Blue Box Flynn

Evening all

I have another RTW trip coming up in April and am looking for FT insider advice or tips/feedback on how to maximize the Flying Experience/TierPoints/Avios during the trip.

As a US based BAEC Silver, I need 2 flights on BA Metal to retain Silver and am currently sitting on 640 Tier points with my year expiring early May.

My trip is as follows: NYC - Sydney - Tokyo - London - Tenerife - London - New York over about 2 1/2 weeks departing 10th April and having to be back in NYC on 27th April.

I've been playing with the OneWorld tool and have some options using AA to LAX then Qantas to Syd, JAL to Tokyo, BA to LON, BA/IB to Madrid & on to Tenerife before returning to London (via Madrid) to fly back to NYC.

Just wondering if there are other carriers FTers think I should try or cities to route through. Don't mind a few extra hours or a connection or 2. Will be traveling in J and wondering if I can get enough TP to trigger Gold

Any advice, feedback or tips welcomed ! Took advice least year on a similar trip and really enjoyed Cathay's seat and service to SIN from NYC as well as the home feeling of BA between TYO - LON - NYC

Many thanks

BBF

Jenzo

On the LON-NYC go on LCY-JFK for 210 TP's (F amount)

PETER01

That routing would give you

140+160+140+160+40+40+40+40+210 (LCY-JFK) = 970 TP's

Enough to make you reach Gold and includes your BA flight requirements. JAL fly the 787 on this route now (SYD-NRT)I believe.

You could always go with QF which used a 3 class 747 to NRT iirc as I was looking at the SYD route home to the UK over a year ago that way but took the direct BA flights.

There are so many options/places to choose from and it may be worth posting this on the TP run thread which will probably get it more attention and some expert answers as how you actually book an itinerary like that I have no idea.

Blue Box Flynn

Thanks for the Tips to date - booking this weekend. Also, If any Fters have some decent ideas for things to do in SYD and Tokyo (will have a day or so in each outside of the office) then I'm all ears !

Will go and post on the TP run as well

THanks

dutch_122

Blue Box Flynn,

or this

HND-HKG-JNB (CX) -DOH-BCN-(QR) MAD-TFN-MAD-LHR (IB)-LCY-JFK

opalfruit

Note that you don't gain any extra TPs by doing the LON-MAD-TFN shuffle over the direct BA LON-TFS flights, as they're over the distance threshold which makes them 80 TP each way.

Globaliser

Apologies for collapsing the font size so that this doesn't take up too much room. You may find more ideas on the Australia / New Zealand board anyway. I can't guarantee that all of these links (or all of the content) will still be current.

Things that you can do even if you only have one day in Sydney:-

• [*]

• Sydney Opera House – do a tour; the backstage tour is the most interesting, but is much less frequent and much more expensive than the standard tourist run. Go to a concert or a show if you can.
• Botanic Gardens and the Domain (parks).
• Hyde Park, including the ANZAC memorial, fountains, and nearby buildings such as St Mary’s Cathedral, the New South Wales Art Gallery and Hyde Park Barracks.
• Darling Harbour – touristy things, including the casino at Star City if you're into that sort of thing.
• Sydney Aquarium (at Darling Harbour).
• Sydney Wildlife World (at Darling Harbour).
• Maritime Museum (at Darling Harbour).
• Powerhouse Museum (at Darling Harbour).
• The Australian Museum (in the City).
• Museum of Sydney (in the City).
• Museum of Contemporary Art (Circular Quay – the café is said to be pretty good).
• Bridgeclimb – 3½ hours, but worth it if the weather's good. Not energetic, nor difficult to anyone who has anything other than serious fears of heights. Best to book when you're there and you can gauge what the weather is likely to be. Most popular and expensive climbs are at twilight. Otherwise, a first timer should do a day climb to see where everything is, although night climbs are romantically spectacular. They have a new route which climbs the lower arch, but the standard route is still better for a newcomer.
• Or just walk across the Harbour Bridge if you don't want to climb it. You can go up the south-east pylon (the one nearest the Opera House and Circular Quay) for some views that are better than those from the roadway.
• Sydney Tower – the tall building thing, also a very ish revolving restaurant.
• Paddy's Markets.
• Chinatown.
• The Sydney Fish Market (an early start is needed to get the most out of this).
• Take a ferry to Manly.
• Manly – long beach on the ocean side, cafes etc. If you can get there, big park at North Head with good harbour and sea views, but is a long walk from Manly itself.
• Taronga Zoo – take the ferry from Circular Quay for this, too.
• Cruise on the harbour - lots of ways of doing this, standard tourist ones from Circular Quay; also a jetboat from there; but my favourite is on a genuine ex-Americas Cup yacht - a cruise ship is nothing like this!
• Watsons Bay – famous for Doyles, seafood restaurant, also good views. Also, go up to South Head (walking distance) from there, for views. Watsons Bay can be reached by ferry.
• Queen Victoria Building – possibly the most elegant shopping mall in the world.
• Bondi Beach – if you feel that you really have to do this. Quite close to Watsons Bay, can be done in a long walk (about 3½ miles), or by the Bondi Explorer Bus.
• Walk from Bondi Beach to Coogee Beach along the cliff tops.
• Also, between Watsons Bay and the City, there are Double Bay (elegant, expensive shops) and Rose Bay (pretty waterfront).
• Balmoral Beach, to which you can get by bus (including, if you like, lunch or dinner at the Bathers Pavilion, or just fish and chips, or something else - there is a number of eateries here).
• Other walks along the harbour foreshore, for example between Cremorne and Mosman.
• Blu Bar at the top of the Shangri-La Hotel for cocktails with a view.
• King's Cross at night (for the broad-minded).
• Featherdale Wildlife Park.

Blue Box Flynn

Many thanks for the tips

doodlehead

"•Watsons Bay – famous for Doyles, seafood restaurant, also good views. Also, go up to South Head (walking distance) from there, for views. Watsons Bay can be reached by ferry."

Absolutely recommend this, great grub and the setting is superb.

Blue Box Flynn

So finally got my trip sorted - RTW - JFK, LAX,SYD,NRT,LHR,MAD,TFN,MAD,LHR,JFK over 3 weeks starting next week. All in Business across AA,Qantas, JAL,BA & Iberia.

Thanks for all the advice - this should help trigger Gold just before my year ends which with me moving back to the UK for a new International role should come in handy !

BBF

Kefci2000

Note that RTW booked with origin of JNB are the cheapest if you can get yourself there cheaply (have yet to adjust for weak ZAR)

Gardyloo

Just a quick note that a DONE4 (which presumably is what you're buying) is around US$3000 cheaper if you begin/end in Japan as opposed to the US. If your schedule could be rearranged, you could also use the rest of your allowed 6 segments in North America over the next year before returning to Japan for the close. You maybe could use Avios (assuming you have some) to get to TYO for the beginning, and you'd certainly earn enough over the next year to cover the trip back. Just sayin'.

Concerto

Some interesting ideas here. How to store all the info one gets from Flyertalk? I wish I could stuff it in my brain and call it up when needed!

Am I right in thinking that doing a RTW using Avios is quite difficult to plan and book, plus it may not be the best use of Avios? Maybe a series of 2 or 3 one ways might be better, but I guess it depends on the routing and its complexity.