usafltg

Hey team,

Not sure if I'm posting in the right thread or not. I've got business travel that I need to book that I need to be in Sydney before meetings which I need to be in on the 9th. I'm an EXP and have systemwides to use. I'll be originating at ORD, and I realize American has not started direct to SYD via AA metal yet.

Is there another route that would take me a long ways over there on AA metal that I could use a systemwide (preferably a 77W) and then take a shorter leg between wherever that is and SYD so I don't have to sit 16 hours in economy?

MiamiAirport Formerly NY George

Is this December 9th? If so, chances of being able to use a SWU are probably not good. You could try flying ORD/DFW/HNL (763) then Y on QF to SYD. Or ORD/NRT on AA (788) and then QF from NRT to SYD. Of course, will involve an overnight and hours in the air.

creampuff

I'd be inclined to go via Hong Kong. You can make it to HKG on AA metal and do the remainder on CX. HKG has some excellent F lounges since you are an EXP/OWE and HKIA is a nice airport in any case. The HKG QF combined J/F lounge is also pretty good. CX do op-up people, although I would still expect to do the HKG-SYD leg in economy. CX economy is quite OK, as far as economy can ever be ok. HKG-SYD is about 9 hours. If you fly CX on a 77W, their Y seating is 9 across.

Just FYI to get an idea of your time in Y, HNL-SYD is 5,066 miles and HKG-SYD is 4581 miles. Not much in it really.

tom911

With an ORD origin, isn't this adding up to about 28-30 hours in the air? Add in that DFW-HKG upgrades are pretty hard to come by and if you clear at all it might be at the gate. I'd fly in Qantas coach LAX-SYD before I'd go that far out of the way. Just too much flight time.

creampuff

Going via HKG will add about 4,000 miles or about 8 hours of flying (i.e. assuming you go via LAX in both cases, LAX-HKG-SYD is about 4000 miles more than LAX-SYD). But then OP did ask how to minimise the amount of time in economy!!!

This would backfire if you did go via HKG and the SWU did not clear and you ended up doing 8 hours more economy flying than going direct

FWAAA

If other people's money is involved, then I'd recommend looking at QF premium economy. Plenty cheaper than business class and maybe not terribly more expensive than economy, given that it's less than 3 weeks before departure. Flying some roundabout route in hopes of securing an upgrade at this late date is a fantasy, in my view.

eponymous_coward

Absolutely. This is playing upgrade roulette with decent chances of things being WORSE than ORD-LAX-SYD (15 hours in MCE on DFW-HKG followed by 10 hours in Y HKG-SYD).

The problem is that there's really no way to avoid Y on the second segment, so at best you're going to get a long-ish second flight. If OP really really is trying to avoid Y on at least the first segment, the strategy should be "find someplace, anyplace where I can confirm a SWU on purchase and where I can connect to a QF or other flight". Maybe NRT as ORD-NRT-SYD?

Dave Noble

What is the budget for the flight?

If there is availability for an upgrade, then fly from Chicago across to Hawaii on an AA ticket and then take Jetstar in its business class down to Sydney for a reasonable comfort flight

The Jetstar flight , departing on the 7th, r/t to Sydney can be purchased for $2000

creampuff

This is probably the best idea. Flying a few thousand extra miles (unless you really need the miles, which I guess you don't if you are already EXP and it is coming to the end of the year) in the expectation rather than the guarantee that you will get a SWU but still could end up in Y for the entire trip, seems like a lot could go wrong to me.

PEY, if you have yet to try it, is actually mildly pleasant and a lot better than standard Y. I haven't tried QF PEY, but I've used BA and CX PEY which were very good as recliner seats go and by all reports QF is better. The seat comfort in PEY is about the same as domestic first class, IMO. Your AA flight to either LAX or DFW for the SYD QF flight would presumably complimentary upgrade to F.

Dave Noble

Unless there is a good sale, I suspect that JQ business class ex HNL is going to be a much better price for similar comfort

FWAAA

You're probably correct, but I suspect that if the OP had permission to buy a " business class" fare from HNL to SYD, then I suspect that they could get approval to buy a business class seat the entire way, like on the QF A380 from DFW. If the OP could buy business class, they probably wouldn't have started this thread.

Similar issue probably exists with my big-spender suggestion to look into premium economy.

MiamiAirport Formerly NY George

My sense is that OP's business will only pay for Y to SYD (and maybe not QF E+). Since the OP has SWUs to burn he wants to go as far as he can on AA in F/J then connect on another OW carrier to SYD. If the travel date is 12/9 using a SWU will be difficult. OP should probably just face the fact he will be spending many hours in Y, unless his company will pony up for E+ or he ponies up the difference.

Col Ronson

SWUs from Y - > J on DFW-HKG are notoriously difficult. At any given day the upgrade list has dozens of people on it.

Dave Noble

It depends on whether it is price that is determining route/class or dogma in class of service

If price , an economy return to HNL that can be upgraded, plus a jetstar premium cabin flight to Sydney is likely to come within the range of reasonable pricing being under $3000 total from ORD-SYD

If class of service purchased is important, then I would suggest getting a r/t to Sydney via HNL on AA/QF and at least being able to upgrade the flight to HNL. HNL-SYD will be in economy, but thats not much different in distance in economy to HKG-SYD if took a significant detour via Asia

Obviously the shortest journey time would be to just bite the bullet and fly in economy from LAX/DFW-SYD

Granlor

If you are able to use miles (and be reimbursed ) there is a J award on CX on December 7 via HKG which will get you into SYD at 9.45am on December 8 (or just after midday if you want more lounge time in HKG).