T-Minus 8 days! I must admit that this was one of the more fun (and complicated) bookings I've ever done. And I'm proud about how much value we could realize!
In planning a possible RTW excursion, I knew that miles and points would figure prominently into our plan (would never be able to afford this kind of trip otherwise). Would it be enough to go to one location or could I maximize the available points options?
In the end I feel as though I made the most of what we had available for the best value. The general outline for the trip is listed below - the mileage value is tremendous:
The biggest challenge in the end was finalizing the initial connection to NZ, since there are not as many options available to connect directly.
Using AA miles on Etihad was also fun to arrange - the US Call Center for American does not always see availability from the Etihad website. For this booking, I had to call via Skype the Australia/NZ AA call center and those agents were able to see and reserve the proper mileage flights. When looking for availability on Etihad.com, if you see Guest Economy/Business/First available you can use AA miles:
Round the world we go! More trip reports to come from along the paths once we are underway.
In planning a possible RTW excursion, I knew that miles and points would figure prominently into our plan (would never be able to afford this kind of trip otherwise). Would it be enough to go to one location or could I maximize the available points options?
In the end I feel as though I made the most of what we had available for the best value. The general outline for the trip is listed below - the mileage value is tremendous:
11/19 - depart for Auckland
PHL-LAX-AKL on AA (points plus miles, low OW fare)
11/21-24 - New Zealand (AirBNB in the jungle! $370)
11/24 - depart for Male, Maldives
AKL-SYD on Emirates ($350)
SYD-AUH-MLE on Etihad A380 Business Class: 90,000 AA miles (pre-devaluation)
11/25-29 - @ Park Hyatt Maldives (100,000 Hyatt points)
11/29-30 - depart for JFK
MLE-AUH-JFK on Etihad A380 Business class: 135,000 AA miles (pre-devaluation)
The biggest challenge in the end was finalizing the initial connection to NZ, since there are not as many options available to connect directly.
Using AA miles on Etihad was also fun to arrange - the US Call Center for American does not always see availability from the Etihad website. For this booking, I had to call via Skype the Australia/NZ AA call center and those agents were able to see and reserve the proper mileage flights. When looking for availability on Etihad.com, if you see Guest Economy/Business/First available you can use AA miles:
Round the world we go! More trip reports to come from along the paths once we are underway.
I will needo to consult you for our next adventure. Have a great trip.
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