Award Business Class Return Flights to Los Angeles

[JenAC53]

Ii am a new AFF member requesting advice please. I wish to book a return flight to LAX in late October. I want to be assured of business class travel due to the lengthy flight with a flat bed. I have over 300,000 points towards the flight.
Preferably I would like to break the journey if possible without additional charges. Is this possible?
I look forward to your responses and thank you.

 

[Freq Flier 2013]

Ii am a new AFF member requesting advice please. I wish to book a return flight to LAX in late October. I want to be assured of business class travel due to the lengthy flight with a flat bed. I have over 300,000 points towards the flight.
Preferably I would like to break the journey if possible without additional charges. Is this possible?
I look forward to your responses and thank you.

Hi and welcome to AFF. That airline points do you have?

 

[bam71]

And where would you like to break the journey? Assume you are in Australia?

 

[Lynda2475]

What type of FF points do you have (Qantas/one world or Virgin or Star Alliance or other)?

It can be tough to find awards only 8 months out but possible with some creativity. And LAX are generally direct from SYD/MEL/BNE.

If you have Qantas points one option would be SYD-NAD-LAX, can have a stopover in fiji in one or both directions.

Other options are vial HNL (but ive never managed to find J only Y on the Aus to HNL leg) or via AKL and stop in NZ.

Or go some where else in USA after LAX, domestic usa flights are pretty easy to fing on reward points.

 

[Mwenenzi]

JenAC53 Welcome to AFF

Ii am a new AFF member requesting advice please. I wish to book a return flight to LAX in late October. I want to be assured of business class travel due to the lengthy flight with a flat bed. I have over 300,000 points towards the flight.
Preferably I would like to break the journey if possible without additional charges. Is this possible?
I look forward to your responses and thank you.

From where? If you are in east coast AU a lot of blue water to LAX.
Not many places to stop. NAN HNL a possibility.
Depending on the ffp most awards do not allow no cost stopovers. Would be treated as separate flights.
Can have tranists at no cost with a few hours between flights. More than 24hrs become a stop over.

Most people just keep on the same flight. For many, including me, 1 long flight in business far better than shorter flight with many take off-landings, broken sleep and random meal times.

Business class awards AU--USA-AU hard to get. Can be very hard. For specific dates very very hard.

A map from the Great Circle Mapper

A map from the Great Circle Mapper

www.gcmap.com

 

[JenAC53]

Hi and welcome to AFF. That airline points do you have?

Sorry. Qantas.

 

[drron]

It has been possible in the past to get awards to the USA via Hong Kong or Tokyo using CX or JAL.
If wanting to go to the East Coast that sometimes is quicker than QF via LAX.
Pre covid we would travel via JAL BNE -NRT -JFK. The JAL plane left BNE an hour after the QF flight to LAX but we would get into JFK an hour before the QF LAX -JFK flight.

 

[Mwenenzi]

Sorry. Qantas.

If 110% certain of wanting a break Fiji Airlines with QF ff points is the most practical option.
But for QF business awards you take what you find immediately.
Usually no choice and odds/hope that something better will show later is far from certain.
Look for multi city routes
If you cannot get from your closed main airport take what ever is available.
If in WA-Perth routes-options will be different to east coast BNE SYD MEL
Good luck

A map from the Great Circle Mapper

A map from the Great Circle Mapper

www.gcmap.com

 

[JenAC53]

And where would you like to break the journey? Assume you are in Australia?

Yes I am flying from Melbourne. I just thought somewhere easy to grab a hotel for a couple of nights on the way back, e.g. Fiji or Hawaii. I have been told Hawaii is very expensive right now. I have never travelled Fijian airlines to know how they compare quality-wise business class.
Thank you for responding.

Post automatically merged: Jan 29, 2023

If 110% certain of wanting a break Fiji Airlines with QF ff points is the most practical option.
But for QF business awards you take what you find immediately.
Usually no choice and odds/hope that something better will show later is far from certain.
Look for multi city routes
If you cannot get from your closed main airport take what ever is available.
If in WA-Perth routes-options will be different to east coast BNE SYD MEL
Good luck

A map from the Great Circle Mapper

A map from the Great Circle Mapper

www.gcmap.com

Thank you for responding and I appreciate the advice. I am flying from Melbourne.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Yes I am flying from Melbourne. I just thought somewhere easy to grab a hotel for a couple of nights on the way back, e.g. Fiji or Hawaii. I have been told Hawaii is very expensive right now. I have never travelled Fijian airlines to know how they compare quality-wise business class.
Thank you for responding.

Post automatically merged: Jan 29, 2023

Thank you for responding and I appreciate the advice. I am flying from Melbourne.

As mentioned above, breaking the journey anywhere for more than 24 hours will price your ticket by component parts rather than the through fare… so MEL-NAN and NAN-LAX, rather than MEL-LAX.

That aside, Fiji Airways is ok. They have full flat beds in their a350s, but availability can be scarce on the NAN-LAX sectors. SFO has much more availability, but the seats are angled lie-flats.

The flight from MEL to NAN can be a 737, with the same sort of seats you’d find on Qantas or Virgin domestically, with a bit more legroom.

 

[Mwenenzi]

Jetstar also fly MEL-HNL-MEL business class with a B787 , if you want to break the journey as separate flights/hotels overnight. JQ business class is more like QF premium economy and some people OK with those seats for a day time flight.

But getting the business class award segments will be hard for any route
Cost (in points/cash) vs comfort vs availability

 

[JenAC53]

It has been possible in the past to get awards to the USA via Hong Kong or Tokyo using CX or JAL.
If wanting to go to the East Coast that sometimes is quicker than QF via LAX.
Pre covid we would travel via JAL BNE -NRT -JFK. The JAL plane left BNE an hour after the QF flight to LAX but we would get into JFK an hour before the QF LAX -JFK flight.

Thank you for your input. This trip will only involve the west coast U.S. but will keep that in mind for the next trip (all being well!).

 

[JenAC53]

As mentioned above, breaking the journey anywhere for more than 24 hours will price your ticket by component parts rather than the through fare… so MEL-NAN and NAN-LAX, rather than MEL-LAX.

That aside, Fiji Airways is ok. They have full flat beds in their a350s, but availability can be scarce on the NAN-LAX sectors. SFO has much more availability, but the seats are angled lie-flats.

The flight from MEL to NAN can be a 737, with the same sort of seats you’d find on Qantas or Virgin domestically, with a bit more legroom.

That sounds a good idea so thank you. I assume I would ring Qantas re booking to use points to partially cover the flights?

 

[JenAC53]

And where would you like to break the journey? Assume you are in Australia?

Jetstar also fly MEL-HNL-MEL business class with a B787 , if you want to break the journey as separate flights/hotels overnight. JQ business class is more like QF premium economy and some people OK with those seats for a day time flight.

But getting the business class award segments will be hard for any route
Cost (in points/cash) vs comfort vs availability

Thank you for your advice no support.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

That sounds a good idea so thank you. I assume I would ring Qantas re booking to use points to partially cover the flights?

You could, but that would be a very poor use of points… you’d be paying the full fare converted to QF points, at a heavy discount in favour of QF

Better to get the points outright for the award needed than use your points towards payment.

 

[JenAC53]

Hi and welcome to AFF. That airline points do you have?

300,000
.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

If you have 300,000 points you have more than enough to get business class to and from the USA on qantas or any of its partners including japan airlines, cathay or fiji airways.

IIRC a business class classic award from australia to the USA is around 96,000 points one way. If you were to use your points to partially cover payment you’d need in excess of 400,000 points one way for the same ticket based on current fares.

 

[JenAC53]

If you have 300,000 points you have more than enough to get business class to and from the USA on qantas or any of its partners including japan airlines, cathay or fiji airways.

IIRC a business class classic award from australia to the USA is around 96,000 points one way. If you were to use your points to partially cover payment you’d need in excess of 400,000 points one way for the same ticket based on current fares.

Excuse my ignorance as this is all so new to me. Are you saying that I could fly business class with flat bed seat for 192,000 points return? With which airline?

 

[levelnine]

Excuse my ignorance as this is all so new to me. Are you saying that I could fly business class with flat bed seat for 192,000 points return? With which airline?

MEL_Traveller was off by a bit. It's 108K per person one way. The challenge is finding availability.

 

[JenAC53]

MEL_Traveller was off by a bit. It's 108K per person one way. The challenge is finding availability.

View attachment 315408

That is still a very attractive deal. How do I go about booking it?