Six J award seats on QF9/10 to DXB

[Nizar]

Trying to organise a family trip with 4 adults and 2 children (aged 3 and 4). Am thinking AA miles would be the most cost-effective way but just wondering if QF release more award seats once a pair are snapped up ?

Seems like I can only buy two at a time and that a child will cost the same as an adult (fair enough).

Does anyone know if what I am trying is doable ?

If its not possible, would it at least be a goer to get the parents travelling with the kids so 4 seats ?

Award availability in J to DXB/LHR seems better than LAX so at least that is working in my favour lol.

Would appreciate any comments, advice or suggestions on alternative methods.

Thanks.

 

[Princess Fiona]

Trying to organise a family trip with 4 adults and 2 children (aged 3 and 4). Am thinking AA miles would be the most cost-effective way but just wondering if QF release more award seats once a pair are snapped up ?

Seems like I can only buy two at a time and that a child will cost the same as an adult (fair enough).

Does anyone know if what I am trying is doable ?

If its not possible, would it at least be a goer to get the parents travelling with the kids so 4 seats ?

Award availability in J to DXB/LHR seems better than LAX so at least that is working in my favour lol.

Would appreciate any comments, advice or suggestions on alternative methods.

Thanks.

I think that will be pretty difficult to pull off and I wish you the very best of luck.
IME (limited) I haven't seen 6 x J seats available for QF awards. The difficulty with AA is that the booking window is 331 days so seats are often snapped up by QFF with points and not available to AA.
I tried to get 6 seats to LAX with a mixture of QF and AA awards and couldn't quite pull it off. In the end up we had 4 J seats on one day and 2 seats going the exotic way via HKG.
I would plan on traveling in two's as your back-up eg. MEL-LHR, SYD-LHR. Look at alternatives other than QF eg MH, QR. You might get really lucky very close to departure and be able to change all the separate bookings to the one flight. I managed to do exactly this and get 6 x J seats on CX by using Award Nexus automated searching.

Good Luck

 

[craven morehead]

I have only ever managed to pick up 4 x J awards seats in one go. Did fluke 4 x F award seats once as well. :mrgreen:

 

[Nizar]

I have only ever managed to pick up 4 x J awards seats in one go. Did fluke 4 x F award seats once as well. :mrgreen:

Which program(s) ?

 

[Nizar]

I think that will be pretty difficult to pull off and I wish you the very best of luck.
IME (limited) I haven't seen 6 x J seats available for QF awards. The difficulty with AA is that the booking window is 331 days so seats are often snapped up by QFF with points and not available to AA.
I tried to get 6 seats to LAX with a mixture of QF and AA awards and couldn't quite pull it off. In the end up we had 4 J seats on one day and 2 seats going the exotic way via HKG.
I would plan on traveling in two's as your back-up eg. MEL-LHR, SYD-LHR. Look at alternatives other than QF eg MH, QR. You might get really lucky very close to departure and be able to change all the separate bookings to the one flight. I managed to do exactly this and get 6 x J seats on CX by using Award Nexus automated searching.

Good Luck

Thanks for your thoughts and sharing your experiences.
CX J has decent availability to HKG and then onwards to DXB but with AA you can't get this on the standard 45k mileage as per Aus-DXB can you ?
You'd have to get MEL-HKG for 35k then HKG-DXB for probably another 25k or so miles ?

I might do as you suggest and book myself and the Mrs on EY and QR or something different though I'd like to get my sister and brother in law and their young daughters on the same flight as possible.
Splitting up a booking is no hassles if the kids are older but as they are aged 3 and 4 I think its best to keep them with the parents if possible.

I'll keep searching.
Cheers

 

[smit0847]

As others have said, 6 J on an QF A380 will be extremely difficult. From my limited understanding of the AA program I *think* EY are an AA partner? EY give very generous availability to VA so might do the same to AA? It's only a short-ish bus/cab ride from AUH to DXB.

Definitely split-up the travelling party too.

 

[Nizar]

As others have said, 6 J on an QF A380 will be extremely difficult. From my limited understanding of the AA program I *think* EY are an AA partner? EY give very generous availability to VA so might do the same to AA? It's only a short-ish bus/cab ride from AUH to DXB.

Definitely split-up the travelling party too.

A pity QF don't take the same approach as TG F lol, then I wouldn't have a problem.

QF A380 has 66-72 seats in the J cabin and the DXB/LHR route isn't as in demand as the LAX route but I suppose yes you are right, 6 is still a big ask.
Travel dates are not until Feb 2015 so at least I have time on my side.

I'm hoping to get 4 together and the other 2 can go with another airline, as mentioned EY is a good option. And yes they are an AA partner.

Cheers

 

[lovetravellingoz]

Which program(s) ?

Five J on Thai booked via SQ. Booked via phone.

Five J on SQ from coughet to Melb. Booked online. However I think it was a glitch that allowed it.

* With SQ I have observed time to time when glitches are on, that larger bookings can be made. However it is very much lucky dip when this may occur, and my perception is that it is no where near as frequent as it used to be and is now very rare.

 

[Quickstatus]

6J would be impossible IMHO even if you are high status and even for your nonholiday travel period of Feb2015.

Split up the booking request. If you request 6 at a time you will get nothing. Look for 2 at a time. Maybe 2U, 2Z on one day and another lot the next day. Or as some suggest MEL-DXB for part of party and SYD-DXB for rest of party.

Consider paying for one maybe 2 in J when specials come up. This way you can elevate your FF status which could release more award seats for your status levels in future.

Once award seats are snapped up, there will usually be no more. Sometimes you see availability later on but its because someone with an award booking has cancelled it and it has gone back into pool. If you are WP1 you can ask for award seats to be released if there are none available.

Book asap. I snared 2P and 2U on 29Dec2013 at 1102am for SYD-LAX QF11 16Dec2014. And I am a QF PS. I think your chances are better as you are SG but not 6U. At 1100am the seats were not available so I kept refreshing the award request and bingo they were released at 1102am. See below linkback:

http://www.australianfrequentflyer....award-booking-challenge-first-post-56695.html

P=first class award
U=business award
Z=premium econ award
X=econ award

 

[craven morehead]

QF - flights were on QF, CX, BA