Hong Kong and Singapore from Manchester UK in First
Nov 1, 2014, 2:18 am
#16
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: N.Wales, UK
Posts: 933
Thanks for all the comments.
Judging by the comments, it sounds like there isn't a clever booking like MAN-SIN on Qatar via HKG where I can do a stopover and achieve my goal with a single return reward.
I seem to recall reading that the best first class cabins weren't available for reward booking? Does this mean that the A380 first won't be possible?
My task now is to research the best first class option MAN-xxx-SIN on OneWorld.
Once again, thanks for the info.
Judging by the comments, it sounds like there isn't a clever booking like MAN-SIN on Qatar via HKG where I can do a stopover and achieve my goal with a single return reward.
I seem to recall reading that the best first class cabins weren't available for reward booking? Does this mean that the A380 first won't be possible?
My task now is to research the best first class option MAN-xxx-SIN on OneWorld.
Once again, thanks for the info.
That's not to say there are no 'bargains'/'opportunities' to be had.. You should look at the following thread...
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/briti...ing-bands.html
From this you see the value in keeping you flights below a certain mileage, for example, one might consider flying a low cost carrier to europe, then flying from there, both to save taxes, and to bring the avios cost down...
For example TXL-DOH on qatar uses a 787 with a lovely J product, that's 25k avios.... You may get qatar first under 3000miles (distance) too, perhaps MUC?? From DOH it would be less than 4000miles to either HKG or SIN.
I'm no specialist on first, or qatar routes, but that might be where I would start, if I were after pure 'value' for my avios.
Nov 1, 2014, 3:21 am
#17
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: All the wrong places..
Programs: SQ TPP, BA Gold, Hyatt Life Glob, SPG/Marriott Life Plat,
Posts: 3,371
Maybe time this 'CX Rep' should spend more time learning what products their employer actually offers.
Nov 1, 2014, 3:42 am
#18
Ambassador, British Airways; FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Leeds, UK
Programs: BA GGL/CCR, GfL, HH Diamond
Posts: 42,967
Yes, just looking at seat maps for January and it is 777-300ER with the new J seats. In fact are there any CX 777-300ERs with the older seats?
Nov 1, 2014, 4:25 am
#19
Suspended
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: Singapore, Bangkok and Hong Kong
Programs: BA, Singapore
Posts: 75
Nov 2, 2014, 1:55 pm
#20
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: Hong Kong, occasionally in London
Programs: CX MPC DM, Marriott Plat, Hyatt Exp
Posts: 173
The coffin J class are long gone on the 77W fleet, all 45 machines fly with Cirrus.
The only planes with coffin seats are A343s and B744s, but both on their way out.
The only planes with coffin seats are A343s and B744s, but both on their way out.
Nov 3, 2014, 2:51 pm
#21
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: UK
Programs: BAEC
Posts: 1,849
Thanks dannyrado. I'm a newbie to BA rewards. Continental rewards were by geographical zone not milage and you could open jaw and stopover as much as you liked. So I hadn't realised I could hop, then fly to maximise the reward value. London to Singapore is 6700 miles, it's 6000 to Hong Kong, the cut off for 90k to 105k each way is 6500 miles. Since I don't have an option for a direct first class from manchester and business class short haul is pretty feeble, this opens up a lot of options I hadn't considered. I will now have to check out what OneWorld airlines fly direct to singapore from major European hubs. Good job I like doing my research 
Thanks again.
Thanks again.
Nov 5, 2014, 4:25 am
#22
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: UK
Programs: BAEC
Posts: 1,849
I thought it might be nice to let everyone know what I ended up doing.
I looked at *a lot* of options and played with some flight bucket tools like Award Nexus, KVS and ExpertFlyer. I liked the route feature on Award Nexus which helped me a lot with possible route options in this case.
In the end I booked MAN-LHR-HKG-SIN-HKG-LHR-MAN over the phone with a very friendly BA rep. The additional copay to drop it down to the miles I had was about the same cost as booking the economy HKG-SIN-HKG on another ticket. It also means less worry, as all the flight are on the same ticket. The return from SIN via HKG works out better (for me) than a lot of the other 'direct' routings out of SIN.
This way I get to travel the long leg twice in F on the Cathay 777 300ER 4 class
These appear to be very nice Open Suites and amongst the better first class offerings that are available for reward travel.
I miss out on travelling from HKG-MAN on the new direct Cathay flight. This flight would no longer have been direct anyway as I would have come from Singapore, so it would just be the difference between 1 stop and 2 stop. I had a look at the business seats on that flight (new 3 class 777 300ER) and they look nice, but definitely a gap to CX first (if not such a big gap to BA first).
I could have waited a couple of months to get more miles, but the autumn/winter flight rewards to Hong Kong seem to get booked out pretty quickly after they are released, so I thought I would get in while there was availability that was on convenient dates.
Thanks again for all the help and happy flying to you all
I looked at *a lot* of options and played with some flight bucket tools like Award Nexus, KVS and ExpertFlyer. I liked the route feature on Award Nexus which helped me a lot with possible route options in this case.
In the end I booked MAN-LHR-HKG-SIN-HKG-LHR-MAN over the phone with a very friendly BA rep. The additional copay to drop it down to the miles I had was about the same cost as booking the economy HKG-SIN-HKG on another ticket. It also means less worry, as all the flight are on the same ticket. The return from SIN via HKG works out better (for me) than a lot of the other 'direct' routings out of SIN.
This way I get to travel the long leg twice in F on the Cathay 777 300ER 4 class
These appear to be very nice Open Suites and amongst the better first class offerings that are available for reward travel.
I miss out on travelling from HKG-MAN on the new direct Cathay flight. This flight would no longer have been direct anyway as I would have come from Singapore, so it would just be the difference between 1 stop and 2 stop. I had a look at the business seats on that flight (new 3 class 777 300ER) and they look nice, but definitely a gap to CX first (if not such a big gap to BA first).
I could have waited a couple of months to get more miles, but the autumn/winter flight rewards to Hong Kong seem to get booked out pretty quickly after they are released, so I thought I would get in while there was availability that was on convenient dates.
Thanks again for all the help and happy flying to you all
Nov 5, 2014, 9:52 am
#24
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: somewhere north of London, UK
Programs: HH Gold, BA Silver, Accor Silver
Posts: 15,245
The only finessing I could see on that itinerary would have been to fly Malaysian on one leg in F.
I believe if you go from Paris to KL it drops down into the lower price band. You could have then got from Manchester to Paris either on a LCC or with a RFS travelling a day earlier.
On the downside you would have had to book as two one way tickets so if - for example - MH pulled out of CDG you might be stuffed!
Sounds like a good trip. Enjoy!
I believe if you go from Paris to KL it drops down into the lower price band. You could have then got from Manchester to Paris either on a LCC or with a RFS travelling a day earlier.
On the downside you would have had to book as two one way tickets so if - for example - MH pulled out of CDG you might be stuffed!
Sounds like a good trip. Enjoy!