It all started when my husband began accumulating BA air miles due to work. I wondered how best to spend them and looked on the internet for tips. Behold, Flyertalk.com. Great website, gave me tips on how to collect air miles, how to make the most of them and also about the British Airways American Express card. What a terrific idea, a good way to collect more miles and the opportunity to get a 241 voucher. The plan to save airmails and using our 241 voucher to go to Sydney in business class was born. From Flyertalk.com I realise Club World reward seats to Sydney are like gold dust and competition is fierce. Ok, so I have to plan carefully, I need to get my 241 voucher 12 months ahead of when I want to travel, I know that flights become available 355 days ahead. I think I'm ready.

First attempt, 2006. The voucher turns up in Nov - we wanted it in Feb! I blame my husband, he was supposed be keeping an eye on what we spend so that we could time the arrival of our voucher. Ok, we go to Canada business class instead. My first ever long haul business class experience. I love it (& Canada is not too shoddy either). We're definitely trying again for Sydney.

2nd attempt. 2008. This time we're keeping a close eye on the Amex card spend to ensure that we trigger it in Feb. It turns up at the end of Jan, how did that happen? Ok, so the rules have changed whilst I've not being paying attention and the voucher now triggers when you hit you spend target, not at the next statement after the spend target. Ok, we can work with Jan. No availability, nothing, zilch, nadda. Not even in First.S o this time we use the voucher to go to Hong Kong in First. Let's just say that when I win the Euromillions I know how I'm going to travel.

3rd attempt. 2009. Right, we really know what we're doing now on timing the 241 voucher and it works perfectly. I've had to buy miles in order to reach the required 200k, but from ba.com I can see that this year there is a reasonable amount of availability in business class to Sydney. I'm almost hopeful. So reward flights on my ideal departure date become available, fantastic, but I'm on tenterhooks for another two days because I have to book both the outbound & the return. It's still available. Hoorah. We've got the outbound flight sorted. Now all I have to do is wait another 3 weeks until our ideal return date becomes available. I spend the time planning our New Zealand itinerary (we're only stopping off to see my brother in Sydney). Getting very excited now. OK. 2.5 weeks later I move our return date whilst there is availability. Not a great return date but it would probably do.

Bit more waiting and our ideal return flight is due to become available the next day. Help! what do I notice, the change date/time option in Manage my booking is not available. I ring the ba.com help line. A very helpful agent identifies that there is a problem with our electronic ticket. She says she'll get it sorted and it will be done in time for when the flight becomes available. I check later in the afternoon & it's not fixed. I ring ba.com again and they assure me it's in the queue and will get done in time. Later that evening it's still not fixed. My heart is sinking. This is not looking good. Regardless I set the alarm and get up at midnight to check. Logging on, I look to see whether there is availability. YES, there it is, flights for Sat 6th March 2010 our perfect return date. The problem is I can't book it because my electronic ticket is not yet fixed and there's no telephone help available at midnight. I cried with frustration.

Without much hope I set the alarm again and get up at 6am the earliest I can get someone on the phone to help. There's no point ringing though because when log in I can see that the flights for the 6th have gone.

I rang the Executive Club. Very pleasant but now the availability has gone there is nothing that they can do.

Very, very disappointed, we'll have to drop 3 days off our planned itinerary. I managed not to cry again though.