avneeshj

Hi,
I have to fly to Australia with the wife early next year from India. We're looking to hop to either HKG or SIN or KUL on a revenue ticket from India and then going to MEL/SYD on a Avios redemption.

Which option would be best for our first first experience? We are also open to trying different Airlines each way. We fly J/C long hauls multiple times a year on CX and BA and other European carriers but never F.

Which option would be best where the whole experience is a huge difference over J/C? Please advise with Airlines and route selection.

Thanks a lot.

nux

CX does not offer F to Australia.
I would take QF F from HKG rather than BA F from SIN.

TheBOSman

I've flown all four. However, MH doesn't offer F to Australia (only to LHR and CDG). CX doesn't offer F to Australia. BA F would be behind QF F for certain. QF would offer A380 F ex-HKG, but only to SYD and then it is tough to find two award seats available on that route in my experience. I think (but could be wrong) that QF has F ex-SIN, but it would be a 747 which will have an older F. So, looks like QF A380 F HKG-SYD, or BA F SIN-SYD. Unless you want to go through DXB to fly with QF A380 F that way (which would be a lot more Avios), those are your options. I'd go with QF F HKG-SYD if it is available for certain though over BA F.

moa999

The dated QF F from SIN is gone from mid-May as the 747 is replaced with an A330, part of QFs continuing retirement of 747s

http://www.ausbt.com.au/qantas-pulls...gapore-flights

pogonation

As other posters have said, you're only options are HKG-SYD with QF and SIN-LHR with BA. Availability will probably make the decision for you. Both those flights are extremely difficult to get availability on so just take what you can get.

Now here is what I would do if I wanted to try F... TG has a crazily cheap return F fare from India to SYD (P class) for 190k INR!!

Since you would have been paying about 60-70k for your business return to SE Asia you could technically consider your F flights to be 120-130k!
To do BA SIN-LHR return you would be looking at 120,000 avoid each and 35kINR taxes. So now you could technically say you are paying just 85k rupees for the F flights and saving 120,000 avios!

Much better experience than BA as well... You have the TG F lounge and the F spa and ground treatment in BKK and the newly fitted F seats on the 747.

avneeshj

Thanks for all the insight. So since the option is only between QF ex HKG and BA ex SIN, I am thinking of going with QF. I have managed to find 1 seat in F on the outbound so far. The other seat I am thinking of booking in J as a placeholder till I can find another seat open up in F. How likely is that to happen considering I am thinking of flying next year and have a few months to go? Can I just ask over the phone to change the booking from J to F if a seat opens up? Or do I have to have enough avios to cover both class tickets?

The TG fare is excellent and definitely good value and I'll look into it.

number_6

Close to zero chance of getting 2nd F award seat closer to the date, as QF will use it for upgrade for QFF flyers instead of making another F award redemption available to BA. Maybe if you are BA Gold you can request the seat to be released (QF does this for their Emeralds).

avneeshj

So due to some other usage of my miles I can only book F one way for this trip and am booking award J the other way. I would like to have F on the way back. Are there any options with F from MEL - HKG/SIN? Or would I have to come to SYD to start my journey back since I will be ending my trip in MEL.

Kiwi Flyer

No. The only oneworld F flights from MEL are to DXB/LHR and to LAX.

avneeshj

Thanks. I have found availability as needed on BA SYD-SIN in F and I am going to go with that. There is nothing to be found on QF at all.

For the outbound I am debating between QF J and CX J. I have flown CX J a few times this past year and love the new seats. It would be safe to assume that CX has better J product than QF from HKG or SIN?

Blackcloud

Hve you checked your QF First from HKG-SYD? QF has recently announced they will stop F to HKG from the end of September 2014.
In regards to J fly CX.