lairdb

Planning a trip for fall, about 17 days all told, 2 pax:

san-lax-syd
syd-ayq, ayq-cns, cns-hti, hti-cns, cns-syd
syd-lax-san

The mixed carriers first: Are OW protections all gone anyway, so separate PNRs between the trans-pacific and the Aus don't matter? I also think that, with a stopover on the inbound SYD, there's no additional baggage allowance to be had for the domestic; is that right, or is it more complex than that?

Now, to the trans-pacific: I have over a million AA miles, so I could:

• paying aanytime business for both people, both ways
• pay full J for one, and aanytime business for the other
• pay premium economy for both and waitlist for an upgrade-with-miles

Other than the straight-up miles vs. cash value, any thoughts or advice?

Many questions; big thanks for clues on any or all.

Dave Noble

I think that I would also look at getting milesaver awards via Asia before using anytime awards. e.g. CX LAX-HKG-CNS for 110k points in buisness class vs 175k / 195k/ 250k for an anytime award

Premium economy and attempting to upgrade would be a reasonable option and definitely something I would use before using 175k-250k one way

Do you hold any status with AA? If you have no status, then your baggage allowance within Australia would be based on class of travel. If holding OE Sapphire or Emerald status, there would be some additional allowance

lairdb

Dave, thanks -- I'll look at those alternatives. AA life gold, i.e. might as well be nobody.

JJeffrey

Yea, completely agree that I'd look at about any other option before lighting 700k-1M miles on fire for just 2 r/t tickets.

And AA doesn't offer F to SYD, so an AAnytime First award will never be an option (must be AA metal).

lairdb

Correct -- fixed "aanytime first" to "aanytime business". 195K each way, times each way, times 2 people = 780K. Seems stiff, but then I rarely find good ways to use miles, so I'm thinking about it.

Dave Noble

Definitely check availability to Asia on JL or CX - you wont find them on the AA site, try checking for awards on the BA site as a BA member. There is generally a lot more availability that way

Mwenenzi

There are many threads on premium awards USA Australia. Hard to get. Need to be flexible on date & route. AA & QF fly USA to/from Australia and TN & FJ via their South Pacific home bases. AA fly LAX - AKL (New Zealand)

AA forum - Australia New Zealand:- AAdvantage award to / from Australia, New Zealand (master thread)

AA forum - QF:-AA miles awards: using / redeeming AA miles on Qantas (QF) & related (consolidated)

By "fall" I guess you mean ~September October? (Fall = autumn is 6 months difference down under)

You do not need to arrive & depart from the same Aust/USA airports. SYD is not the only international airport in Australia. Look at LAX/SFO and BNE/SYD/MEL. Look for one ways. USA Aust routes

For Au domestic flights consider paying cash on Qantas QF, Virgin Australia VA or if desperate Jetstar JQ.
For only 17 days (including long haul flights?) you have far too many Au destinations. Need to reduce by 50% or more.
Australia domestic routes

With AA awards you cannot do "stopovers". That went ways years ago.
If say SAN-LAX-SYD-AYQ is on the same ticket you will get protection & class/status benefits from SAN to AYQ.
On QF with separate tickets have no protection and limited bag interlining.
QF- no checking of luggage separate itineraries from 1 Sep [2016 some exceptions]

guv1976

Do you need a stopover at SYD in both directions? If not, remember that you have up to 24 hours to connect on international itineraries.

If you have -- or can get -- some BA Avios, I'd suggest comparing the cash price to the BA Avios price for the intra-Australia segments. If you change the FFP number in the BA Avios/QF reservation record, you would get your oneworld Ruby benefits -- such as they are -- on the QF flights.

jridge

One thing you may wish to consider for the (AU) domestic portion is Qantas' Explorer product (https://www.qantas.com/us/en/book-a-...-explorer.html). This has fixed distance-based pricing, and requires the international flight into Australia to be on either QF or AA.

In many cases, this product is not attractive because the pricing is higher than you'd get by simply adding up one-way fares. However, it does have some advantages: it is quite flexible (date changes allowed with no/low fee), and from memory it means the international baggage allowance and protections are inherited (since it becomes an add-on to the international ticket). I'd say it is at least worth running the numbers and comparing.

I didn't see it mentioned in the other replies, so just to point out the obvious: if you can get redemption seats LAX-SYD/MEL/BNE on QF, that would be preferable to going via Asia. Not trivial to do, but depending on the time of year, quite possible. Also, TN will start 787 service in November with somewhat decent J, so LAX-PPT-AKL-SYD is an alternative to Asia (although maybe not a better one).

In terms of protection on separate tickets, it is my understanding that AA do still offer that. However, it is an *AA* benefit and not a *OW* benefit. Therefore, going QF->AA it is all right, but going AA->QF it is a bit trickier because you'd need to get AA to help you out with a QF ticket they didn't previously touch (although they may help, don't expect a lot from QF). This was my experience in the past, with the disclaimer that it may have changed without me picking it up.

lairdb

Yes, Mid-October on.
Yep -- looking at a cash and a mix of QF and VA. Planning on lugging dive gear, so getting the international baggage allowance to apply to the domestic segments would be good though.

17 days not including. I hear you; it's a bit of a whirlwind, but working with a well-reputed Aus TA.

That (and the baggage benefit carrying through) is making me consider booking it all on QF for cash, even if it means Economy the whole way. (Bleah. Very bleah.)

Dave Noble

I wouldn't get too worked up on the baggage allowance. It costs $30 in excess baggage fees to take a 2nd piece on an Australian domestic flight

aztimm

If you don't have one, a subscription to Expert Flyer would be a great investment. Back in January, I found availability for travel to Australia (biz) and return (in F) on QF. So it can be done. I found the return portion about a day or 2 after I started looking, then found the outbound the following day.

You really shouldn't limit yourself to award travel on LAX-SYD. Look at all of the AA and QF routes (I'd even look through AKL). They are starting SFO-MEL in Sep, and that's what I'll be on for my outbound. The return is SYD-DFW. Yea, going to DFW you'd have to backtrack to SAN, but maybe you'd get the F product.

My cost in miles: 80k biz (x 2) + 110k F (x 2) + 2 domestic biz (x2)....total 460k miles. I just bought AA F tickets for DFW-SFO to begin the trip ($300 each). There are taxes on award flights; I think about $80 for the international legs and $20 or so within Australia.
So the 460k miles is still far less than the 780k that would be an AAnytime award.
I'd research, try to find regular awards on AA or QF, and you could always do AAnytime as the time draws near.

lairdb

Agreed -- times 2 pax times 5 interior flights, but I had originally misread it as $70, not $30. Negligible consideration at 30 dollarydoos.


I let mine lapse, but I reactivated it last night to keep an eye on things. Since my dates are pretty tightly constrained, I'll probably do it backwards: book the AAnytime and watch for sAAver awards to become available and "re-fare" if they do.

(On AAL72 and 73, is that going to be U space or Z space? They don't seem settled on how they're treating Premium Economy yet.)

guv1976

Since you are not AAdvantage EXP, cancelling two AAnytime awards to book SAAver awards would cost you $175.

lairdb

Yep. Insurance cost.