Originally Posted by
xenole
Up to a year or two ago, you could have done
practically 4 x 1200 TP runs to get there for under £3k.
Some could. Not out of the US without really trying hard to originate all your trips from Europe. Having done it through a relocation over here I can safely say it took a good deal of planning. But yes, those were the days
Originally Posted by
Cymro
The income demographics for the UK aren't significantly better, but the opportunities for cheap TP acqisition are - or at least, non-stop LHR-YYZ in either direction isn't the most cost-effective way of acquiring them.
A realistic minimum for a CCR holder who doesn't get there primarily from TP runs would be £15-20k of spend, based on £3/TP and a monthly ex-EU to the Far East on QR/AY, etc. with some short-haul flying.
Obviously IST-LON-JFK-LAX-HNL or FRA-DOH-CMB-CGK will offer significantly better earning opportunities and would make it realistic to do it with well under £10k of TP runs. Even a YYZ-based traveller doing YYZ-JFK-LAX can probably manage 320TP for £1,200 or so without TP running, just being focused on a TP-effective routing and loyalty to the alliance. 15 of those plus a round trip to London (with a connection) would get you CCR for under £20k.
That sounds about right - 15 to 20k. In the end I requalled this year and did it with six judiciously optimised long haul trips to the US and APAC, TPs ranging overall between 600 and 800, say, and a boatload of SH flying. This is where, incidentally, it makes sense for me to optimize/maximize. I am in the CCR a great deal on short haul and appreciate the ability to be there, very much. I wasn't looking at doing it again, but a couple of trips came up and I was able to set them up to get enough to make it work, with a bit to spare. All ex-EU to be sure - it helps to have offices in Sweden, Germany, Ireland, Italy etc etc, so I always line up a rider trip onto my long haul - but nowhere near bottom price.