Its approaching the end of February, and lets be honest, we all have a bit of that dread, as we await the merging of two great programs: American AAdvantage, and US Airways Dividend Miles. Whether or not we have any reason to protest this matrimony of frequent flier programs is immaterial at this point, the Department of Justice gave its blessing, and we must live with that. Its not bad, and it might be good. But, let us take a moment to consider what awards are just too good to last.

Miles Remaining has a great post on some of US Airways’ Award Sweet Spots. In fact, it was this post that made me think that there might be some other routes worth looking at.

Perhaps the best US Airways award Caribbean to South and Central Asia

You could fly from the Caribbean to South and Central Asia (which includes Afghanistan–a garden destination if ever there was one–, Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia, Chagos-??–India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, or Vietnam). So, yeah the map only shows Bangkok, Thailand, but you could get a lot out of a ticket from the Caribbean to South or Central Asia. Last I checked you could even get a stopover at a OneWorld hub, either in the US (essentially getting a second vacation if you can leverage miles or a one-way fare to the Caribbean), or enroute, perhaps in Hong Kong for example.

The miles required (round trip) are:

• 60k Economy vs. 70k on the AA Chart
• 90k Business vs. 110k on the AA Chart
• 120k First vs. 135k on the AA Chart

If you’re able to fly on long haul Cathay Pacific, then that extra 30k for First Class round trip is probably worth it. Although I hear their business class is just as good. As far as other partners, I’d avoid Japan Airlines’ 787 in business until they roll out their new fully lay flat product. Right now I think their 787 product (even to the US on long haul flights) is comparable to what I flew from Japan to Beijing.

South Pacific to South Pacific

According to Drew at Travel is Free, you could theoretically start in Guam and fly to somewhere like Auckland, routing via Asia with a stop-over, something like this:

Now I haven’t flown this type of route myself, but, it looks interesting enough.

The miles required (round trip) are:

• 25k Economy vs. 40k on the AA Chart
• 30k Business vs. 60k on the AA Chart
• 40k First vs. 85k on the AA Chart

The one caveat is that there isn’t a whole lot of first class metal available. Last I checked, for example, both Qantas and Cathay Pacific flew only business class from Hong Kong to Sydney. It does look like Japan Airlines operates a 777-300ER aircraft with first – in fact, from Seat Guru it looks like a nice first class with only 1-1-1 as opposed to the usual 1-2-1 that most airlines do.

Around the Middle East

Perhaps you’re looking for something fun in the Middle East. Well, you could fly, for example, from Cairo, Egypt, to Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and have a stopover in either Amman, Jordan, or Doha, Qatar (the two OneWorld hubs). Award space is generally easier to find on Royal Jordanian, just hope your flight is better than Lucky’s.

This is a veritable steal, compared to American. Especially when you look at the marginal costs from Economy to Business (assuming you can find it), or First. Further, for a routing like Doha to Cairo, if you choose your flights right you can fly on layflats on Qatar’s 777-300ERs. You could even fly on the 787 from Doha to Dubai–although that’s just an hour flight.

The miles required (round trip) are:

• 30k Economy vs. 35k on the AA Chart
• 35k Business vs. 50k on the AA Chart
• 45k First vs. 70k on the AA Chart

Off Peak fares

You can book fares between the Continental U.S. (including Alaska) or Canada to the Caribbean.

Conclusion

There are some great sweet spots on the US Airways chart, while it lasts. And while many of these look pretty cool, the real sweet spot is when you can make an award work for you. Hopefully some can work for you.

Are there any sweet spots you’re taking advantage of before Dividend Miles and AAdvantage merge?

Note: All maps are generated from www.gcmap.com