OW RTW Award. Comments?

[Skyring]

I've just booked my award tickets to Birmingham. While it wasn't as simple as selecting "Canberra-Birmingham, and back" it wasn't as much hassle as I'd imagined it might be.

Took me about an hour. Had to go RTW because it stops counting each sector once you get to the RTW cost, and if I'd gone there and back I wouldn't have had enough points for the number of flights needed.

A bit of juggling to work it all out, but here's what I've got:

Tuesday 27 June 2006
1025 QF 763 Canberra - Melbourne T1 arriving 1130
1440 CX 104 Melbourne - Hong Kong arriving 2205
2345 CX 289 Hong Kong - Frankfurt T2 arriving 0600 28 June

Wednesday 28 June 2006
1145 BA8733 Frankfurt T2 - London City arriving 1225

London City youth hostel until Friday morning, when I'll take a train up to Birmingham.

Friday night and Saturday night in the convention hotel (Holiday Inn Express)

Sunday night is a loose end, but I'll probably extend my hotel room.

Monday 3 July 2006
1540 BA1735 Birmingham T2 - Glasgow M arriving 1650
1730 BA1493 Glasgow M - London Heathrow T1 arriving 1850
2005 AA 141 London Heathrow T3 - New York JFK T8 arriving 2245

Tuesday 4 July 2006
1135 AA 167 New York JFK T9 - Tokyo Narita T1 arriving 1430 5 July

Wednesday 5 July 2006
2035 QF 22 Tokyo Narita T2 - Sydney T1 arriving 0700 6 July

Thursday 6 July 2006
1125 QF1419 Sydney T3 - Canberra arriving 1215

On looking at this, I can see a few problems.

First off, my transit time in Hong Kong might be too tight to get a shower in one of the Cathay Pacific lounges. I've got 1 hour and 40 minutes, but that could get eaten up real quick. Then again, there's a lounge at either end of the terminal. Probably not a lot of time to recharge my laptop, neither, but I should be sleeping for a lot of the flight to Frankfurt. Frankfurt has a BA lounge where I should be able to get a shower.

On the way back, I don't like the transit time in Heathrow: 1 hour and 15 minutes for an international flight and a terminal change. Hmmm. I may just take a train down to London and sit in the lounge, skipping the flights to and from Glasgow.

JFK could be a problem. I arrive late at night and I've got twelve hours to kill. The lounge in T9 doesn't open until 0530, so I'll have to spend six hours sitting around. At least my body clock will be telling me it's morning.

On the plus side, my Frequent Flyer Gold kit arrived a little while ago. I'm still 45 points short of Platinum - maybe a status run soon?

 

[Kiwi Flyer]

For a simple round trip you shouldn't need to use more points than a RTW award. Did you make sure stopover was unchecked?

 

[NM]

First off, my transit time in Hong Kong might be too tight to get a shower in one of the Cathay Pacific lounges. I've got 1 hour and 40 minutes, but that could get eaten up real quick. Then again, there's a lounge at either end of the terminal. Probably not a lot of time to recharge my laptop, neither, but I should be sleeping for a lot of the flight to Frankfurt. Frankfurt has a BA lounge where I should be able to get a shower.

If your arrival is on time into HKG, you should have plenty of time for a shower.

I have not seen any showers in the BA lounge at FRA. Its a small lounge that only caters to BA short-haul flights - don't expect too much from it.

On the way back, I don't like the transit time in Heathrow: 1 hour and 15 minutes for an international flight and a terminal change. Hmmm. I may just take a train down to London and sit in the lounge, skipping the flights to and from Glasgow.

Don't just skip the flights. That will invalidate the remainder of the ticket and you will be stuck there. If you decide to take the train instead, then you will need to have the ticket re-issued and there will be a fee (points) for that. But you may also get a refund on the taxes.

But I agree that connection is pretty tight. But if they issue the ticket then it must be legal and hence you should be protected if the inbound is delayed.

JFK could be a problem. I arrive late at night and I've got twelve hours to kill. The lounge in T9 doesn't open until 0530, so I'll have to spend six hours sitting around. At least my body clock will be telling me it's morning.

Spring for a cheap hotel room near the airport. Look for things like Hampton Inn, Best Westin etc.

On the plus side, my Frequent Flyer Gold kit arrived a little while ago. I'm still 45 points short of Platinum - maybe a status run soon?

Absolutely!

 

[Skyring]

For a simple round trip you shouldn't need to use more points than a RTW award. Did you make sure stopover was unchecked?

I didn't see any stopover box. By the time I'd loaded up flights to London I was well over half my available points. There was nothing direct so I had to go out of my way to get to London.

 

[Skyring]

If your arrival is on time into HKG, you should have plenty of time for a shower.

I have not seen any showers in the BA lounge at FRA. Its a small lounge that only caters to BA short-haul flights - don't expect too much from it.

Don't just skip the flights. That will invalidate the remainder of the ticket and you will be stuck there. If you decide to take the train instead, then you will need to have the ticket re-issued and there will be a fee (points) for that. But you may also get a refund on the taxes.

But I agree that connection is pretty tight. But if they issue the ticket then it must be legal and hence you should be protected if the inbound is delayed.

Spring for a cheap hotel room near the airport. Look for things like Hampton Inn, Best Westin etc.

Thanks! I'll aim for a shower in Hong Kong then. I'll be in Economy the whole way which will mean delays getting on and off, but if I'm quick about it, I should be good for a short rubadub.

If I miss the plane in Heathrow, they'll still get me home? The whole thing won't collapse like a row of dominos?

New York should be OK now. A BookCrossing mate has stuck his head up and volunteered to show me the early morning sights. I walked around the Latin Quarter in the predawn and felt unafraid, but I'm not sure I could do the same by myself in New York.

 

[Dave Noble]

If I miss the plane in Heathrow, they'll still get me home? The whole thing won't collapse like a row of dominos?
.

Indeed they willm if you misconnect, it is their responsibility. T1 domestic to T3 is easy and you should have no problems with it. There are no security checkpoints to go through (since you have arrived domestically), just follow the signs to flight connections and then transfer to T3

Dave

 

[Yada Yada]

On the plus side, my Frequent Flyer Gold kit arrived a little while ago. I'm still 45 points short of Platinum - maybe a status run soon?

I'll be in Economy the whole way...

You might get better seat allocations (e.g. exit rows) if you qualify for Platinum before your RTW trip, and it might make lounge access in some places easier too.

 

[serfty]

Originally Posted by Skyring
I'll be in Economy the whole way...

... if you qualify for Platinum before your RTW trip, and it might make lounge access in some places easier too.

& Certainly much nicer lounges...

 

[Dave Noble]

& Certainly much nicer lounges...

Well, Im a bit unimpressed with the QF Flounge at SYD since they changed the catering a few weeks ago; like being in a QP now

Dave