SkyTeam - Please suggest cheapest way for this routing...

Hi,

Looking to depart from LAX to HNL, layover 2 days, then HNL to TPE, layover 5 days, then TPE to SYD, layover 2 weeks, then SYD back to LAX.

Is there anyway to redeem Skymiles for it besides the Around the World ticket?

What's the cheapest way to purchase a ticket with this routing?

Thanks,

Rob

That wouldn't qualify for a RTW ticket, since you don't go around the world (a requirement of a RTW ticket, although you can stop a bit short in your continent of departure). This is the sort of thing that AA's Explorer awards are great for. SkyMiles, not so much. If you really want to do this on miles, I'd look into CI (but beware their blackout dates) since they publish a HNL-SYD fare routed HNL-NRT-TPE-SYD. (They only fly HNL-TPE via NRT.) DL will let you take a stopover in TPE on this routing. Then you can return SYD-LAX via any permitted routing, which includes the DL and VA non-stops and MU/CZ/KE via PVG/CAN/ICN. You'll pay fuel surcharges on CI, MU, or CZ, but they shouldn't be too bad. (Fuel on VA tickets is astronomical, so a bad value for economy.) Miles required are 100K in economy and 150K in business.

To do LAX-HNL, I'd get my hands on some Avios and spend them on AA or AS flights. If you have access to 120K+ AA miles, I'd say that the Explorer award might be a better option, since you can do everything on one ticket. Can get it down to 100K if you use BNE as your Australian gateway instead of SYD, routing LAX-HNL-NRT-TPE-HKG-BNE-LAX for 100K in Y and 130 in J.

If by cheapest way to purchase a ticket you mean with cash, I'd just feed your desired dates into ITA Matrix (http://matrix.itasoftware.com) and have a go.

Thanks for the insight.

I prefer to use miles, but if no availability, then cash.

I do have AA miles as well. Why do you suggest Avios in particular?

As for the Skymiles routing,will Delta allow a departure from LAX, and stopping in HNL before starting the CI segment?

Rob

DL allows a stopover and an open jaw. You could do LAX-HNL(stop)-NRT-TPE (if you could find inventory) and return SYD-LAX, or you could do what I proposed. You cannot stop both in HNL and TPE if SYD is your destination, as that would be three stops on a single award ticket. I suggested Avios for LAX-HNL because they require far fewer miles (at least for Y) than anyone else. LAX-HNL should be 12,500 in Y, as compared to 17,500 in Y using AA miles. Thus, if you're piecing things together with multiple programs' miles, Avios is going to be the cheapest way to close the gap.

I got a hold of a nice AA agent, and she found me this routing below for just 97,500 miles on coach, less than an Explorer Award for 120,000 miles.



Date:01 DEC 12 - SATURDAY
Flight :American Airlines 31 BOEING 757
Departure:LOS ANGELES 8:00 AMTERMINAL 4 5HR 55MIN
Arrival:HONOLULU 11:55 AMMAIN TERMINAL NON-STOP

Date:03 DEC 12 - MONDAY
Flight :Japan Airlines 73 BOEING 767
Departure:HONOLULU 12:20 PMMAIN TERMINAL 9HR 0MIN
Arrival:TOKYO NARITA 4:20 PMTERMINAL 2 NON-STOP
04 DEC 12 - TUESDAY

Date:04 DEC 12 - TUESDAY
Flight :Japan Airlines 809 BOEING 767
Departure:TOKYO NARITA 6:35 PMTERMINAL 2 4HR 15MIN
Arrival:TAIPEI 9:50 PMTERMINAL 2 NON-STOP

Date:09 DEC 12 - SUNDAY
Flight :Cathay Pacific 565 BOEING 777-300
Departure:TAIPEI 2:15 PMTERMINAL 1 1HR 50MIN
Arrival:HONG KONG 4:05 PMTERMINAL 1 NON-STOP

Date:09 DEC 12 - SUNDAY
Flight :Qantas Airways 128 388
Departure:HONG KONG 7:55 PMTERMINAL 1 9HR 25MIN
Arrival:SYDNEY 8:20 AMTERMINAL 1 INTERNATIONAL NON-STOP
10 DEC 12 - MONDAY

Date:24 DEC 12 - MONDAY
Flight :Qantas Airways 107 BOEING 747 400
Departure:SYDNEY 12:00 NTERMINAL 1 INTERNATIONAL 13HR 35MIN
Arrival:LOS ANGELES 6:35 AMTOM BRADLEY INTL TERM NON-STOP

Good use of the right miles for the right job. I'm not an AA guy myself, so I didn't bother checking their chart to see what the various pieces of that award would be vs. just doing it as an Explorer award. It priced as North America-Asia 2 + Asia 2-South Pacific + South Pacific-North America, using HNL as the allowed stopover at the North American gateway.

For the record, in the past there were Pacific Circle fares that could use NW, CO, QF, and some other carriers. They needed to be booked by phone using the old RTW desk and they weren't publicized very much. I haven't tried since the merger so I don't know whether they're still offered. They were nice and they allowed several stops within Australia too.