United MileagePlus (Consolidated) - Award Cairns-Phl

I managed to get the outbound done in C for 67500 (via hon and gum) but nothing showing up For return even though we are now within 330 days, ideally August 2 or 3.

Return from syd would work too, but best from csn.

I suspect Air NZ is not integrated with Milage plus, is that right?

I tried the ANA tool but only got this message
*Seat availability can be viewed from 330 days before the departure date until 4 days prior to the departure date (not including the departure date itself). The usage of starting time for 330 days before departure may vary by a few hours from midnight.(A_DATE_3A_002A)

Suggestions?
Thank you.

you have phl-hnl-gum-cns & want cns/syd-phl?

I suspect Air NZ is not integrated with Milage plus, is that right?


????? You can pick Air NZ flights on united.com - but there likely wont be any seats. its probably way too early for the TPACs

You can try Brisbane via Thai as well.

My condolences for flying UA all the way from CNS via UA 737s. Not what C travel should look like.

Given the options of:

1. Doing some weird Guam-based routing which takes me across the Pacific in some kind of crummy domestic first, or

2. Flying across the Pacific in proper UA biz-class and investing ~$150 of my own money to get a VA or QF ticket from CNS to SYD

I'm gonna pick the second option every time. It's a small price to pay for a way better experience -- if you're gonna fly business-class you might as well do it properly.

Theoretically Air New Zealand is a routing, but these days finding a J-class award routing trans-Pacific on NZ is about as likely as finding a friendly box jellyfish.

rankourabu is right about Thai via BNE being another option but... geez, going via Bangkok is a loooong way.

edit: I just did a search on your days. It looks like availability is loaded all the way through July but not for August 1 and 2 just yet. I'd wait a couple for days. It looks like you could potentially fly CNS-GUM-NRT-LAX which wouldn't be too bad.

. geez, going via Bangkok is a loooong way.

BNE-BKK-FRA/LHR/CDG-PHL may not be so bad, if you choose the right planes (ie.flat beds past BKK)

BNE-BKK-FRA/LHR/CDG-PHL may not be so bad, if you choose the right planes (ie.flat beds past BKK)

CNS-SYD-SFO-PHL: 11150 miles ~ 22 hours + stops

CNS-BNE-BKK-FRA-PHL: 14904 miles ~30 hours + stops

It's basically an extra eight hours of flying... plus one extra stop so let's call it ten hours. I wouldn't!

CNS-SYD-SFO-PHL: 11150 miles ~ 22 hours + stops

CNS-BNE-BKK-FRA-PHL: 14904 miles ~30 hours + stops

It's basically an extra eight hours of flying... plus one extra stop so let's call it ten hours. I wouldn't!

well yeah, if you can get a seat on SYD-USA/YVR, of course it'd be silly to go via Atlantic. Preferebly YVR though to avoid United.

The GUM routing is fine, and pretty cool. If you have time, I'd suggest taking the island hopper and get off on one of the islands and spend a couple of days. But NS is amazing, you'll love it.

CNS-SYD-SFO-PHL: 11150 miles ~ 22 hours + stops

CNS-BNE-BKK-FRA-PHL: 14904 miles ~30 hours + stops

It's basically an extra eight hours of flying... plus one extra stop so let's call it ten hours. I wouldn't!

No *A carrier flies CNS-BNE, so that segment would have to be bought with cash. Further, does United even publish via the Atlantic MPMs for Oceania? (If so, it's news to me.)

I'll happily trade away UA's business class product (and nonexistant NZ J availability :( ) for LX and a stopover in Europe.

So, I got it done for November, on UA, for the eclipse, a week in Port Douglas and a few days in Melbourne. SFO-GUM is pretty easy to find availability for and is on domestic 777 all the way - not ideal, we'll need to load the laptops for entertainment, but we'll survive. GUM-CNS is indeed on a 737, but it's about the length of a flight to ORD, so not a big deal.

Return is MEL-LAX in F. Found availability three months out, amazingly. It does happen, and in your case summer is a quieter month in general to fly to Australia, so it pays to keep looking. F is a much more likely result than C on the SYD flights IMO, it's the usual pattern of "no one buys F so we'll release awards". Internal flights aren't super cheap, especially not the day after a total eclipse flying out of CNS, but I do feel it's worth our while spending some time in MEL or SYD if we're going to go all the way out to OZ.

SFO-HNL is a "day flight", so to speak, so I don't mind so much having a flight on a dom 777, the return warrants a proper bed if nothing else.

The GUM routing is fine, and pretty cool. If you have time, I'd suggest taking the island hopper and get off on one of the islands and spend a couple of days.

+100

One of my regrets in life is that I never took the island hopper when it was operated with a 727. I loved to use the tail steps.

Good advice. I am not really up on which c class products ar best, just trying to get my sis across the planet in comfort.

I had hopeded for NZ, but from what you are saying that sounds unlikely.

Buying the domestic cns-syd is not a problem.

Adding 10 hrs to go via Atlantic is to much, especially for someone with limited vacations time.

Hopefully the ex-syd opens up. Which of these two would you recommend?
Syd-sfo-Phil
Syd-nrt-ord-Phil

For some reason nothing is showing up on .bomb right now. May be under maintenance ?

I'm working on something similar, with no success.

trying to go from IAD or BOS to AKL, with a stopover in SIN or HKG (or BKK as a last option). Would love to route through FRA on LH, or even do 2 one ways, but I can't find anything on UAL.com

I can find plenty of availability IAD/BOS-SIN/HKG and SIN/HKG-AKL, but I can't get it to price out IAD/BOS-SIN/HKG-AKL as one trip with a stopover.

Any tips?

I'm working on something similar, with no success.

trying to go from IAD or BOS to AKL, with a stopover in SIN or HKG (or BKK as a last option). Would love to route through FRA on LH, or even do 2 one ways, but I can't find anything on UAL.com

I can find plenty of availability IAD/BOS-SIN/HKG and SIN/HKG-AKL, but I can't get it to price out IAD/BOS-SIN/HKG-AKL as one trip with a stopover.

Any tips?

ua.com doesn't price stopovers properly. Pick what you want, call UA reservations to make it - or to avoid phone service charges (if you are subject), call ua.com support while you are in front of your computer, they will create the reservation with "pricing" and then have you request ticketing online.

ua.com doesn't price stopovers properly. Pick what you want, call UA reservations to make it - or to avoid phone service charges (if you are subject), call ua.com support while you are in front of your computer, they will create the reservation with "pricing" and then have you request ticketing online.

Thanks. Can you have a stopover on each oneway?

ie. could I go IAD-SIN(stopover)-AKL for the oneway mileage (67,500?) and then AKL-HKG(stopover)-AKL for another oneway mileage charge? That'd be a sweet way to get 2 stop overs on one "round trip". Or am I confusing the rules?

Any cheaper(less miles) to ticketing it as a r/t vs 2 one ways?

Thanks. Can you have a stopover on each oneway?

ie. could I go IAD-SIN(stopover)-AKL for the oneway mileage (67,500?) and then AKL-HKG(stopover)-AKL for another oneway mileage charge? That'd be a sweet way to get 2 stop overs on one "round trip". Or am I confusing the rules?

Any cheaper(less miles) to ticketing it as a r/t vs 2 one ways?

No stopover on one-ways. No mile (dis)advantage between 2xoneway and 1xrt.

When travelling outside North America, one may have connections up to 23hrs, 59 mins in length. With the right agent, yon can have multiple connections - e.g. EWR-MUC-IST-BKK-SIN with 23:59 in MUC,IST,BKK. Sauna in Munich, kebab in Istanbul, etc....

Also take a look at IAD-SIN/AKL-IAD as free travel and see if you can get a LCC for SIN-AKL. I haven't checked, but www.airnija.com is where you would want to look. Select browse routes.

Just to update thread, we got SYD-IAH-PHL all in C.
About $200 for CNS-SYD domestic oneway.

I did see some C from AKL or MEL, but mostly mixed classes now. Peak season for Americans means little avail within US I imagine.