US to Aus

Hutch

Level 2 Member
We are in the planning phase of the infamous Australia trip. Thanks to the citi exec 100k sign ups and heavy MS we've got the miles. With the loss of the OneWorld traveler award my options and costs have gone up. Anyone have any tips on booking US to Aus in J or F?
With AA miles
I could take QF but space availability sucks, so that's out
I could route through Asia but that will cost me 2 tickets
Any way to convert AA to Usair (that would save me the asia stop over additional cost) or to BA (early access to QF inventory)
 

Alpen_Geoff

Level 2 Member
If you have the miles I'd go via Europe, QF avail is good, the stop in DXB is nice for a shower and cooked to order breakfast and you can start from many cities where you could have a stopover before the trip starts. Of course the biggest drawback is that you have to get to Europe but flights can be had for a good price or a low level award to position. This is how we got to MEL earlier this year and really enjoyed it. Our actual routing was STX-MIA-ORD-DUS (Stopover for end of 1st ticket) DUS-LHR-DXB-MEL (QF F award ticket with AA miles).

On the way back we went MEL-AUH-(a bunch of other stops)-SFO with EY/EK on AA and AS miles. Of course going via ME is more expensive with AA's award chart but EY is a nice experience!

Good luck, let me know if you have anymore q's I've booked a few of these trips a few different ways for my wife and I.
 

TinyElvis

Level 2 Member
I usually go to oz via LAX on QF or SFO on UA.

When using UA I prefer SFO as my gateway because flights tend to be more empty in my experience than flights out of LAX. But maybe I've just been lucky.

If traveling oneworld there is somewhat better availability using awards if you book the LAX->BNE/SYD/MEL segment separately from wherever your travel originates in the US. It costs more miles that way but at least you get more options. Good luck!
 

Alpen_Geoff

Level 2 Member
Have you looked into QFs new flight out of DFW?
Very little availability from what I've seen - been looking for our next trip but haven't seen a single F seat since schedule was loaded!

...If traveling oneworld there is somewhat better availability using awards if you book the LAX->BNE/SYD/MEL segment separately from wherever your travel originates in the US. It costs more miles that way but at least you get more options. Good luck!
The domestic sector won't impact availability of the QF leg but if there's no domestic milesaver on your route then it will. As usual for a multi segment itinerary it's best to search for the international flight (LAX/DFW-BNE/SYD/MEL) then try and fill in the domestic positioning. If there's no avail it is worth calling AA and asking if they can complete your itinerary - GLeff had a good post on this recently. I had it work for me last week when booking a CX ticket
 
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