Originally Posted by
Dijonspurs
Thanks Johnnieboy, that's really useful info. Gosh these married segments are infuriating. I would have thought that either the (basic) reward space is available or it's not!
I've just checked DWC. Normal mileage required all the way through, but the 20:30 departure only allows for an onward from DWC in the early afternoon, as it just misses the morning connection.
I'll book the long haul flight using 21500 Qatar miles, and spend 4500 Avios and an extra £20 in tax to get to DXB. A net extra 3500 extra miles and £20 which is worth paying for an empty Y cabin on an overnight flight.
One final question: the 20:30 lands at 06:10. If I book the 07:00 to DXB (which Qatar are offering as a valid connection) as a separate ticket using Avios what's likely to happen if the inbound is late? Would they still protect me or am I better off booking the 08:00?
Cheers
Shame about the DWC connection. Two separate bookings may well not be protected under those circumstances, I'm not sure. The minimum connection time at DOH is 45 mins, but as the DXB flights are pretty much hourly, I'd be inclined to book a later connecting flight anyway, just to avoid a mad dash.
As both flights are QR, I would check in / pick up your boarding passes for both at heathrow, then at least they know where you are coming from for the second flight and may be able to link them somehow. That still may not protect the connection though, so again I'd suggest building in a buffer. Good luck!