The Australian government is also highly protective of how many international carriers and the frequencies of their service whom they allow to fly there. You would think that due to the amount of traffic they have to the US, they would allow a second US carrier to enter their market.

They have also refused United's request many times to allow NRT-SYD flights, so that United could do thier "Circle Pacific" routes.

Instead, Qantas seems to have been adding more and more US-Australia routes. (They are up to at least two daily, and sometimes three SYD-LAX nonstops each week, as well as 5 MEL-LAX nonstops each week, plus all sorts of connection options through AKL and HNL).

As far as Delta goes though, they don't own equipment that could make a nonstop US-Australia flight at this time, which I feel would be another factor in their decision. And they lost Air NZ as a partner.

Mbuckner - my father is in the same boat as you, his miles are all with Delta, and with Air NZ's withdrawl from Delta, you don't really have an option (the other one was with SQ, but that's gone too, and would have been a mileage costly flight).

[This message has been edited by SNA_Flyer (edited 11-16-1999).]

[This message has been edited by SNA_Flyer (edited 11-16-1999).]