I wanted to take a look at the options to use Star Alliance miles to Australia and New Zealand during their next summer (December 2013 to March 2014.) I went overboard though and looked up the options for the next 11 months on the five direct Star Alliance routes from North America to the Antipodes:

Los Angeles to Sydney* (United, three-cabin 747)
San Francisco to Sydney* (United, three-cabin 747)
Vancouver to Sydney (Air Canada, two-cabin 777)
Los Angeles to Auckland (Air New Zealand, two-cabin 777)
San Francisco to Auckland (Air New Zealand, two-cabin 777)

*Continuing Service to Melbourne

What's the

I wanted to take a look at the options to use Star Alliance miles to Australia and New Zealand during their next summer (December 2013 to March 2014.) I went overboard though and looked up the options for the next 11 months on the five direct Star Alliance routes from North America to the Antipodes:

Los Angeles to Sydney* (United, three-cabin 747)
San Francisco to Sydney* (United, three-cabin 747)
Vancouver to Sydney (Air Canada, two-cabin 777)
Los Angeles to Auckland (Air New Zealand, two-cabin 777)
San Francisco to Auckland (Air New Zealand, two-cabin 777)

*Continuing Service to Melbourne

What's the

I'll be giving some activity ideas for New Zealand during my trip here. See Wellington, NZ.

Yesterday I biked the Queenstown Trail in Queenstown, New Zealand.

Queenstown is my favorite place so far in New Zealand for its amazing array of outdoor activities from bungee jumping, sky diving, hiking, biking, boating, and more. I was in Queenstown for four days, and it rained for two complete days.

This is Part 2 of my two-part post on using AA miles to get to Australia and New Zealand. Read Part 1 first.

Here are a few more ways to get to Australia and New Zealand with American miles.

Air Tahiti Nui and Air Pacific: Connect in the Middle of Nowhere

One horribly annoying rule when redeeming AA miles is that your award cannot transit a region other than the origin region and destination region unless explicitly permitted.

Australia and New Zealand are a tough place to get to with miles, especially if you want to go from mid-December through March, which encompasses Christmas, New Year's, and the Southern Hemisphere's summer.

Having booked several trips to Australia and New Zealand for myself, family, and others through my Award Booking Service, I'll share some tips on getting there with American Airlines miles.

Basics

American Airlines allows oneway bookings at half the price of roundtrip awards.