Since 2015, American Airlines flies daily from Sydney to Los Angeles as flight AA72. This Boeing 777-300ER service offers four classes of travel and is also available to book as Qantas codeshare flight QF4111.

Leaving every morning, AA72 takes 14 hours and 5 minutes to cover the 12,051km (or 7,488 miles) between Sydney and Los Angeles. The flight departs from Terminal 1 at Sydney Airport and arrives at Tom Bradley International Terminal (TBIT) at LAX.

American Airlines is one of four airlines offering non-stop Sydney-Los Angeles flights alongside Qantas, Delta and United Airlines.

If you’d like to redeem Qantas Points to fly to the USA, keep an eye out for AA72 because there is often award availability in Economy and Premium Economy. If you’re lucky, you might even be able to find a Classic Reward seat in Business or First Class. Although, you’ll often have better luck finding Business availability if you book an itinerary from Sydney to another city in the USA, via Los Angeles.

Are you flying soon with American Airlines on flight AA72 from Sydney to Los Angeles? This guide explains what you can expect!

American Airlines’ Sydney-Los Angeles schedule

American Airlines flight AA72 currently departs Sydney every morning at 11.15 am. It arrives in Los Angeles just over 14 hours later, at 6.20 am on the same calendar day. (As the flight crosses the International Date Line, the local time on arrival is actually earlier than when the flight departs Australia.)

The return flight AA73 from Los Angeles to Sydney departs every evening at 10.15 pm, landing in Sydney two days later at 9 am.

This schedule varies slightly between the summer and winter seasons.

The American Airlines Boeing 777-300ER

The Boeing 777-300ER is the largest aircraft in the American Airlines fleet. It has four cabin classes: Main Cabin (Economy), Premium Economy, Flagship Business and Flagship First.

A personal TV screen with complimentary in-flight entertainment is available at every seat. On-board Wi-Fi is available on American Airlines international flights for a fee.

Economy Class

The American Airlines Boeing 777-300ER has 216 seats in the Main Cabin (Economy), including 28 Main Cabin Extra seats which have extra legroom. Economy is laid out in a 3-4-3 configuration.

If you’re travelling as a couple, there are some rows with just a pair of two seats by the window. These are rows 20, 21, 30, 31, 32, 41, 42 and 43. Beware that the exit row seats do not have a window.

The standard seat pitch in Economy Class is 31 inches, but Main Cabin Extra seats have 36 inches of pitch. The Main Cabin Extra seats are available to select for an additional fee, or are complimentary for American Airlines Platinum, Platinum Pro and Executive Platinum members (and their travelling companions). They are also free to select for Oneworld Sapphire and Emerald frequent flyers with the following airlines:

• Alaska Airlines
• British Airways
• Finnair
• Iberia
• Japan Airlines
• Qatar Airways

American Airlines provides complimentary meals and drinks, including beer, wine and spirits during the first meal service in the Main Cabin. There’s also a mid-flight snack available, and breakfast is served before landing. Pillows and blankets are provided.

Premium Economy

There are 28 Premium Economy seats in a 2-4-2 layout, each offering 38 inches of seat pitch. These leather recliner seats offer more space than Economy.

In Premium Economy, American Airlines offers complimentary premium meals and drinks, as well as a pillow, blanket and amenity kit.

There is some discussion about the Premium Economy service on AA72/73 on the AFF forum.

Business Class

There are 52 lie-flat Business Class seats on the American Airlines 777-300ER in a 1-2-1 reverse herringbone layout. These are very comfortable seats, offering a good level of privacy and direct aisle access for every passenger.

In addition to all the usual amenities you’d expect in international Business Class, American Airlines provides pyjamas in Business on its Sydney-Los Angeles route.

First Class

There are currently 8 First Class suites at the front of the aircraft. However, American Airlines has announced that it plans to phase out international First Class from 2024.

First Class is also in a 1-2-1 layout, with each seat converting into a comfortable lie-flat bed. A unique feature of this product is that you can swivel the seat and fold out the side table to create an office in the sky with a pretty cool view!

Getting an upgrade on American Airlines

First thing’s first: It’s unfortunately not possible to upgrade American Airlines flights using Qantas points, even if you’ve booked on the “QF” codeshare. But if you’re an American Airlines AAdvantage member, you have a few options.

Upgrade with AAdvantage miles

One way to upgrade on American Airlines is to request an upgrade with AAdvantage miles. You can request an upgrade to the next-highest class of service using your own or someone else’s AAdvantage miles, plus a cash co-payment in some cases. An exception is upgrades from Economy, where you upgrade directly into Business Class.

Upgrades are subject to availability, and you cannot upgrade an award or Basic Economy ticket.

A cool feature of upgrades on American Airlines is that a single upgrade request covers up to three flights on the same one-way itinerary, for the price of a single upgrade. For example, if you’re flying from Sydney to Los Angeles and then connecting onwards to Chicago, you just pay for one upgrade from Australia to North America which covers both sectors.

The cost of an upgrade depends on your fare type. These are the prices to upgrade with AAdvantage miles on the Sydney-Los Angeles route:

You can check if there is upgrade space available on your flight before booking on the American Airlines website. If there is space available and you have enough AAdvantage miles, your upgrade will be confirmed immediately.

If you’re short on AAdvantage miles, you can buy them. If you have Amex Membership Rewards points, you could also transfer Amex points into Marriott Bonvoy and then transfer the points from Marriott Bonvoy into AAdvantage.

Systemwide Upgrades

American Airlines offers Systemwide upgrades (SWUs) to AAdvantage members as Loyalty Point Rewards. These are available to AAdvantage Platinum Pro and Executive Platinum members who earn at least 175,000 Loyalty Points during a membership year.

Systemwide upgrades can be used to upgrade on a one-way itinerary of up to three segments, including on Basic Economy tickets. Upgrades are subject to availability, which you can check on the American Airlines website.

You can use a SWU to upgrade from Economy or Premium Economy into Business, or from Business to First Class.

Lounges at Sydney Airport

If you’re travelling in Business Class on AA72, or have Qantas Gold, American Airlines Platinum or Oneworld Sapphire status, you can access the Qantas International Business Lounge prior to departure from Sydney Airport.

If you’re in First Class, or have Qantas Platinum, AAdvantage Platinum Pro, AAdvantage Executive Platinum or Oneworld Emerald status, you can use the excellent Qantas First Lounge in Sydney.

As this is a flight to the United States, you can expect some extra security checks either at check-in or at the boarding gate.

Connecting from AA72 beyond Los Angeles

On arrival into Los Angeles, all passengers are required to clear US immigration and customs. This includes passengers connecting onwards to other domestic or international destinations. You’ll also need to collect your bag in Los Angeles.

If you’re connecting to another flight, you can drop off your bag at the American Airlines counter after clearing customs. You’ll then need to clear security to access your departure gate.

If you have lounge access, you may be able to use the Qantas lounges at Los Angeles and/or the American Airlines Flagship lounge while waiting for your connecting flight.

Australians and citizens of certain other countries may need a visa or ESTA (visa waiver) to enter the USA, even if just in international transit. Make sure you apply for an ESTA, if applicable, before you travel. You can do this on the official U.S. Customs and Border Protection website, and there is a USD21 application fee.

Matt Graham

The editor of Australian Frequent Flyer, Matt's passion for travel has taken him to over 90 countries… with the help of frequent flyer points, of course!
Matt's favourite destinations (so far) are Germany, Brazil & Kazakhstan. His interests include aviation, economics & foreign languages, and he has a soft spot for good food and red wine.

You can connect with Matt by posting on the Australian Frequent Flyer community forum and tagging @AFF Editor.