Awesome Business Class Deals to New Zealand

While there is a lot to dislike about some of the dynamic awards from American Airlines, there are some nice little nuggets as well. If you are someone totally opposed to making the very long journey from the US to New Zealand in coach, you will be delighted to find that, starting next month (January) there are awards for 106,000 miles roundtrip – in business class!

Fly from the US to New Zealand in Business Class for 106,000 Miles!

Link: American Airlines

Finding These Awesome Award Prices

Regional Airports for the Win (but Hubs, too)

There are a couple of things to know before starting your search – you may not find these prices from hubs. That means that all regional airport people can rejoice with lower award prices! If you are a hub captive, you may just want to take a little drive to another airport, even a small one (think Scranton instead of PHL). Of course, there are some dates from hubs as well but I have found many more from regional airports in some examples.

Use the Calendar

Another thing is that they may not all just show up for you. So, start your search and then click on the “Calendar” button on the results page. Select Business/First from the drop down and then see the dates that show up for the 53K miles each way. Select those dates and then it will take you back to your flight selection airport.

It Really Is AA

But, this is only working on actual AA-operated flights. So, you will need to fly to airports serviced by AA. In other words, be careful for seasonal activity to some New Zealand because they will not have AA flights and will show the regular price of 80,000 miles one way.

Roundtrip Is Key

You will need a return ticket to get these great prices. If you search for one-way, you will be paying 63,000 miles – still a deal off the 80K standard pricing but not nearly as good as the roundtrip price.

Start Booking – But, Remember the “Special” Part

Just remember that these are “Web Special” awards which means that you cannot change your ticket once you ticket it (though you can hold it for up to 5 days). You can cancel the ticket and get the miles back with a fee of $125 but you won’t be able to make changes to it other than that.

Still, for most of us, saving almost 54,000 miles can make that worth it!

Emerald Lakes in New Zealand – Courtesy of Shutterstock

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