Until July 31, 2014, you can transfer 20,000 SPG Starpoints to 30,000 American Airlines AAdvantage miles.

It's July 2nd, and I think we can probably declare this the best miles deal July will see!

How many Starpoints can you transfer?
Do Starpoints transfer instantly to American Airlines miles?
In what increment must you transfer Starpoints to maximize this deal?

"From July 1 through July 31, 2014, simply convert your Starpoints® to American Airlines AAdvantage miles and earn a 20% bonus.

American Airlines' non-oneworld partner, Etihad, has fantastic award space to the Middle East, India, and the Maldives.

For five months, the Citi Executive AAdvantage World MasterCard has been offering 100,000 bonus American Airlines miles after spending $10,000 in the first three months.

Getting to the Big Island of Hawaii from the United States mainland is easy with miles. There are a ton of direct flights on several airlines, most of which have fantastic award space. Several of the flights can even be booked for as little as 12,500 miles each way.

I've been on the Kona side of Hawaii Island this week with my family, and it has been fantastic.

The snorkeling on this coast is the best I've ever experienced.

You can now route through the Middle East on Qatar Airways on your way from the United States to Africa with American Airlines miles.

American Airlines has a unique routing rule that you cannot transit a third region on an award between two other regions. Under this rule, flying from the United States to the Middle East to Africa would require two awards, one from the United States to the Middle East and one from the Middle East to Africa.

Etihad is an incredible partner of American Airlines. Etihad is not part of American's oneworld alliance, nor is it a partner of US Airways, but you can use American Airlines miles to fly Etihad in style to the Middle East, Indian Subcontinent, and beyond.

We explained how to search and book Etihad award space with American Airlines miles in "Anatomy of an Award: Booking Etihad Business Class Using American Miles."

Etihad's First Class is a fully enclosed suite. Etihad Business Class is a fully flat bed.

US Airways charges the same price for three-cabin First Class within the United States and Canada as it does for two-cabin First Class or Business Class.

I consider this a mistake rooted in the fact that US Airways only operates two-cabin planes within the United States as did its former partner United (with a few exceptions.)

But US Airways' new partners American Airlines and Cathay Pacific both operate three-cabin planes within the United States on a few routes:

New York-JFK to Los Angeles (American Airlines)
New York-JFK to San Francisco (American Airlines)
New York-JFK to Vancouver (Cathay Pacific)

I expect

US Airways and American Airlines merged last year, and their frequent flyer programs will combine in 2015.

We don't know quite what that program will look like or what its award chart will be, but Barclaycard seemingly confirmed one of my biggest hopes, that one way awards still be allowed for half the roundtrip price.

Currently American Airlines publishes a one way award chart. One way awards cost a certain price and roundtrip awards are double that price. US Airways publishes a roundtrip award chart.

Qantas will operate its daily flight from Dallas to Sydney with an A380 starting October 1, 2014. This is a large increase in capacity from the current 747 on the route.

The Dallas to Sydney flight will be the longest A380 flight in the world at 16hr55min, so it's not one I'd be eager to fly in coach.

The route is in addition to the A380 flights Qantas operates from Los Angeles to Sydney and Melbourne.

JB books awards for the MileValue Award Booking Service. He was an expert on the now-defunct American Airlines Explorer Awards and had been planning to book one for himself.