Award seats to AKL
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2004
Programs: UAL Mileage Plus
Posts: 20
Award seats to AKL
Hi,
We want to go to Auckland next December and I thought I should start looking for award seats using UA miles. Biz class. I see New Zealand Air goes from IAH, SFO and LAX, how difficult is it to get award seats on ANZ?
Any other advice about how to get there from Chicago?
We want to go to Auckland next December and I thought I should start looking for award seats using UA miles. Biz class. I see New Zealand Air goes from IAH, SFO and LAX, how difficult is it to get award seats on ANZ?
Any other advice about how to get there from Chicago?
#2
Join Date: May 2010
Location: AVP & PEK
Programs: UA 1K 1.8MM
Posts: 6,330
Air New Zealand is notoriously stingy with Award availability, and December is the high season.
Also keep in mind that United flies to AKL again (during the NZ summer months), so you can also check SFO-AKL on UA, but keep in mind that saver awards might be scarce!
Also keep in mind that United flies to AKL again (during the NZ summer months), so you can also check SFO-AKL on UA, but keep in mind that saver awards might be scarce!
#3
Join Date: Jul 2017
Location: Outside of Cleveland Ohio
Programs: UA *G. DL ̶G̶O̶L̶D̶ Member, Hilton/SPG Gold, Hertz PC
Posts: 362
Dec saver space into AKL is pretty hard to come by. UA only seems to release some very last minute but I do see more on NZ from SFO and LAX so if you're willing to position it may improve your odds
#4
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: JAX
Programs: UA Plat MM, AA Gold MM, Marriott LTT, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 3,770
I've done some limited searches on UA.com for award to AKL in Dec. I saw no saver award availability at all. I did see saver to SYD, but that's with CA through PEK, not recommended.
#5
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: MSP
Programs: DL PM, UA Gold, WN, Global Entry; +others wherever miles/points are found
Posts: 14,384
NZ has been decent about releasing I space, but only during low season (the southern winter). They do not release any I space at all until 90 days from departure.
With UA, you might have a sliver of a hope if you depart in the first week or two of December. If you're trying to head down south in the neighborhood of Christmas, just give up now and book Standard Awards or pay. There is some chance of transiting Asia, but that's long and all too often involves CA and/or an Asia-ANZ segment in Economy.
With UA, you might have a sliver of a hope if you depart in the first week or two of December. If you're trying to head down south in the neighborhood of Christmas, just give up now and book Standard Awards or pay. There is some chance of transiting Asia, but that's long and all too often involves CA and/or an Asia-ANZ segment in Economy.
#6
Join Date: Jul 2017
Location: Outside of Cleveland Ohio
Programs: UA *G. DL ̶G̶O̶L̶D̶ Member, Hilton/SPG Gold, Hertz PC
Posts: 362
#7
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Bellingham/Gainesville
Programs: UA-G MM, Priority Club Platinum, Avis First, Hertz 5*, Red Lion
Posts: 2,808
Dec is going to be tough, particularly past the 15th. Best bet is to look for flights through SIN or TPE or BKK, start with OW flights from there. SQ has flights to WLG through MEL but can also connect through either SYD, BNE, or CBR (1stop) to NZ flights or book a LCC to AKL (jetstar is decent for a shorter tasman flight, most NZ flights are econ only anyway). BR also has flights to BNE where you can to the same thing via TPE.
#8
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 21,350
#9
Join Date: Jan 2017
Posts: 47
NZ has been decent about releasing I space, but only during low season (the southern winter). They do not release any I space at all until 90 days from departure.
With UA, you might have a sliver of a hope if you depart in the first week or two of December. If you're trying to head down south in the neighborhood of Christmas, just give up now and book Standard Awards or pay. There is some chance of transiting Asia, but that's long and all too often involves CA and/or an Asia-ANZ segment in Economy.
With UA, you might have a sliver of a hope if you depart in the first week or two of December. If you're trying to head down south in the neighborhood of Christmas, just give up now and book Standard Awards or pay. There is some chance of transiting Asia, but that's long and all too often involves CA and/or an Asia-ANZ segment in Economy.
#13
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: MSP
Programs: DL PM, UA Gold, WN, Global Entry; +others wherever miles/points are found
Posts: 14,384
October is much easier than December, but getting I space on UA metal is still very hard. R is much easier; I hit gold on my first try with SFO-SYD on 2 October.
#14
Suspended
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Bay Area
Programs: DL SM, UA MP.
Posts: 12,729
I just checked a few dates in January and February. No savers at all.
I then checked close-in awards, for April and May.
Some do turn up but it's like a 34 hour outbound going from SFO-YVR-SYD-AKL-WLG.
If I set the destination of the outbound as WLG, does it reduce my odds? Probably would transit through AKL regardless so I would think it would be the same as searching SFO-AKL?
There are also some UA segments such as SFO-SYD nonstop and then Y on NZ to AKL.
Haven't found anything with the SFO-AKL UA flight. I'm not even sure it has turned up even for the 200k anytime award.
Have anyone had any success booking in Y and upgrading with miles?
I then checked close-in awards, for April and May.
Some do turn up but it's like a 34 hour outbound going from SFO-YVR-SYD-AKL-WLG.
If I set the destination of the outbound as WLG, does it reduce my odds? Probably would transit through AKL regardless so I would think it would be the same as searching SFO-AKL?
There are also some UA segments such as SFO-SYD nonstop and then Y on NZ to AKL.
Haven't found anything with the SFO-AKL UA flight. I'm not even sure it has turned up even for the 200k anytime award.
Have anyone had any success booking in Y and upgrading with miles?
#15
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: The place where it gets so hot in the summer some planes can't take off.
Programs: Marriott LT Titanium, WoH Globalist, National EE, United Platinum
Posts: 1,446
I'm trying to find some 2 award seats for my parents in early November. Is this bumping into prime time and making things difficult? United's award search is slow as hell tonight and errors out for me.
I'm trying to get them to take a full month and maybe hop over to singapore or Thailand before heading down to NZ. I'm thinking maybe it will be easier to find flights that way and break up a otherwise 40 hr travel time. If not, then my dad needs to start listening to me about churning CC and shell out the 400k for full award biz
I'm trying to get them to take a full month and maybe hop over to singapore or Thailand before heading down to NZ. I'm thinking maybe it will be easier to find flights that way and break up a otherwise 40 hr travel time. If not, then my dad needs to start listening to me about churning CC and shell out the 400k for full award biz