American Airlines is running an award sale offering discounted economy award tickets to and from Sydney, Australia. You can book tickets for 30,000 AAdvantage miles each way, with there being pretty good availability both in terms of days and the number of people you can book tickets for.
The Deal
- Book economy award tickets between the US and Sydney for 30,000 miles each way.
- Direct link to offer.
Key Terms
- Offer is valid for reservations made between the following dates:
- From U.S.: February 17, 2025 – April 17, 2025
- Returning to U.S.: February 17, 2025 – April 1, 2025
- Offer is valid for reservations made for travel as follows:
- From U.S.: March 10, 2025 – April 17, 2025
- Returning to U.S.: March 5, 2025 – April 1, 2025
Quick Thoughts
American Airlines normally charges 40,000 miles each way, so this award sale gives 33.3% off the regular award pricing. 30,000 miles each way is a pretty good price, but it does come at the cost of having to travel the entire way in economy. I did that ~10 years ago and survived (in fact, I slept better on that flight in economy than any other flight I’ve ever taken), but it’s certainly not the most comfortable of experiences.
The good thing is that there’s fairly wide open award availability. For example, here’s what it looks like in March from Los Angeles to Sydney. Note that the award sale starts for travel from March 10, so the majority of eligible days in March are bookable.
What could make this award sale even more appealing is how many people you can book tickets for. That availability above is what you see when booking for one person, but it’s also the same availability you’ll see when trying to book for 8 people. As a result, being able to book your entire family or group of friends on the same flight could be very useful if you have a sufficient AAdvantage balance.
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Not sure if it’s still there (20 years later), but at the Melbourne Immigration Museum was a display showing how long it took to get to Australia in different time periods. This was illustrated with little lighted LED dot lines.
It was most “illuminating”
Could see by ship in XXXX year it was months (Assuming you didn’t shipwreck), then once the Suez canal opened it was shortened, then by new ship designs (Steam vs sail) then by flight – but having to stop, then non-stop flight.
Here’s something close:
https://cepr.org/voxeu/columns/voyage-durations-age-mass-migration
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3339902/What-travel-looked-like-100-years-ago-Map-shows-DAYS-took-travel-abroad-1900s.html
really…lots of folks whine too much over trivial time delays. But then…almost nobody understands how technology affects our time awareness and emotional state…more on that another decade.
The blogs may not have you believe it, but it’s true that 1000s travel between the US and Australia in economy every day and live to tell about it
All over the world even. Business seats earn a large profit margin when airlines can sell them in cash, but they won’t continue a route if they can’t consistently fill a good chunk of the economy section as well.
From a “value” perspective economy is usually less exciting though, both in the Instagram sense and in dollars and cents.
These Australia economy flights for 30K + $26 can be bought in cash for $525 ($425 if you’re willing to roll the dice on Basic Economy). That’s 1.3 – 1.6 cpp roughly. If you earned you miles at 1X on an AA card you could have put the same charges on a Double Cash or Venture card, bought the ticket in cash, and wiped out the charges with some points leftover. You’d even earn some AA miles from taking the flight.
For 2.5 – 4 times more miles you can fly Business or First to Australia, when the cash cost is 10 – 30 times as much for those seats. That’s why the blogs and those in this hobby are going to get excited over it.
i thought you would get your leg amputated from the DVT by flying in economy.
My bad!
I’ve heard some of those economy travellers even enjoy their vacation.
Almost 30 years ago my wife and I were flying to New Zealand in economy. Our anniversary was for only a couple of hours while we were in the air (because of crossing the date line). The flight attendant found out and brought us a bottle of champagne from first class. Great trip.
Wait what?? I’m pretty sure that a business class seat roughly the size of a coffin is far more interesting than the entire continent of Australia.
“ Wait what?? I’m pretty sure that a business class seat roughly the size of a coffin is far more interesting than the entire continent of Australia.”
@jimmy – lol – I’m taking a screen shot of this comment. I’ll look at it once in awhile to remind myself of why I got into this hobby. To see cool places.
Yeah, I won’t say no to a nice seat, but if I have to choose I’ll take adventure over luxury any day! (Besides, adventure always makes for better stories.)
All the way to AUS in economy? That’s not a deal, I don’t care how cheap it is.
I’m traveling AA first to Sydney later this week… for 75k. Return was 122k for first. There are a smattering of dates with business class at 65k. As horrible as the service and food are on AA international first compared to other first class offerings, I cannot imagine flying AA economy. Perhaps it’s my advanced age but you couldn’t pay me enough to travel that long in economy. It takes me at least a day of lethargy to recover from first class for 15 hours. I’m bringing my own food btw.
Your being a little dramatic!…. We flew home last week Sydney to Lax in AA First 75,000 miles. It was nice, food was fine.
Kenichiro, I’m comparing to first on other airlines. I’ll grant you the seat is fine. I need the larger footrest area to sleep.
Drama, I don’t think so.As soon as the 10,000 foot bell dings the FA’s swing into action, cook everything, slap it down on one tray (the purported tenderloin was a cheap piece of overcooked sirloin that could not be cut with the airline-prvided knife.) The midflight snacks laid out up front were raw cruciform veggies such as raw broccoli…inedible.
The FA’s did not offer anything. I had to ask for everything. They spent the majority of the fight chatting with the curtain closed and gave me the evil eye when i went up front to ask for something when they didn’t answer the call buttton.
The internet I had to pay for in first worked perhaps 15-20% of the time.
I’m wondering if you’ve flown the ME3, Cathay, even Qantas, LH, Korean first, etc.
Same experience here! My family flew first last summer for 75K, but I was in business because there was only 3 available. I’m not kidding you, my wife and kids were not asked if they needed anything until 12 hours into the flight. Nada, not even water. Granted she went to sleep soon after boarding, but she did not sleep that long. I was up there ferrying drinks and snacks to them from what they put out in the galley. I was even bussing dishes after their snacks right in front of the flight attendents! Unreal.The service in business was much better and at one point asked my attendent back in business for drinks for them.
Self-serve first class. New concept.
haha, so true. I don’t understand why FA’s consider that trip a great route to work. I’ve had FA’s say they only do 3 trips per month on that route. But, it’s a one night layover then back to US. YUK. I gess yore working 15 days?
Business as low as 112.5k one way. !!!