Given the vast distance between North America and Australia, flying in comfort makes a world of difference on these long-haul and ultra-long-haul routes.
Fortunately, many North American airlines have direct flights to Australia, and there are also plenty of other single-connection options via Asia and the Middle East if you’re not opposed to taking the long way around.
Without further ado, here are the 12 best ways to get to Australia in business class on points, listed alphabetically.
1. Air Canada
Canada’s largest airline, Air Canada, operates direct flights to Australia from its West Coast hub in Vancouver.
Presently, Air Canada is offering service to Sydney and Brisbane. The airline has previously also flown to Melbourne, but that service has yet to resume.
With Aeroplan, pricing for these flights is subject to the distance bands on the “Between North America and Pacific zones” section of the Flight Reward Chart.
Direct flights from Vancouver to Brisbane measure 7,351 miles, placing them in the second distance-based tier. At the lower end of the dynamic spectrum, you can theoretically expect to pay around 75,000 points for a one-way flight in business class.
Direct flights from Vancouver to Sydney measure around 7,757 miles, placing them in the third distance band. At the lower end of the dynamic spectrum, you can theoretically expect to pay around 87,500 points for a one-way flight in business class.
Adding a connecting flight from almost anywhere in Canada to Australia will keep the distance below 11,000 miles, so if you plan your trip out far enough in advance, you can theoretically expect to pay around 87,500 points.
In reality, you can expect to find business class prices well above the published ranges of the dynamic spectrum. Even with preferred pricing from an Aeroplan co-branded credit card, you’re unlikely to find anything that’s even close to 75,000 or 87,500 points.
Your best bet is to look for flights as soon as they become available on Aeroplan, at 355 days prior to departure. You’ll also find last-minute availability with better pricing, too, so keep an eye on prices for flights in the days and weeks leading up to your trip.
There have also been other times when a number of seats suddenly become available at around 75,000 or 87,500 points, but those instances are both rare and difficult to keep track of. These are typically during shoulder seasons when flight loads aren’t as likely to be full as they are during the Australian summer or on North American holidays.
If a direct flight isn’t available at a good price, keep an eye out for connecting flights. For example, Virgin Australia is an Aeroplan partner airline, and there are many flights available across its network.
While the price of a direct flight from Brisbane to Vancouver may be sky-high, simply taking a connecting flight to Sydney sometimes drops it back down.
If you happen to have Aeroplan Elite Status and, therefore, eUpgrades, at your disposal, adopting the “Latitude Attitude” can score you an outstanding deal on flights to Australia.
While eUpgrade availability is also very scarce on these routes, you might be able to find some space and score a deal. Be sure to look far in advance and close to the date of departure, and you can also set up an ExpertFlyer alert for “R” fares, too.
If you’re not able to, keep in mind that if you book in premium economy to begin with, you’ll be near the top of the waitlist for an upgrade at the gate.
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While it’s a bit of a gamble, it could very well be a nice way to save points on a hotly contested route, especially if direct flights are important to you.
Keep in mind that Air Canada also operates a flight from Auckland to Vancouver, so make sure to keep an eye out for eUpgrade availability on that route, too.
2. Air New Zealand
New Zealand’s flag carrier, Air New Zealand, operates a number of direct flights from its hub in Auckland to major gateways in North America.
With service to Vancouver, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York (JFK), and San Francisco, as well as Adelaide, Hobart, Cairns, Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, and Perth in Australia, Air New Zealand can indeed be an excellent way to access both New Zealand and Australia.
Flying from Vancouver to any Australian hub via Auckland would theoretically fall in the third distance band on the Aeroplan Flight Reward Chart. Since it is a Star Alliance partner airline, the cost is fixed at 87,500 points per direction, although you could add a stopover in New Zealand for an additional 5,000 points.
Unfortunately, award space can be notoriously difficult to find for flights to or from North America. Sometimes, Air New Zealand will release a number of award seats, but there’s no predictable pattern.
There tends to be more award availability from hubs in Asia, so if trying out Air New Zealand is on your bucket list, consider looking for flights to Auckland from Asia as an option, too.
3. All Nippon Airways
All Nippon Airways (ANA) operates flights to a host of cities in North America, as well as to two cities in Australia: Sydney and Perth.
The airline has earned a reputation for outstanding hard- and soft-product offerings onboard its aircraft. If flying direct isn’t imperative for you, you could enjoy a world-class business class product on both legs, in addition to a potential stopover in Japan.
ANA offers direct flights from Vancouver and a number of American hubs to Tokyo. From there, both Sydney and Perth are serviced by the airline.
There continue to be ongoing issues surrounding long-haul award availability with ANA through Aeroplan. However, assuming that it will eventually return to inventory, the below examples should once again be possible.
Canadian travellers flying from Winnipeg or farther west can expect to pay around 87,500 points with Aeroplan for a one-way booking in business class to or from Australia. If you add a stopover in Japan, the cost rises to a very reasonable 92,500 points.
Anyone east of Winnipeg could consider buying a separate positioning flight to another hub to avoid the jump to 115,000 points in the fourth distance band on the Flight Reward Chart.
Award space between Tokyo and Australia can be pretty sparse, especially to Sydney. ANA typically releases one seat between Tokyo and its Australian destinations far in advance, so securing seats for two may be difficult if you’re travelling as a couple.
4. Cathay Pacific
As the first Oneworld airline on this list, Cathay Pacific is known for an excellent in-flight experience.
The Hong Kong-based carrier offers flights to Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney, and Brisbane via Hong Kong. In North America, Cathay Pacific operates flights to Vancouver, Toronto, Boston, New York (JFK), Chicago, San Francisco, and Los Angeles.
In theory, there are a number of ways to book business class flights on Cathay Pacific: Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan, British Airways Avios, or Cathay Pacific’s own Asia Miles. However, Cathay Pacific premium cabin awards haven’t been accessible through partner programs for years, and your only option is to look to Asia Miles.
For Canadians, earning Asia Miles is relatively easy, as it’s a transfer partner of Amex Membership Rewards at a transfer ratio of 1:0.75 and RBC Avion points at a 1:1 ratio. Neo also offers the co-branded Cathay World Elite Mastercard – powered by Neo.
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In the US, Asia Miles is a 1:1 transfer partner with American Express US Membership Rewards, Bilt Rewards, Brex Rewards, Capital One Miles, and Citi ThankYou Rewards.
Redeeming Asia Miles for Cathay Pacific flights is subject to a distance-based award chart.
All flights between North America and Australia fall under the Ultra-Long category, pricing at 110,000 miles in business class.
If you can’t find space from your hometown, consider looking for flights from any of the other Canadian or American hub cities as an alternative option.
5. Emirates
With a strong network that connects many North American cities to Perth, Melbourne, Sydney, and Brisbane via its hub in Dubai, and a reputation for a rather ostentatious in-flight experience, consider flying with Emirates to get to Australia.
With Aeroplan, Emirates has its own pricing chart, which has a range of prices that you can expect to pay. It’s important to mention that it’s going to cost you more than booking with other partner airlines.
Flights from North America to Australia via Dubai will all price out in the 12,001+ distance band, which means that you’d have to redeem anywhere from 180,000–300,000 points for a one-way flight in business class. Indeed, that’s a tidy sum to pay for just a pair of flights.
If you’re looking to burn some of your points for an aspirational experience, be sure to keep an eye out for routes with the behemoth Airbus A380. You’ll be treated to Emirates’s top-notch business class experience, including access to the unique onboard bar.
If you happen to have Aeroplan Super Elite status, using a Priority Reward for an ultra-long-haul booking with Emirates could be a great way to reduce the cost to a more manageable level. For Super Elites, a Priority Reward cuts the cost of any business class flight in half.
6. Etihad Airways
For another option to fly from North America to Australia via the Middle East, consider flying via Abu Dhabi onboard Etihad Airways.
Your best bet for booking these flights would usually be through Etihad Guest or Air Canada Aeroplan. However, you can expect to pay hefty surcharges through Etihad Guest, and some recent changes include punitive cancellation fees if your plans change.
Unfortunately, there are some ongoing issues with long-haul awards in premium cabins being available to book through Aeroplan. Assuming that the issues are resolved in the near future, we’d suggest booking through Aeroplan as the best option.
Toronto is the sole Canadian city served by Etihad Airways, which also flies to New York (JFK), Washington Dulles, and Chicago. From its base in Abu Dhabi, you can connect to Sydney or Melbourne.
Using Aeroplan points, flying from Toronto to Australia via Abu Dhabi measures over 14,000 miles. This means it would cost a fixed price of 115,000 points for a one-way flight in business class, or 120,000 points if you add a stopover along the way.
While the journey would last almost 29 hours, it’s sure to be a very comfortable way to fly. Etihad operates both the older Boeing 777 and the newer Boeing 787 Dreamliner on the Toronto route, with the latter offering a more comfortable flight.
In normal times, award space from Toronto can be limited, but booking well in advance from any of the North American destinations should be well within the realm of possibility. Etihad Airways previously released two award seats on long-haul routes, which is great news if you’re travelling as a pair.
Keep an eye out for Etihad Airways’s best business class product on the Airbus A350-1000, which tends to be scheduled on the Chicago route.
7. Fiji Airways
A very honourable mention here goes to Fiji Airways, a carrier based in beautiful Fiji.
This airline operates flights to Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Honolulu in the United States, and to Vancouver in Canada. A stopover in Fiji could therefore be something to consider as part of a larger Oceania holiday.
The best way to book flights with Fiji Airways is with Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan. A one-way flight in business class from North America to Australia would cost 55,000 miles.
You can add a free stopover in Fiji on your booking, so if you’ve ever dreamed of exploring the South Pacific and Australia, be sure to search for availability on Fiji Airways.
Alternatively, you can book Fiji Airways with Cathay Pacific Asia Miles, which are easier to come by than Alaska miles. A one-way flight from North America to Australia via Fiji prices out at 89,000 Asia Miles, which is indeed a competitive price.
Business class award space between to Nadi from Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Vancouver can be difficult to come by, so be sure to snag the space if you can find any.
7. Japan Airlines
oneworld’s Japan Airlines is another excellent airline to fly with in any circumstance.
Japan Airlines flies to Vancouver, Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, Dallas, Chicago, New York (JFK), and Boston, as well as to Sydney and Melbourne in Australia.
Unfortunately, it’s not possible to fly from North America to Australia with Japan Airlines using Alaska Mileage Plan, and British Airways Executive Club redemptions can get quite expensive. Your best bet is to use Asia Miles to fly this routing on a redemption.
Your best bet for finding the sparsely available award seats is to use the American Airlines or Alaska Airlines websites, which allow you to view one month of availability at a time.
Search for one-way segments between North America and Japan, and then between Japan and Australia. If you find two that work, head over to the Asia Miles website to book.
You can expect to pay 115,000 Asia Miles and a few hundred dollars in taxes and fees when using Asia Miles. This isn’t ideal, but is much more affordable than paying cash for the ticket.
On flights between American hubs and Tokyo, as well as on flights to Australia, you’ll enjoy Japan Airline’s “Sky Suite”. Not only will you have a private, comfortable experience, but you’ll be offered delicious dining and excellent snacks throughout the flight.
9. Qantas
Australia’s largest carrier Qantas offers many direct links to North America.
With its main hub in Sydney, it operates direct flights to Vancouver, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Dallas, and Honolulu. From Los Angeles, there are also direct flights to Brisbane and Melbourne, and from Dallas, there’s also a direct flight to Melbourne.
As we’ve seen with other airlines, finding business class (or even First Class) award space with Qantas isn’t easy. For the best odds, be sure to begin your search 330 days in advance, when Qantas tends to release its award space to partners.
Qantas has indicated that it intends to release more award space in the future, which if true, is an exciting prospect.
The caveat here is that finding the award space requires some patience and effort. You can either search the British Airways website to find it one day at a time…
However, in the likely event that you don’t find any business class award availability, you can consider setting up an alert on ExpertFlyer, with which you can also quickly search one week at a time.
If you manage to find award space, the next step is figuring out how to book the flights.
One of the best ways to book flights on Qantas is best done using Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan. A one-way flight from North America to Australia costs 85,000 miles in business class with the new award charts.
American Airlines AAdvantage is another good program for booking Qantas. A one-way flight in business class should cost 80,000 miles between North America and Australia.
Keep in mind that AAdvantage allows award holds, which gives you time to transfer in points from RBC Avion or Marriott Bonvoy.
You can also consider Cathay Pacific Asia Miles for booking Qantas business class. You’ll pay just 115,000 miles for a one-way flight from Australia to North America, or vice versa.
Lastly, British Airways Executive Club is another, more expensive option. However, since Avios are easier to come by, and with frequent transfer bonuses of up to 50%, it’s worth considering if you don’t have access to the other options.
A flight from Sydney to Los Angeles prices out at 154,500 Avios, which is indeed much more costly than the other programs.
If you’re able to find award space, you’ll benefit from a very direct routing to Australia, as well as what’s described as a very pleasant in-flight experience on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner or the Airbus A380.
10. Qatar Airways
Doha-based Qatar Airways is known for its extensive network and its world-class business class product, Qatar Airways Qsuites.
With 13 destinations in Canada and the United States and five in Australia, there should be many ways for travellers in all parts of the continent to fly the long way to Australia. Its sole Canadian route operates between Montreal and Doha.
As a Oneworld airline, in theory, it should be possible to fly between North America and Australia on award redemptions. Doing so, though, isn’t as straightforward as one would hope.
Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan doesn’t allow routing through Doha to get to Australia, and with British Airways Executive Club, you’d have to book two separate one-way flights or a Oneworld multi-carrier award, which could be costly.
Your best bet is to book through Qatar Airways Privilege Club.
While many transferrable points currencies don’t partner directly with Privilege Club, keep in mind that you can freely and instantly transfer British Airways Avios to Qatar Airways Avios, which opens up some very interesting possibilities.
For example, you could fly from Montreal to Doha in Qsuites, and then onward to Perth in Qatar Airways A380 First Class for 120,000 Avios and a few hundred dollars in taxes and fees.
The best part about this is that you’d pay the same if you were to have both segments in business class. So, why not add a higher class of service for no additional cost, especially when you could take advantage of the lovely Al Safwa First Class Lounge, complete with a jacuzzi, on your layover?
Continuing onward to Sydney in First Class bumps the price up to 180,000 Avios, so your best bet might be enjoying Qsuites to Doha and then A380 business class to Sydney for 120,000 Avios.
You can find Qsuites on other routes to Australia, so be sure to check out availability to Adelaide, Brisbane, and Melbourne, too.
While the cost may be higher than other airlines, Qatar Airways offers an outstanding business class product with Qsuites. It’s arguably the best business class in the world, so the cost could easily be justified.
11. Singapore Airlines
Next on this list is Singapore Airlines. Known as one of the best airlines in the world, any flight with Singapore Airlines is sure to be memorable.
Flying to Australia via Singapore would be ideal, both for its relatively direct routing and the excellent product.
Fortunately, Singapore Airlines began releasing long-haul award space to Aeroplan in late 2022, which opened the door for single connection flights on one of the world’s best airlines to Australia (and everywhere else in their network, for that matter).
Singapore Airlines operates flights to US hubs, including Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Newark, and New York (JFK). There’s also a fifth freedom flight from Houston to Singapore via Manchester, as well as one from New York (JFK) to Singapore via Frankfurt.
In Australia, Singapore Airlines flies to Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Cairns, and Darwin.
You’ll be able to find multiple seats in business class on any given route, which is great news for families or groups. Be sure to look far in advance if you’re looking for more than two seats, and then book as soon as you can.
The most accessible loyalty program to use for booking Singapore Airlines business class is Aeroplan. There are so many ways to earn Aeroplan points, including through co-branded credit cards, transferring points from American Express Membership Rewards, Amex US MR, Bilt Rewards, Capital One Miles, Chase Ultimate Rewards, and a host of other ways.
Flying to Australia via Singapore from North America almost always prices out in the fourth distance band on the Aeroplan Flight Reward Chart, as the cumulative distance is greater than 11,001 miles.
This means that you’ll have to pay 115,000 Aeroplan points per person for the privilege.
If you’d like to save a few points by remaining in the third distance band, you can fly from Los Angeles or San Francisco to Darwin via Singapore for just 87,500 points.
Otherwise, if you’d like to fly Singapore Airlines business class to Australia, you can look into earning KrisFlyer miles, which would likely mean dabbling with US credit cards.
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12. United Airlines
United operates a handful of direct flights from its US hubs to Australia.
You can find direct flights to Sydney from San Francisco, Houston, and Los Angeles, as well as direct flights to Melbourne from Los Angeles and San Francisco. United also flies a direct route from San Francisco to Brisbane.
As you might imagine, award space on these flights is fairly difficult to come by. However, United releases last-minute award availability quite reliably, and as long as you’re comfortable with leaving it until close to departure, it’s one of the best ways to get to Australia in business class at a good price.
When booking with United MileagePlus, which has access to a larger inventory than other programs, expect to pay a minimum of 100,000 miles, and possibly more.
You can also book United flights with other Star Alliance loyalty programs, including Aeroplan. While the award availability is rare when booking in advance, you can find flights at the last minute for 87,500 points.
If you’re departing from Los Angeles or San Francisco, be sure to check out the Polaris Lounges, which offer an exceptional ground experience. Prior to stepping onboard, you can sip on cocktails, enjoy à la carte dining, and freshen up with a shower.
Onboard, you’ll enjoy United’s flagship Polaris business class, which looks to be an entirely comfortable way to fly to Australia.
Honourable Mentions
Aside from the aforementioned airlines, let’s give a few honourable mentions to some other carriers to consider as you’re planning a trip to Australia.
Air Mauritius
As the name would suggest, Air Mauritius is based on the island in the middle of the Indian Ocean. It became a partner with Aeroplan in 2022, and offers a back-door route to get to Australia.
You’ll have to get yourself to either Paris or London first, but you can then enjoy a single connection to Perth via Mauritius. That’d be a perfect opportunity to add a stopover along the way, as Mauritius is a beautiful spot.
The airline flies its flagship Airbus A350-900 aircraft on the European routes, complete with lie-flat seats and what has been described as very pleasant service. To Perth, you’ll be on the Airbus A330-900neo, which also features lie-flat seats.
Delta Air Lines
Delta Air Lines operates a direct flight between Los Angeles and Sydney, as well as from Los Angeles to Brisbane. The route features its premier Delta One product.
While Delta SkyMiles is a transfer partner with American Express Membership Rewards in Canada and the United States, the redemption rates for these routes are absolutely astronomical.
Your best bet is to look at Virgin Atlantic Flying Club, which would cost 165,000 miles for a one-way flight in business class.
Conclusion
Flights to Australia in business class allow you to rest and relax during what is usually a gruelling flight. Rather than feeling exhausted after 14 hours in economy, you’ll arrive ready to soak up the sun after a good night’s rest.
For Canadians and Americans, there are many options to get to Australia both directly and indirectly. As it is a very popular route for award flights, planning your trip far in advance will ensure the best availability for business class.
As there are options with a host of carriers, having access to multiple points currencies affords you the most flexibility when searching for these flights. If you need a hand, consider a Points Consulting call to help beat the learning curve.