saaveraward

I was referred over from the award booking service folder. I'll give it a shot, so hopefully someone will chime in.

Here's my proposed itinerary. I'm looking for the best use of miles for 1 pax.

JFK-FRA-SIN-DPS in F/F/J using 132k SQ miles. Stop overs in FRA and SIN +$200, "old" suites product
DPS-PER in J using 36k PT miles. Transfer from Citi, pricey but it's lay flat
PER-MEL in J using 20k AA miles on QF
MEL-AKL in J using 25k UA miles on NZ

and the tricky part:

AKL-LAX/SFO/IAH/ORD in J using 62.5k VS miles on NZ (which we know will never become available)
AKL-SFO in J using 80k UA miles (just as impossible)
AA is seasonal and won't be operating that month
absolute worst case AKL-SFO-onward in J using 200k UA miles

So the questions I have are:

- Can I add a connector to JFK on B6 since they are a partner of SQ? Either with miles or paid? I don't want to land at EWR on UA and transfer.
- I want a direct connection from AKL to the mainland US. Have I considered all options? I do not want to backtrack through SYD/MEL or Asia.
- Anything else I should think about or am missing to get a really premium experience?

Also thought about taking AA to London for 57.5k and then spending 125k on SQ to try the "new" suites, but not sure it's worth it.

Thanks in advance!

Mwenenzi

What flights have you booked with ff miles?
"Proposed" means zilch if no award availability when you want it (highly likley).

MEL-AKL is 3:30 hr flight time. Some Air NZ flights can be A320's. Can be a poor use of ff miles, especially for a day flight (as most are)
Air NZ also fly PER-AKL. May be a better use of UA ff miles if an award is available.
PER to east coast Aust can be expensive if paying cash

Anyway as you indicated Air NZ does not often release awards to partners. Some thing may show at ~6 weeks out. (A few years ago I got CHC-AKL-SFO-SEA on NZ/UA 6 weeks out with UA ff miles. Long haul in business)

As for an award add-on need to ask that forum (SQ?)

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). Suspended April through October for 2018.
• 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 (LAX SFO DFW JFK HNL YVR* via SYD BNE & MEL) [Oneworld Alliance] (AS partner) {* seasonal}
• United UA (SFO - AKL) [Star Alliance]
• Virgin Australia VA (LAX via BNE, MEL & SYD) (DL partner)
• And others via Australia, Asia & Middle East

saaveraward

I don't think I could have put together the above information without a decent amount of experience.

I want to know if this is the best "use" of miles or if there is a better product out there I should experience with similar routing. I've never been on SQ, so I don't know if the old suites are looking dated or how it would compare to my experience in EY apartments or EK F.

Additionally, I don't know if I can bring the cost of a Garuda flight down from 36k if I use a partner currency as an example of mileage saving.

Mwenenzi

The "best use" is award flights that have availability. That the hard part. Only if their is availability on several carriers/ffp's can you then choose the airline

Have looked at the restrictions/availability on getting SQ suites awards?

DPS-PER is not far ~ 3:40 hr flight. If a day flight poor use of ff miles IMHO, especially a day time flight. Not worth putting a business class seat into the "lie flat" position.
Route--> http://www.gcmap.com/mapui?P=DPS-PER...SU=kts&RS=best
Awardhacker (not all ffp's included)--> https://www.awardhacker.com/#f=DPS&t...=0&c=j&s=1&p=0

saaveraward

SQ should be ok for availability although JFK-FRA may be waitlisted.132k +$200 USD seems like a steal for that amount of travel, but I wanted the opinion of others.

Wow. Guess I am a newbie. I didn't know awardhacker had that level of functionality (yet still lacks some vital FF programs). Had not used it in a very long time.

If I were to spend 28.2k QF miles for business on Jetsar, I'd pay 36k on Garuda for the better hard product.