QF award Syd - LHR options

[GCC]

Hi - I find this forum really helpful, but first post for me so apologies for length and anything else I've done wrong.
I'm booking an award from Syd to LHR in September 2010 (QFF platinum). Preference is J but booking multi city online I seem to have 2 decent options:
F on QF1 - booked as multi city but in reality straight through 1 flight 1 cabin for 192,000 points.
J to HK on either QF 127 or QF 87, then o'night or 6 hour wait to get CX 253 J class to LHR 152,000 points.

While F sounds nice it is a lot of my total points balance, & I'd prefer J.
1) Are there likely to be more J seats released later - or better to grab something now.
2) Is it worth contacting Qantas and asking for a J award on QF 29? That would mean 2 hours in HK with J travel all the way.
3) Any thoughts on whether to go QF127 and o'night in HK, or go QF87 and hit a lounge / shop (6hours) until CX 253
4) Or should I just take the QF1 F award for another 40,000 points and be done with it?
thanks - would value any thoughts from those who know.

 

[NM]

Welcome to AFF.

1) Are there likely to be more J seats released later - or better to grab something now.

Not much chance between now and August. In the last month or so they may release more when they gave a good idea of loads.

2) Is it worth contacting Qantas and asking for a J award on QF 29? That would mean 2 hours in HK with J travel all the way.

You can ask. However, its going to be an assisted booking costing an additional 2500 points. Personally I would avoid QF29 MEL-HKG unless you really like overnight flights.

3) Any thoughts on whether to go QF127 and o'night in HK, or go QF87 and hit a lounge / shop (6hours) until CX 253

My preference would be QF127 (a nice daytime flight), stay overnight then continue in the morning. There are three decent hotel options close to HKG (Regal, Marriott and Novotel Citigate) or you can take the Airport Express into HK or Kowloon as QF127 arrives early enough to make a night of it enjoying the food and entertainment experience HK has to offer.

4) Or should I just take the QF1 F award for another 40,000 points and be done with it?

Only you can place a value on the extra 40,000 points. But make up your mind quickly as those F seats may not last. Also note that Qantas is planning to reduce their F seating, removing it altogether from 747 aircraft over the next few years, so might be your last chance for an F experience if you don't regularly fly in that cabin.

 

[Worldtraveller8888]

2) Is it worth contacting Qantas and asking for a J award on QF 29? That would mean 2 hours in HK with J travel all the way.

If you have no desire to stay in Hong Kong for anything longer than necessary, then the 2500 points extra for the assisted booking fee (assuming a seat can be released of course!) sounds like it would be worth it...

However, as NM mentions, the QF29 departure time out of MEL isn't the best.

Does it matter whether you leave from SYD or MEL?

WT

 

[GCC]

Thanks for the thoughts.
A night in HK is always tempting. So is spending a flight in F - have never done a leg longer than few hours in any F cabin. Is F on QF1 highly regarded.

Re QF 29, I meant ask for J award on QF29 out of HK to LHR - (not out of Melbourne) so: OF 87 from Syd arrive HK 0530 and then transfer to QF 29 dep HK at 0730.
thanks

 

[NM]

Thanks for the thoughts.
A night in HK is always tempting. So is spending a flight in F - have never done a leg longer than few hours in any F cabin. Is F on QF1 highly regarded.

If you can afford the points, its a nice way to travel.

Re QF 29, I meant ask for J award on QF29 out of HK to LHR - (not out of Melbourne) so: OF 87 from Syd arrive HK 0530 and then transfer to QF 29 dep HK at 0730.
thanks

Ahh, so that makes QF87 the overnight killer then

 

[jamesatfish]

From what I've been told over the last few years by QF telephone agents, J is the hardest class to get award seats opened up upon request. It seems that F is in relatively low demand so they're happier to have someone flying in (and essentially paying for) a seat rather than have it fly empty, and Y has so many seats that opening up one or two for a WP member isn't a big issue.

J, on the other hand, seems to be sufficiently popular for cash-paying tickets that QF are reluctant to open up seats for award tickets.

I used points to fly my sister and her husband back to the UK from Canberra in September last year, in J. It took me 6 months of calling the QF telephone centre a couple of times a month to investigate possible routings and make points redemption requests to open up 2 J seats. In the end I did get 2 J seats (CBR-MEL-SIN-LHR) at roughly the right time but I wouldn't bet on being lucky enough to do that again.

If it were me I'd use the extra points and fly F, as the experience up the front would be well worth the 40K difference in points.

At the very least, book the F ticket now and keep asking QF to open up J tickets on your preferred flights. That way if they will open up tickets on a flight you'd prefer you can cancel the F ticket and move across, but if you luck out with the J tickets at least you'll still be flying across using points.

 

[Flying Fox]

I'd say go F for the extra points if you can afford it.

As NM said, F in a 747 may be going the way of the Dodo next year (if the reports are accurate).

 

[Gold Member]

40K extra points for F? Definitely go F. I spent 35K points on an upgrade from J-F SYD-JNB which is nowehere near as far as SYD-LHR.

But beware, once you've done longhaul F you won't want to go back. Can be a lifelong costly exercise, as I'm finding out in my current and future travel plans!

 

[JetLagged]

But beware, once you've done longhaul F you won't want to go back. Can be a lifelong costly exercise, as I'm finding out in my current and future travel plans!

Certainly can't disagree with that - each flight to LHR of late has been with a complimentary or points upgrade t F - on the A380 (747s somewhat dated by now. Flew from LHR to HKG this morning - old 1st section on 747 - and felt surprisingly 'sparse' in comfort and style. Amazing how thoroughly we raise our expectations, isn't it?

 

[GCC]

Many thanks for the thoughts (tho my wife says this forum is like a little red devil sitting on my right shoulder & whispering "just go F".)
Have booked F via the premium desk on QF1 Syd - LHR for 192,000 points + $167 taxes. After reading jetLagged's post I tried for the A380, but there was nothing in F, J or Y+ on any other flight on 14 or 15 September.

 

[Andyzx]

I have booked July 10, J class MEL - HKG back in Sept last year so you do have to be early. Also noticed that take off is 22.50pm rather than the 23.55 it currently is.

Gives me a full day in HK before my BA28 flight that night.
Thanks also to those that have posted "what to do in HK for a day" very good reading