Originally Posted by lobster2k
Hello,
I'm thinking about how to bring my FB Miles into best use. Early 2007 I want to travel a little in Africa. KLM's Mile Finder said 25000 miles are necessary for a return trip within africa (50% of it - 12500 - for a o/w award). I assume these award flights will be on Kenya Airways as it is (next to little Comair) the only partner in Africa. Now I thought about flying from JNB to MPM (Maputo) with a stopover in NBO oneway for 12500 miles. If I look at the map it looks strange for me (less than 300 miles between JNB and MPM, but via NBO more than 3500), thus I'm not sure if this is possible. Furthermore it'll be my first reward booking thus I'm not very experienced in this! Do you think a oneway reward from JNB via NBO (stopover) to MPM for 12500 miles is possible to book?
Some comments on this would be very appreciated.
Thanks!
Well, technically, it should be possible. However, there are a few things to consider:
a) Stopover: I'm not sure whether FB allows stopovers longer than 23 hours and 59 minutes in NBO for such a routing. This obviously should be the first thing to check.
b) Scheduling: KQ does not operate that many flights to MPM, so you may want to check whether this routing makes any sense. As you noted before, the distance from JNB to MPM is very short (about 45 minutes flying time).
c) Cost involved: Remember, you pay all sorts of taxes and fees, even when the flight is technically free. Plus, you need to factor in the price for the Kenyan visum if you decide to leave the airport. Last time I did this, direct flights from JNB to MPM were fairly cheap, so you may end up paying more for this on taxes alone.
d) Convenience: Even taking road transportation to MPM beats any routing via NBO, so unless you are allowed to stopover and want to see Kenya, I would not consider burning my FB miles for this. Can't you use them for some domestic travel on Comair in South Africa instead?
Just my two cents worth.