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It's big news whenever business class awards to Australia become available, which is why sites such as Dan's Deals have flagged this unprecedented amount of award space from United. If you're looking to travel to Australia, book now and ask questions later. Let's take a look at the details.
United Polaris to Australia
United's Polaris business class is one of the best ways to fly from the U.S. to Australia, with an excellent hard product and newly revamped bedding. Plus, on these flights, you'll be able to wear and take home pajamas (a plus for when you accidentally spill one of their hot fudge sundaes on yourself).
We're seeing days with up to nine seats available at a time from a variety of U.S. airports. This includes San Francisco (SFO), Los Angeles (LAX), and even Houston (IAH). Fly to any of multiple airports — including Sydney (SYD), Brisbane (BNE), and Melbourne (MEL). If you'd rather head to New Zealand, Auckland is also an option (AKL).
The best availability spans from October 2023 to March 2024, so click around to see what suits you best.
Here's an example of a flight from San Francisco (SFO) to Sydney (SYD) via Air Canada, which will cost you 75,000 points in business class.
You can also book these directly with United Airlines, though it'll cost a lot more.
Air Canada is a pretty good bet for booking these, but if you're looking for the cheapest price possible you'll want to head over to ANA. This Japanese program only charges 120,000 miles round-trip in business class (they don't do one-ways).
Earning More Miles
It's easy to earn more miles for these flights. United is a member of Star Alliance, which means you'll be able to book these flights via a variety of airlines. Air Canada's Aeroplan points are the simplest of all since you can transfer American Express Membership Rewards points, Chase Ultimate Rewards points, Capital One miles, and Bilt Rewards points at a 1:1 ratio.
Avianca Lifemiles are also an option. The program will charge you 80,000 miles each way, but Citi ThankYou points currently feature a 25% transfer bonus to Avianca. This means you'll pay just 64,000 miles for a one-way flight. You can also transfer over Amex points and Capital One miles.
If you're booking a round-trip, ANA is the cheapest option at 120,000 miles round-trip. Don't already have ANA Mileage Club miles? No worries, you can transfer from either Amex Membership Rewards or Marriott Bonvoy.
The Bottom Line
If you've been wanting to head to Australia or New Zealand in business class, now is the time to book. With widespread availability, you'll be able to enjoy your flights to the land down under in style.
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