SYD-NAN Status Run booking questions

[drewbles]

Excuse me for being so niave but is't this an expensive way to maintain or achieve a higher status? I am not sure i fully understand the status-run.

This is probably the cheapest way ex-AU to get SC's.

The only real cheaper way involves a trip to LOTFAP (USA). There, SC's can be had for far less, but it can be a lot of travel still.

 

[prozac]

SC's...status credits?

Paying over cash to earn status...is it worthwhile? Wouldn't it be only worth it if you were wantin a holiday in Fiji anyway and direct fight return gave you enough points to maintain or up your status?

 

[samh004]

SC's...status credits?

Paying over cash to earn status...is it worthwhile? Wouldn't it be only worth it if you were wantin a holiday in Fiji anyway and direct fight return gave you enough points to maintain or up your status?

Yes, SC = Staus Credits.

For some the only reason to travel is to get to the destination, but for others, a relatively cheap flight to Fiji and back, via a few key cities, could earn you status that you could then use when you actually go on holiday, or on business. In ways such as getting to use a First class lounge that you otherwise wouldn’t have had access to, or a better change for both paid and free upgrades. Or even just better seats on the plane.

Compare a paid First fare, giving you First lounge access and First seat, to say a Business fare, not giving you First lounge access and a Business seat, but if you have the points and the status, you might get that upgrade to First and you can get into the First lounge, for a lot less…

Or simply flying Economy and getting to sip Champagne for a few hours before your flight, instead of sitting next to the gate in an uncomfortable chair.

 

[markis10]

There are not to many places you can go business class overseas for $600, throw in the fact that you can earn 180 SCs each way and it soon makes sense to consider a Fiji holiday.

 

[drewbles]

SC's...status credits?

Paying over cash to earn status...is it worthwhile? Wouldn't it be only worth it if you were wantin a holiday in Fiji anyway and direct fight return gave you enough points to maintain or up your status?

Yes, SC = Staus Credits.

For some the only reason to travel is to get to the destination, but for others, a relatively cheap flight to Fiji and back, via a few key cities, could earn you status that you could then use when you actually go on holiday, or on business. In ways such as getting to use a First class lounge that you otherwise wouldn’t have had access to, or a better change for both paid and free upgrades. Or even just better seats on the plane.

Compare a paid First fare, giving you First lounge access and First seat, to say a Business fare, not giving you First lounge access and a Business seat, but if you have the points and the status, you might get that upgrade to First and you can get into the First lounge, for a lot less…

Or simply flying Economy and getting to sip Champagne for a few hours before your flight, instead of sitting next to the gate in an uncomfortable chair.

What Sam said

There are some of us around here who fly for any reason (A friend of mine once said "drewbles flies for the opening of a coke can"; alas he was not far wrong i've jumped on a plane just to have dinner with a friend, turn around, and come back the same night before).

Others, it's all up to maximising SC earn based on travel requirements. Others maximise travel opportunities based on SC earn.

It's all about perceived value and what you enjoy doing. I will find just about any excuse to travel somewhere (I like airports, I know i'm strange) so SC runs let me satisfy my strange desires

 

[JohnK]

Excuse me for being so niave but is't this an expensive way to maintain or achieve a higher status? I am not sure i fully understand the status-run.

If you want to stay sane then don't even think about status runs.

It may sound silly to just fly around for the sake of attaining status credits but some of us actually fly quite a lot and that status comes in handy if you cannot afford to fly up the front of the aircraft all the time.

My example is simple. I commute SYD-BNE totally self-funded almost every week and I go to Thailand 3-4 times a years in economy. Having Platinum status has more than paid for itself over and over.

And I would rather sleep overnight in a lounge in SIN and HKG to save ~AUD250 which I will put towards the next holiday or even go to Thailand the long way again.

To each their own....

 

[prozac]

Thanks drewbies, sam, markis for your explanation. I have been considering a trip to Fiji for this reason.
I have 20,888 Kris flyer miles, and wanting to make another Europe trip soon. Flight to Singapore is 3912 miles leaving me with 24,800 Kris miles or 200 miles short of Silver status for the journey Sin/Ams for which I would get 125% miles accrual. Plus then my return flight would also have the 25% miles loading.
Does being Silver status then give access to lounges?

 

[Wannabee]

The reason I do this can be said by some to be silly, but yes I was going to holiday in Fiji anyway. Why fly to BNE to go via MEL then SYD to NAN, well it is literally less than $50 extra for a lot of extra SC's. I have friends in Brisbane that I will be taking the opportunity to visit and the SYD-BNE flights are around $100 each way.

Why is status important to me? I fly for work SYD-DRW return once per month minimum. Also head to Thailand once per year and possibly the USA as well. The Lounge access, extra baggage, seat selection makes it all worthwhile for me.

Whilst I don't expect everyone to understand, I know I am not alone and I consider this a hobby. After all, people spend crazy amounts of money on hobbies don't they?

 

[JohnK]

Does being Silver status then give access to lounges?

Star Alliance? I don't believe Silver status allows lounge access. Need to be Gold or higher.

 

[prozac]

Thanks for clarification John...but when i return from Europe I'll be tantilisingly short of Gold status.
And thank you Wannabee for elaborating. certainly only small change to achieve the status then.

 

[samh004]

Thanks drewbies, sam, markis for your explanation. I have been considering a trip to Fiji for this reason.

I have 20,888 Kris flyer miles, and wanting to make another Europe trip soon. Flight to Singapore is 3912 miles leaving me with 24,800 Kris miles or 200 miles short of Silver status for the journey Sin/Ams for which I would get 125% miles accrual. Plus then my return flight would also have the 25% miles loading.
Does being Silver status then give access to lounges?

Just forgive my ignorance here possibly, but Air Pacific isn’t a partner with KrisFlyer, so if you took a trip to Fiji per the above deal, you wouldn’t get any miles towards your KrisFlyer account… as far as I can see.

And as JohnK said, you don’t get lounge access as a KrisFlyer Elite Silver.

 

[prozac]

Good point sam. It might require a trip to NZ then instead.

 

[Aussie_flyer]

Good point sam. It might require a trip to NZ then instead.

If you are flying Air NZ to NZ, then you will have to spend about $700 return (in economy) on the flights to qualify for mileage, none of the cheap deals on ANZ offer miles in any other program other than their own on Trans-Tasman.

 

[prozac]

If you are flying Air NZ to NZ, then you will have to spend about $700 return (in economy) on the flights to qualify for mileage, none of the cheap deals on ANZ offer miles in any other program other than their own on Trans-Tasman.

I have hijacked this thread so please go back on topic after this.

Thanks dazz. For me it s probably easier just to do the Europe flight and get my status like other mere mortals.

 

[11sjw]

I have hijacked this thread so please go back on topic after this.

Thanks dazz. For me it s probably easier just to do the Europe flight and get my status like other mere mortals.

Surprised you weren't called a heretic. Questioning status runs around here would be considered blasphemy, correct? :mrgreen::mrgreen:

 

[notzac]

Questioning status runs around here would be considered blasphemy, correct? :mrgreen::mrgreen:

It'll get you excommunicated if it keeps up..:!:

 

[prozac]

Sorry................

 

[Flashback]

Sorry................

No you're not:!: :shock:

 

[Joshua]

I'll try to get this back on topic a little for the OP, as I have recently booked some NAN flights myself.

Ok first thing, you can actually just call them up and say exactly what flights you want (as long as there's D availability) and it should book fine without additional costs - there are no additional fees (ie. phone booking) being business class. I ended up doing this for booking NAN-OZ rather than stuffing around with the multi-city tool.

Your big decision is either book the return flight from Aus (easier) or two one-way flights (cheaper). You can book the outgoing trip using the intl. multi-city tool. If it's a problem, try entering it in 2 segments, BNE-MEL and MEL-NAN. The second one will provide options for going via SYD.

You can do the same on the return leg if it's a return ticket or otherwise call them up (though they will bill in AUD no FJD, so you lose some of the savings). Sometimes of course you will find the 3 sector combos come up in the regular booking engine.

In my case I booked the outgoing flights with the multi-city tool. I added a 2 week stopover in SYD, effectively using the domestic sectors for other travel I had planned. I booked the flights back over the phone, which was nearly quicker than using the multi-city tool.

 

[Joshua]

Example booking

I've provided an example booking below using the international booking tool:



Making sure you pick the right flights, it should end up like this:



As for the error Markis got - I get the same thing, not sure why. But it shouldn't show the economy + business options for the first sector. I think the booking engine is undecided if it's a DOM or Int. booking.