cameramaker

I'm looking at heading down under in January for the Australian Open tennis and unfortunately budgets will only stretch to a Y fare, possibly W. Looking at January 8th to 18th or something like that, heading to SYD first, over to MEL on Jan 13th and back to the UK on Jan 18th.
I'm a silver card holder so looking to max the benefits of that to ease the pain of Y somewhat.

The best options I've found so far is the BA15 down to SYD, QF over to MEL and then back to LHR via HKG on CX and BA. All in Y comes in at £937 and 29C on the 77W (extra legroom) is available to select for free. The downside to this routing is the short stop in SIN on the BA15 which might not allow sufficient time to refresh in the lounge before the second sector. Also, it only yields 105 TPs and I want 110 minimum to keep on track for silver renewal.

Heading east on BA to HKG and then down to SYD on CX comes in around £120 more expensive, there's also the option of ex EU in W all the way on CX at around £1500 but that doesn't factor in the SYD-MEL hop or the OSL positioning. CX let OWS's seat select for free in any cabin from the time of booking don't they?

There's also an all MH option in Y with some decent lounge time in KUL but I don't really fancy paying the best part of £1k for their slimline seats on the A350 and a 85TP yield! I could be swayed however if its possible to select their premium seats for free via status but the limited info on MH FT suggests this isn't possible. Seat selection adds a further £67 per sector.

What I'd like to tap in to the wisdom of this forum for is whether I can do this trip any better (comfort vs cost etc, TP optimisation) and how likely the prices will jump up if I hold off booking until October when the Aussie Open tickets go on sale. Currently the routing via HKG in both directions (c £1050) with a connection of circa 2.5 hours to enjoy the lounges there seems the most sensible option.

nufnuf77

I would just suck it up and pay the £2.5k for J ex OSL ticket on BA or the often discounted exARN SQ tickets or QR ex OSL/HEL. I could not do that far in Y so can't help

mjack99

Suck it up indeed and be thankful you are not doing it with a bunch of toddlers in tow. That refreshing break in SIN won't do much for you in the scheme of things. Best to get it over and done with as quickly as possible (or do a proper stop over in Singapore which would be my recommendation).

LHR FLYER

Start a go fund me campaign to help with a POUG?

Scandinavian traveler

Have you considered traveling on EK booked on a QF code? I find EK much more comfortable in Y than other carriers due to my height.

You can normally get a good price from Zürich, Amsterdam etc.

A quick look at your dates showed flights around £ 1.100 GBP round trip, but you should be able to get it cheaper if you are flexible.

pacenotes

Bring snacks, A big bottle of water and a neck cushion.


I'd get it over and done with as quick as you can and avoid the 787.

FlyerTalker39574

cameramaker

FlyerTalker39574

ellielovesem

I never used to see the point of neck cushions until I got one, wow, I went from someone that couldn't sleep at all in Y to managing to get a couple of hours.

I used to do SYD annually in J (various airlines) but due to a change in work circumstances I've had to economise and the last couple of years I've been in Y, QF each time. Despite what some people might say it really isn't that bad, be in the right frame of mind and go with the flow (and the advice above). If you're lucky to have an empty seat next to you that makes a huge difference, my sister recently had a whole middle row to herself on QF2 so sometimes you can really strike it lucky. I'd echo getting there as quickly as possible and IME I always used to have time to shower in SIN when I've been on a direct BA/QF in my J days, not much else but shower is the important thing.

Comfort verses cost, that's a tricky one. Cheapest normally comes out as China Southern, I have done them in J but I wouldn't consider Y. I normally wait for a QF sale but this time I'm flying Etihad in November, it's costing me £675, you really can't grumble at a price like that and all of my other Y flights (QF) bar a Christmas one have been circa £700, I can't justify J when it's that cheap. I look at timings as I have to get the coach to the airport so connection times are important to me, Etihad works best at this time and it will be interesting to try them. I'd love to use Cathay or Singapore but they're always a lot more expensive so I've stuck with QF.

So in summary, enjoy the lounge access with your BAEC status, reserve a decent seat, water, snacks and neck pillow and look forward to what a great time you'll have once you eventually get there. Coming home, well that's a different matter in the positive thinking thing but don't worry about that for the time being

bisonrav

I did this a couple of years ago, via KUL, which was about the right split. I had a lengthy layover and spent it in the MH lounge eating noodles, but to be honest I'd have preferred to have continued on my way much sooner. The trick is to break the time up with films or music, avoid alcohol (I know this is anathema here, but it really does help not feeling dreadful 16 hours in) and doze when you feel like it - take some eyedrops too and drink plenty of water.

I usually sit myself towards the back on the right hand side aisle in the centre section, although you're likely not to get your first food choice here, with status there's a good chance you'll get a blocked seat next to you and the planes tend to fill up from the left, so people seem to psychologically go left for the toilets rather than right, so you don't get disturbed. Bring snacks as others have said, and use some of the savings on the fare to treat yourself to some luxury on arrival.

Ldnn1

I wouldn't pay £1k in Y for travel in Jan beyond peak Christmas period. I'd wait for a sale in the hope of getting something decent around the £700 mark.

It's perfectly survivable in Y and many thousands of people do indeed survive it every day. EK A380, QF A380 / A330 (2-4-2 seating), QR A380 / A350, CX and MH are all good options in Y.

You don't get lounge access on the EK*QF codeshare but you could consider buying it and factor that into your overall cost comparison.

Scandinavian traveler

I will have to pass on the lounges, but somebody else might know.

TPs and Avios will be earned, you can use the calculator on BA to check the amount.

adrianlondon

I've done it in Y a couple of times. However, I stopped over in Asia both ways (SIN and/or HKG) for a couple of nights. Silver status will get you into lounges and hopefully a decent seat. Cathay seem to look after me better in Y (as a silver card holder) than BA.

AdFlyer

Done this straight through in Y more times than I can remember, it's all about frame of mind and being prepared. On board - take a change of clothes (pyjamas or the like) to change into on the flight and make sure you have plenty of snacks and water. Try taking fennel tea with you and having some of that on board (helps to reduce bloating caused by the pressurised cabin - particularly the 777) and pop some melatonin to get some sleep (if transiting through Hong Kong they have a brand there called MelaPure that works a treat.)