Air New Zealand Air Points - Looking for 800 Airpoints Dollars

Hi All

I am travelling LAX to LHR on Business and bringing the family along for the trip. I am on a full fare in business. The family is in economy with skycouches. I would like to get them up to premium economy. I think it would be a very enjoyable time for them. My current status is Jade(d) - I was Gold Elite back in 2010 but that expired and most of my travel has been to Asia since then. I did manage to hold on to my Lounge Passes! ^


Some more detail:
Wife + 3 Kids - age 12,9,7
Booking class for econ tickets is G


I currently have the following "resources"
- 970 Airpoints
- 58,000 Aeroplan Miles - Gold Elite
- 48,000 KrisFlyer Miles
- 185,000 Amex Platinum - Membership Rewards Points
- points.com?

I spoke with Airpoints today. I need 1760 total points for a confirmed upgrade to PE on the way out. I have enough for standby but the list is currently at 9 for 8 available seats. I would like to get those confirmed upgrades but I am 800 Airpoints Dollars short.

Given the concerns about the new "bid for upgrades" plan, I thought maybe somebody might be interested in gifting out points in exchange for any of the above or cash??

I hope this is not a taboo subject here on the forum. If it is not cool then please accept my apologies in advance - I did check the FAQ and searched around before posting. This site has been a tremendous resource for me and my colleagues. I really enjoy coming here and learning about the industry, destinations and getting sick deals! Any other advice or ideas would also be appreciated!

Thanks in advance

Mark D
California

Even if someone wanted to, there would be no way to gift them like that unfortunately-at best, a G/GE member would have to add you to their gift registry and gift the full fare (minus taxes). Those with a onesmart card can purchase APD, but you can only get one of those cards if you reside in New Zealand unfortunately.

I see - so the "gifter" is only able to upgrade or purchase on behalf of another person - NOT simply add airpoints dollars to another account?

Harumph... in that case I suppose my best choice would be to:

A. Use 880 points to request 4 standby upgrades to PE and hope for the best
B. Hedge bets with an additional skycouch purchase - (2 skycouches for wife + 3 kids)

I dont like paying for that extra skycouch if I am just going to upgrade up and out of economy. Any creative ideas on this?

Thanks for the info Shazzadude!

why bother your kids will get a better sleep on the skycouches

why bother your kids will get a better sleep on the skycouches
The return flight LHR-LAX is a day flight, so a Skycouch is a complete waste of money, while Premium Economy is all they will need except for the last couple of hours when they will fall asleep. And only your 7 year old will be able to lie down on a Skycouch anyway: because the 77W is packed at 3-4-3 across the cabin it is impossible for anyone taller than 4 foot 8 to lie down on a Skycouch anyway.

Sadly the Skycouch is like the first incarnation of the Premium Economy SpaceSeat. A brilliant idea ruined by the accountants trying to squeeze too many seats in. They have fixed the SpaceSeat, but the Skycouch will remain a horribly executed failure unless the next CEO is someone like Borghetti or Bethune who decides that profits will only grow if customer satisfaction does. Skycouch on a 77W would require the same 3-3-3 configuration used by Virgin Australia and Singapore Airlines in their 777s. But if Air NZ insist upon retaining seat width at Air Asia X levels the Skycouch will remain a novelty that noone would ever be a return customer for.

Let me be brutally honest with you.

Save all your frequent flyer currency for another day. Ring Air NZ and tell them that you have decided to pony up the fare difference and just pay for Premium Economy for your wife and kids. They should use their existing fares as a credit towards the upsell.

You will have peace of mind that you have got what you wanted, they will be very comfortable on the day flight and ok on the outbound night flight.

And the fare difference shouldn't be too large given that you were considering buying 2 Skycouches.

Great feedback guys - much appreciated.

The skycouches have already been acquired. We have 2 on the return trip but only a single on the LAX to LHR leg. I may add the 2nd skycouch on the way out.

I will definitely consider your suggestion DCF, sometimes the easiest solution is to just man up and pay for what you need and have that peace of mind. However I do have a need to really understand all aspects of the investment and I love finding the perfect balance of value and quality. If the DCF does indeed stand for Discounted Cash Flow then maybe you can relate? Is the Skycouch NPV+??

modandm - have you tried the skycouches? To me it looks pretty tight back there but if you can spread 4 people over 2 rows on a 10 hour flight - should be ok yeah? My kids are not that tall - the 12 year old is probably 5foot? (I should know this stuff but they grow so damn fast). The wife is 5-5 so I am a little bit concerned for her. Maybe a few mini bottles of grey goose will have to migrate back from business.

In addition to this quest, I am having a blast talking with Hotels in the UK about my party of 5. "Cheers Mr. DarkMuff, May I suggest 5 suites for your 10 night stay?". It is actually a much better value to rent a vacation home. I found a 3br condo in Mayfair for less than a studio at the W. Very tempting to just unload a pile of starwood points, but I willl likely need those for Hawaii someday. OK I am rambling now... you guys are awesome - thanks for the info!

Premium Economy SpaceSeats offer similar width and pitch to domestic First Class in the USA, but with limited recline but are designed so that you can sleep in a wedged position.

Two Skycouches on LHR-LAX seems extraordinary for a flight which occurs during the hours of daylight - it would make more sense on the night flight to the UK.

As for your room arrangments in the UK, just lie! Everybody else does. Very few hotels allow 4 people in a room, but you should manage to fit the five of you into 2 rooms. There is nowhere suitable with your Starwood points, except perhaps the Sheraton Skyline at Heathrow which has some family rooms with a king bed plus a double bed.

Seriously, consider buying up to Premium Economy, but not at the airport!

Thanks DCF - I will definitely consider the old "hide the kids around the corner trick" when checking in to our room. I will have to prepare a story for the 11 suitcases.....hmmmm.

The starwood properties dont look very good - I agree with you on that one. The Andaz is interesting, but looks small. Perhaps 2 adjoining rooms would work there.

I am going to dial up the ANZ support folks today and see what they can offer for the paid upgrade to PE.

I will update later!

Husband in Business, wife and kids in Economy (even with sky couches). That sounds like a serious scenario for potential marital disharmony.

After leaving me in Economy with 3 (possibly cranky) kids to keep amused and behaving well while he sat enjoying Business class, my DH would have to do some serious crawling to get back in favour.

Why not travel with your family and change all the bookings to Premium Economy?

I will be crawling, groveling, begging (per usual). Why this woman continues to put up with me....I just dont know.

The only defense I can offer is that I do have important business during the trip and I really have to be working at a high level as soon as I hit the ground. The jet lag usually gets me on this one so I will definitely need that rest. I always sleep at least 6 hours when I have a lay flat seat.

I have also been working on a powerpoint presentation where I demonstrate how money saved on airfare can be directly applied to the Louis Vuitton store on Bond Street. We will see how far I get on that.

Have you tried the SkyCouches?

I will be crawling, groveling, begging (per usual). Why this woman continues to put up with me....I just dont know.

The only defense I can offer is that I do have important business during the trip and I really have to be working at a high level as soon as I hit the ground. The jet lag usually gets me on this one so I will definitely need that rest. I always sleep at least 6 hours when I have a lay flat seat.

I have also been working on a powerpoint presentation where I demonstrate how money saved on airfare can be directly applied to the Louis Vuitton store on Bond Street. We will see how far I get on that.

Have you tried the SkyCouches?

Ah, the old "Work" excuse! ;)

I hope that, on the return journey, you will be in Economy, while your wife enjoys Business. :p

No, I haven't tried the Sky Couch, but I can't imagine that sharing one with a (possibly) wriggly child would be very comfortable.

If I have to travel in Economy, I prefer EK's 18" wide seats in their A-380 over NZ's 17.1" wide seats in their 777-300. (I do realise that Emirates is not an option for you, coming from the US, but it is for me, flying from NZ.).

Well my little guy passes out pretty hard, he might throw an occasional punch to the ribs though. I may end up getting a frickin 3rd skycouch?! Probably cheaper than a compensatory handbag.

Latest check is showing Premium Econ totally sold out? That was fast... there were 14 available 3 days ago. Spring Break I guess.

Emirates looks pretty amazing. I would love to take a trip with them someday. The 380 is a blast - I have flown Singapore Airlines and Korean Air on the their 380s. It is like being on the 4th floor of my office building and having it slowly climb to 40,000 feet.

I will check back in with a trip report

I seem to recall reading that NZ has a "buy an extra seat" program at check-in that allows one to guarantee an empty adjacent seat -- and at a reasonable ($100?) price. Space avail at check-in unfort, but if one is traveling midweek, I'd think the odds are good. Would get to check in early for this.

Anyone with experience using this program?

Not sure this would be good 'bang for buck', but think you can transfer your Amex points to SPG points (I think 1000 MR points = 500 SPG points?), and then transfer those SPG points at a rate of 65 SPG points = 1APD.

Not sure this would be good 'bang for buck', but think you can transfer your Amex points to SPG points (I think 1000 MR points = 500 SPG points?), and then transfer those SPG points at a rate of 65 SPG points = 1APD.

If you have Amex Membership Rewards points, you can transfer them direct to Airpoints, at a rate of 175 MR points = 1APD. Transfer fee of NZ$35 per transfer applies.

If you have Amex Membership Rewards points, you can transfer them direct to Airpoints, at a rate of 175 MR points = 1APD. Transfer fee of NZ$35 per transfer applies.

Is this for a New Zealand based amex card? I am platinum, but in the US. :confused:

I'm not sure about that one, but I am pretty certain that when they become SPG points & you transfer them it doesn't matter where the Amex points came from (ie all SPG points are 'equal' as far as Air NZ is concerned).

Is this for a New Zealand based amex card? I am platinum, but in the US. :confused:

Yes. NZ-based Amex card. On this, MR Points can be converted to:
Air New Zealand Air Points - 175 MR Points = 1 Airpoints Dollar
Cathay Pacific Asia Miles - 2MR = 1 Asia Mile
Malaysia Airlines Enrich - 2MR = 1 Enrich Mile
Qantas Frequent Flyer - 2MR = 1 Qantas FF Point
Singapore Airlines Krisflyer - 2 MR Points = 1 Krisflyer Mile
Thai Airways Royal Orchid Plus - 2 MR Points = 1 Royal Orchid Plus Mile
Velocity Frequent Flyer - 2 MR Points = 1 Velocity Point

I'm not sure about that one, but I am pretty certain that when they become SPG points & you transfer them it doesn't matter where the Amex points came from (ie all SPG points are 'equal' as far as Air NZ is concerned).

I quoted from the table in the current issue of Membership Rewards booklet, which arrived just last week. See the rest of the table in my post above.