fran

Planning a trip to Australia and NZ and can chose United or Air New Zealand .Any opinions?

Jim Rosenberg

If you're flying from the U.S., one important aspect to consider in the flight that long are the frequent flyer program affiliations. With United, you would be picking up nearly enough miles for a free domestic round-trip ticket and with very little additional travel within the same calendar, you could also make elite status. Do you get anything like that with Air New Zealand? The frequent flyer factor doesn't have to rule, but it is most definitely part of the equation and an economic value should be attached to it to compare deals.

fran

thanks for your info...good insight. However I forgot to mention Im using miles to go first class. I did it before on United and that was pre alliance with air NZ.

Jim Rosenberg

Are you using miles to upgrade from coach to first or miles to pay for the entire ticket? You might be able to get more "expert" responses on the head-to-head comparison by posing your question on www.flyertalk.com. If you are purchasing coach and upgrading with miles, be alert to the details of the partnership agreement between United and Air New Zealand. (I'm not familiar with it myself). In some partner deals, you can earn miles for your account, but they don't count as FLIGHT miles toward status. Again, this is a moot point if the entire ticket is being "purchased" with miles and it's possible that the agreement between United and Air New Zealand DOES provide for flight miles to be earned. I'm just mentioning it because it's certainly something to know in advance, in the event it pertains to your situation. Happy Contrails!

fran

Thanks....... Using all miles....