American Airlines Releasing Six Business Class Seats on Australia Flights

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American Airlines is releasing up to six Business Class award seats between Los Angeles and Sydney in its best Business Class beds. The westbound award space is within one week of departure. The eastbound space is within one month of departure.

This award space is easy to connect to from anywhere in the United States, and you can connect elsewhere in Australia or New Zealand on Qantas. These connecting flights do not add to the Business Class mileage price of 62,500 American Airlines miles each way. (Business Class awards to Australia go up in price to 80,000 American Airlines miles one way on March 22, 2016.)

Some credit card offers in this post have expired, but they might come back. If they do they will appear –> Click here for the top current credit card sign up bonuses.

For a limited time, the Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® MasterCard® and CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World MasterCard® are each offering 50,000 bonus American Airlines miles after $3,000 in purchases made with your card in the first 3 months the account is open. Don’t be thrown off by the word “Platinum.” Both cards have no annual fee the first 12 months, and then $95.

Get both cards and meet the $6,000 total spending requirement to have over 106,000 American Airlines miles. That’s nearly enough to book a roundtrip Business Class award to Australia (125,000 miles, 115,000 after 10,000 mile rebate offered by Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® MasterCard®.)

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American Airlines flies a 777-300ER between Los Angeles and Sydney, which features 6’3″ flat beds in a 1-2-1 configuration, meaning all of them have aisle access.

This is American Airlines’ best Business Class.

Award Space

Award space in Business Class is available every day this week from Los Angeles to Sydney for six people each day. No other days in the next 11 months have even a single Business Class award seat.

This is peak travel time, so I am hopeful that we will continue to see Business Class award space released in the last week between Los Angeles and Sydney.

The return from Sydney to Los Angeles shows a different pattern. Five days in the next month have six Business Class award seats.

Thirteen days in the next month have at least one Business Class award seat. No other days in the next 11 months have any Business Class award seats.
FYI, the route has good award space in economy but none in first.

Also FYI, American’s Los Angeles to Auckland route that launches in June 2016 currently shows no Saver award space in either cabin in either direction.

Connections

If you don’t live in Los Angeles, you can still take advantage of this amazing last minute Business Class award space. You can tack on economy, Business, or First Class MileSAAver award space on American Airlines or Alaska Airlines from your home airport to Los Angeles for zero extra miles. Here are cities with American or Alaska Airlines flights to Los Angeles.

If you don’t want to go to Sydney or want to fly an open jaw, you can connect on Qantas within Australia or New Zealand for zero extra miles. Here are the places Qantas flies from Sydney.

Booking the Award

American Airlines and Qantas are searchable at aa.com, so book right on aa.com.

Most of this award space is less than 21 days from now. If you book an American Airlines award within 21 days of departure, you pay a $75 fee.

With taxes and that fee, a roundtrip in Business Class is 125,000 miles + $180. If you have the Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® MasterCard®, you get 10% of the miles you redeem rebated to you each calendar year, up to 10,000 miles rebated. That would make the net cost 115,000 miles.

Pay the taxes and fees with your Citi Prestige® Card.

The Citi Prestige® Card offers a $250 Air Travel Credit each calendar year that offsets your first $250 in spending on airlines with the card. Taxes and fees on an award ticket definitely count.

The card also comes with 40,000 bonus ThankYou Points after spending $4,000 in the first three months, which can be transferred to 13 types of airline miles or used like cash toward the purchase of any ticket.

Getting the Miles

For a limited time, the Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® MasterCard® and CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World MasterCard® are each offering 50,000 bonus American Airlines miles after $3,000 in purchases made with your card in the first 3 months the account is open. Don’t be thrown off by the word “Platinum.” Both cards have no annual fee the first 12 months, and then $95.

Get both cards and meet the $6,000 total spending requirement to have over 106,000 American Airlines miles. That is nearly enough for a roundtrip in Business Class to Australia.

Bottom Line

American Airlines is releasing six Business Class seats to Australia every day this week. Hopefully their generosity within a week of departure continues.

From Australia, they are releasing Business Class seats up to a month before departure.