henkybaby

Maybe, like me, you sometimes wonder if Avios are still as useful. YQ and taxes can make a redemption sometimes seem pretty expensive. I often find it makes more sense (to me) to buy an exEU instead.

So, I was thinking it may be a good idea to inspire each other with creative ideas on using Avios on unique trips. Loads of threads on how to earn them, not too many on how best to spend them.

Lets not complain about how terrible everything is (or the benefit of last minutes and the horror that is exEU travel) but just share some interesting ideas how to construct great holiday trips. I think combining Avios & cash components makes sense, since that opens up more routings.

All redemptions itineraries I checked on ba.com for availability (1 PAX) and can be booked sequentially within a 2 week period.

RTW via Santiago, Easter Island, Tahiti and New Zealand:

MAD-SCL IB J - 51.000 + €86 if booked using Iberia.com (€324 on ba.com - thanks to BA6501)
SCL-IPC LA J - €350 (or 37.500 + €9, depending on your avios balance)
IPC-PPT LA Y - 12.500 + €22 (unless you can find J)
PPT-AKL NZ J - €1048 (€348 if you're willing to fly in economy) - you can't use avios here.
AKL-DOH-AMS QR J - 210.000 Avios + €239

Total:
273.000 Avios + €1754; or
310.500 Avios + €1413 (if Avios for SCL-IPC)

You can take €700 off if you're willing to fly Y to AKL. Add €238 if you book MAD-SCL with ba avios.

Multi carrier award
The reward flights in this routing come to 23.647 miles in total, so a multi carrier award would be cheaper at 240.000 Avios + €1653 (or €953) as you can include SCL-IPC in J but have to pay the higher YQ for MAD-SCL.

All redemptions flights I can find on ba.com at the moment in a logical sequence.

Any other good creative ideas?

PS: If you hate the idea of the thread, that's fine. No need to discuss it here.

Concerto

Excellent thread! I don't have the time right now to work the details out, but I think something interesting could be constructed around the Highlands and Islands of Scotland using the Flybe Loganair franchise flights. And I think some of those Sun-Air flights to Scandinavia could be fun to redeem on (I'm thinking of CBG-GOT and the new route from HUY to Aalborg or Billund). I was even wondering about DUS-Billund. Sometimes simple redemption tickets can be good too, with decent value.

Tiffywren

Great thread, what a brilliant idea! Sadly with my beginner's Avios balance I could manage SCL-IPC or IPC-PPT but nothing else... and now I'm going look up those airport codes as I don't even know where they are!

EDIT: ooh, exotic trip!

henkybaby

RTW via South Africa, Hong Kong, Japan and Los Angeles. You can include Hawaii as well.

(in J unless otherwise indicated)

MAD-JNB 42.500 + €87 (or €167 if booked on ba.com)
JNB-HKG 105.000 + €33
HKG-NRT - 20.000 +€13
NRT-LAX -75.000 + €53
LAX-LHR - 75.000 + €405 (or €428 if booked on ba.com)

Total 317.000 + €591...

Multi carrier award
Total route is 24.415 miles so a multi carrier award would be cheaper at 240.000 avios but you probably would need to book it via BA, making the cash component go up with around €190. Small price to pay for saving 67.000 Avios.

For €6 more you can do NRT-HNL//HNL-LAX with HNL-LAX in economy. Spending 3x the Avios on F for HNL-LAX is not sensible as F is basically WTP on that route and also you can probably not even find it. Good stop halfway though! I do not know how doing 'domestic F' trips works with the multi carrier awards.

Much more creative routings possible. Avios are basically useless for UK-longhaul (especially to the USA) but very good for these kinds of RTWs or other creative routings. Also note the excellent value only IB to South Africa... Don't steal all my availability, but you can go there over xmas for little miles&money....

If nothing else, it is a good opportunity to share our dreams of nice 'once in a lifetime' trips. From experience I can tell you they are addictive and rarely limit themselves to that one time.

Lets also share tips on routes that are excellent value for money. Best example is AMS-HKG in J. 90.000 + €24 tax...

nufnuf77

Some excellent ideas. I shall definitely contribute with some of my creative routings/plans/dreams.

henkybaby

RTW via Buenos Aires, Santiago, Los Angeles and Hong Kong.

(in J unless otherwise indicated)

MAD-EZE - 51.000 + €96 (or €284 if booked on ba.com)
EZE-SCL - 7.500 + €67 (Y)
SCL-LAX - 90.000 + €40
LAX-HKG - 105.000 + €4
HKG-AMS - 90.000 + €13

Total 343.000 + €220 (add €188 if you book MAD-EZE on ba.com)

Multi carrier award
As this route is 26.707 miles a multi carrier award would be cheaper at 280.000 Avios but with a €188 higher cash component as you need to book all at ba.com.

BA6501

Don't forget you can shave quite a bit (around €200 on MAD-EZE) by combining Avios and booking via iberia.com

henkybaby

I did not know that.... Are all IB route cheaper in €€€ or all routes except USA-Spain?

Seems like the Avios calculator doesn't work on IB unless you have enough of them... Can someone check the avii + cash component on MAD-JNB vv 17/1-1/2 2017, please? Thanks!

Iberia.com really is the most frustrating, badly designed website I have ever seen.

robbo17

I find using them for Asian short haul a total bargain, last month dragonair hkg-han 9000 + £8 or so....the service, food and seat was amazing. The revenue seat was £440!!

BA6501

Only because of your awesome (if slightly addictive) premium sale fares thread!

I have about 400 Avios with IB and it still lets me search.

Showing as 85000 Avios and €180, what does BA.com give you?

I know I have a MAD-GRU for €80 tax compared to the £300 or so BA.com wanted!

P.henrik

Showing as 42,500 avios + GBP 145 (EUR 180), so same cash price but substantially lower avios (?). Off peak on 2/2/2017

pauldb

For your RTW trips, you really should consider BA's Multi-carrier rewards (using 2 or more oneworld partners). http://www.britishairways.com/travel/multi-carrier-avios-costs-zone/public/en_gb

These became more attractive in the devaluation because the J multiplier has remained 2x. I think your RTWs and many more options would come into the 20-25,000 mile band, so they'd be 240k Avios, possibly the sweet spot though with no penalty for taking more, shorter legs you'd probably make more stops.

These rewards haven't had much discussion on FT. Personally with a family and full time job and no 7-figure balance I can't really make these sort of plans, but it would be great to know more about them.
- Are they flexible once booked (date/route) or once commenced
- If you started in HKG would the whole-thing benefit from the YQ exclusion
- Is there a time limit (probably 1yr from ticket validity?)
- Can you backtrack - i.e. Can you actually work multiple trips into one reward, for example using up any leftover miles with some hops to Europe.

If there are really flexible on the questions above, the 35,000 mile reward for 280k in J really could be something special.

Concerto

Yes, I think those are distance based rather than segment based (i.e. paying Avios for the whole trip rather than for each flight segment on the itinerary). So you can put any number of segments on such an itinerary (within reason, obviously) which makes for a potentially interesting world of award ticket possibilities. But I think the main idea here is to share worthwhile routings and destinations, rather than get too much into the mechanics of it all!

henkybaby

That is one great (which I agree is unexplored here) way to construct a Avios RTW. I have checked all suggested routes agains this and find it can indeed save a bundle of Avios. Not in Y but definitely in J and F.

I also agree that we should not discuss the technicalities here, but I would like to know more. Can I suggest we discuss the "RTW with Avios on a multi-carrier reward" here: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/briti...ld-avios.html?

Thanks!

henkybaby

RTWs recalculated for economy redemptions

Since not everyone flies business all the time (or even wants to) or may not have the Avios balance to do it in business, here is the first suggestion, but recalculated for Y:

MAD-SCL IB Y - 25.500 + €86 (book using Iberia.com)
SCL-IPC LA J - €350 (or 37.500 + €9, depending on your avios balance)
IPC-PPT LA Y - 12.500 + €22
PPT-AKL NZ Y - €348 (you can't use avios here)
AKL-DOH-AMS QR Y - 70.000 Avios + €192

Total: 108.000 + €998

SCL-IPC is still in J. No Y availability with Avios and the economy paid oneway is only 10% cheaper than the business class product.

Here is another suggestion, calculated for Y:

MAD-EZE - 25.500 + €96 (or €284 if booked on ba.com)
EZE-SCL - 7.500 + €67
SCL-LAX - 37.500 + €45 (you can do a stop in MIA)
LAX-HKG - 35.000 + €4
HKG-LHR -19.500 +€13

Total 125.000 + €225

This is at least one other way to make Avios valuable for economy.

Multi carrier awards are no help here.