Booking Flights + Locking Inwards Dates: Australia + Novel Zealand Honeymoon

Andrew is dorsum amongst some other post most our honeymoon -- thus glad yous guys are enjoying his post from yesterday! It's been a lot of fun having him go apart of this on the blog!!
If yous haven't yet, read PT 1: Choosing our Honeymoon Destination! It's the get-go piece of occupation of a four-part serial Andrew has thus graciously written for the blog. Today he's going to utter most how nosotros finalized our dates too booked our flights!
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I had created a Google Flights cost alarm for circular trip airfare to Sydney from either Los Angeles, San Francisco, or Seattle, 3 of the biggest international airports on the due west coast. Flights acre were non cheap; this beingness i of the longest itineraries, yous tin wing inwards the world. I noticed flights did non fluctuate much, hovering to a greater extent than or less the $1,000 cost signal over the course of didactics of several months. 
I wanted to lock our flights inwards every bit early on every bit possible thus that I could too then set out planning the residuum of the trip, including internal flights patch inwards the region, making hotel or Airbnb bookings, meals, too excursions. Those all depended on the entry too go out dates to Commonwealth of Australia too New Zealand. In piece of cake Feb 2019, I began creating spreadsheets.
This is something I practice for every trip Krista too I take. I practice columns amongst dates, airports, difference times, stops, prices, too mile costs. I too then form which presents the best value, narrow it downwards from dozens to a few choices, too build a conclusion from there. This was to a greater extent than complicated than our park shorter domestic trips, amongst layovers of several hours, too prices varying depending on which solar daytime of the calendar week nosotros left, too to a greater extent than or less what holidays nosotros mightiness go flying. 
I narrowed it downwards to ii or 3 circular trip itineraries, all leaving from too returning to LAX. It was becoming clear that nosotros would go away for Christmas. While nosotros knew this would probable go the case, when nosotros were genuinely presented amongst the likelihood that nosotros would go out of the province too away from our families for the get-go fourth dimension inwards our lives during Christmas, it dampened our moods. Was this the correct choice?
After talking it out, nosotros stuck to the plan. We were never going to conduct maintain some other jeopardy inwards our lives to catch this piece of occupation of the world. If nosotros had to sacrifice a Christmas amongst our families, at to the lowest degree nosotros would go doing it together. Still, it was a hard choice, too i nosotros did non accept likely.
Once nosotros confirmed our involvement inwards the trip, I ready aside some fourth dimension to opened upward my spreadsheet too telephone telephone American Express Platinum Travel Service.
This is a expert fourth dimension to explicate that I am fiercely build loyal to AmEx. For every bit long every bit I tin remember, fifty-fifty every bit a immature child, I used to go enthralled amongst my parents’ light-green too gilded American Express cards. I conduct maintain no explanation for this. I grew upward inwards a identify that used American Express regularly, too I had never heard anything negative most it. When my parents added me to their account, too I received my rattling ain gilded carte du jour when I turned 18, I was thrilled. 
Fast forrad a few (maybe 10) years, too I’m nevertheless AmEx loyal too deport my Blue Cash too Platinum cards wherever I go. The Platinum carte du jour comes amongst a hefty $550 annual fee, which may audio absurd, merely if yous are a frequent traveler too accept wages of the benefits it provides to its cardholders, it to a greater extent than than pays for itself each year. One of these benefits is the Platinum Travel Service. You telephone telephone a telephone number, too inside ii rings, a real, live, a human beingness answers your telephone telephone too helps yous amongst whatever move questions or needs yous have, regardless of the fourth dimension of solar daytime or province where you’re calling from. It’s similar having your ain personal concierge. 
So I called too connected amongst a client service rep who was to a greater extent than than happy to walk me through the itineraries I rattled off to her too told me the cost of each degree of service. Another practice goodness of beingness an AmEx Platinum cardholder is the international airline program. This is a programme that gives cardholders exclusive discounts on sure enough international airlines. One of these happens to go Qantas, the airline of Australia. 
The discount doesn’t amount to go earth-shattering, merely when you’re faced amongst shelling out 4 figures for airfare, a savings of a few hundred dollars is a welcome reprieve.  We ultimately settled on an itinerary that would depart LAX on Th night, Dec 12, build it inwards Melbourne Sabbatum forenoon Dec 14, layover briefly, too and then connect to Sydney, arriving to a greater extent than or less 1:00pm on Saturday, Dec 14. On the agency back, nosotros would depart Christchurch at 6:00am on New Year’s Eve, connect inwards Sydney where nosotros set over for a few hours, too then driblet dead along on to LAX, arriving at 6:00am on the same day, Dec 31. After that telephone call, nosotros had the bookends of our trip inwards place.
Originally, nosotros were interested inwards booking trouble organization shape tickets to too from the region. I am fortunate plenty to conduct maintain this chance when flying overseas for my project too consider the powerfulness to lay downwards on an bird a life-changing experience. While on the telephone amongst AmEx, I learned this wasn’t going to happen. Business shape circular trips were exorbitantly expensive, nearing $15,000 for ii circular trip tickets. Needless to say, that wasn’t anywhere close our budget. However, Qantas did offering a production called Premium Economy. 
This would topographic point us inwards seats that were wider than the normal economic scheme topographic point too amongst to a greater extent than legroom. It too offered a steeper recline, of import for the 16-hour flying over the Pacific, too dedicated service amongst elevated nutrient offerings. It was most double the cost of a measure economic scheme ticket, merely less than one-half of what nosotros would conduct maintain paid to sit down inwards trouble organization class. With the discount given to us through the AmEx international airline program, I decided this was the best selection too was excited to mass it.
The other practice goodness of the trip was that Qantas is piece of occupation of the Oneworld Alliance, a grouping of diverse airlines throughout the public that offering reciprocal benefits to elite travelers on partner airlines too the powerfulness to earn or redeem miles amongst their favorite airline. Through my piece of occupation travel, I had achieved Platinum Pro condition on American Airlines, the 3rd of 4 levels of elite status. American is too a Oneworld partner. Due to this, I would go earning some serious American Airlines miles during our trip. There were other additional benefits to flying on a Oneworld airline that I volition acquire into to a greater extent than tomorrow. We saved hundreds of dollars because of them.
Now it was piece of cake February, too nosotros had the dates of our honeymoon. We would go leaving Los Angeles at 11:00pm local fourth dimension on Thursday, Dec 12, too returning to the province at 6:00am on Dec 31. It would go a total xix days inwards Commonwealth of Australia too New Zealand, a seemingly excessive amount of time. But what I was most to acquire is that it was barely plenty to catch both countries properly.