One-way Inbound Bookings?

[Prof Henry]

I'm travelling to Rome in mid-Jan for 2 weeks and have a QF points itinerary in business (CX + BA) from BNE to Rome and back as far as HK, where I'm stranded on 1 Feb. I've been checking, but have had no luck finding a points seat in any class on any flight for 14 days after 1 Feb to get back to BNE.

1. Is anyone able to guess whether there's any likelihood of one turning up before I leave on 17 Jan? Shoudl I keep looking while I'm away? Are there problems if I don't have the final leg booked before I leave?

2. The obvious alternative is to pay for a 1-way HKG-BNE flight. The QF FF desk quote was in the wounded-bull class and the Cathay HK website pretty pricey. The QF website seems not to allow 1-way inbound booking and there's no QF HK-based website. Expedia isn't bad but not that flash.

does anyone have any better ideas?


Prof Henry
QF Platinum

 

[Kiwi Flyer]

Hard time of year to get awards or cheap flights, unless booked well in advance. End of school/uni holidays, plus lunar new year, plus travellers who avoid school holidays but still want summer travelling.

I'm checking some ideas now. Sorry for the delay - computer or connection is a bit slow.

 

[garyjohn951]

You have a couple of alternatives.
As already said, it is doubtful you will get a points ticket HK-Bris or for that matter anywhere in Australia.

You don't tell us how you are getting to Rome ? Is it also through HK.

1/ If it is through HK then I would cancell the Bris-HK points sector, take the penalty and put the points back into your account. Then you can get a Bris-HK flight for 1166 [ return 7/2 comes up with this price ]

2/ Otherwise book a return HK-Bris flight and don't use the second sector. This comes out at $1166 for 7/2.

3/ The third option is to book HK-bris on 7/2 and pick another date in future, and book return. You could then use points to come back to Brisbane. At least this way you have a second trip and get the value of the ticket. Naturally if you change the second sector of the ticket a penatly will apply, I think $75.

Me, I would probably go for option 2, with a date way in the future for the second sector. Who knows what they are doing 6 months down the track.

 

[serfty]

I see a first class award seat HKG-MEL on 1st Feb QF30 09:45-21:40; there are plenty of award seats MEL-BNE the next day.

It's 90K points for that F seat.

I suggest you use the Multi-destination option and go via different ports.

There's also WHY availability via SYD on 5th February.

 

[wandering_fred]

Well part of the answer may be whether you are willing to "slum it" from HKG to somewhere else with availability.

Economy on CX to SIN or BKK.
LCC from HKG to SIN.
Alternative airline (KQ GF UL) to BKK or SIN.
tickets ex BKK and /or SIN are much cheaper than HKG
Business on Royal Brunei to somewhere in eastern Oz.

Happy wandering

Fred

 

[Prof Henry]

Thanks for all the suggestions. In the end, I remembered someone I knew in HK who booked me a one-way direct HK-BNE (econ) ticket for some hundreds of dollars cheaper than I cd get it on the web or from either CX or QF in Australia.

I didn't know about the multi-destination option so I will use that in future.

thanks again

Prof Henry
QF Plat

 

[N860CR]

If your happy to spend a bit of time (and effort) for the sake of saving some money, you could go HKG-BKK on OX (Orient Thai) which is generally $150ish, then BKK-MEL on JQ ($389) then MEL-BNE on DJ ($100ish).

Other option is HKG-HKT on OX ($170 or so), HKT-SYD on JQ ($399) then SYD-BNE on DJ ($100ish).

OX is a bit of a pain to book because they don't have online bookings so you have to call Thailand (but my last experience with them was pretty easy). Bonus is you get to ride on some very very very classic (read: old!) 742 or 757 aircraft!

 

[stryker]

If your happy to spend a bit of time (and effort) for the sake of saving some money, you could go HKG-BKK on OX (Orient Thai) which is generally $150ish, then BKK-MEL on JQ ($389) then MEL-BNE on DJ ($100ish).

Other option is HKG-HKT on OX ($170 or so), HKT-SYD on JQ ($399) then SYD-BNE on DJ ($100ish).

OX is a bit of a pain to book because they don't have online bookings so you have to call Thailand (but my last experience with them was pretty easy). Bonus is you get to ride on some very very very classic (read: old!) 742 or 757 aircraft!

Now Daniel, I think you'd have to be quite desperate to fly OX.

It's a bit like flying Lion Air or Adam Air, in my opinion.

If you're going to fly LCC in Asia, my advice would be to stick with Tiger (the Singaporeans don't skimp on safety issues).

 

[straitman]

... the Singaporeans don't skimp on safety issues.

A few would disagree with that statement :!:

 

[Mal]

If you're going to fly LCC in Asia, my advice would be to stick with Tiger

And how many Tiger Beers should a pax drink before chancing an Asian LCC?

 

[straitman]

And how many Tiger Beers should a pax drink before chancing an Asian LCC?

I'm not sure I could drink enough. :mrgreen:

 

[N860CR]

I've flown with OX quite a few times in both Orient Thai and 1-2-Go formats and both seemed perfectly ok to me. Sure, the planes are old but so are plenty of other ones flying in all parts of the world (including Australia). On the plus side they haven't quite dropped to the Tiger/Air Asia levels of LCC service so I guess it just depends on your own personal perception of what is "safe"

 

[stryker]

I've flown with OX quite a few times in both Orient Thai and 1-2-Go formats and both seemed perfectly ok to me. Sure, the planes are old but so are plenty of other ones flying in all parts of the world (including Australia). On the plus side they haven't quite dropped to the Tiger/Air Asia levels of LCC service so I guess it just depends on your own personal perception of what is "safe"

Hi Daniel,

I just wonder if you have actually flown TR or AK.

Nice FA's, but.

And TR is as safe as Qantas (would you fly SQ?). Not so sure about AK.

As for OX (and even TG). Well... it's TIT (this is Thailand).

 

[N860CR]

Yep flown with both AK and "partner" FD (several times) as well as TR. AK on the A320's and B733's, obviously the Airbus' are a lot newer and it shows but the 733's seemed ok as well. Only 1 flight on TR and again, new A320 so it was hard to fault that. Only complaint with AK would be the poor ontime performance.

TG has a very good safety record, 99% of people would feel just as safe with them as they would with QF. OX, well I guess some people are still scared of old equipment, but realistically they're still perfectly safe.

 

[stryker]

Yep flown with both AK and "partner" FD (several times) as well as TR. AK on the A320's and B733's, obviously the Airbus' are a lot newer and it shows but the 733's seemed ok as well. Only 1 flight on TR and again, new A320 so it was hard to fault that. Only complaint with AK would be the poor ontime performance.

TG has a very good safety record, 99% of people would feel just as safe with them as they would with QF. OX, well I guess some people are still scared of old equipment, but realistically they're still perfectly safe.

Actually Daniel, I don't think TG does have that good a safety record (maybe compared with Aeroflot it does).

If you want to press me, I'll dig out the stats (and the horror stories told by friends of mine).

 

[N860CR]

Records indicate 5 aircraft losses in Thai's full history. This compares with 127 for Aeroflot...

 

[stryker]

Records indicate 5 aircraft losses in Thai's full history. This compares with 127 for Aeroflot...

Well, I did imply that. However, it's also the non total-losses that TG have in some abundance.

But surely, that wouldn't surprise anyone.

And Thailand really is a very nice place.

 

[oz_mark]

Records indicate 5 aircraft losses in Thai's full history. This compares with 127 for Aeroflot...

Hmm, I think Qantas has lost more than 5 in its full history.

 

[Evan]

QF may well have however never lost a "Jet" airframe in commercial passanger operation, remember the 743 that ran of them end of the runway in BKK ? was roumored to be the most expensive repair ever, presure was applied to make sure it was repaired instead of writen off.

But this is just from my memory so feel free to correct.

Evan

 

[NM]

QF may well have however never lost a "Jet" airframe in commercial passanger operation, remember the 743 that ran of them end of the runway in BKK ? was roumored to be the most expensive repair ever, presure was applied to make sure it was repaired instead of writen off.

Actually, it was a 747-400 that had the golfing excursion at BKK. It was VH-OJH.