Quickest AND Cheapest path to QFF Gold

[11sjw]

Any recommendations for points runs out of PER (aka the forgotten city as far as QF go)?

Yeah get to SIN and go from there.

The JQ (yuk) midnight flight will get you into SIN in time to take on the SIN-HKG-BKK (in J).

Choose a flight pair with a long layover in HKG/late arrival into BKK and then stay airside (hotel charges in 6 hour blocks, late arrival means you'll only need 1 and into the CX lounge for shower and breakfast). Same deal in reverse the next day and stay airside at SIN (again 6 hour block deal).

Repeat until desired SC outcome achieved.

Airside BKK link (tyvm serfty)

Louis' Tavern Dayrooms at Suvarnabhumi Airport Hotel Bangkok

Airside SIN link

http://athmg.com/

 

[kingzac]

I'm looking for something from the 27th of Dec - Jan 2nd for the cheapest way to get up some status points. Preferably departing BNE and returning to Canberra.

I know Christmas isn't the best time to do this but the prices only seem slightly higher for the Asia run than other random dates I chose.

 

[nlagalle]

I'm looking for something from the 27th of Dec - Jan 2nd for the cheapest way to get up some status points. Preferably departing BNE and returning to Canberra.

I know Christmas isn't the best time to do this but the prices only seem slightly higher for the Asia run than other random dates I chose.

Points (ASA) or paid ticket?

 

[kingzac]

Points (ASA) or paid ticket?

Paid ticket I'm afriad, points are at an extremely low level ATM

 

[nlagalle]

Paid ticket I'm afriad, points are at an extremely low level ATM

Doesn't leave you many options. how many SC's are you after?

 

[kingzac]

Doesn't leave you many options. how many SC's are you after?

Well I'm just plain old base level ATM as well which also doesnt help, so as many as possible within reason of course.

Sorry I'm a bit new to it all, have been flying a lot but sharing the airlines around, thought it was about time I got my act together and got something back for it.

I'm also tossing up flying business from LHR-KUL next March for some cheap extra points as well - it seems to be the cheapest option for business from Europe to KL

 

[nlagalle]

Well it all depends on your budget and what you are trying to achieve.

If you are after lounge access, Priority Pass or Qantas Club membership might be a better (and much cheaper) option.

700 SCs are required to get Gold, so it is a lot of flying domestically. It has taken me 3 months of almost weekly flying between MEL-SYD MEL-CBR and MEL-BNE to get the 600 SC's to retain Gold.

 

[kingzac]

Well it all depends on your budget and what you are trying to achieve..

Well I was thinking I could get a cheap fair to Asia and use the flights here to get to Silver with around $1000, but I'm not sure I'm doing the calculations right.

I also already have a priority pass which has been getting well and truely abused over the last few months

 

[markis10]

Well I was thinking I could get a cheap fair to Asia and use the flights here to get to Silver with around $1000, but I'm not sure I'm doing the calculations right.

I also already have a priority pass which has been getting well and truely abused over the last few months

If you are Brisbane based you are probably best to do the NAN run for $1300, you can do it without the need for a hotel and it will get 340SCs each time (going BNE_MEL_NAN_SYD_MEL_BNE). Got to question why though, if you are that far off getting status based on your normal flying patterns is the value there compared to a QP membership?

 

[nlagalle]

Well I was thinking I could get a cheap fair to Asia and use the flights here to get to Silver with around $1000, but I'm not sure I'm doing the calculations right.

I also already have a priority pass which has been getting well and truely abused over the last few months

I guess I am wondering what your reasons are. If you weren't far off Silver it could be worth it, but if you are long way off it's a lot of money to spend to get it.

 

[JohnK]

Well I was thinking I could get a cheap fair to Asia and use the flights here to get to Silver with around $1000, but I'm not sure I'm doing the calculations right.

That horse has been flogged to death.

Unfortunately the airfares out of certain Asian cities have risen substantially recently. Of course not helped by the fall in the AUD.

Makes me sad just thinking about it as it looks like my next few trips between BKK and SIN will be on Air Asia.

 

[winfred]

Here's a quick summary of the routes mentioned above:

$3.925/SC BNE-MEL-NAN-SYD-MEL-BNE for $1256 = 320 SC
$2.80/SC BNE-BKQ-LRE-BNE for $98 = 35 SC | dep BNE 06:55, ret BNE 12:30 = 5h35, i.e. 9m34s/SC
$2.50/SC SFO-LAX-SFO for ~$300 = 120 SC
$2.42/SC HNL-LAX-JFK-BGI for ~$1840 (USD1652) = 760 SC | (11h20+7h40lo+5h30 there, ~50hr return?), ~3m56s/SC
$1.85/SC SIN-HKG-BKK-HKG-SIN for ~$520 = 280 SC | ~25h30m return?, ~5m28s/SC

I added the QANTASlink example too. See this thread.

Now, to finish figuring out how much time is needed per SC, for the above.

NB, to get Lifetime Platinum at $1.85/SC, for 14000SCs you're still looking at ~$26,000 AUD.

Lifetime Platinum??

 

[kingzac]

I guess I am wondering what your reasons are. If you weren't far off Silver it could be worth it, but if you are long way off it's a lot of money to spend to get it.

I usually do all my flying with Virgin but have recently had a bit of a thought and realised that I'm never really going to get anywhere with them.
I've got a fair few flights booked over the next 7 months both domestically with QANTAS and in Europe with BA so I'm going to come fairly close to silver as it is.

I've got the time off work from Christmas until after new years and thought it might be a good excuse to see a few places and earn up a few points to get me over the line. That's about all my motivation.

 

[markis10]

I would suggest joining the QP (AFF has a corporate scheme), rack up as much points as possible and then use them for an ASA run for Gold if you so desire later on. You wont get much by having QP and silver, and with silver alone there is only the one lounge visit permitted.