Originally Posted by corporate-wage-slave

What you need is for R or I to open up again. My feeling is that they may happen at some point, since the flight is presumably quite empty, so if you wait in particular for the next sale period it may work out. But there is zero certainty about this, the fares could go up just as easily. Buying early isn't the key to saving money - as a very, very general rule - and the lowest prices are often 6 weeks from departure.

Is booking with Avios an option? In which case you could get a reservation in and then cancel it if the CE cash fare comes back later? Just choose the lowest cash amount on Avios if you feel this may happen, then the penalty will be fairly minimal for doing this.