LHR-MEL (or SYD) - Best Airline/Program for Upgrade Potential??

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MrHanky

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Hi all,

Thought I'd explore with the brains trust on here; I've need to take a flight from LHR-MEL (via SYD, if need be) in March 2016.

My company will be paying for this trip to enable me to have a visa processed, which requires that I return to Australia. I've not yet broached the topic of travel class, but general policy for employees of my level is Y or Y+ for flights longer than 8 hours... I do know that in either case, I'll be booking into the 'full' booking class (i.e. not discount) due to flexibility requirements.

I've got around about 80k AMEX membership reward points at my disposal, and so ideally I'd like to book with an airline where I can dump some of these points into their FF program, and receive a confirmed upgrade to J with relative ease, for at least one direction.

I know that Qantas FF upgrades for a NB like me are highly unlikely; and largely this process is a lottery where it's not confirmed until a few hours before travel. Conversely, I know that the likes of Singapore Airlines allow upgrades to be confirmed online days/weeks/months before travel.

Spoilt for choice on this route, but can anyone recommend:
a) what airline (with AMEX MR transfer capability) should I look to book in to maximise the chance of an upgrade being successful?
b) Obviously cost of upgrade is a big factor - ideally the ability to upgrade from Y to J would be nice (I know not all programs offer this!)

Any recommendations would be appreciated :)

Thanks!
 
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May not be your first choice of airline but MH would be very likely to have upgrade availability. Have to be careful which fare bucket you are in. Angled to ex-Aus but flat KUL-LHR. 60K Enrich miles each way for whole trip. 40K each way just for the London legs
 
May not be your first choice of airline but MH would be very likely to have upgrade availability. Have to be careful which fare bucket you are in. Angled to ex-Aus but flat KUL-LHR. 60K Enrich miles each way for whole trip. 40K each way just for the London legs

Thanks for the suggestion... Although I'm not sure I'd pick MH.

I probably should have qualified; these are UK AMEX MR points (not AU), so the available airline partners are:

Emirates Skywards
Alitalia
BA Avios
Etihad Guest
Asia Miles
Delta
Finnair
Flying Blue
Iberia Avios
SAS
Singapore Krisflyer
... and Virgin Atlantic.

I can of course dump points into SPG first, which opens up a lot more airline options; but the rate to dump into SPG is 2:1, so not particularly attractive...
 
Do some research on Y+ pricing (QF, SQ, maybe some others) and then I am sure on AFF we can collectively find a cheaper J fare for you without needing to use upgrade points ...

Although knowing how some companies work I am sure they would happily pay more for a flexible Y or Y+fare than J fare :)
 
OK, so I've done a little bit of research (as suggested!)

Dates: 18/2/15 - 4/3/15
Qantas: Class W (Y+ according to corp travel agent), £2026
Emirates: Class Y, £1691
Singapore: Class P, E, B, T (lol? Fully flexible according to corp travel agent), £1925

Now I need the brains trust to validate my understanding:

Qantas: Upgrade (return) from W -> J = 90k points
-- Can this be upgraded using Emirates points?
-- Is this always a complete lottery?
-- If I get upgraded for 1 sector (e.g. DXB-MEL), does that still cost 45k points if I requested the upgrade for the whole journey?

Singapore: Upgrade return from Y -> J 150k points (if 'Saver' available)
-- Can be confirmed instantly
-- No idea of availability - is it generally good?

Emirates: Upgrade return from Y -> J 125k points
-- Can be confirmed instantly
-- Can I upgrade using QFF points?
-- No idea of availability - is it generally good?

... and of course, if anyone happens to come up with a way to fly me in J for cheaper, I can probably try and sell that ;)

Many thanks all!
 
Are your dates flexible...to within one or two days?

If they are you may wish to look at a "Viking Run" with BA. Prices for J ex Norway are very competitive cGBP2k. It means cheap positioning flights and/or traveling HLO. Bergen and Stavanger are best for the HLO flights and OSL is probably best if you want to build some comfort into the connections and check luggage.

I'm in the middle of my second "Viking Run" with four more booked for 2016.
 
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