Getting from Denpasar back to Melbourne- what should I do now that the dreamliner out of mix !

[zahra01]

Hi all, hoping to get some opinions to nut out my latest flying pickle. We have always used the JQ787 Biz as the comfortable daytime flight to/from Bali over the years. As this aircraft has been pulled from the route by August, I only have limited options. We used to always get the dreamliner J for around $800-$1250 ish which i was happy to pay.

I very much dislike narrow body planes. This is a single leg required at the end of a bigger trip to Greece, with a Bali holiday on the way home.
These are my options. ( I have excluded Virgin Business as it's a narrowbody, and the pricing more then GA in J)

1. 10pm overnight flight Garuda in J which I can get for around $1400 config (1-2-1)
2. 10pm overnight flight Garuda in Y which I can get for around $530 config (2-4-2)
3. 11:55am or 2:55pm JQ flights in Y (3-3)- $650 approx narrow body obviously.

My first choice is number 1 above, but it is a lot more cost. So if I was prepared to try and be budget conscious... should I take the Garuda in Y as at least it's full service and we can sit as a pair....but it's overnight and I cant sleep in a chair....
Or do we take the Jetstar, as at least it's day time and i am not trying to sleep ( but it's narrowbody-yuck, and 3 seats together- ie with us and another PAX)

 

[bam71]

Sq daytime flight via SIN? Or purchase an extra seat for personal comfort on the JQ Y flight?

 

[Cloud9]

Sq daytime flight via SIN? Or purchase an extra seat for personal comfort on the JQ Y flight?

I shouldn't have imagined you'd be all that far off the price of the Garuda J ticket if you bought a comfort seat on the JQ flight?

 

[zahra01]

Sq daytime flight via SIN? Or purchase an extra seat for personal comfort on the JQ Y flight?

I don't think SQ does a daytime flight out of DPS. I could pick up a Scoot from DPS to Singapore, overnight in Singapore and then take a daytime SQ flight to MEL in Premium econ on points... but I am wondering about the level of mucking around to avoid the direct Jetstar flight !
I'll keep scratching my head. I did find a QF flight from Jakarta to Melbourne in J on points, just 1 day later than I preferred... so maybe that is my best bet at this point...and I can just get a GA econ ticket for the DPS-Jakarta hop

 

[zahra01]

I shouldn't have imagined you'd be all that far off the price of the Garuda J ticket if you bought a comfort seat on the JQ flight?

That's what I thought too... I don't REALLY want to spend $1900 on 3 Jetstar o/w Y tickets... when the Gaurda will be $2800 in J in a bed

 

[zahra01]

Hello Everyone... I think I came up with an ok option (insurance policy !)... I grabbed the 2 J seats on QF from Jakarta to Melbourne ( 57,000 points) $165 tax approx... a300-200 aircraft, so all good !!!
It is a day longer on holiday that I intended (sob sob)....
I'll then just grab the late afternoon Garuda flight to Jakarta either same day and connect... or a day earlier and do a whirlwind Jakarta stopover... all up it's costing around $340 each including a paid Y GA flight from Bali. I haven't bought the GA ticket yet... and I can always cancel the QF redemption if need by..... this is because my original plan was to purchase Virgin Atlantic points on a 60-70% bonus, and then redeem them for the direct Garuda flight which would have made it sooo cheap ( like maybe around $750 or so).... but this deal just isn't coming up and August is getting closer and I am worried my options will dry up !!

 

[clifford]

I was faced with a similar situation a little while ago, where I was returning from Europe and decided to have a little break in Bali on the way back (SQ PY ticket IST-SIN-DPS).

I had booked a VA award DPS-ADL to get back to Oz, but unfortanately VA decided to discontinue that route for a while, so I had to look for alternatives. The best I could come up (for me at least) was Scoot Plus DPS-SIN-MEL (19:05-11:40) for around $600, which I thought was pretty good. Unfortunately, that fare now seems to have almost doubled to around $1,00.

 

[zahra01]

I was faced with a similar situation a little while ago, where I was returning from Europe and decided to have a little break in Bali on the way back (SQ PY ticket IST-SIN-DPS).

I had booked a VA award DPS-ADL to get back to Oz, but unfortanately VA decided to discontinue that route for a while, so I had to look for alternatives. The best I could come up (for me at least) was Scoot Plus DPS-SIN-MEL (19:05-11:40) for around $600, which I thought was pretty good. Unfortunately, that fare now seems to have almost doubled to around $1,00.

Thank you, I considered a Scoot or Sq combo too. I think what I ended up with is not too bad.. flying up to Jakarta is less flying backward than flying to Singapore, and I remain in Indonesia at least..
Think I have a "free" Accor plus hotel night that I might be able to use in Jakarta too, so it seems to have fallen into place reasonably ok at this point, and no small planes needed !!
Was saving those QF points I have now blown for an EK first reward oneday, but I'll scrape up some more !

 

[bussyboy]

I'd have redeemed QF points for KLM DPS-SIN in J - purely to score a Delft House

 

[elanshin]

Thank you, I considered a Scoot or Sq combo too. I think what I ended up with is not too bad.. flying up to Jakarta is less flying backward than flying to Singapore, and I remain in Indonesia at least..
Think I have a "free" Accor plus hotel night that I might be able to use in Jakarta too, so it seems to have fallen into place reasonably ok at this point, and no small planes needed !!
Was saving those QF points I have now blown for an EK first reward oneday, but I'll scrape up some more !

Just cash book Accor in Jakarta. It's really really cheap.

 

[jase05]

Think I have a "free" Accor plus hotel night that I might be able to use in Jakarta too

Don’t waste your free night in Jakarta. Hotels are dirt cheap. Save your free night for a expensive property

Post automatically merged: Wednesday at 7:16 PM

I'd have redeemed QF points for KLM DPS-SIN in J - purely to score a Delft House

Cash fare is usually only about $300 in J for DPS-SIN

 

[jlzrbm]

Honestly - the daytime flight on the A321 out of Bali is fine. It's a brand new aircraft, and the time goes reasonably quickly.
My choice would be to could get yourself a bulkhead seat (1AB would be my pick but theres plenty of exit row choices on the A321). I'd actually say the legroom is greater than what you get on Qantas 737 domestic.

 

[dajop]

Honestly - the daytime flight on the A321 out of Bali is fine. It's a brand new aircraft, and the time goes reasonably quickly.
My choice would be to could get yourself a bulkhead seat (1AB would be my pick but theres plenty of exit row choices on the A321). I'd actually say the legroom is greater than what you get on Qantas 737 domestic.

Agree 100%. I would sooner take a 5hr day flight, especially in an exit row (or paying for a comfort seat), rather than back track 2 hrs, connect to a painfully short overnight flight (which for me would invariably end up in disrupted sleep even with a fully flat bed, as it's really only about 5.5-6 hrs flying time).

I look at this way, by the time the MEL flight is departing CGK (midnight AEST), you could be almost home and in bed having taken the later of the two day flights, yet only leave Bali two hours earlier.

YMMV.

 

[zahra01]

Well… after all this, a few days later the Virgin Atlantic points sale came along!! I purchased points for 60% bonus and now have DPS To MEL on GA in J.
No need to go to Jakarta anymore!! Thank goodness I can cancel the Qantas flight, just lose the $60 per ticket.

 

[jase05]

Well… after all this, a few days later the Virgin Atlantic points sale came along!! I purchased points for 60% bonus and now have DPS To MEL on GA in J.
No need to go to Jakarta anymore!! Thank goodness I can cancel the Qantas flight, just lose the $60 per ticket.

My preference is GA back from DPS or CGK but the last couple of flights I’ve hardly had any sleep. The food service seems to take far longer now and you only just get to sleep and they are waking you for breakfast. The last one they turned all the cabin lights on and started serving breakfast and I felt pretty tired so looked at the flight map and we were still in the middle of WA!
I finished breakfast, and service was concluded by time we were flying over Pt Lincoln. It was bizarre. We are going back to Bali later in the year and I’ll probably just pay for a revenue fare with Cathay and come back the long way or see if any QR awards open up and come home the extea long way