Originally Posted by
Colossus
Thanks for the detailed response. Yes, no longer considering any stopovers given there is too much uncertainty, and tickets will need to be booked around June to fit in with the MIQ booking.
I was looking at HKG primarily as it is One World, has some availability, and we could likely make it work with Avios, possibly one leg PE and the other Business. If there is still a chance UK passengers won’t be able to transit come June, that option is a non starter.
With respect to Qatar, we will struggle to have the points to do a single ticket Avios booking, as the Doha-Auckland leg in business alone effectively exhausts our balance. Cash fares in business are very high (£3500 one way), and doing a 17 hour trip in economy with an infant is not really an option.
Singapore unfortunately not being part of OW, means only cash bookings. Business one way also seems very expensive, PE is doable, so will take a look at that.
Very wise to relax and wait till June.
Your current major problem is flights to AKL. There are almost no international flights.
NZ has enjoyed almost normal life with very very few cases, mostly imported. But they are not ready to relax their policy for a long while. Vaccination just started this week end.
There will be a cost associated to getting to NZ, and you have to expect it unfortunately. Better be expecting it and be happily surprised.
Indeed travelling with an infant during two long flights is no fun, especially in Y.
But a lot of people have done it, me included when I was much younger. And 24h of suffering is not the end of the world.
In the meanwhile, just relax and see how the situation evolve by the end of June.