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AA MileSAAver award to / from Australia, New Zealand (master thread)

Old Jul 4, 2014, 8:35 pm
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Last edit by: Mwenenzi
oneworld nonstop flights between USA and Australia are operated by American Airlines / AA and Qantas / QF. US gateways include DFW, JFK, LAX, SFO. Australia gateways include BNE, MEL, SYD.

Alternatives include using Hawaiian / HA from HNL, Fiji Airways / FJ from Los Angeles / LAX or SFO via NAN or Air Tahiti Nui / TN via PPT. (QF codeshares on Jetstar are no longer bookable as AA awards). You must route direct or South Pacific; awards via Asia, or transatlantic require two awards. Premium Economy services may not be booked with AAdvantage miles yet.

Awards using HA / Hawaiian Airlines require two awards, and one may not use HA between the mainland and Hawaii.

Only MileSAAver Awards are available on AA partners.

The usual award rules regarding Maximum Permitted Miles (MPM) and unconstructed origin-destination routings sold by the prevailing carrier apply.

Qantas releases awards ~355 days out; AA can not book anything beyond 331 days out. Qantas awards are challenging to secure. AA MileSAAver flights seem to be scarce on the LAX-SYD routing, even when aircraft go out with empty seats. AAnytime awards can be used on AA, but dynamic pricing may see those for as much as 225,000 miles one way in First.

Note: there are fees involved in award changes from oneworld airlines to non-oneworld partners or vice versa.

See here for current AA redemption charts.

Threads that can help include:

oneworld and Other Airline (Partner) Awards info, rules 2014 on

MileSAAver / SAAver Award Availability - Assistance & Discussion (consolidated) (you must use MileSAAver awards on partners; AAnytime wards may only be used on AA.)

AA miles awards: using / redeeming AA miles on Qantas (QF) (consolidated)

AAdvantage Miles Awards: TN / Air Tahiti Nui award redemptions

FJ / Fiji Airways (ex-Air Pacific) and AA, awards, etc. (consolidated)

Older posts have been archived to ARCHIVE: AAdvantage miles awards to / from Australia (consolidated)

Edit (post pandemic list at 06 Aug 2022 by Mwenenzi)
Airlines that fly USA/Canada to/from Australia. Following the pandemic, routes are being restabilised and some new routes. Schedules can change. Route restart dates subject to change.
  • Air Canada AC YVR SYD BNE. [Star Alliance] .
  • Air New Zealand NZ LAX SFO IAH YVR via AKL. [Star Alliance]
  • Air Tahiti Nui TN LAX via Tahiti & AKL. Last segments on QF codeshares. (AA & DL partner)
  • American Airlines AA LAX-SYD due to restart 29 Oct 2022 [OneWorld Alliance]
  • Delta DL LAX SYD. [Skyteam Alliance]
  • Fiji Airways FJ LAX SFO HNL BNE SYD MEL via NAN Fiji. (OneWorld Alliance connect. QF AA & AS partner)
  • Hawaiian HA HNL SYD. Pre CV19 also used to fly to BNE (AA & VA partner)
  • Jetstar JQ HNL SYD. Pre CV19 also used to fly to/from BNE & MEL.
  • Qantas QF SYD - LAX DFW HNL YVR*; BNE - LAX ; MEL- LAX. {* seasonal}. MEL-DFW due to start 02 Dec 2022 (new route). SYD SFO due to restart 30 Oct 2022. Pre CV19 also had SYD-SFO & SYD-JFK(via LAX). [OneWorld Alliance]
  • United UA MEL-SFO, SYD-LAX SFO. BNE-SFO from 31 Oct 2022 (new route). MEL-LAX and SYD-IAH due to restart 30 Oct 2022. [Star Alliance]. (VA partner)
  • and others via Asia & Middle East
Airlines that fly USA/Canada to/from New Zealand (not from all airports to all airports)
Following the pandemic routes are being restabilised and with some new routes. Schedules can change. Route restart dates subject to change
  • American Airlines AA . DFW-AKL due to start 29 Oct 2022 to 25 Mar 2023(new route) LAX-AKL due to restart unknow. AA was to fly LAX-CHC 3 days a week from Oct 2020. [Oneworld Alliance]
  • Air Canada AC YVR AKL Due to restart 12 Nov 2022 [Star Alliance]
  • Air New Zealand NZ LAX SFO IAH YVR AKL. Pre CV19 also had ORD. [Star Alliance]
  • Air Tahiti Nui TN LAX - AKL via Tahiti (AA & DL partner)
  • Fiji Airways FJ LAX SFO HNL - AKL via NAN Fiji Pre CV19 used to fly to WLG CHC. (QF AA & AS partner).
  • Hawaiian HA HNL AKL (AA & VA partner)
  • Qantas QF LAX SFO DFW JFK HNL YVR* via SYD BNE & MEL. {* seasonal} [Oneworld Alliance])
  • United UA SFO AKL [Star Alliance]
  • And others via Australia, Asia & Middle East

Member Mwenenzi posted

Originally Posted by Mwenenzi
Mxflyer Welcome to FT

Many threads on this topic.
USA <---->Australia business class awards are one of the hardest to get. An award in ~6 to 8 weeks time (short notice) even harder. 2 people on the same flight harder again.
Hard but may not be impossible. At times availability can increase close in.
What ffp's are you currently a signed up member of?

If you look only at LAX SYD you are restricting your options a lot, and then some. Look at SFO, IAH & DFW and BNE MEL. BNE can have better availability than other airports. Domestic USA & Australia flights as needed

Via Asia is the other option, but would be 2 awards. BKK, HKG, TPE, SIN, NRT, HND and others. Due to political unrest some HKG flights have low loads

They do not need to fly the same airline/ffp/routes/airports out & back. Look for one ways.

AA ff miles cannot be used to upgrade QF flights. Anyway upgrades, with any airline on the USA Aust routes are hard.
Airlines that fly USA/Canada to/from Australia
Edit
List deleted due to out of date post Covid-19 pandemic (see above)


AA & UA also fly LAX-AKL. Then a 3:30hr flight across to Aust.
Via Fiji or on TN can work

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AA MileSAAver award to / from Australia, New Zealand (master thread)

Old Nov 11, 2012, 1:13 pm
  #1  
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AA MileSAAver award to / from Australia, New Zealand (master thread)

Although the flights are not yet approved awards are now bookable from Oz to Europe via DXB. Availability looks pretty good in September in Y but searching for J seems to route via SIN and/or FRA. The AA award is a standard 45000 mile award so DXB is now officially a new route and the taxes/charges are not unreasonable at $US83.90. Unfortunately if I book the same award through QFF I have to pay $A462.42! Oh well, another new route to try.

Note to Moderator: Could someone please amend the sticky on Partner Awards to show DXB as an available route from South Pacific to Europe?

Last edited by grussellt; Nov 11, 2012 at 1:20 pm Reason: Addition
Granlor is offline  
Old Nov 11, 2012, 2:31 pm
  #2  
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Originally Posted by grussellt
Although the flights are not yet approved awards are now bookable from Oz to Europe via DXB. Availability looks pretty good in September in Y but searching for J seems to route via SIN and/or FRA. The AA award is a standard 45000 mile award so DXB is now officially a new route and the taxes/charges are not unreasonable at $US83.90. Unfortunately if I book the same award through QFF I have to pay $A462.42! Oh well, another new route to try.

Note to Moderator: Could someone please amend the sticky on Partner Awards to show DXB as an available route from South Pacific to Europe?
Given that there is only 1 flight and has to be booked as a through flight number , then it doesn't change the basis of the 3rd region rule
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Old Nov 12, 2012, 1:49 pm
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QF is also offering AY962 connecting in DXB and on to HEL although the connection time is not real good. This doesn't seem to show up an option on AA. Equally QF has onward travel to AMM on RJ (bookable as an award in October).

Last edited by grussellt; Nov 12, 2012 at 1:50 pm Reason: addition
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Old Jan 4, 2013, 12:30 am
  #4  
 
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first class to australia.

Hi! Want to use our aa miles to go to Australia for two weeks and then new Zea land. I think we have enough miles to go Business class or First Class. Would love any advice about booking tickets and the trip in general.
We are a group of four two couples in our late thirties very interested in Diving and seeing the country not really into city.


Thanks,

Ginger
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Old Jan 4, 2013, 12:53 am
  #5  
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Welcome to the forum ^
Have you flown International First or Business before ?

Are you in the USA ? The only direct flights are on Qantas, using AA miles to get award flights (First or Business). Very hard to get these awards. The chances of getting 4 on one flight are low to zero.
Australia to NZ is by business class only with Qantas.

Other routes are via Asia or pacific islands

<redacted>

For Australia & New Zealand look in http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/ocean...h-pacific-461/

Last edited by Microwave; Jan 4, 2013 at 1:27 am Reason: Removed circular link post merge
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Old Jan 4, 2013, 1:30 am
  #6  
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Originally Posted by downsizin
Want to use our aa miles to go to Australia for two weeks and then new Zea land. I think we have enough miles to go Business class or First Class. Would love any advice about booking tickets and the trip in general.
As was alluded to by Mwenenzi, I've merged your question into the consolidated thread on the topic. Note that the AAdvantage forum is for the discussion of using AA miles and flying AA; the Oceania forum is the correct place to discuss potential destinations and things to do when you get there.

~Moderator
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Old Jan 4, 2013, 6:09 am
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Originally Posted by downsizin
Want to use our aa miles to go to Australia for two weeks and then new Zea land. I think we have enough miles to go Business class or First Class.
AA's "oneworld and other airline" awards allow a stopover only at the North American gateway. So, you would need to redeem 2 awards: North America to Australia, Australia to New Zealand (plus whatever awards you need to return to North America).
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Old Jan 8, 2013, 9:22 am
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Seems I have a similar question, and based on his answer/responses I might consider NZ as well. I have 150k AA miles and want to see about options for Aus in September. Flying from the Baltimore/DC area. Business/first isn't critical... but if I could afford it with my miles I probably would go for it.

Am I able to book 2 tickets (for her and I) with just miles under my name?
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Old Jan 8, 2013, 9:32 am
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Yes..
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Old Jan 9, 2013, 12:17 pm
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It will cost you 75000 miles each for the round-trip. Remember to search for options via BNE and MEL as well as SYD. It will be cooler weather in September than the heatwave we are presently experiencing!
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Old Jan 9, 2013, 12:30 pm
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Thanks for the input. I did some searching yesterday and the dates I want seem to be open enough via economy class. Being it will be a honeymoon, family/friends may want to upgrade us... but it seemed like it would be very expensive to do so. I don't know if it is possible to upgrade rewards flights with cash though... and if so, for a flight to aussie, how many hundreds/thousands of dollars that would cost.

Thanks!
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Old Jan 9, 2013, 12:48 pm
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Would AA points for a partner award flight on Air Pacific to either Oz or NZ, and then QF across the ditch, work for you? Only ~65000 for business class.
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Old Jan 9, 2013, 12:55 pm
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I will be the first to admit I have never tried to use my AA miles yet, so yes I would be open to any of that stuff. I would be trying to minimize out of pocket spending though. 65000 for business class would be a round trip? or just one way? I figure NZ is New Zealand but I don't know what Oz stands for.

But yes, assuming there weren't a million extra connections with a ton of extra travel time that would be fine.

Likely dates are departing anytime after noon EST on Sept 16, returning Sept 29th or soon after based on availability.

If we landed in NZ at the start, we might kick around there for a few days if there were things worth seeing.
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Old Jan 9, 2013, 2:12 pm
  #14  
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Originally Posted by IceWilly
.....I don't know if it is possible to upgrade rewards flights with cash though... and if so, for a flight to aussie, how many hundreds/thousands of dollars that would cost.
You cannot upgrade reward flights. Cancel the economy award and purchase with $$ or a new award in business/first is the only way.

Originally Posted by IceWilly
...I figure NZ is New Zealand but I don't know what Oz stands for...
Oz in this context is Australia. When you get here you learn to speak proper Australine .

Flights Aust to NZ return (3.5hrs) can cheap be to buy.
Qantas, Air New Zealand, Virgin, Jetstar, Emirates & LAN on these routes

Last edited by Mwenenzi; Jan 9, 2013 at 2:40 pm Reason: spelling
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Old Jan 9, 2013, 2:21 pm
  #15  
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Originally Posted by IceWilly
I figure NZ is New Zealand but I don't know what Oz stands for.

Likely dates are departing anytime after noon EST on Sept 16, returning Sept 29th or soon after based on availability.
If you have (only) 11 days or so, then trying to cover both Oz (Australia) and NZ will be too much. You'd be better to pick one or the other. Personally, I'd pick Oz but then I'm biased ...
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