Multi city ELP -LAX-AKL; SYD-LAX-EL: Feb 2015. Need advice please

[OZNB]

DH and I are taking a cruise from Auckland to Sydney next February 15. Our international airport is El Paso, Texas. We are FF members, but not elite, of United and American and currently only have enough points to cover the ELP to LAX leg of the journey with American. United does not have direct flights
The next leg best option seems to be Air NZ LAX to AKL. Flights are currently $883 for one way in 777-300 economy but I do not know which are the best seats so need advice there! Is $883 a good price? PE is triple the cost of Y and is simply too much $$.
Return from Sydney to ELP (Quantas/AA?) will probably be booked on the American Airlines site.
I want to maximize how we use our money for the flights and be as comfortable as one can be in economy.
Looking forward to any advice you may have.​ Thanks.

 

[Mwenenzi]

Booking a one way flight from Australia to USA will be expensive to maybe very expensive. You may get a far better deal booking a return and buying seperate flights Aust - NZ or NZ - Australia.

Qantas, United, Delta, Virgin, Fiji Airways & Hawiaan will get you LAX-SYD (or other USA cities-SYD). Be carefull with United LAX/SFO-SYD as delays are not uncommon with the current B747's. However UA will put newish B777's on tihs route soon. So if you book UA have a day or more spare before your Auckland cruise.
AKL is only Air NZ & Hawiian unless via Australia or a pacific island.

Airlines NZ to/from Australia are
- Air NZ
- Qantas
- Jetstar
- Virgin Australia
- LAN

Air NZ is a United freq flyer partner, but some low cost tickets are nil miles earning
QF, LAN & Hawaiian are AA freq flyer partners,


Qantas does not a have u, but quantas.com has been set up for those in the USA who cannot spell

 

[docjames]

In this situation, i'd book all on Air NZ

LAX-AKL <stop> -SYD <stop>-AKL-LAX

Almost certainly buying LAX-AKL and SYD-LAX separately will be significantly more expensive overall (plus the cost of AKL-SYD too). Going via AKL on the return can have pretty good connection times and not take that much longer.

If it gives you any idea, QF have had one of their best sales in the aux market for a while, and it's $1299 return to LAX from east coast (SYD/MEL/BNE).

It would be worth looking wherever you found that $883 price and putting in a return flight and seeing how it prices.

I also wouldn't be fixed to buying via AA.com - there's almost certainly cheaper options (eg. Qantas.com)!

 

[serfty]

$883 is not a bad price for one way tickets across the pacific.

Have you looked at what is called an "open Jaw".

Quite often a fare, as in your case, LAX-AKL,SYD-LAX can be had at around the cost of a return and generally much cheaper than booked as two one-ways.

 

[Mwenenzi]

Qantas (AA codeshare?) also fly from DFW:- DFW-BNE-SYD and SYD-DFW with the A380
Cost difference DFW-SYD/AKL may be little compared to LAX-SYD/AKL
ELP-LAX-AKL; SYD-LAX-ELP
and Qantas Open jaw ELP-DFW-BNE-AKL; SYD-DFW-ELP
and Air NZ open jaw ELP-LAX-AKL; SYD-AKL-LAX-ELP

 

[OZNB]

Thank you all so much for helping me to think through this. I'm quite "fluent" in TATL flight costs etc just not these….
The $883 USD price is on the Air New Zealand website; I will not be able to see the end of February return flight cost until early March. I don't know if it's a reasonable cost because the flights are just opening or will hold over the next few weeks until the return is available. It's always a guessing game!
When I do a dummy open jaw for early Feb, 2015 the cost is

USD
$1,771.60* ​