portions of different cheese, with grapes and so on. crackers served by the crew with tongs from a basket. This time, plastic cheese, one kind, and a sealed pack of 2 crackers.

The bathroom was nice - twice as big as usual! I did note a lack of the nice NZ brand soap and hand creams etc that used to be in the PE bathrooms this time - more cost cutting?

In short, much more pleasant that Economy but seemed to have gone downhill.

One thing that really does rate praise is the lounge at LAX. Absolutely hands-down the best lounge I have been in. Superb design, excellent service and very good food. Also very nice showers and an outside patio with bar! I was immersed in a book when a polite lady interrupted with "Pardon me sir, would you like fresh churros or cookies? We just made them." I did - and she offered a glass of cold milk from her trolley to wash it down with! Excellent.