Lesson Learned
May 19, 2018, 1:58 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2018
Programs: BA Exec Club
Posts: 12
Lesson Learned
Research carefully on long hauls to find the best way to earn points.
I used to do a lot of business travel and was gold status for a few years, but that project ended and business travel with it so I have dropped down to Silver.
However, recently I had the opportunity to make a one-off return business trip from London to Melbourne, Australia and felt certain that would be enough to retain my silver for another year.
A colleague did the same trip within a few days. We both flew with Qantas, both using a BA Exec Club number, both business class, both paid a similar price, both journies took about the same time.
But my flight went via Perth whereas his went via Bahrain.
Huge difference in the Tier points.
He got 300 each way, 600 in total so enough for silver.
I got 240 each way, 480 in total, so 120 short of Silver. I have some more flights coming up in the rest of the year but they are economy to Europe so are not going to be enough and I will lose my Silver.
So lesson learned, when selecting your route, choose wisely, it could make a lot of difference.
Cheers,
Nigel
I used to do a lot of business travel and was gold status for a few years, but that project ended and business travel with it so I have dropped down to Silver.
However, recently I had the opportunity to make a one-off return business trip from London to Melbourne, Australia and felt certain that would be enough to retain my silver for another year.
A colleague did the same trip within a few days. We both flew with Qantas, both using a BA Exec Club number, both business class, both paid a similar price, both journies took about the same time.
But my flight went via Perth whereas his went via Bahrain.
Huge difference in the Tier points.
He got 300 each way, 600 in total so enough for silver.
I got 240 each way, 480 in total, so 120 short of Silver. I have some more flights coming up in the rest of the year but they are economy to Europe so are not going to be enough and I will lose my Silver.
So lesson learned, when selecting your route, choose wisely, it could make a lot of difference.
Cheers,
Nigel
May 19, 2018, 2:15 am
#2
Join Date: Dec 2016
Programs: BAEC GGL/CR; Hilton Diamond; Mucci des Puccis
Posts: 5,581
It's fairly easy and inexpensive to get some TPs to make silver, and you may be able to do some POUGs on the European flights. But yes, worth checking TP earning on business travel and attempting to optimise, a hop through the middle east is usually better than a local flight at the end of a long more direct trip.
May 19, 2018, 2:19 am
#3
Join Date: Jan 2008
Posts: 1,492
However, recently I had the opportunity to make a one-off return business trip from London to Melbourne, Australia and felt certain that would be enough to retain my silver for another year.
A colleague did the same trip within a few days. We both flew with Qantas, both using a BA Exec Club number, both business class, both paid a similar price, both journies took about the same time.
But my flight went via Perth whereas his went via Bahrain.
Huge difference in the Tier points.
He got 300 each way, 600 in total so enough for silver.
I got 240 each way, 480 in total, so 120 short of Silver. I have some more flights coming up in the rest of the year but they are economy to Europe so are not going to be enough and I will lose my Silver.
So lesson learned, when selecting your route, choose wisely, it could make a lot of difference.
A colleague did the same trip within a few days. We both flew with Qantas, both using a BA Exec Club number, both business class, both paid a similar price, both journies took about the same time.
But my flight went via Perth whereas his went via Bahrain.
Huge difference in the Tier points.
He got 300 each way, 600 in total so enough for silver.
I got 240 each way, 480 in total, so 120 short of Silver. I have some more flights coming up in the rest of the year but they are economy to Europe so are not going to be enough and I will lose my Silver.
So lesson learned, when selecting your route, choose wisely, it could make a lot of difference.
LHR-PER-MEL all on same flight number = 240
BA have a calculator on their site that allows you to check in advance of booking what you would earn...it is very true that the fact that you travel to the same location and spend the same money does not mean you earn the same points
worth having a read here Your guide to the Executive Club, attaining status and earning Avios | 2018 edition
May 19, 2018, 2:27 am
#4
Join Date: Aug 2013
Posts: 8,751
There's some interesting Qantas network expansion going on on the BA forum today! I'm guessing nheather meant his friend's flight went via Dubai (DXB).
Note however that Qantas no longer actually fly DXB-MEL on their own metal - the PER routing has replaced that, and the traditional SIN option has also been restored. So it may be that your friend flew before the switch (end of March) and you after. However you would still have been able to book LHR-DXB-MEL as all QF flight numbers but on Emirates planes, earning 300 TPs each way. Or perhaps that's what your friend did, if you both flew recently.
Anyway welcome to flyertalk, nheather. It's great to have you here - too late for this particular trip but I'm sure you'll find a relatively simple route to Silver with the excellent advice and resources on here. ^
Note however that Qantas no longer actually fly DXB-MEL on their own metal - the PER routing has replaced that, and the traditional SIN option has also been restored. So it may be that your friend flew before the switch (end of March) and you after. However you would still have been able to book LHR-DXB-MEL as all QF flight numbers but on Emirates planes, earning 300 TPs each way. Or perhaps that's what your friend did, if you both flew recently.
Anyway welcome to flyertalk, nheather. It's great to have you here - too late for this particular trip but I'm sure you'll find a relatively simple route to Silver with the excellent advice and resources on here. ^
Last edited by Ldnn1; May 19, 2018 at 2:37 am
May 19, 2018, 2:32 am
#5
Join Date: May 2016
Location: UK
Programs: British Airways Executive Club Gold, Global Entry
Posts: 363
A very warm welcome to the forums @nheather!
The irony of your post is that you are posting into the very place where all that research is at your fingertips.
Had this been your 100th post rather than your 1st, it might well have been a boast about how many TPs you squeezed out of the journey while saving yourself a fortune by starting the trip from Gothenberg!
The irony of your post is that you are posting into the very place where all that research is at your fingertips.
Had this been your 100th post rather than your 1st, it might well have been a boast about how many TPs you squeezed out of the journey while saving yourself a fortune by starting the trip from Gothenberg!
May 19, 2018, 2:32 am
#6
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2018
Programs: BA Exec Club
Posts: 12
[QUOTE=caz312;29770714]The earnings look correct...LHR-DOH = 140 + DOH-MEL = 160
LHR-PER-MEL all on same flight number = 240
BA have a calculator on their site that allows you to check in advance of booking what you would earn...it is very true that the fact that you travel to the same location and spend the same money does not mean you earn the same points
worth having a read here <not allowed to include the URL>/QUOTE]
I agree, I’m not questioning the validity I’m sure it is correct, just commenting that had I gone a different route for the same money and about the same flight time I would have ended up with 120 more points and more importantly retained my Silver.
As it is I’m 120 points short which may as well be a 1,000,000 points short. I have two trips already booked but I reckon they will only give 10 points per flight so 40 in total.
So looks like this could be the end of my days flying with BA and One World - not out of grievence but because they are usually more expensive which was fine when I was getting benefits but without them it would make poor financial sense.
Cheers,
Nigel
LHR-PER-MEL all on same flight number = 240
BA have a calculator on their site that allows you to check in advance of booking what you would earn...it is very true that the fact that you travel to the same location and spend the same money does not mean you earn the same points
worth having a read here <not allowed to include the URL>/QUOTE]
I agree, I’m not questioning the validity I’m sure it is correct, just commenting that had I gone a different route for the same money and about the same flight time I would have ended up with 120 more points and more importantly retained my Silver.
As it is I’m 120 points short which may as well be a 1,000,000 points short. I have two trips already booked but I reckon they will only give 10 points per flight so 40 in total.
So looks like this could be the end of my days flying with BA and One World - not out of grievence but because they are usually more expensive which was fine when I was getting benefits but without them it would make poor financial sense.
Cheers,
Nigel
May 19, 2018, 2:36 am
#7
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2018
Programs: BA Exec Club
Posts: 12
A very warm welcome to the forums @nheather!
The irony of your post is that you are posting into the very place where all that research is at your fingertips.
Had this been your 100th post rather than your 1st, it might well have been a boast about how many TPs you squeezed out of the journey while saving yourself a fortune by starting the trip from Gothenberg!
The irony of your post is that you are posting into the very place where all that research is at your fingertips.
Had this been your 100th post rather than your 1st, it might well have been a boast about how many TPs you squeezed out of the journey while saving yourself a fortune by starting the trip from Gothenberg!
I would also add that with Business Trips (where your employer is paying) you can’t really play games. Certainly starting the trip from Gothenberg would has resulted in embarrassing questions to ask. Also picking a qualifying flight that is not the cheapest is not allowed (although you can flex that a little). But in this case I could have definitely flown via a different route and stayed within policy.
i flew out on 9th April and my colleague two weeks later. Both under Qantas bookings as they were by far the cheapest but I felw on a Qantas plane and he flew on Emirates.
Cheers,
Nigel
Last edited by nheather; May 19, 2018 at 2:46 am
May 19, 2018, 2:44 am
#8
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: London
Programs: BAEC Gold
Posts: 561
This is the reason I used to get funny looks at work (colleagues are used to it now 
), because I always try and optimise my TP earnings when going on holiday. No west coast US trip is complete without going via PHL et al, and when travelling to Australia the same logic applies, I always try and engineer a layover close to 24hrs. This year it's via Hong Kong and I was lucky enough to get 36 hours on the return without a stopover charge in the fare code.
OP how did you find the flight to Perth? As I'm heading to Sydney I don't see a distinct advantage and in fact 17 hours on a flight is probably 5 too many at the best of times!
), because I always try and optimise my TP earnings when going on holiday. No west coast US trip is complete without going via PHL et al, and when travelling to Australia the same logic applies, I always try and engineer a layover close to 24hrs. This year it's via Hong Kong and I was lucky enough to get 36 hours on the return without a stopover charge in the fare code.OP how did you find the flight to Perth? As I'm heading to Sydney I don't see a distinct advantage and in fact 17 hours on a flight is probably 5 too many at the best of times!
May 19, 2018, 3:14 am
#10
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2018
Programs: BA Exec Club
Posts: 12
When the flight came up on the corporate travel agent page it was presented as a direct flight and at the time I thought that was a bonus. I hed recently heard about the new Dreamliner direct flights, it should have dawned on me that this acheivement was London<>Perth and Melbourne is a lot further, easy to forget just how big Australia is.
None of my documentation indicated a stop at Perth, it was only when I got on the plane that I realised it.
I guess it is a little quicker, you don’t change planes, your hold luggage stays on the plane, you don’t clear customs in Perth but you do have to get of the plane for 2-3 hours and take all your hand luggage with you.
The airport gate area is pretty small, so if you can’t get into the lounge it is pretty basis and a bit of a squeeze. The lounge is okay but again one of the more basic ones I have encountered.
So overall I didn’t see a great advantage to the flight - unless you are goung to Perth then it is fantastic. You still have the stop, maybe a little shorter and to be honest it is a little frustrating having the stop so late in the journey - feels like you are almost there and then you have to get off, hang around and then get back on for a relatively short flight. I’d prefer my break a bit earlier on so that the second flight is more substanstial.
Also when I have flown via Bangkok, Singapore and Hong Kong, sure you have to take your hold luggage off and then back on but that is fairly streamlined, and then you are in an area with lots of shops as well as the lounge whereas, with the Perth change you are just in the gate area with limited space and the last option shop.
So even if it weren’t for the points issue, if I was doing it again, I wouldn’t go via Perth.
Cheers,
Nigel
May 19, 2018, 3:20 am
#11
Join Date: Aug 2013
Posts: 8,751
Ordinarily, flights on oneworld partner codes but operated by non-oneworld partners do not earn anything. For example, HKG-AKL sold as Cathay Pacific but operated by Air New Zealand earns zilch. Do make sure to check the marketing and operating carriers of your specific flights before booking.
Also worth adding that, if you need to make this trip again and find Qantas is again the cheapest option, see if the routing via SIN is available using QF1/2. That would also earn you 300 TPs each way, so more lucrative than via PER. You can of course add more stops too, subject to your line manager's eyebrows.
May 19, 2018, 3:24 am
#12
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2018
Programs: BA Exec Club
Posts: 12
I used to fly direct London Gatwick to Orlando and I used to just scrape gold each year. But I wonder how much extra I would have earned had I gone Heathrow > US Hub (like Washington, Charlotte or Philly) > Orlando.
Even so, not sure it would have been worth it because I live very close to Gatwick so that it mega convenient over Heathrow, and I did do a couple of hub based flights and they were not as nice - I found changing at the hub quite stressful, within minutes of missing the connection each time, and the flight between the hub and Orlando was not as luxurious even though deemed First Class.
There comes a pount where you have to balance points over comfort and convenience.
Cheers,
Nigel
May 19, 2018, 3:31 am
#13
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: MEL CHC
Posts: 20,992
The QF flight LHR-DXB-SYD was replaced by LHR-SIN-SYD all on a A380.
QF flights to/from DXB Dubai are now codeshares on EK operated flights.
QF flight numbers may change via DXB, where LHR-xxx-SYD/MEL is on one flight number.
These changes occurred end on March 2018
May 19, 2018, 3:43 am
#14
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Gloucestershire
Programs: BA Gold (ex-GGL, maybe future Silver), Hilton Diamond
Posts: 6,197
Ironically, if you'd done that routing to anywhere but MEL (Brisbane or Sydney, but anywhere on the east coast) you'd have actually beaten your colleague in terms of TPs. It's all very odd, I know!