hey rocket scientist, yield management. Ever heard of that ? As soon as AA announcement, bookings dropped significantly.
I hate to tell you mate, but the average public do not follow route announcements let alone industry discussion of what is possible in the future. Joe Bloggs books based on what his travel agent or booking search engine spits out.
Sure, some savvy frequent flyers might be keeping tabs but considering any route commencement is likely to be well outside the booking timetable for such individuals (business trips etc), their booking habits are unlikely to change.
Unless you work in revenue management for Air New Zealand/United/Delta/Virgin or whoever, all your comments remain nothing more than conjecture.