Advice for booking Aeroplan award from Toronto to Auckland then Papeete
#16
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Reviving an old thread as I'd like advice to fly to Auckland from Toronto as well. I know a common route of getting there is via SYD on Air Canada and then Air New Zealand to AKL. Understanding it's wise to book as far out as possible, it looks like Air New Zealand opens up flights after Air Canada. Is the general accepted practice to book one way from YYZ to SYD, pay a change fee to make it round trip once the SYD to YYZ opens up and then pay one last change fee to include the SYD-AKL round trip flights?
When do you want to travel?
Is AKL the real final NZ destination? Or another NZ region?
From SYD, AKL is not the only NZ airport that Air NZ and other airlines fly to.
Air Canada also flys to BNE & MEL. Air NZ & others fly from those to many NZ airports, including AKL
Airlines that fly USA/Canada to/from New Zealand are (not from all airports to all airports)
- American Airlines AA (LAX - AKL) [Oneworld Alliance] (AS partner).
- Air New Zealand NZ (LAX SFO ORD IAH YVR - AKL)[Star Alliance]
- Air Tahiti Nui TN (LAX - AKL via Tahiti) (AA & DL partner)
- Fiji Airways FJ (LAX SFO HNL - AKL WLG CHC via Fiji) (QF AA & AS partner)
- Hawaiian HA (HNL-AKL)(AA & VA partner)
- Qantas QF (via SYD BNE & MEL) [Oneworld Alliance] (AS partner)
- United UA (SFO - AKL) [Star Alliance]
- Virgin Australia VA (via BNE, MEL & SYD) (DL partner)
#17
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reviving an old thread as I'd like advice to fly to Auckland from Toronto as well. I know a common route of getting there is via SYD on Air Canada and then Air New Zealand to AKL. Understanding it's wise to book as far out as possible, it looks like Air New Zealand opens up flights after Air Canada. Is the general accepted practice to book one way from YYZ to SYD, pay a change fee to make it round trip once the SYD to YYZ opens up and then pay one last change fee to include the SYD-AKL round trip flights?
There are options via Asia, AKL has a high maximum allowable mileage. Then that can be changed to NZ if it opens up at 90 days via LAX and SFO if so desired
#18
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: Toronto
Posts: 72
This will be unnecessarily costly both from the viewpoint of extortionate charges for flying AC and then the change fee. This will be in excess of $800.
There are options via Asia, AKL has a high maximum allowable mileage. Then that can be changed to NZ if it opens up at 90 days via LAX and SFO if so desired
There are options via Asia, AKL has a high maximum allowable mileage. Then that can be changed to NZ if it opens up at 90 days via LAX and SFO if so desired
Thanks to the previous poster indicating UA flying to AKL from SFO, as I did not know that. I checked on Aeroplan for availability and it looks pretty good, but doesn't look like UA opens flights as far out as Air Canada. Searching on Google seems like United opens up their award flights 338 days in advance for United Mileageplus...should that be the same for Aeroplan as well?
#19
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On the first page on this forum, there is this thread
SIN-AKL-IAH NZ J award - worth it?
Along with the thread itself, see posts 22 and 24
#20
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Thanks to the previous poster indicating UA flying to AKL from SFO, as I did not know that. I checked on Aeroplan for availability and it looks pretty good, but doesn't look like UA opens flights as far out as Air Canada. Searching on Google seems like United opens up their award flights 338 days in advance for United Mileageplus...should that be the same for Aeroplan as well?
The only space I've seen is (IN - United elite) not (I) - Star members
#21
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Sydney, Australia
Programs: UA, QF, VS, AA, US, HH, SPG
Posts: 974
I'm not an AP or AC expert by any means but as a SYD resident (who often travels on award tickets to Canada and many other places) I can offer this input:-
NZ opens it's booking window at 354 days in advance - same as AC.
NZ is extremely stingy with business class award seats on it long-haul routes - particularly North America (note they also fly to AKL-YVR); however, it is possible to snag trans-Tasman seats (e.g.SYD-AKL, MEL-AKL etc). if booked far in advance.
Paid economy seats SYD-AKL (and other combinations of AU/NZ cities) are very competitively priced so consider just buying one or both of these segments. Also, business class SYD-AKL return is often on sale (recently $650 return) as many airlines fly this route.
So perhaps just get to SYD/MEL/BNE have a stop-over then buy your flights to/from NZ
For the poster who also wanted to visit Tahiti - this route AKL-PPT is all but impossible to snag business class awards on NZ (they only fly 2/3 times per week) and it is expensive to buy even in economy. However if you have any AA points you can book on Air Tahiti Nui (TN) - where award seats are much easier to come by.
Hope this helps.
NZ opens it's booking window at 354 days in advance - same as AC.
NZ is extremely stingy with business class award seats on it long-haul routes - particularly North America (note they also fly to AKL-YVR); however, it is possible to snag trans-Tasman seats (e.g.SYD-AKL, MEL-AKL etc). if booked far in advance.
Paid economy seats SYD-AKL (and other combinations of AU/NZ cities) are very competitively priced so consider just buying one or both of these segments. Also, business class SYD-AKL return is often on sale (recently $650 return) as many airlines fly this route.
So perhaps just get to SYD/MEL/BNE have a stop-over then buy your flights to/from NZ
For the poster who also wanted to visit Tahiti - this route AKL-PPT is all but impossible to snag business class awards on NZ (they only fly 2/3 times per week) and it is expensive to buy even in economy. However if you have any AA points you can book on Air Tahiti Nui (TN) - where award seats are much easier to come by.
Hope this helps.
#22
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I was looking at it a couple weeks ago for a few dates and found I2 without much issue. It was for tomorrow or Saturday (so the beginning of Thanksgiving week).
#23
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: Toronto
Posts: 72
Damn...attempted to book two business class tickets for Nov 8, 2019 from Yyz to syd right at midnight with no luck. Looks like they only released one seat (no IKK). I attempted again for Nov 9, 2019 at midnight but again no luck. For the time being I took the one seat that was available.
Is there any specific requirement for AC to offer minimum “x” seats for flight or just at an aggregate? Is the answer simply “it depends” if I wanted to know what the likelihood of AC releasing more seats down the line?
Is there any specific requirement for AC to offer minimum “x” seats for flight or just at an aggregate? Is the answer simply “it depends” if I wanted to know what the likelihood of AC releasing more seats down the line?
#24
Join Date: Jan 2013
Programs: Aeroplan, FlyingBlue
Posts: 289
What about Japan-NZ, is that considered TPAC? I thought I booked my previous AKL-HND flight about 150 days out, but now that I'm searching HND-AKL/NRT-AKL/KIX-AKL for next winter, I'm not finding anything. Is this the old Aeroplan website glitch, is Air NZ being stingy, or am I looking too far out?
#25
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What about Japan-NZ, is that considered TPAC? I thought I booked my previous AKL-HND flight about 150 days out, but now that I'm searching HND-AKL/NRT-AKL/KIX-AKL for next winter, I'm not finding anything. Is this the old Aeroplan website glitch, is Air NZ being stingy, or am I looking too far out?
#26
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Damn...attempted to book two business class tickets for Nov 8, 2019 from Yyz to syd right at midnight with no luck. Looks like they only released one seat (no IKK). I attempted again for Nov 9, 2019 at midnight but again no luck. For the time being I took the one seat that was available.
Is there any specific requirement for AC to offer minimum “x” seats for flight or just at an aggregate? Is the answer simply “it depends” if I wanted to know what the likelihood of AC releasing more seats down the line?
Is there any specific requirement for AC to offer minimum “x” seats for flight or just at an aggregate? Is the answer simply “it depends” if I wanted to know what the likelihood of AC releasing more seats down the line?