"just snagged a reward on Qantas. in stark contrast to the normal co reps, working with the people at the international partner desk is, if you can believe it, rather enjoyable. every one of them is knowledgeable and friendly, and is will take the time to try and find times that work for you."

jk12, you've just discovered what some of us have known for years! Although I stopped flying CO two years ago, I still convert my Amex points into CO miles, just for this specific benefit. My wife is Australian, so I "commute" there regularly until I can move.

If you're flying to Australia in off-season (April-May) you can often get QF's FC. If you like their BC, you'll go nuts with FC!!! 2 FA's for 18 pax, jammies provided, true gourmet food and booze, impeccable service, and a true flat sleeper seat....they'll even make the bed for you! And only 135K miles! QF's FC blows CO's BF right outta the water!!!

"You just gotta know where to get the most value from your miles."

That's certainly true IAH_FLYER. But please don't confuse CO's domestic FC with anybody else's international FC, or even BC! That's truly comparing apples to oranges!

And, when you mention these neat BF rewards....well, just try to get one!!! And any of those flights you mentioned, EWR to ANC, GIG, or HNL...lottsa luck getting one as a Standard Reward! While you're at it, just try to get a Standard Reward from LAX-EWR-anyplace in Europe, with LAX-EWR in FC (VERY tough to get) and also a EWR-Europe BC ticket!

Two years ago I got two reward tickets on the Concorde....SNA-JFK on HP FC, JFK-CDG on the Concorde, and AF BC CDG-SVO. All were relatively easy to get, including the Concorde. But SNA-NYC??? FORGET IT on CO!!! But no prob on HP!

Hey, I got Concorde tix, and FC on HP, but I couldn't get FC tix ON MY OWN AIRLINE!!! That why it's no longer my airline!!!