milesaddict

Introduction :

The best deal ever, is a way I could describe my journey because of the Qatar Ban.

For the last decade I had the chance to snag few deals out there, to name a few from Tripoli, Cairo, Karachi, Jo'burg.
We all have different views on what a great deal is.

I will focus on my frequent flyer program from British Airways since it's the easiest to put into perspective. Being a Gold card holder for years I'm still 60% away for lifetime Gold. My goal is to hit LTG asap, means in less than 10 years which is more than doable. Bear in mind you need 1500 Tier Points to either qualify or renew your Gold card.

Since I have joined BA in 2009, I've been focusing on earning as much TP as possible for the lowest cost in either Business or First. Flying in premium cabins is cheaper than ever.

But let's rewind first to give you the whole picture.

Back in November the IMF suggested a currency devaluation from Egypt. Along with a sale at the time, I bought 2 round trip Cairo to Bangkok (I should have bought more, damn me). The first was done in February and the other one was in June.

Everything was set... Until I woke up on the Monday morning to find out there was an ongoing ban with the State of Qatar and thus Qatar Airways.

With 5 days out before I take off, I was already looking for options to fly to Bangkok where my wife is due to land at 1 pm on Saturday with Cathay Pacific.

Being in France I called QR customer service in Paris 3 days prior to departure, it took me 35 minutes to reach an agent.
- I suggested to fly from Paris instead of Cairo = Denied
- I suggested to fly Emirates or Swiss from Cairo = Denied
- I suggested to postpone my trip in October (I would have bought another ticket with RJ) = Denied
- I was offered Turkish Airlines or Royal Jordanian in Business = I denied
- I was offered a refund = I denied

At the end I told the agent to make me fly British Airways to London and then I could resume my Qatar Airways flight. It was also denied after being on hold for 15 minutes.

At that point, I just thanked the agent for the time and wished him good luck with the amount of incoming calls from passengers. After I hung up, I was confused on what to do.

Even If I’m told no, I need to try another agent from another country. I called the US number. I was on hold for about 20 minutes before a lovely agent picked up the phone. I explained my issue.

Once again, I told the agent that the best way for me is to stick with Qatar Airways and suggested to take BA to London and then back with QR to BKK. With the flight numbers in hand, she could quickly found the flights I wanted.

After 2 minutes she sent me a mail to sum up the itinerary and I confirmed it was just perfect. Within 10 seconds my new ticket was issued and I was thrilled about it. I told the agent that she’s been kind and wished her good luck for all the calls.

While I was happy, I don’t understand why on earth the agent in Paris denied my suggestion and 1 hour later another agent was willing to. It happened to me again in March with AA EXP line for a request.

I checked my trip on BA website and noticed that I will collect over 1120 Tier Points and more than 30,000 Avios for only 800€ paid in the first place. One of my best deal for past decade. Someone in my family told me, I’m a freeloader! Happy to be!

Here is the recap of my original trip:

Marseille to Cairo via Istanbul in Economy with Turkish Airlines.
Cairo to Bangkok via Doha in First Class with Qatar Airways
Bangkok to Cairo via Doha in First Class with Qatar Airways
Cairo to Marseille via Istanbul in Economy with Turkish Airlines.


Here is the recap of my new trip:

Marseille to Cairo via Istanbul in Economy with Turkish Airlines.
Cairo to London in Club World (Business Class) with British Airways
London to Bangkok via Doha in First Class with Qatar Airways
Bangkok to London via Doha in First Class with Qatar Airways
London to Cairo in Club World (Business Class) with British Airways
Cairo to Marseille via Athens in Economy with Egypt Air and Aegan.

The only issue I had with the new booking is my arrival time. It means I will miss my TK flight. Since I booked a cheap fare I can’t make any change. Aegan was the cheapest option and it would be a good to experience them for the first time.

Next part : Turkish from Marseille to Istanbul.

Stay tuned.