That amounts to a lot of money saved, given that Business Class fares to the South Pacific often start at $8,000+ (90-day advance-purchase Los Angeles-Sydney) most of the year, and First Class at $12,000+ (21-day advance purchase) and often jump to $21,000+.
Save with Lesser Known Airlines: Business Class
From the U.S. and Canada, these carriers include China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airlines, Fiji Airways, and Philippine Airlines.
Yes, it requires a connection in the carrier’s hub city, which you can turn into a free stopover if you have the time. With all of these carriers, except Philippine Airlines, you can also rack up miles in whatever major airline loyalty program you belong to.
The Upside: Instead of flying Qantas Los Angeles-Sydney non-stop, which costs $7,945 round-trip in Business Class from the West Coast and close to $10,000 from the East Coast, consider booking Fiji Airways for $3,301—a savings of $4,644 (58%). The ticket earns you 125% miles with American. (Stopping over in Fiji costs only about $100 more, due to ticket taxes.)
Only two of these carriers—China Southern and Fiji Airways—offer lie-flat seats. The others (China Eastern and Philippine Airlines) still have some recliners in Business Class (see chart below). Stopovers can, at times, be long and there’s even a forced overnight sometimes in Manila on Philippine Airlines. But you can turn Manila into a multi-day stopover that takes away from the downside and gives you a free side-trip.
When Two Tickets Cost Less than One: Business Class
Make a connection in the Cook Islands, for example, instead of taking Air New Zealand’s Los Angeles-Auckland non-stop, which costs $7,382 round-trip in Business Class, and book the flight as two separate tickets: Los Angeles-Rarotonga (Cook Islands) and Rarotonga-Auckland. Total cost is $4,108, a savings of $3,274 (44%), and enough for a stay at a nice resort for a few nights in the mid-Pacific, which both breaks up the trip and can shrink your bucket list.
Two-for-Ones: First Class
American Express’ International Airline Program (IAP): As a rule, international First Class tickets to the South Pacific are very expensive—usually well over $12,000 from the West Coast and $13,500 from the East Coast—and can run up to $20,000+ on a number of itineraries.
The ‘Lesser Known’ Airline Opportunities
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There are few ticketing strategies to bring down the price because airlines rarely compromise on these routes, which is why the Amex IAP program is often a good choice (while it may not be in many other cases). It offers a free companion ticket on a full-fare purchase (both passengers must travel together). The greatest savings are on Air China and Asiana.
For example, New York-Sydney in First Class on United (connecting in LAX) is $13,387 per person, or $26,774 for two. But the full First Class fare on Air China (connecting in Beijing) is $17,255; the only cost incurred on the free ticket is $600 in taxes, resulting in a savings of about $8,000. The Air China flight takes six hours longer than United.
Circle Pacific Fares: First Class
Both oneworld and Star Alliance offer this fare, which allows a number of stops around the Pacific, all at a flat rate based on the miles flown. The major restriction is that the itinerary must include stops in North America, Asia, and the South Pacific (oneworld’s fare also includes the option of South America; for details see links provided above for oneworld and Star Alliance).
The three fare levels are based on miles flown: 22,000, 26,000, or 29,000 (for oneworld). Additional taxes vary depending upon itinerary cities. Note that the Star Alliance fare only allows departures from Honolulu, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, and Vancouver.
The First Class value is even better here than Business Class. On Los Angeles-Sydney non-stop, for example, the First Class fare starts at about $11,000 (not including taxes), whereas a 22,000-mile Circle Pacific fare starts at $12,700 (not including taxes) from the U.S. and Canada, a difference of only $1,700. That buys a stop in Asia, such as Tokyo, which can cost $12,214 from LAX on Singapore Airlines
Circle Pacific Fares: Business Class
Example Savings: While Los Angeles-Sydney non-stop costs $7,000 or more (plus about $1,000 in taxes) in Business Class, a 22,000-mile Circle Pacific fare costs $9,300 (plus taxes) through oneworld and Star Alliance from the U.S. and Canada, a difference of $2,300. But that gives you a free stop in Asia, such as Hong Kong, which can alone cost $6,599 in Business Class from LAX on Cathay Pacific.