Basically i'll have 3 weeks to spend. Since i probably wont be going that way often, i figured i should visit both in one trip. It feels very daunting to try to get there comfortably. If qantas does not release seats last minute then my only option would be united from LAX. I didnt see any dirc flights from sfo. I guess my msin focus will be redeeming on united. Does united allow multiple stops for the trip thst i'm considerng! Ex.. Sfo-lax-sidney to new zealand? I want to try to get the free stops whenever possibly then look into paid tix.

Ive checked UA site and it looks like they fly sfo to sydney direct but i didnt see any F seats opened at all even for july of nxt year. Maybe business is the best i could get on this route! I put sfo to mel and got sfo to sidney then sydney to mel after a short layover. Does that mean on an award redemption, i can get a free stay in sydney for a few days then off to mel?

The domestic portions within Australia are the least of your worries to be sure. You can redeem AA miles (if you have them) or BA miles (super easy to get) for travel on Qantas. Focus on getting to Australia.

If you're going to be ready to book soon and a ticket short, I'd say buy some US Airways miles (110K for J to Australia, allows routing via Asia with a stopover in Asia). That's definitely a sweet spot for any program.

Really it depends on what you have and how flexible you can be. If you want to fly to NZ the only way to snag premium seats that lie flat really is from NRT-AKL (so SFO/LAX/SEA-NRT on NH for instance followed by NRT-AKL on NZ). From AKL to mainland Australia should be a breeze on NZ or QF.

If you're less interested in full-flats SFO/LAX-HNL on UA or PHX-HNL on US followed by HNL-AKL on NZ) is a perfectly reasonable option especially if you're interested in spending some time in HNL on your way down.

Then of course there's routing via elsewhere in Asia -- you could do a lot worse than EVA via TPE (I just flew them a few days ago; they serve Dom in J and have the Cathay style Sicma Aero inverse herringbone seats which are super comfortable). There's always TG via BKK -- a sweet option if you can send >1 person in F so you can all visit the departure lounge for some massages. Via SIN on SQ isn't too difficult if you can make it down to SIN without SQ

This is all assuming you can't find seats on SFO/LAX-SYD with UA or YVR-SYD on AC.

Finally, Alaska has the same access to QF awards as QF's own members (that is to say you can book them before AA frequent fliers have the chance, as soon as Qantas loads the schedule; I can't remember how many days out that is).

I guess what I'm trying to say is: For J-class travel, the above. For F-class travel, forget UA, it's just not worth it over the above options. If you want to fly F, try and get a hold of QF, NH, OZ, TG or even the new CA product out of LAX and fly via Asia.

It does not mean you can have a free stay in Sydney unfortunately since SYD-MEL on UA would be cabotage (in most cases, a foreign-flagged carrier cannot fly passengers on domestic itineraries).

The exact same situation (but mirrored) exists within the United States. Qantas flight QF107 actually flies from SYD-LAX-JFK. However, it is illegal for them to sell you a ticket between LAX and JFK alone -- you must fly the whole way.

On the other hand, a foreign carrier can often fly between 2 other countries. This is called a 5th freedom flight. A great one is actually Cathay Pacific flight CX888, which flies JFK-YVR-HKG. Because JFK and YVR are (duh) in different countries and they have the rights, you can actually book Cathay Pacific flights (and awards!) between Vancouver and New York.

I saw that as a possible redemption. Might not be a bad idea to fly SFO-HNL thay for a week then head to AKL for a 4 days then to Austrailia for 1/1/2 weeks more. I think they only show business availability on NZ.

The wierd scenario i saw was that F was available from SFO-Sydney-Mel but was not available on the same day same flight based on a new search from SFO-Sydney alone. Isn't it weird that if you make Mel as your final destiantion the sfo-Sydney flight is available but otherwise it's not?

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"It does not mean you can have a free stay in Sydney unfortunately since SYD-MEL on UA would be cabotage (in most cases, a foreign-flagged carrier cannot fly passengers on domestic itineraries)."

Maybe yes, maybe no. The fact that you cannot book SYD-MEL as a free-standing flight on UA does not necessarily mean that you cannot book SFO-SYD (stopover) - MEL as a single ticket on UA. Depending on Australian restrictions UA might or might not be permitted to carry post-stopover passengers from SYD to MEL.

I have flown UA SFO-SYD, spent 5 nights, and then SYD-MEL. If it is on the same PNR, it was allowed back in 2009.

Also back in 2009 there was no SFO-SYD-MEL UA flight. There was a SFO-SYD UA flight, and a LAX-SYD-MEL UA flight. So if you are going from SFO to MEL on UA, you have to change planes in SYD. Not sure if things have changed now.

All I will say is that, after reading FT, I was pleasantly surprised (both in terms of soft and hard product) when flying UA SFO-SYD in business.

Guv, my understanring is that with the stopover under one PNR, there's no additional charge right? How many does UA allow? I've heard that BA used to allow multiple so long as it's in one direction with no back tracker before it was eliminated last year. I've also read that people are able to get multiple stop on an award redemption usign UA miles. I just forgot if it was on a partner airline or on UA.

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I'm don't have a lot of experience with UA awards, but I believe a roundtrip award on UA permits one stopover (and maybe one open jaw?) Best to check the FT UA forum for UA award rules.

UA allows two open-jaws and one stopover.

Cathay is often the best with OneWorld. It's a little bit out of the way although not nearly as much as some think. They have a great premium award availability.

We have had success with aeroplan

But i'd need to redeem a round the world tix and go through asia right? Or psy more miles for separate flights. What would your sample itinerary be and miles cost?

For those of us who don't want to go via Asia...correct in that experience is

Virgin Australia via Delta and United itself have reasonable biz class availability if you plan ahead

and

Qantas via AA and Alaska has very little?