Options for two return trips to Asia, Oneworld/Qantas

[piperlance]

Just wondering if the experts among you can offer some suggestions as to how I might conduct two trips to Asia while garnering some status credits within OW/QF ex SYD. Would like J class (wouldn't we all) but may have to settle for less. Travelling late August and late November to SHE (N China) with a side-trip to BKK, and MNL respectively.

I have thought of a Circle Asia fare for one of the trips, and a stop on a DONE4 for the second. Yet a Circle Asia is more expensive in terms of $/mile

The closest I can get to SHE using OW is ICN so I will just do a local add-on from there.

I am not averse to using QF points for one journey, and the most efficient use in J class seems to be the 280K points, 35K miles option (a OneWorld Classic award?). A straight return in J on points is 280K - so one may as well design a more extensive itinerary.

What would you do? Bearing in mind that I would like to work towards retaining QF Plat/OW Emerald status? I realise that this is not a very clear explanation, but any thoughts will be gratefully received...

 

[browski]

The closest I can get to SHE using OW is ICN so I will just do a local add-on from there.

Don't forget DragonAir.

So maybe:
SYD-HKG on CX or Qantas
HKY-SHE return on DragonAir
HKG-MNL on DragonAir (or Cathay)
and then maybe MNL-SYD on Qantas instead of routing back through HKG.
or even MNL-POM-SYD on Air Niugini if you are crazy-brave.

Second trip the same to SHE and then:
HKG-BKK on CX or Royal Jordanian.
Then BKK-SYD on Qantas or backtrack thru HKG.

 

[piperlance]

I think the Dragonair dropped SHE as a destination recently. It doesn't appear as a destination on their website. Hence I want to get reasonably close to SHE in order to minimise the cost of the add-on...

 

[futaris]

Yep, Shenyang has been dropped according to Wikipedia and this.

Shenyang Taoxian International Airport - Wikipedia doesn't list any other Oneworld airlines...

 

[docjames]

Also consider seeing if you can get a reasonable price ex-asia back to aus.

ie. Do a circle asia/pacific or whatever, do the first leg outbound from SYD in August, and the remainder at the end of Novemebr trip, and plug the middle with an asia-syd-asia fare. May avoid a number of taxes / surcharges etc, and give you two trips with fairly direct routings, the reminder to add to the SCs. Or do two circle asias, the second starting after the outbound of the first, but commenced and ticketed in asia so should be cheaper.

 

[piperlance]

That's a great suggestion. I knew someone would have a brilliant idea. I have been mulling over this for months and hadn't come up with something as logical. It's a pity that South Korea is now so expensive for OW trips - it used to be one of the best origins. Thanks.