hello-o-rama

Hi all,

This my first post and i only recently joined FT so thanks for having me. I'd much appreciate it if anyone could offer advice about recommended seats and lounge access...

I'm off to the UK later this week with my Dad (Fri 26/8) flying economy QF9 MEL-LHR, and returning LHR-MEL on QF10 Fri 9/9.

I have little status (QPNB) and dad doesn't have any. What are my chances of getting my seating preference (how early would I need to check in and will that gurantee anything) and what should that preference be? At this stage they seem to have allocated me 35J on the way out and 36A coming back in, I'm not sure if they've allocated dad's seating yet.

I've checked out SeatGuru but aren't sure which metal QF uses on QF9&10, can anyone enlighten me and do the configurations up at the pointy end make any difference to configurations in economy anyway? Row 34A-G, or 70-73 AB or JK look to be the go but can someone better direct me?

Also... we have the 90min stop in SIN - will we be allowed off the plane, can I take Dad into QP SIN with me, and do I have lounge access on arrival at LHR? We have BMI flights dep. T4 at 7am & given that we arrive at 5:30 would we have time anyway?

Any and all advice anyone can give would be great.

Thanks heaps!!

Traveloguy

Can't comment about the WHY seat, however you should be able to take your dad into the lounge at SIN.

BMI flights depart from Terminal 1 so you will need to clear through immigration in terminal 4 and then transfer yourself over to terminal 1. I doubt that your baggage will be checked through to your final destination.

5:30 can be a busy time at LHR so you may need the hour and a half!

Dave Noble

As mentioned, you can take him in as a guest at SIN

At LHR you have no lounge entitlement. Since you are flying BMI you are not entitled to access.

Are you on a single through ticket or 2 separate tickets. If on a single ticket you will be fine with the 90 minutes, if you are using 2 tickets then I would recommend contacting QF and checking whether they will check the bags through to your BMI flight ( since they are under no obligation to do so ). Unless you get it confirmed that they will, I would recommend looking at getting a later flight out of LHR since 90mins will be cutting it very fine for arriving at T4, clearing immigration, collecting baggage, taking the HEX to T1 and checking in with BMI.

( If you are taking no baggage , then no issues )

Dave

serfty

Welcome to Flyertalk and the Qantas Forum.

Are you and your dad on the same or separate bookings? You can check this out using a tool called "Check My Trip". Here is the link www.checkmytrip.com . To use it, click the link, then enter your surname and Booking reference, (this is a six character code stating with 2, X, Y or Z and is termed a record locator). It then should show details of your booking.

If you click the black +'s in those little boxes with Orange background; you will get more details, including pre-allocated seating (if any). If you do see a seat number, click this and if available, you will get a seatmap. If the seat map appears, you will see where you are seated and the configuration.

If your father is on the same booking you will see that seat as well (probably beside yours). If you are on separate bookings, I suggest you contact Qantas and get him pre-allocated next to you.

I have checked the map for your outbound flight and it seems pretty full. You are in a middle seat in a row of three. Normally the seats in front of you are crew rest, but they are showing as allocated. On the way back, I can not get a seat map, but you are in a window seat three rows back from the front of economy.

If you are on the same booking as your dad, I would suggest that he would be sitting beside you in 35K outbound and 36B on the way back. If you are not on the same booking; it may be hard to get seated together. I would try for one of the rows of two down the back, 70JK or 72AB are available on your outbound flight.

Note that you are in an area of seating reserved for oneWORLD Elite Flyers and QP members.

As for your other questions, I believe they have been well answered.

Good Luck and enjoy your trip.

NM

Your profile shows you are based in Brisbane. So assuming you are taking a BNE-MEL connecting flight to pick up QF9, you will be checking in nice and early for the QF9 flight. But if you are starting in MEL on that day, then I recommend being at the airport at least 3 hours early. You have Qantas Club access, so enjoy the lounge and "prepare" for the flight.

When you check in, ask how full the flight is today. And if its not too full ask if they can find you two seats in the DEFG range with nobody else in the row. I would always take a D or G aisle seat over a C or J aisle seat.

mikalee

Welcome to FT.

I would agree with Dave's advice, if you aren't on the same ticket or QF won't interline the bags then a small delay to your incoming flight will really stuff you up as even if everything went well would you be a slight chance to make it in the first place.

BMI checkin at that early hour is not too pleasant let alone unchaotic.

If you do go for the 7am flight ensure you speak to a member of BMI as soon as you arrive at T1 to find out where you should check in for your soon to be departing flight as you will quickly understand what a chaotic mess that terminal is when it is busy on the Saturday of a long weekend to mark the end of summer.

To familiarise yourself with the transfer route have a look at the LHR site at www.baa.co.uk

hello-o-rama

Thanks everyone for all the help and advice, you guys are awesome...

I'm flying BNE-MEL the night before but will make sure I'm at check in at MEL by 12:30. I've now been able to get my travel agent to allocate 72AB LHR-MEL but apparently allocations have closed for MEL-LHR so I'll have to chance it at check-in.

OK. You've worried now about the transfer to BMI on arrival at LHR! We're travelling on separate tickets, I booked the flights a couple of weeks ago, and they're not at all flexible. They were all booked as part of a QF fare so even though the domestic leg is BMI & Star Alliance (LHR-BHD), if I miss the connection will they just put us on a later flight without charge?

Dave Noble

If you are able to check your bags through, then I wouldn't be too concerned anyway, so give QF a call and ask them. On arrival, all you would then have to do is follow signs to "Flight Connections", take the bus across airside to T1,2,3 and then collect a boarding pass from the BMI desk in the Fight Connections Centre

If they are separate tickets and you have to collect bags in London, I would be surprised if you make the connection

Allowing
45 mins to get off plane, clear immigration, collect bags
Journey time on Heathrow express is 8 minutes plus an average 7.5 minute wait for the train = 15 minutes

This is 1 hour already. I would be surprised if you get to the BMI check in desks in time for them to accept bags for check in

If they are separate tickets then they are under no obligation at all to you and they may well just require you to purchase a new ticket

Dave

hello-o-rama

I rang QF today and they've confirmed that there shouldn't be a problem checking bags through to BHD, but to make sure I tell them at check-in at MEL that I want them to do that.

Thanks again for all the help FTers... this forum is fantastic and all of the people so friendly and welcoming. I'll have to start checking out the FT corners of QP and sharing a few HPs!

Cheers

Matt

mikalee

...and to make sure that they have, check that the bag tags they put on have BHD on them. BHD should be in black text on the white background, whilst LHR will be in smaller white text with a black background block around it.

You will have to pick up a boarding pass for BMI at the flight connections centre in T4.

Enjoy the trip and don't forget to let us know how you went with the connection.