Dec 2012 to Europe and back - help me find a way

[MatF]

the other option is for QF's 2 for the price of one sale which they had at Valentines day, they will also have another one later this year

Indeed - we unfortunately weren't commited at that time, and the fact that they were non-refundable fares scared us off.

 

[ozmille]

If you want to try something else you could go for this one (colleague of mine booked this)

OK to PRG in J comes in at AUD2485 (flight are SYD AUH on EY then OK to PRG)
EY IST back to SYD on EY is AUD2038

 

[MatF]

Thanks for all the suggestons, guys, I really appreciate it.

Have received some "guidance" from SWMBO, and it looks like the preferred option is:

SYD-SIN-SYD using points in J (QF) - 240,000pts
SIN-LHR-SIN using $$ in J (QF) - around A$10k
(for two people)

I did look at doing it the other way around, but I don't have enough points for the SIN-LHR-SIN legs.

I've found flights that give us a bit over 24hrs in SIN in both directions (a break there is desirable).

Anything I should consider before I pull the trigger?

My only real concern is that I guess the SYD-SIN-SYD flights and SIN-LHR-SIN flights would have to be on different PNRs, and so a large flight delay may cause us some issues?
Being all QF flights, I'd hope we'd be looked after (particularly in J, and being a WP)?

Any thoughts?

 

[ozmille]

Thanks for all the suggestons, guys, I really appreciate it.

Have received some "guidance" from SWMBO, and it looks like the preferred option is:

SYD-SIN-SYD using points in J (QF) - 240,000pts
SIN-LHR-SIN using $$ in J (QF) - around A$10k
(for two people)

I did look at doing it the other way around, but I don't have enough points for the SIN-LHR-SIN legs.

I've found flights that give us a bit over 24hrs in SIN in both directions (a break there is desirable).

Anything I should consider before I pull the trigger?

My only real concern is that I guess the SYD-SIN-SYD flights and SIN-LHR-SIN flights would have to be on different PNRs, and so a large flight delay may cause us some issues?
Being all QF flights, I'd hope we'd be looked after (particularly in J, and being a WP)?

Any thoughts?

I've done separate bookings on BA and AY connecting in BKK with no trouble at all. BA in SYD through checked luggage and AY in BRU did the same on the way back. I think that if it is all on QF they would look after you.

 

[ozbeachbabe]

Thanks for all the suggestons, guys, I really appreciate it.

Have received some "guidance" from SWMBO, and it looks like the preferred option is:

SYD-SIN-SYD using points in J (QF) - 240,000pts
SIN-LHR-SIN using $$ in J (QF) - around A$10k
(for two people)

I did look at doing it the other way around, but I don't have enough points for the SIN-LHR-SIN legs.

I've found flights that give us a bit over 24hrs in SIN in both directions (a break there is desirable).

Anything I should consider before I pull the trigger?

My only real concern is that I guess the SYD-SIN-SYD flights and SIN-LHR-SIN flights would have to be on different PNRs, and so a large flight delay may cause us some issues? Being all QF flights, I'd hope we'd be looked after (particularly in J, and being a WP)?

Any thoughts?

I would not be spending 10K total just for two round trip tickets in J ex Asia to Europe return - that still sounds way too expensive to me. I'd definitely reconsider using your points SYD/SIN/SYD & use those towards your SIN/LHR/SIN travel, then see what's leftover. At a pinch you could always fly J SIN/LHR & PE LHR/SIN or vv.

Before you do anything, how many points have SWMBO & you got? You need 60,000 points pp each way Aust/SIN return plus cash for a JASA & 84,000 points pp each way SIN/LHR. Note that if you book QF1 SYD/LHR in one hop is 128,000 plus cash on a JASA.

Have you both purchased your permitted top up allowance of 20,000 points for AUD557.50 per QF ff account? If you haven't, get SWMBO to purchase her 20K points before doing the one off family transfer to you. The 20K top up points credit immediately to each account as would the family transfer from SWMBO's QF ff account to yours.

Re the separate pnrs, it's the same airline & if travelling straight through to Europe the bags would be through checked & you would get both boarding passes when you check in at SYD so in the event of any delays QF would have to rebook you all the way.

 

[MatF]

Thanks ozbeachbabe,

I agree - very expensive!

I'll have another look, but I couldn't find an JASA's for anywhere near those points on the dates we need to fly - I think that's the issue, we have a fairly constricted window - SWMBO is a school teacher, so we really have to leave as soon after Christmas as possible (aiming for boxing day!), and leave LHR on the trip home around the 25/1/13. It apparently "has to be in J" )), and on QF.

I currently have 250,000pts, and SWMBO has basically none (she never flies). I "should" hit the 2,400SC mark next week, and will likely take the 50,000pts, so we could conceiveably stretch to the 336,000pts needed for a JASA SIN-LHR-SIN, but I just can't find any for anywhere near that amount. Even then, J return SYD-SIN-SYD still looks like it'd be around $8k for the two of us??

I couldn't find a better way to do it, but if anyone has any other ideas, I'd be eternally grateful.

RE: the separate PNRs - we'd be having essentially a 26 or 27hr stopover in SIN both ways, so we'd want our luggage. I think on the way over it's arrive ~7:30pm, depart midnight the next night. On the way back it's arrive around 6:30pm, leave around 9pm the next night. I'm hoping that QF would look after us if one flight was majorly delayed (it would have to be ~24 hrs delayed to be a real problem).