Originally Posted by guv1976

The front cabin on AA and AS two-cabin aircraft is denominated First Class, but books into Business Class award inventory. So if you can find "U" award space on AA LAX-HNL, or "A" award space on AS LAX/SAN-HNL, put that on a free hold now, and then call AA to see if the two segments can be combined into a single 80K award. Better yet, if aa.com is still showing HNL-SYD Business Class availability on HA, use the multi-city award-booking engine at aa.com to put LAX/SAN-HNL and HNL-SYD on a free hold on a single PNR. Do not be deterred if the booking engine prices it as two awards; an AA agent might be able to reprice the itinerary as a single Business Class award for 80K.

If you are considering traveling via Asia on two separate AAdvantage awards, be aware that neither CX nor JL award-seat availability can be searched on aa.com. If you do indeed go that route, note that you can stop over for days in Asia -- if you wish -- as you will be traveling on two separate awards. (And the stopover could be anywhere in AA's Asia 1 or Asia 2 zone; it would not have to be in Hong Kong or Japan.)

Good luck!

Edited to add: Have you found any real (non-phantom) award availability on the QF HNL-SYD flights?

Further edited to add: I'm not sure what the Minimum Connecting Time is at HNL for AS domestic to HA international, but aa.com is showing SAAver Business/First award space on the AS SAN-HNL nonstop that arrives HNL at 11:00 am on June 30, and on the HA HNL-SYD nonstop that departs HNL at 12:50 pm the same day. If that can work for you, I would put both on hold immediately at aa.com, and then call AA to see: 1) whether that's a legal connection; and 2) whether AA will reprice the itinerary as a single 80K award.