Moomba

I know there have been a few threads floating around on the relative merits of the F service on these carriers.
It seems almost unanimous that most people on this and other OW threads agree that CX has top marks for F.

My dilema is that I have run out of segments on my proposed RTW. If I fly MEL - LHR on a single flight number on QF or BA flight it counts as 1 segement and all is fine. However if I want to fly MEL-HKG-LHR I need to find another segment or pay for the extra segement.

I have a SYD-ADL flight I could probably purchase a cheap(ish) domestic Y service flight and save that segement for HKG. That would be far cheaper than paying for an extra F segement on my RTW.

Any thoughts, good/bad idea? Or should I just go with the BA/QF offering?

checkerboard

Unfortunately, once you've reached your 20-segment maximum, it's not possible to buy further coupons. Tragic though this may be, it at least clears up part of your dilema...

As to weather it's worth the cost of SYD-ADL to fly CX instead of BA or QF to LON, I'm sure others here will be able to say much better than I.

virtualtroy

Agree with Johansan. Stick with the thru-flight.

wandering_fred

I think checkerboard is confused about purchasing a separate cheap ticket with purchasing additional coupons within a continent.....

You may find that the SYD-AKL fare in Y is actually cheaper than the US$200 for additional coupons. Anyway check the QF and LAN websites for specials
But remember that you are up for the US$75 change fee plus whatever the airline adds on.

For example it is almost wasteful to fly DFW-AUS (less than 300 miles) on a xONEx ticket when they are available for about $100 in Y - when purchased a suitable period in advance.....


Happy wandering

WF

PresRDC

I faced a similar dilema as the OP.

From a mileage earning perspective, using two segments for MEL (or SYD)-LHR does not qive you many additional miles. MEL-HKG-LHR is 10,584 miles v. 10,503 for the single flight number service. If you use two segments, you are essentially using one segment for an 81 mile flight. Not a good use of a segment.

http://gc.kls2.com/cgi-bin/gc?PATH=M...OR=&MAP-STYLE=

From an efficency perspective, it makes much more sense to use BA or QF for that flight. Of course, the opportunity cost is that you do not get to use CX, with its superior level of passenger service, especially in F. As such, if I have segments to spare on my AONE, I'll use CX and two segments. If not, I'll combine them. In terms of overall travel time (assuming no stopover in HKG), the CX option is not much, if any, longer.

ijgordon

My $0.02 -- if you can swap a domestic flight out of the RTW and purchase that leg yourself for $100-150, then I think it would be worth taking the CX flight (I assume CX offers F on MEL-HKG...), particuarly if you've never flown CX F. Just think of the extra $ as paying for the Krug & Caviar! Plus, more space in F on the CX 747 (only 12 seats vs 14 on BA/CX) and you can possibly use The Wing lounge in HKG if you have a long enough layover.

Now, if MEL-HKG isn't on a 747, others might have differing opinions, I haven't flown CX F on any of the Airbuses.

SLF

For a BAEC member, there are extra miles if you fly on either BA, or to a lesser degree QF on the same route, over another carrier such as CX. Were it not for this, then if flying F, I would always choose CX even if BA or QF were available on the route.

Jerry_Maguire

I'm an exception to the rule in this forum in that I prefer the BA First product. So I certainly wouldn't pay a $75 change fee plus the cost of a non-RTW sector in order to get a CX connection.

Toofewmiles

Hmm, trying to decide what I want to do from Oz-LHR. BA F is ok if you're awake and eating. From what I'm wondering about is that does QF F sound almost identical with their version, with the only exception with QF being that they will weigh your carryons since a person with an over 15kg bag in F could clearly sink the plane! That might push me back on BA. I'd def prefer CX but not know if I've got the segments for it...

alect

QF would not weigh your carryon - the airport staff would. But usually if you show a J/F boarding pass they don't bother weighing carryons.

Viajero

True, but 'usually' is still bad enough, and for me a major PITA when it happens (about one in five QF flights). I never travel with checked luggage, and you would think QF check-in agents would take that into consideration, but no, too much to ask, apparently.

And, by the way, 14 kgs is the QF maximum for up to 2 pieces of carry-on in J/F, each weighing no more than 7 kgs.

Toofewmiles

Hmmm, are you saying your stuff gets weighed at the airport by others besides QF if you're in Australia?

I took the QF YVR-HNL flight a few years back and nearly went ballistic when they started jabbering about the weight restriction, since I was actually (believe it or not for an HNL trip) traveling on business and had a ton of papers with me. QF staff weighed the carryon. Showing a $5000 ticket and growling something about Exec Plats on paid F fares got me through that, but it was rather ugly.

number_6

Yes, they adjudicate carry-on as part of the security check at Australian airports and some get rejected. QF used to have a separate F line for this check, and they never bothered (I've taken 20kg carryon in F). But sometimes it is strict and almost everything is banned; it seems to go in cycles. Lots of airports and airlines do this now (BA is quite strict about the 7kg weight limit, for example). At HKG CX will issue you a "bag pass" and that allows anything through on-board (you get the pass automatically if flying F or Diamond, otherwise based on circumstances -- I've seen some huge things come on-board as carryon in CX F).

Toofewmiles

Lovely. These are good things to know (although I've never had that problem with BA, but hey, stranger things have happened). Any airports in particular?