Have you checked out the full list of SPG member voted favorite resorts for 2012? Categories include:
I’m in agreement with several of the properties listed in my favorite categories – best beach resorts / island paradises, exotic escapes, and small wonders. Full analysis of the results later this week ,including a few of my favorite properties that didn’t make the list (especially with their generous cash & points offers).
Easy Delta Awards to Australia? It is Possible, Confirmed for Dec-Jan in under 15 Mins! - Point Me to the Plane
Yesterday, I posted about China Southern’s new A380 service from LAX to CAN, which allows for easy connections to Bangkok, Singapore, and other Southeast Asia locations using Delta SkyMiles. I mentioned that award availability was wide open, even to Australia. Several readers emailed with questions including:
I’ve tried to respond to all the emails (adam@pointmetotheplane.com), but here are the answers and the itinerary for a booking to Australia that I just made.
Delta does allow for routings via Asia using Korean Air (connect in ICN), China Southern (connect in CAN), and China Eastern (connect in PVG). These connections are bookable via Delta agents over the phone.
Any of the carriers above can be mixed together on an award with any other Delta redemption partner. This is one of the great features of the SkyMiles program.
No matter how many or which partners you mix and match, the award should price at the LOW level which is 150k in business and 100k in economy.
Today’s booking was actually a pleasure, the first Delta agent knew exactly what she was doing and immediately started piecing together my itinerary. For this experiment I decided I might as well try to find availability during the ultra peak season to Australia from December – January. While this is not an award I intend to use (I have my own First Class flight later next year on Singapore to Melbourne in Suite Class!), I tried to mix and match carriers and include a stopover for everyone’s benefit. The total call took only 14 minutes and 38 seconds. I booked China Southern’s new A380 business from LAX to Sydney, Virgin Australia business from Sydney to Melbourne, and then Virgin Australia from Melbourne to LAX via Brisbane. Total mileage required was 150k and $331 in taxes and fees. Granted, domestic positioning flights would have increased the call length and altered the price. When looking for US flights to LAX, remember to be flexible with connections and offer up economy class if first is not available. Full details on tips when booking China Southern domestic positioning flights and viewing availability prior to calling in can be found in yesterday’s post. Again, feel free to email for assistance or check out Juicy Miles. Good Luck!
[…] Guangzhou, China route and the seats on its Airbus A380 look really good. Point Me to the Plane highlights that Delta will allow you to connect (or stopover) in China enroute to Australia, and that China […]
The thing you have to watch with using Asian connections to Oz/NZ is the published routing problem. Out of a CZ/MU/KE gateway city it shouldn’t be a problem, but I had a heck of a time routing OMA-SLC-LAX-ICN-AKL. Strangely, delta.com priced it correctly once the agents had put the flights into the booking, but the agents kept seeing a fare break in ICN (US-North Asia + North Asia-SW Pacific pricing).
As to combining VA/DJ with MU/CZ/KE, published routings also come into play. For instance, don’t expect to do LAX-CAN-SYD(stop)-AYQ since no partner publishes a fare routed that way. Sometimes the system hiccups and allows those things, but I wouldn’t count on it. PER is an interesting place to consider because you can actually route via Asia and stay under the MPM DL uses, which opens up all sorts of interesting routing options (subject to the four-segment per direction limit).
I am surprised the taxes were not higher, given the taxes DL charges for LAX-SYD return on VA is around $800.
Please don’t conflate taxes and carrier-imposed surcharges. There are a non-trivial amount of taxes on a US-Australia return on any carrier (could be in the neighborhood of US$100), but VA has historically incurred an extreme level of fuel surcharges, which are carrier-imposed. It appears that the reservation in the post here did not incur any of those. I would avoid bringing that to Delta’s attention, as they might decide they want to find the bug that’s preventing the fuel surcharge collection.
@Mitch – thanks for all the great info! Looks like some of the fuel surcharges have been drastically reduced depending on the departure points. There’s a FT thread with some users reporting that they were able to re-ticket their confirmed bookings this week with new lower prices.
[…] Europe. They also have amazingly great business availability on Korean (on non-blackout dates), China Southern (which can be used to fly the A380 from LAX to Guangzhou, connecting to SE Asia or Au…), and of course Virgin Australia (easy to get at least 2 seats most of the year). Adding Virgin […]
[…] and all over Southeast Asia. Additionally, you can use a few more miles to fly onward to Australia or the Maldives. Delta SkyMiles can be redeemed for business class on China Southern while Korean SkyPass members […]
110,000 Delta Miles via MR and 2 Delta AMEX Cards - Point Me To The Plane December 10, 2012 - 2:20 pm
[…] it seems like the two posts late last week on relatively easy award flights to Southeast Asia and Australia using Delta SkyMiles on the China Southern A380, combined with the reduction (temporary?) of fuel […]