Redeem Those SkyMiles: Cheap Delta Award Tickets to Australia, Hong Kong, And Beyond

As first reported by Thrifty Traveler, Delta is quietly discounting economy awards to Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong and Taipei. There's no landing page — the cheaper pricing is simply live on Delta's website, with the best prices from Los Angeles (LAX).

Here's some sample pricing from Los Angeles — these are round-trip basic economy fares, with TakeOff 15 cardholder rates in parentheses:

• Brisbane (BNE): 30,000 (25,500)
• Auckland (AKL): 40,000 (34,000)
• Sydney (SYD): 50,000 (42,400)
• Hong Kong (HKG): 50,000 (42,400)
• Taipei (TPE): 58,000 (49,300)

Everywhere else costs more. New York-JFK and Atlanta (ATL) both price Brisbane at 50,000 (42,500), Auckland at 60,000 (51,000), and Sydney at 70,000 (59,500).

You can book one-way tickets for half the price of a round-trip fare on many routes, though some price about 5,000 SkyMiles above half.

Andrew's Take

Hong Kong is the fare I'd chase — it's one of my favorite cities in the world. Regardless of where you fly, you'll want to book fast since there's no telling how long this unannounced sale will last. Just note that you're spending 14+ hours in the back of the plane — if that's OK with you, this is an excellent deal.