FionaClaire

We would like to go to Japan in Oct 2019 for the rugby world cup. We have enough frequent flyer miles for the family (2 adults and 3 children) for return economy flights from Dublin to Tokyo via London.
However, I guess the flights are likely to be busy. Any advice on how we might go about trying to get seats. I understand they come out 355 days before the flight - so I assume we go on that day (any idea what time?) and try to pounce on them? Do we have any hope to 5 seats on the same flights? What else should we be thinking about?

madfish

BA release flights at 355 days. BA guarantee to release 2 J and 4 Y seats on all flights. However, reward flights in Y do not often offer good value. You may find cash fares are not much more.

pauldb

Any reason to stick with BA. The might be less competition for seats on Finnair via HEL (and other routes but HEL may require less miles).

Or another Plan B: try BA to PEK which typically has more generous availability. And PEK is in a lower band so you save avios towards the onward flight.

The BA flights will be released 355 days out at midnight (i.e. 12am) GMT ... if you are going/booking early October might mean 1am BST.

windowontheAside

Have you checked the prices of Y redemptions? As stated above, they rarely offer good value compared to cash fares, especially when you consider the additional Avios earned on cash fares.

bisonrav

There are some interesting options if you skip the oneworld requirement, for example SAS premium economy for something close to an economy fare:

https://www.google.co.uk/flights/#se...DUB1SK537;sc=p

May also be worth looking at what you can do using Avios to reduce the cash price of tickets on BA, or booking in economy and pouncing on an UUA if something comes up.

abitwild

If you fancy a bit of Moscow to start with, then Japan Airlines Moscow to Tokyo is 75,000 Avios plus £73 for business class - usually with better availability than Frankfurt, Paris, Helsinki and London Heathrow. And 17,000 to 20,000 Avios out to Moscow in Club World plus £25.

Or: a more fun itinerary could be: Istanbul - Beijing - Tokyo - Hong Kong

Get to Istanbul inexpensively. Then:

- Qatar Airways Istanbul to Doha is 20,000 Avios plus £79 in business.
- Qatar Airways Doha to Beijing is 60,000 Avios plus £77 in business.
- Japan Airlines Beijing to Tokyo is 20,000 Avios plus £16 in business.

For the return, route Tokyo to Hong Kong with Cathay or JAL, then with BA out of Hong Kong for minimal taxes and a (near) complimentary segment back to Dublin.

kosy91

No intention of going to NRT/HND anytime soon but that routing is very tempting...

abitwild

Sorry: I did not read that bit... I'm guessing 58,500 Avios plus circa £400 in taxes each, equals a budget of just short of 300,000 Avios total plus circa £2000 in taxes?

I'd probably suggest cash rather than points (although only if you have another use for 300,000 points). I'd value the above at £1,000 per head (in cash and points). Alternatively:

Helsinki to Tokyo is 25,000 Avios plus £124 with Finnair. Japan Airlines (Helsinki to Tokyo) costs less in taxes but availability much harder. Presuming Finnair: that's 125,000 Avios plus £620 outbound for 5x.

Return: Tokyo to Helsinki with Japan Airlines (I usually find availability better in this direction) is 125,000 plus £445 for 5x.

Total cost is 250,000 Avios plus circa £1,100 plus getting to Helsinki from Dublin, and back again: For this, there are direct flights with Finnair / Norweigan Air Shuttle - Dublin to Helsinki. Also Finnair is Avios possibility.

So: Dublin > Helsinki > Tokyo instead of Dublin > Heathrow > Tokyo

If you have IHG points, there's a good Holiday Inn at Helsinki airport for 15k points. Or a day or so in Helsinki is rather nice.

Also: Finnair often have some good one way prices in economy. For example, I cancelled a business class redemption ticket last March in favour of an economy ticket Brussels > Helsinki > Tokyo for £185 (though this was by far, a very, very fortuitous ticket price indeed).

If you want to make the trip a bit longer, the idea of stopping at Hong Kong on the return makes sense: 10,000 Avios in econony (and 20,000 in business) from Tokyo to Hong Kong. Then Cathay Pacific 30,000 Avios points to Dublin. A bit more expensive - but still less than doing Dublin to Tokyo with BA. (Plus Cathay and Japan Airlines both - arguably - offer superior economy to BA offering).

If I were looking to buy for 1x and I was in your position, I'd likely be looking at using Avios points for business class and premium economy on the return from Tokyo to Dublin via Hong Kong (or via Helsinki) and looking at one-way cash tickets outbound. Then, if nothing transpires with the one-way cash tickets, cancelling the redemption booking and booking economy or premium economy return.

However, the routing above via Helsinki works out at about £700 per head in points and cash (presuming £10 = 1,000 Avios). So, it is borderline points or cash (depending on securing a cash rate of less than £600 ish per head AND if you have another use for 250,000 Avios points). If the 250,000 to 300,000 points don't have an alternative use, they could be devalued very quickly by BA overnight, should BA choose to do so. (And presuming your frequent flyer miles are Avios points of course!)