FTVs - two happy future passengers!
 

Had posted earlier in the week with a couple of questions about cancelling a March 2-4-1 flight LHR to JNB in F and rebooking to somewhere else later in the year.

Cancelled JNB flights on Monday - immediately got vouchers and VERY happy to have snagged J flights LHR-SYD for three weeks in Aug/Sept today. Very well timed for BA to have announced their 50% Avios sale yesterday as we did need to buy a few extra. All fairly simple so thank you for advice.

Only thing that would have helped more would have been for the FTV to actually say what it's value is - we had upgraded from J on two separate occasions from when we booked the initial flight and my hubby hadn't kept a record of what we paid each time. I went through all the Avios transactions on his and my accounts and still got it wrong (too many)! The BA booking agent also got it wrong (too few) to begin with but then got it sorted. If the voucher said X amount of Avios, X amount of cash and a 2-4-1 voucher it would have been more helpful and quicker for us and the agent.

Just relying on everything getting nearer normal by August now - I am very hopeful and fingers crossed!

Well done, although I am far from confident that we will be permitted to enter Australia for tourism even by August 2021.

Absolute 0 chance of being able to enter Australia as tourist by then

Well done on a seamless experience :) I agree with both comments above unfortunately. I've cancelled my option for SYD in Sept 2021 and I am going to book spring tickets, then shunt them forwards to Xmas 2021 or possibly spring 2022 using the current guidelines if they're still in place

Haven't they actually said the borders won't be open until 2022?

My personal view is that once the vaccine rollout starts then things will change fairly rapidly but if we have to rebook then so be it. You have to be positive about things like this and it is 9 months away.

Yeah, I can't see Australia being open for general tourism next August. There is talk about about allowing some Asian countries but I think that's about it. It is a long way away, so things can always change. I'm personally not so optimistic that the vaccine rollout will be rapid to the general population.

My concern is your rebook without requiring availability is 365 from booking so you’re restricted to then. Hence my thinking of booking spring 2021 allowing a move to spring 2022

Crikey I hope its not that long. I still have to take the ashes of my dear old mum back to PER.

Unfortunately, I strongly doubt quarantine-free travel to Australia except from very specific places (e.g. NZ and maybe some South Pacific or Asian countries) will be happening before the end of 2021, or even mid-2022.

You may be able to get in as a tourist with 2-week quarantine for which you will be charged a fairly sizeable sum by the Australian government by late 2021, but that can only happen once they remove or substantially raise the cap on international arrivals and the backlog of Australian citizens and permanent residents have cleared and temporary residents are allowed back in. Right now, the backlog is growing fairly quickly rather than shrinking.

I appreciate that it’s not great having cold water thrown over the parade, but it is what it is at the moment. I suspect NZ will be even longer.

I think things will move fairly quickly for those who have had the vaccine once the rollout gets going and deaths fall to manageable levels.

Minimal risk with an Avios booking obviously so absolutely the right booking to have even if it is really an option.

Seriously hoping everyone’s negative predictions are wrong as I’m pinning my hopes on going to the Ashes next December.

I think you'll be OK. The government talk is of high risk groups being vaccinated in March and the general population in June/July. The health minister has said borders will open by the end of 2021.

There's a thread here that keeps track of the border...

https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/ocea...-15-march.html

All rather pessimistic on here.

I'd expect most of the UK to be vaccinated by April so travel through Europe I think will be fine for the summer.

If Australia is leaving starting this program of vaccination until April then yes likely Winter 2021 before their borders are open....sad to hear this.