Cw novice

If they were smart they would be getting two years out of it.

I would imagine 95%+ of people doing double TP holidays take the direct flight and collect the car

xenole

I suppose that if you're considering carbon fpotprints etc., you could include business travel in the US where someone flies LAX-JFK for a 5 min face-to-face meeting, or to hand over documents. Nothing there that couldn't technically be done over Teams, Skype or whatever.

I would have though jon collection of a hire collection, from a certain point of view, might be good thing.
Avis, Hertz or whoever get paid regardless. You're not polluting by driving it. A higher mileage might mean it has a longer life or re-sale value.

The 45 min trip to HNL. Sure that hasnt been done since you could pick up Ł1k or less fares using BA1 from LCY, and that was a few years ago.
Was best there landing at 10-11am, popping to Dukes for Hula pie and a Mai Tai, watching the sunset from Waikiki, and then back at the airport for 7pm or so Maybe a trip up Diamondhead in the afternoon....

RockyRobin

The newspaper’s need a new virtue signalling feast, seems they have found one

Bohinjska Bistrica

Generating outrage was the sole purpose of the paper publishing that article.

FlightDetective

I'm quite convinced they always keep a certain bunch of those low J fare deals out of SOF and other European cities to capture the people who will be buyers at those prices. While people on here often treat it as a trade secret (and to the vast majority of people who fly, it kind of is!), the airlines know exactly what is happening and it's likely by design. Other airlines are the same, with the likes of QR out of ARN with great J fares to places like Australia for a very long time and there are countless other examples. I suppose the only game in it is finding which city they'll pick next to offer the deep discounted premium fares from.

PGberkshire

Why would people on FT bring light to some of the practices we do to earn TP's... ie the Sofia car hire? are they trying to get it closed down? all for 15 mins of fame.

teledude

The paper was well aware of that before talking to anyone. And everything else is just knowing the fare rules. They aren't loopholes!

subject2load

It’s really not worth stressing over in that way ! Sofia car rentals is no big deal in the greater scheme of things.

Rest assured that BA - and other airlines - are themselves all-too-familiar with the myriad of ‘tricks & workarounds’ which get discussed (as well as many others which don’t) on the likes of FT and countless travel-related blogs. When they want to shut them down, they will ; but likewise, for as long as it suits their commercial purposes, along with those of their business partners, to tacitly allow them to continue (as is so often the case), they WILL.

On the wider subject of the more geeky world of flying purely for the sake of accruing what are perceived as perks and shiny cards, I think the media has long had a certain fascination with what goes on …… if only because they know it attracts the interest of readers, viewers, and listeners.

For those who missed it when first broadcast, the BBC Radio 4 ‘documentary’ on the more (ahem) committed of FF programme aficionados is still available (link below) and it’s a well-produced and worthwhile 30 mins or so. The BBC synopsis which appeared at the time included the following :

”Many hardcore frequent flyers will stop at nothing to achieve the privileges which go with airline status, planning convoluted multi-leg journeys to maximise their points. It’s a whole sub-economy – a parallel currency which the airlines control, and which the frequent flyers seek to exploit.”


https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/b09tcnm5

KARFA

Oddly I found that program to be awful both in the format used and the substance. I did have some discussions with the producer beforehand, but after I heard it I was quite glad my bit never made it in.

​​​​​​​Not true. I would never go back to NQY

subject2load

Well, fair enough. Each to their own, I guess. Wouldn’t say I found the prog worthy award of a Sony Radio Award, but I thought it was a very decent 30-minute listen.

You’ve now got me wondering just how critical you might be of this particular tome …… due to be delivered to me this coming week, so not in a position to comment myself just yet.

DYKWIA

Now available on Kindle as well. I might read that next time I'm quaffing DP in my EK F suite (upgraded with points of course!).

Raffles

I did a 70 minute chat with Nick on Wed trying to make exactly this point. Sadly it didn’t fit his narrative so I got cut down to one line :-)

That said, after I’d explained no-one was going to Hawaii these days, up popped the BA/AA €1500 Prague deal, probably still bookable.

subject2load

What a show-off !! (says the guy who has just done BRU-DXB-MEL in EK F (inc. ‘new’ 777 + 380) …..all on miles )

Robert279

A discussion about this cropped up several months back in a parliamentary committee, I understand. It seems that in their brainstorming of ways to accelerate the dash for Zero CO2, amongst the ideas (in addition to banning gas boilers or re-introducing the concept of walking in front of railway engines with a red flag) was the suggestion that frequent flyer incentives be outlawed (i.e. ff miles / tier points). The suggestion never saw the light of day (or hasn't yet) - too complex given our world-wide connectivity and adoption of schemes (?), or Parliament's finest loath to give up their own status, lounges and reward flights.

Lefly

I wish... it was dead 2/3 hrs after I saw it on the Premium Deals Forum and I coudn't book it quickly. Waiting for the next for a TP optimized vacation with husband.