In my recent experiences (Dec 22) at MEL and DXB they could not have cared less. They did not even want to see the bag of liquids and gels, it was ok to leave it in my carry on. The size is definitely indicative only - they just don’t want tiny bags or huge ones. Caution: some airports require you to use their special bag eg LHR.
I’ve never been required to use a special LHR bag - they’re identical to the ones you see provided ex-Oz (which I generally use). Take a spare or two from the pile when you leave
To my knowledge, no.
To my knowledge, unless you're willing to get a US credit card or fly with AA a lot, there's no easy way to build up a lot of AA miles while in Australia.
buy miles?
I think that is true if you are using to fly J instead of pay for J but I doubt the same applies for Y.
Yes, and the catch is you normally don't earn points or status credits*. When the AUD is much stronger, it's a more compelling proposition if you're not after status/points.
Sort of. I mean yeah, if you are booking something like SYD > LAX you would likely get better value booking a cash fare, especially with the sales QF and others have been running recently. That being said, there are certain edge cases where buying points even for travel in Y can still make sense such as flying to exotic destinations like LDH or PPT. Similarly, some programs offer flexible routing rules (i.e. Aeroplan) which enables you to effectively get in extra travel for little added cost, such as flying to North America with a stopover in Europe. The other award bookings get you is flexibility in being able to change or cancel awards with minimal penalties.
Unless of course you use your points to upgrade your flight to J or PY. I know it's an absolute lottery at the moment but sometimes it can provide great value, particularly if your employer booked you on a flex fare abroad. But then I would argue that if status is what you are after, you would research the forums to see what the cheapest options are to get you the status you need. For instance, QF during the DSC promotion earlier this year, one could book SYD to AKL in J for $1100 return and earn 480 status credits from the flight which would just about make you a Gold if you are requalifing.
Yes, but not particularly relevant to “buying points” - as per the question above.
The inconsistencies are what gets me! It was 2019, but I had LAGs in a suitable bag and was made to remove them and use the LHR provided bag. You never know about lap tops and iPads and as a person with double knee replacements whether it’s shoes on or shoes off. And then the staff try to make you feel stupid/guilty for not knowing their local rules. And umbrellas!!!!
Normally I'd say 4 or 5 hours so you can take advantage of the excellent Emirates lounge, but seeing as the lounge opens at 17:10 it's a moot point. Personally, I'd say maybe 3 hours ahead of time should be fine. You are in J so will have priority check-in, security, passport control, etc. The QF J lounge at SYD is frankly nothing to write home about. Imagine the QF Business lounge in SYD but with better booze and a bit more space.
Yup thank you. I've been following QF1 for the past 2 weeks and it's consistently 1-4+ hours delayed. So there may be a chance for me to visit the Emirates lounge!
I'm flying QF1 on Christmas Eve and would have been able to guest you into the F lounge...
Oh I responded to your message in the lounge meetups thread. What a shame! Thank you so much though. Hope we can catch each other another time
It may have been me?!
The 1mil pts will be “any seat reward”. Basically using points to pay for a revenue fare (very poor value). Select “use points” and “rewards only” to see what if any “classic rewards” are out there.
