New Zealand is a natural wonderland for hikers and adventurous travelers, and it also made our list of the best places to travel in 2023.
If you’ve been itching to travel, now you can hit that long haul thanks to these business-class deals on nonstop flights from airports like Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), San Francisco International Airport (SFO) and George can do more comfortably. Auckland Airport (AKL) and Sydney Airport (SYD) from Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH).
As reported by Frequent Miler and Dans Deals, you can get a business-class award seat using United MileagePlus miles for 80,000 miles one-way on United Airlines flights and 99,000 airpoints on Air New Zealand-operated flights. There are even better deals with availability if you book through other airline programs, including Virgin Atlantic (which currently has transfer bonuses from Chase Ultimate Rewards) and Air Canada’s Aeroplan.
We doubt this deal will last, so here are the details.
RELATED: 7 Tips and Mistakes to Know When Planning a Family Trip to New Zealand
Summer Hull/The Point Guy
deal basics
Airlines: United and Air New Zealand (which you can book through partners of both airlines).
Way: Nonstop from San Francisco, Los Angeles and Houston to Auckland and/or Sydney. Some seats are available from Washington, DC and other cities on connecting flights.
how to Book: Directly on the United or Air Canada websites, or on the websites of the airlines’ partners. To redeem Virgin Atlantic Points, you must call the Flying Club team at 800-862-8621.
Tour dates: Various dates from May to July.
Book by: ASAP
sample flights
Let’s say you want to depart San Francisco on June 1st. You can book a business class seat on a nonstop United flight to Auckland for 80,000 miles. It departs at 11 pm PST and arrives in Auckland at 7:10 am local time on June 3.
United
As you can see below, the same deal is available on May 30 and June 6, 8 and 13. We recommend using this flexible calendar date view to find the cheapest dates to fly.
United
United Polaris Business Class Saks Fifth Avenue offers lie-flat seats with bedding, free checked baggage, upgraded flight food and beverages, amenity kits from Away, pajamas upon request and access to the United Polaris lounge prior to your flight.
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If you prefer to fly on Air New Zealand, you can still earn and use United MileagePlus miles because United and Air New Zealand are Star Alliance members.
Air New Zealand’s Business Class gives each passenger a memory foam mattress, two carry-on bags, three checked-in bags, premium check-in, lounge access before your flight and a latte with food and drink from the Business Premiere menu. Provides flat bed.
On the United website, you can book nonstop flights operated by Air New Zealand that depart Los Angeles at 10pm PST on June 6th and arrive in Auckland at 6am local time on June 8th. It will cost 99,000 United miles and $41.10 in taxes and fees.
United
Air New Zealand also operates nonstop flights from Houston on select dates. The flight below is available for booking using United MileagePlus miles.
United
You can book that same flight through Air Canada’s Aeroplan program for just 75,000 miles plus taxes and fees. You can transfer points to Aeroplan from credit card programs like Chase, Capital One and American Express.
air Canada
If you’re a Virgin Atlantic Flying Club member, you can also use your Virgin Atlantic points to buy a flight operated by Air New Zealand. View redemption rates here. Although New Zealand to North America isn’t listed, you can expect to use 62,500 miles each way, which could cost you even fewer points by maxing out the current transfer bonus.
To book with Virgin Atlantic points, you must contact the Flying Club team by calling 800-862-8621, however you may wish to call and put the award on hold prior to transferring points as all transfers are instant are not. That said, Chase transfers are often instant to Virgin Atlantic.
Note: The above fares were accurate at the time of writing but are subject to change.
maximize your purchases
- If you fly regularly on United: Use one of United’s co-branded cards, such as the United Quest℠ card (which earns 3 United MileagePlus miles on United purchases) or the United Club℠ Infinite card (which earns 4 United MileagePlus miles per dollar spent on United purchases) earns).
- If you want flexible rewards: Use the Platinum Card® from American Express to earn 5 points per dollar spent on all flight purchases made directly with airlines or Amex Travel (up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year).
- If you want flexible rewards with a low annual fee: Use the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card to earn 2 points per dollar spent on all travel purchases, including airfare. You can transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards miles to United at a 1:1 ratio.
ground level
If you’re the kind of person who needs a business-class seat to handle a long flight from the US to New Zealand, now’s the time to book. Deals like this are rare and usually don’t last long, so reserve your spot as soon as possible if you’re interested in traveling from the US this summer (when, of course, it’s winter in New Zealand).
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