Flying to London.. QF, Cathay or Thai in economy + flying to Iceland..

[ally203]

Hi everyone,

I'm flying to London in June/returning in July. I am a Qantas FF/QC member so naturally looking at QF (there is also the possibility of gaining silver status but it won't be much more in perks than what I am getting now with being a QC member). However with CX being Oneworld also, their flights are a bit cheaper than QF at the moment. TG are also cheaper than QF too (but I could only use their points on Air NZ if I fly over the ditch within the next year)

A couple questions..

1. If I choose to fly on CX, am I able to get into the CX lounge with my QC membership?
2. What are CX and TG like to fly on, long haul to London i.e seats, food etc.. (comparing this to QF, where if I choose to go with them, I will fly on the a380)

Flying to Iceland.. looking at Iceland Air from LHR. Has anyone flown on them and what are they like? Also if anyone else has flown another airline to KEF from LHR, how did you find it?

Cheers

 

[moa999]

Welcome to AFF.

You get no access to CX lounges with Qantas Club (or indeed Qantas lounges if flying on CX)
- access is only to Qantas owned and branded lounges, and AA lounges when travelling AA, and BA lounges under very limited circumstances.
- would only get access with Qantas Gold Status (oneworld Sapphire)
Discover the benefits of The Qantas Club

In J
CX has fully flat seats (like the QF A380). Service is very good, but I prefer Qantas food and wine.

In Y
The CX shell seat is horrible, QF seats much better, particularly on A380

 

[eastwest101]

ally203 - are you looking to fly to London in economy(Y), economy-plus(Y+) or business class (J) ?

 

[browski]

I'd fly Malaysian. They seem to have the best (34") seat pitch in Y.

Then, perhaps: TG, then QF, then CX.

Also since u r from Sydney, I'd also be tempted to fly EK one stop to London on their A380 before any of the above choices.
You might also consider flying into Frankfurt instead of London since Air Berlin seems to have quite a few flights into Iceland from Germany

 

[ally203]

Thanks Moa999 Well if CX is the same as QF in most ways.. I will probably choose QF over CX (for the fact I can get into QF lounge and if the food is better etc)

ally203 - are you looking to fly to London in economy(Y), economy-plus(Y+) or business class (J) ?

Hi Eastwest101, I am looking at economy.. (dunno if I can stretch the budget at the moment for business..) I don't know if its worth paying extra for economy-plus.

 

[ally203]

I'd fly Malaysian. They seem to have the best (34") seat pitch in Y.

Then, perhaps: TG, then QF, then CX.

Also since u r from Sydney, I'd also be tempted to fly EK one stop to London on their A380 before any of the above choices.
You might also consider flying into Frankfurt instead of London since Air Berlin seems to have quite a few flights into Iceland from Germany

Hi browski, thanks for your reply.

The emirates flights are HEAVILY booked on and around the dates I need to fly (a couple of agents I went to for quotes struggled to get me a seat). I chose London as the destination because I am familiar with it, have family there and this will also be my first trip abroad alone. I even considered Etihad but same sort of scenario re: seats. I also think well whatever points I get on EK, I'd have to use on DJ and I don't really fly DJ given I have QC membership. But I have flown EK (across the ditch and back, last trip I scored free champagne) and their service/food/entertainment is great.

 

[TimB]

I'm flying to London in June/returning in July. I am a Qantas FF/QC member so naturally looking at QF (there is also the possibility of gaining silver status but it won't be much more in perks than what I am getting now with being a QC member). However with CX being Oneworld also, their flights are a bit cheaper than QF at the moment. TG are also cheaper than QF too (but I could only use their points on Air NZ if I fly over the ditch within the next year)

You should probably also consider Finnair (OneWorld); I've only flown them within Europe, but they were good, and I think their prices are fairly competitive. Helsinki is a good airport, although it'll mean an extra stop.Or there's JAL, which will allow you to have a night's sleep in a hotel in Tokyo to break up the trip. (Sorry, I don't know whether the accommodation is included in the fare.)

Flying to Iceland.. looking at Iceland Air from LHR. Has anyone flown on them and what are they like? Also if anyone else has flown another airline to KEF from LHR, how did you find it?

I flew IcelandAir JFK-KEF, stopped over for a day, and then KEF-AMS -- they were great.

 

[ally203]

Hi Tim,
Thanks for your feedback re: IcelandAir. I have heard they are better than Iceland Express..
I have considered Finnair (one of my friend's who I am going to Iceland with will fly with them on this trip as he is doing an onward journey later in Finland and Norway.) Where as for me, I have a 10 day tour in England after Iceland.
Regarding JAL, I chatted with an agent last week and she mentioned JAL do put you up in accommodation.

Hmm food for thought..

 

[deejo77]

Seem $$ is a factor - I would fly SYD to SIN on a LCC for $800 (31/5 to 5/7)
Then SIN to LHR - BA for $1054 (2/6 and 3/7) for Y, $2827 Y+ (1/6 and 2/7)

 

[markis10]

Seem $$ is a factor - I would fly SYD to SIN on a LCC for $800 (31/5 to 5/7)
Then SIN to LHR - BA for $1054 (2/6 and 3/7) for Y, $2827 Y+ (1/6 and 2/7)

AY are $2100 return which includes QF to SIN, and you could hop over to Iceland from HEL on the way home or over.

 

[extracta]

Hi everyone,

TG are also cheaper than QF too (but I could only use their points on Air NZ if I fly over the ditch within the next year)

You will probably find that the cheaper TG flights do not come with points anyway.

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[travelislife]

I am pretty sure TG will have the greatest pitch out of the 3 you have listed, and Bangkok is great for a stopover if you have never been before.

 

[ally203]

Good morning,

Thanks for the suggestions deejo and markis.. but those dates are not suitable for me (I have a thesis to hand in at the beginning of June so can't escape just yet and the tour I have doesn't end till 10th July.) I know whatever I book is not going to be cheap (because of time of year) but at the moment, I am just looking at economy and if I can, will stretch to business (which I would like because I do not sleep on planes very well, last long haul flight to LHR I was a zombie due to lack of sleep and being on the wing..)

 

[jebbo]

Hi Tim,
Thanks for your feedback re: IcelandAir. I have heard they are better than Iceland Express..
I have considered Finnair (one of my friend's who I am going to Iceland with will fly with them on this trip as he is doing an onward journey later in Finland and Norway.) Where as for me, I have a 10 day tour in England after Iceland.
Regarding JAL, I chatted with an agent last week and she mentioned JAL do put you up in accommodation.

Hmm food for thought..

I have flown JAL many times and have enjoyed every flight. They have the smoothest landings of all, beat Qantas hands down, domestically as well internationally.
The stopover is at Narita, a little town, just outside the airport perimeters. The accommodation is always good and is a great relaxing stay to break the trip, before your next leg the next day.
This is the only way I fly to Europe, being a very poor sleeper and because of it, cannot fly long periods without getting my heart rate climbing in the flight.....pretty scarey.
Try Jal....if you do, let me know what you thought of them.

 

[mannej]

Our resident pilot will tell you a smooth landing isn't necessarily a good one.

 

[spudseamus]

Our resident pilot will tell you a smooth landing isn't necessarily a good one.

yep any landing you walk away from is a good one !!! ( grin)

 

[serfty]

yep any landing you walk away from is a good one !!! ( grin)

Actually, to paraphrase and in the context indicated by jb, it was basically "Get it down - don't muck around".

See here: http://www.australianfrequentflyer....estions/ask-the-pilot-30478-2.html#post445195

... I'm mostly happy if they can use the jet again. ...