Thoughts on alternatives for trip to USA in Y+

[GCC]

I am looking at options on QF and VA in Y+ for a trip to the USA in August. My trip is to a convention in San Diego, then to another convention in Dallas. then home to Sydney. T/A has sent me 2 itineraries:

[FONT=&amp]Qantas[/FONT]

[FONT=&amp]QF 11 R 02AUG SYDLAX 1305 0945 - Premium
QF 3113 B 02AUG LAXSAN 1155 1245
AA 578 Y 09AUG SANDFW 0830 1335
QF 8 R 14AUG DFWSYD 2155 *0810 - Premium (arrive home 16th August)[/FONT]


Total cost $5000

VA
[FONT=&amp]VA 1 O 02AUG SYDLAX 1340 1030 - Premium
AA 3025 Q 02AUG LAXSAN 1320 1410
AA 1150 S 09AUG SANDFW 1055 1600
AA 2473 S 14AUG DFWLAX 1820 1930
VA 2 O 14AUG LAXSYD 2210 *0615 - Premium - home 16th August[/FONT]

Total cost $3700, BUT to change the AA fare types to earn SC's would be an additional $1000, so that would become 4700.

I requested AA for the internal flights as I'd like to get as many QF SC's for the trip as possible to help retain WP, but it isn't a status run. This trip will pretty much ensure I requalify WP with my regular travel for the year. I will apply for a points upgrade in at least one direction on QF and probably both, so really the QF cost equation is (hopefully - I have a 100% hit rate for points upgrades) $5000 + 90k points for J travel.

Can anyone tell me how many SC's I will earn on those AA flights? (or where to find a calculator so I can look up myself)

I am wondering if anyone has flow VA and QF Y+ to LA recently and would care to comment on how they compare?

Would also welcome any suggestions for QF SC earning alternatives that might be cheaper / attractive / interesting?

thanks

 

[Fantic125]

For the AA flights, from the Qantas website;
Earning Points

Earn points when flying on eligible fares and flights.
[TABLE="class: basic"]
[TR]
[TH][/TH]
[TH]First
[/TH]
[TH]Business
[/TH]
[TH]Economy
[/TH]
[TH]Discount Economy
[/TH]
[/TR]
[TR="class: alt"]
[TD]Booking class
[/TD]
[TD]AFP
[/TD]
[TD]DIJ
[/TD]
[TD]BHKY
[/TD]
[TD]GLMNSV
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Points Base earn rate (per mile or 1.609km)
[/TD]
[TD]1
[/TD]
[TD]1
[/TD]
[TD]1
[/TD]
[TD]0.5
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: alt"]
[TD]Cabin bonus
[/TD]
[TD]50%
[/TD]
[TD]25%
[/TD]
[TD]-
[/TD]
[TD]-
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Status bonus
Platinum
Gold
Silver
[/TD]
[TD]100%
50%
25%
[/TD]
[TD]100%
50%
25%
[/TD]
[TD]100%
50%
25%
[/TD]
[TD]100%
50%
25%
[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]


Note

• Points are not earned when travelling in classes other than those specified.
• The Status bonus and Cabin bonus are applied to the base earn rate for each individual flight you take.
• Status credits are earned on all eligible booking classes.

Minimum points guarantee

• 500 points when flying on eligible fares.

[TABLE="class: basic"]
[TR]
[TH="colspan: 6"]Status credits earned per one-way flight[SUP]^[/SUP]
[/TH]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: txtc"]Zone
[/TD]
[TD="class: txtc, width: 20%"]One-Way Miles
[/TD]
[TD="class: txtc, width: 15%"]Discount Economy[SUP]+[/SUP]
[/TD]
[TD="class: txtc, width: 20%"]Economy/
Premium Economy[SUP]#[/SUP]
[/TD]
[TD="class: txtc, width: 15%"]Business[SUP]~[/SUP]
[/TD]
[TD="class: txtc, width: 15%"]First
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: alt"]
[TD="class: txtc"]1
[/TD]
[TD="class: txtc"]0-600
[/TD]
[TD="class: txtc"]10
[/TD]
[TD="class: txtc"]20
[/TD]
[TD="class: txtc"]40
[/TD]
[TD="class: txtc"]60
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: txtc"]2
[/TD]
[TD="class: txtc"]601-1,200
[/TD]
[TD="class: txtc"]15
[/TD]
[TD="class: txtc"]30
[/TD]
[TD="class: txtc"]60
[/TD]
[TD="class: txtc"]90
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: alt"]
[TD="class: txtc"]3
[/TD]
[TD="class: txtc"]1,201-2,400
[/TD]
[TD="class: txtc"]20
[/TD]
[TD="class: txtc"]40
[/TD]
[TD="class: txtc"]80
[/TD]
[TD="class: txtc"]120
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: txtc"]4
[/TD]
[TD="class: txtc"]2,401-3,600
[/TD]
[TD="class: txtc"]25
[/TD]
[TD="class: txtc"]50
[/TD]
[TD="class: txtc"]100
[/TD]
[TD="class: txtc"]150
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: alt"]
[TD="class: txtc"]5
[/TD]
[TD="class: txtc"]3,601-4,800
[/TD]
[TD="class: txtc"]30
[/TD]
[TD="class: txtc"]60
[/TD]
[TD="class: txtc"]120
[/TD]
[TD="class: txtc"]180
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: txtc"]6
[/TD]
[TD="class: txtc"]4,801-5,800
[/TD]
[TD="class: txtc"]35
[/TD]
[TD="class: txtc"]70
[/TD]
[TD="class: txtc"]140
[/TD]
[TD="class: txtc"]210
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: alt"]
[TD="class: txtc"]7
[/TD]
[TD="class: txtc"]5,801-7,000
[/TD]
[TD="class: txtc"]40
[/TD]
[TD="class: txtc"]80
[/TD]
[TD="class: txtc"]160
[/TD]
[TD="class: txtc"]240
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: txtc"]8
[/TD]
[TD="class: txtc"]7,001-8,400
[/TD]
[TD="class: txtc"]45
[/TD]
[TD="class: txtc"]90
[/TD]
[TD="class: txtc"]180
[/TD]
[TD="class: txtc"]270
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: alt"]
[TD="class: txtc"]9
[/TD]
[TD="class: txtc"]8,401-9,600
[/TD]
[TD="class: txtc"]50
[/TD]
[TD="class: txtc"]100
[/TD]
[TD="class: txtc"]200
[/TD]
[TD="class: txtc"]300
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: txtc"]10
[/TD]
[TD="class: txtc"]9,601-15,000
[/TD]
[TD="class: txtc"]60
[/TD]
[TD="class: txtc"]120
[/TD]
[TD="class: txtc"]240
[/TD]
[TD="class: txtc"]360
[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]


Hopefully this helps. You can get the flight distances from: Trip Calculator - TravelMath.com

 

[MEL_Traveller]

if you can manage a stop in Fiji, adds about an extra three hours to the journey, but you used to be able to get business class on air pacific for around $3000 (to lax). then get some AA fares.

the booking process is fairly simple, via the air pacific website. but you need to buy three tickets: syd-nan, the nan-lax return, then nan-syd. you are buying the nan-lax and nan-syd taking advantage of the ex Fiji fares and much lower Fiji dollar. I had a friend do the booking and it took about 20 minutes all up including payment.

in terms if comfort, the seat is an old first class recliner. more comfortable than premium economy, but without the entertainment (which is very basic). food and alcohol is so-so, and you have to collect your bags and recheck in nadi. (however very easy to do given the transit time)

as a business class fare you have lounge access and earn points and status credits accordingly (but no bonus status credits if you have elite qantas membership)

 

[GCC]

Thanks for the replies. I had thought about air pacific and it is an option I might use if the family was with me and we could take a stop over in Fiji.

I have flown NAN - SYD in J on the 747 in row 1, and while there is lots of room it was an old plane and I'm not sure how comfortable it would actually be on a long flight.

I had a quick look and while the NAN - LAX - NAN leg was very good value at around $5900 FJD, the SYD - NAN flight in J was about $1500 AUD each way on the QF web site!:shock:

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Thanks for the replies. I had thought about air pacific and it is an option I might use if the family was with me and we could take a stop over in Fiji.

I have flown NAN - SYD in J on the 747 in row 1, and while there is lots of room it was an old plane and I'm not sure how comfortable it would actually be on a long flight.

I had a quick look and while the NAN - LAX - NAN leg was very good value at around $5900 FJD, the SYD - NAN flight in J was about $1500 AUD each way on the QF web site!:shock:

interesting fares! although need to price on the air pacific website for best deals.

certainly the seat would be more comfortable than the qantas or virgin premium seat... more recline and legroom. but whether or not that's enough to offset the extra three hours?

 

[notzac]

..would also depend on whether GCC has to use a TA or whether they can book themselves. If they have to use a TA, they'll need to check whether or not their TA will be able to sell a fare ex-NAN to get the better pricing.

I'd probably book with QF if you wanted to get AA on the US domestic legs - will make everything far easier to manage.

 

[GCC]

Looks like the FJ trip is a choice between good value or a lot longer travel time...

Option 1
Dep SYD 0630, arrive NAN 1220
Dep NAN 2200 arrive LAX 1320
(about 9 hours more travel time )
Total cost (via FJ site) $4790 AUD

Option 2
Dep SYD 1255 Arrive NAN 1845
Dep NAN 2200 Arrive LAX 1320

Option 2 isn't too bad time wise but the fare are much higher for the SYD - NAN -SYD leg, so total cost is $5635 (via FJ website). It is much more expensive than earlier reports of this routing on AFF, and I'm not sure it is really great value. Something may have changed or I may be missing something?

 

[Limewood]

For WFF status points etc, try Milage Monkey use oneworld explorer pane and select sapphire if SG and ignore errors.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Looks like the FJ trip is a choice between good value or a lot longer travel time...

Option 1
Dep SYD 0630, arrive NAN 1220
Dep NAN 2200 arrive LAX 1320
(about 9 hours more travel time )
Total cost (via FJ site) $4790 AUD

Option 2
Dep SYD 1255 Arrive NAN 1845
Dep NAN 2200 Arrive LAX 1320

Option 2 isn't too bad time wise but the fare are much higher for the SYD - NAN -SYD leg, so total cost is $5635 (via FJ website). It is much more expensive than earlier reports of this routing on AFF, and I'm not sure it is really great value. Something may have changed or I may be missing something?

are you looking at syd-nan-syd as one booking? you should be splitting it in two... so syd-nan as one ticket, then nan-syd as a comely separate ticket, to take advantage of the low fj dollar. if you are already splitting the booking and it's still the higher price then things have changed (with plotting you should end up with three separate tickets)

 

[GCC]

Maybe things have changed, booked as separate tickets on the FJ Fiji site, best total price for this trip still around $5150 AUD. It looks like FJ prices (on that route at least) increase considerably in August

 

[ozbeachbabe]

Booking on the www.airpacific.com website as per what's already been said you need to do three bookings as follows:

1. SYD/NAN on 02 Aug on the pm flight to minimise connection time in NAN. Cost AUD430.81.

2. NAN/LAX/NAN
a) ex NAN on 02 Aug / ex LAX 14 Aug for FJD5962.60 AUD3182.01
b) ex NAN on 31 Jul / ex LAX 13 Aug for FJD3598.60 AUD1920.55
c) ex NAN on 31 Jul / ex LAX 14 Aug ex NAN on 02 Aug / ex LAX 13 Aug for FJD4780.60 AUD2551.22

Note that when doing availability you need to select the 'upgrade to Tabua Class' option in order to the the J class fare options.

3. NAN/SYD on 16 Aug (LAX/NAN on 14 Aug is a + 2 days later arrival) FJD699.70 AUD373.39.