Bne - Lax Bus Class

[Roger]

Firstly, this is my first posting ever on what seems to be a great site....Im glad that I have now found it !
I only fly overseas every year or so and was looking at flying to Lax next year Bus class probably via Hnl . (from Bne)
From all you experts.....what carrier would you fly in terms of price, comfort etc....

Roger

 

[NM]

In my mind there is no choice. If you are heading to LAX then take a Qantas flight with Skybeds. So that rules out HNL. Unless you really want to go do HNL as a stopover, I would recommend going BNE-LAX on QF175 or BNE-SYD-LAX using QF107 or QF11, or BNE-MEL-LAX using QF93.

Note that if travelling before the middle of next year, I would be using QF107, QF11 or QF93 as they will all have Skybeds from the end of January 2005. The Sydney flights (QF107, QF11) from the end of December. The 2-class aircraft that operates QF175 BNE-LAX and QF25 BNE-AKL-LAX will not get Skybeds reliably until the middle of 2005.

If you really must go via HNL, then only do it in one direction. You will need to connect through Sydney. Choices include Qantas, Hawian and Canadian, all connecting to one of many USA airlines to the mainland. Qantas use the 747-300 on the SYD-HNL route, and by the middle of next year the last of the 747-300's to get the cabin upgrade to Dreamtime business class seats will be complete.

 

[QF WP]

Roger, welcome to AFF.

I'd have to agree with NM, but you may want to look at a Oneworld Circle Pacific fare (NM can tell you more about that than I can).

If you don't have high status with QF now (ie. if you're only Bronze or Silver) or a lot of points, and if you're about to fly in J to USA return, then I'd plump for an AA Platinum Challenge (just ask Bob - or read his topic to see how he got AA Platinum (Oneworld Sapphire) status in one flight which was in Economy - lesser than your flights). Just follow the caveat in my first post - don't ring AA SYD, spend a couple of $ to ring AA USA and get it done correctly the first time.

I'd definitely travel with QF (using the flights NM advised). He's the expert there (as he takes those flights a lot more regularly than me!)

 

[NM]

I am taking a DCIR22 (Business Class Circle Pacific 22,000 mile fare) next week to get me to the USA. My routing is BNE-SYD-LAX-DFW-PHL-ORD-NRT-BNE. That is 21,909 miles according to QF. The list price for the fare is $7029, so it is about the cheapest way to get to the USA (beyind LAX at least) in business class.

And on that itinerary I will be earning 600 QF Status Credits and 51,505 QF FF points. I expect to use 45,000 of them to try for an upgrade to First Class on QF107 SYD-LAX. But even if that does not come through I expect to have a Skybed seat over the Pacific.

You can go via HNL on a Circle Pacific fare also if you really want to. HNL-USA Mainland is in AA domestic first class.

 

[Roger]

Well thank you...NM & Lindsay for your most informative answers to my question.
The advice regarding the Skybeds was something that was a little Gem of information to have.

Thanks again........Roger


PS. I will be watching this site very closely in future to "up" my general travel knowledge !

 

[drron]

Really good info NM.I have been flying JAL to new york as they have companion fares in business class and have had sleeper seats to JFK for nearly 2 years now.However looks like QF finally becoming competitive.
I presume its best to go directly through Qantas for this fare-it has never come up on their website(nor any other website that I have searched in that never ending quest to get the best value ticket.)
All I have to work out is whether BNE-LAX-JFK-NRT-BNE comes in under 22000 miles-my luck it is probably 22050!
I will certainly look at this option plus the platinum challenge with AA after june 05.Many thanks

 

[NM]

BNE-LAX-JFK-HKG-BNE is 22,014 miles! So you can't do it via HKG. But BNE-LAX-JFK-NRT-BNE is only 20,803. Since BNE-LAX is 2-class operation it won't have skybeds until well into next year. So to ensure Skybeds, you need to do BNE-SYD-JFK-NRT-BNE which is 21,583.

Also note that the distances I am quoting here are from Great Circle Mapper. These are not the exact distances that Qantas use. For example GC mapper shows my BNE-SYD-LAX-DFW-PHL-ORD-NRT-BNE routing next week as 21,866 miles, while QF calculate it to be 21,909 miles.

This fare is available from TA's or any OneWold airline directly. It is called OneWorld Circle Pacific and is available in 22,000, 26,000 and 29,000 mile versions, with some special 29K versions that include South Americ. It is similar to the OneWorld Explorer RTW fare. The main difference in rules for purchase from Australia is that it requires ticket issue 7 days prior to travel commencement, while OneWorld Explorer RTW purchased in Australia has no ticket issue deadline. There is a 10% cancellation penalty if cancelled after ticket issue and before travel.