PER-EDI/GLA-MEL buy a rtn or RTW ticket?

[TheScotsman]

Hi All,
I want to fly PER to Scotland (any of EDI/GLA/ABZ/DND) 18/6/10 and return to MEL 12/7/10.
Emirates is the obvious choice PER-GLA-MEL but I've left it too late (work were unable to confirm my last day until now) and Emirates is full in Economy for Fri 18th June departure and the subsequent few days.
I could move the outbound flight a day earlier and lose a day's pay but the total (for me, wife and 12 month old baby) is still $6300 all in, which is more than i'd been hoping for.

This made me wonder, should we just get a RTW ticket for a few hundred dollars more and enjoy somewhere else on the way there/home (eg anywhere in the Americas)?
I've seen an option with Lufthansa from $2375 Round the World Flights, Airfares - Flight Centre which amazingly enough must either start in PER and end in MEL (or vice versa)!

The final complexity is that the return flight must be flexible because I will be unemployed on 18th June and need to be ready to fly back to MEL as soon as any new work/interviews come up.

Final note - I am a Gold QFF with 180,000 miles, and have various lapsed cards such as Silver emirates and also a BA executive blue with 100,000 miles.

Any tips/help much appreciated.
Cheers,
TheScotsman

 

[ejb_nz]

Hi All,
I want to fly PER to Scotland (any of EDI/GLA/ABZ/DND) 18/6/10 and return to MEL 12/7/10.
Emirates is the obvious choice PER-GLA-MEL but I've left it too late (work were unable to confirm my last day until now) and Emirates is full in Economy for Fri 18th June departure and the subsequent few days.
I could move the outbound flight a day earlier and lose a day's pay but the total (for me, wife and 12 month old baby) is still $6300 all in, which is more than i'd been hoping for.

This made me wonder, should we just get a RTW ticket for a few hundred dollars more and enjoy somewhere else on the way there/home (eg anywhere in the Americas)?
I've seen an option with Lufthansa from $2375 Round the World Flights, Airfares - Flight Centre which amazingly enough must either start in PER and end in MEL (or vice versa)!

The final complexity is that the return flight must be flexible because I will be unemployed on 18th June and need to be ready to fly back to MEL as soon as any new work/interviews come up.

Final note - I am a Gold QFF with 180,000 miles, and have various lapsed cards such as Silver emirates and also a BA executive blue with 100,000 miles.

Any tips/help much appreciated.
Cheers,
TheScotsman

It will not be a detailed response, I will leave that to the experts, but here goes.

Get a OW RTW ticket for 140000 points and buy the same for wife and baby, this should save you a few dollars. Better still use that for your wife and you purchase yours and that will come with FF points and approx 300 SC's I think.

Not much help but an idea.

ejb

 

[dajop]

Get a OW RTW ticket for 140000 points and buy the same for wife and baby, this should save you a few dollars. Better still use that for your wife and you purchase yours and that will come with FF points and approx 300 SC's I think.

Main trouble is lack of flexibility with OW tickets, they (in theory, and probably practice as well) do not allow changes once booked.

Another consideration if $$ are an issue, is get yourself to SIN and buy a ticket from there to GLA, can see tickets (admittedly a day before your desired date) return SIN-GLA-SIN for as low as $2670AUD for two adults+infant (ie $1335 per pax), although that would be a multi hop SIN-CMB-DXB-GLA which could be somewhat painful with an infant.

 

[Dave Noble]

I would only buy an ATW ticket if you want to travel ATW ; if you are not sure on whether you want to do so then I would buy a r/t ticket. Also, if there is limited availability ( hence high fares ) finding availability for an ATW could be hard.

 

[TheScotsman]

I would only buy an ATW ticket if you want to travel ATW ; if you are not sure on whether you want to do so then I would buy a r/t ticket. Also, if there is limited availability ( hence high fares ) finding availability for an ATW could be hard.

all good points, and I agree, but as I am soon to be at the end of my contract i am in no rush to get back to Melbourne (but want flexibilioty to get back asap if required), and if a few hunder dollars extra (I am thinking that RTW prices are fixed and not too punitive to change dates) then this could get me to somewhere interesting on the way home with the flexibility to get home in a rush if required (albeit with a weird detour).
Understand that availability for my departure date from Perth might be lacking with this type of ticket.