More amazing sub-£800 Qatar business class fares from European airports

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• James67 says:

  15 Apr15 April 07:59

  Maybe your wife could be bribed with some ‘me’ time and a shopping weekend in Copenhagen while you entertain the kids at the theme park. You could then fo rrturn to LHR via DOH if the fares are still competitive. Unless your kids slrep l8ng and well on planes then the break in DOH to run around would probably be better than a restless 13hr direct flight.

  • Jason says:

    15 Apr15 April 08:05

    I suspect Raffles is going during May half term, so there and back, via Copenhagen, won’t leave too much time in Singapore 🙁

  • Rob says:

    15 Apr15 April 09:32

    She will already be in Singapore for a conference, I am dragging the kids down there by myself *.

    (* with the nanny 🙂 )

• Paul says:

  15 Apr15 April 08:03

  I have canceled 4 F seats to KUL on BA with onward flights on MH and bought QR ex AMS in Business. It was a no brainer given BAs lack lustre and inconsistent service not to mention the ludicrous fees.

  • @mkcol says:

    15 Apr15 April 12:32

    I’m very tempted to do the same (on the same route) – the only thing holding me back is that it was an AMEX 2-4-1 booking.

    • CV3V says:

      15 Apr15 April 12:54

      exact same here. However with the avios points devaluation coming up, I’ll stick with my BA booking. However, still time to change my mind (again). I don’t look forward to BA Club World when i know how much better the competition is.

      • Polly says:

        15 Apr15 April 14:19

        I would cancel, keep thinking! as I mentioned earlier I was just about to book the KUL F 241 literally today! Perfect timing for that email to arrive. So we will actually squeeze in an extra hol now using this J offer. Honestly their 121 is almost as good as BA F, only in a bigger cabin. We had to use QR a lot with my OH work in Mid East, so got v used to their fab J using QR miles to upgrade every time. And we would have had to do an open jaw using KUL and SIN, so not great. Like others there’s a scarcity of seats. Makes avios use almost extinct!

      • Polly says:

        15 Apr15 April 14:43

        We just use our annual 241 on a BA F redemption, and fly J on these offers as an extra treat. BA F if you can find them, gives the best value use of long haul avios, to us anyway. Have fun deciding what you will do. It’s a nice surprise option for us to be given by QR.

    • Paul says:

      16 Apr16 April 07:05

      Mine was 2 x 241 and the booking was made when Raffles issued the note that redemptions on the KUL route were wide open. The QR flights are both 787 from AMS to DOH and DOH to DPS and the A350 SIN DOH and 787 DOH AMS. the family will also collect 560 tier points and with the connections and trip to Glasgow will all gain silver again. between this and the avois I felt the cancellation was a very good call and the 241s might be used again.
      Having just endured BAs lamentable service on the BA001 and BA002 I know I have maded the right decision. Time to walk from over priced,shoddy service, London Airways.
      When they cancelled my BA001 they put me on AA777-300 the flight was superb the food edible and the crew outstanding….again and they have been consistently so over the last 3 years. But the nail in the coffin was the arrival formalities at JFK which took less than 90 seconds. Who needs the stop in Shannon when you can get this on arrival.

      • Polly says:

        16 Apr16 April 07:41

        Absolutely a no brainer… ..we are actually going CPH HKT direct now so don’t even need to change at KUL which was more hassle. Its just £150 more than our taxes plus an RFS of course. Lots have now cancelled their 241 bookings that we know for this trip. BA really need to get their pricing right. Or at least stop jamming people in into. J cabins. They are so squashed. Which is why we will only use our 241 For F cabin.

      • CV3V says:

        16 Apr16 April 10:12

        Paul – out of curiosity how are you planning on doing the GLA – AMS flights? Easyjet direct or via LHR

• Neil says:

  15 Apr15 April 08:11

  Does anyone know when the ex Europe fares end for booking and how far out you can book?

  • Geoggy says:

    15 Apr15 April 08:36

    Similar question I spent all last night looking for flights for next Easter with no joy. But that was only BA.

    These prices look good – if book able so far ahead.

    If anyone can recommend an adults only all inclusive resort on a decent beach to match up with these I’d be very grateful.

    Ba holidays want 8 grand for a week at Sandals Barbados flying club but it looks like butlins

    • C77 says:

      15 Apr15 April 09:34

      Butlins have clearly upped their game then since I last looked… the new Sandals Barbados property is very nice, although its an older hotel that has been gutted and returned inside and out.

      BodyHoliday in St Lucia is great and includes spa into the AI price.

      Barbados isn’t really an AI centric destination… there’s so much to see and do on the Island to waste fork in out for AI . Also the island has suffered a lot of beach erosion over the past 5-10yrs.

      Sounds like you need a good travel agent to point you in the right direction 🙂

      • Rob says:

        15 Apr15 April 09:49

        Wasn’t it Sandals who used to advertise “exclusive holidays only for couples comprising of a man and a woman”?

        I remember a storm when bmi (founded and still run at that point by the openly gay Sir Michael Bishop) had it pointed out to him by someone on Flyertalk that his airline was giving away a Sandals holiday via its in-flight magazine.

        They have now changed their policy, by the way.

        • @mkcol says:

          15 Apr15 April 12:34

          Yes it was indeed Sandals with that awful policy.

          I recall TfL refused to carry their adverts due to this.

        • CV3V says:

          15 Apr15 April 12:58

          Yup i think at the time Virgin Atlantic / Holidays also joined in the criticism given how many holidays and flights they sold for Sandals.

      • Geoggy says:

        15 Apr15 April 10:15

        Maybe I was being slightly unfair on Butlins, but having spent my childhood going every year I have to vent somewhere!

        I don’t like big resorts – and Sandals looks enormous. TA reviews full of people battling for beds and sea rough for swimming.

        Was hoping to go east for a change – will revert to a travel agent as a last resource!

        • Rob says:

          15 Apr15 April 10:27

          Sandy Lane is decent value out of season. We have also stayed at Cobblers Cover (which I didn’t like much but the rooms are huge) and the Fairmont Royal Pavilion (where the rooms are small but I preferred – but we did stay just after it reopened after renovation so everything was new).

          No fighting for beach chairs at Sandy Lane. When you arrive you are allocated however many you need and they remain yours for the duration. No-one else can use them. If someone checks out who has a better position than you, they can switch you.

        • Geoggy says:

          15 Apr15 April 10:48

          Any AI places you’d recommend out east Rob?

          Was going to go to Dar Al Masyaf again but fancy a change and Amex Plat travel last night won’t get FHR rates till later this year.

          Bear in mind were only looking at a week tops East might be too far?

        • Rob says:

          15 Apr15 April 12:01

          With kids, Asia for a week is very tough and we wouldn’t be doing this Singapore trip if it wasn’t that my wife is there anyway. The new Four Seasons in Dubai is meant to be exceptional. We did The Maldives for just 5 nights a few years ago and actually that was about right as there is, obviously, not much to do on an island! Time difference is also manageable. Caribbean also OK for a week.

        • Polly says:

          15 Apr15 April 12:13

          Geoggy, as Rob said it’s tight with a week, but you could stretch it from a fri night to a mon morn week later maybe . I would suggest def east either to KUL or SIN for Phuket, a short hop on MAS to HKT with avios and and eat out locally, so cheap, and almost the same as AI. Or even stay in Malaysia and island hop or take their trains up land, fab place to explore, and v reasonable. Just looking at the same for us oct time, plenty of availability on both systems.

        • Geoggy says:

          15 Apr15 April 15:17

          Thanks for suggestions both. I can’t seem to find flights to the Maldives next March at all but will try again tonight when I’ve got more time

        • MTC says:

          15 Apr15 April 16:46

          Anyone got any good suggestions for a holiday destination with a 14 month old baby this summer? Only ever done in-laws holiday home in Spain so looking for something a bit more exciting. Was thinking heading West Coast US to San Fran / LA / San Diego. Can’t imagine an Asian beach holiday is practical with a 14 month old?

        • Rob says:

          15 Apr15 April 17:07

          We did Barbados when our youngest was that age, worked fine. Hotels cheap, even Sandy Lane who could not have done more for the little ‘un. Weather generally 27-ish so not too hot. Good babysitters. Can’t see the appeal of a driving holiday with someone so small, even though that is a fantastic holiday usually – plus a long flight and monster jet lag.

          Avios availability generally good that time of year. It will rain like hell for 30 mins a day but dries up very quickly.

    • Polly says:

      15 Apr15 April 15:52

      I think we were talking about the Qatar option for you, didn’t realise you were only looking at next March! Sorry, confused by these plans we are all making here! If you look back a few articles, I think the general plans for next March were to book your outgoing flight, and then hope for a decent return one or look at open jaw good luck. Then call up and add your return sector in. These QR ones finish Dec 10th, shame really.

  • James67 says:

    15 Apr15 April 12:05

    On reflection, I couldn’t resist temptation for a look. I was finding cheap fares for this year ex CPH but when I changed return date to next January prices jumped to £1400 return. So, I guess December like UK offers.

• AmandaB says:

  15 Apr15 April 09:36

  Qatar seem to run many similar offers quite consistantly, throughout the year. Having just used my 2-4-1 for BA F to Abu Dhabi and then Sri Lankan cash economy tickets to Male (with a cheeky upgrade bid waiting) I could have done with this offer 2 weeks ago. However, I am confident that there will be another, and another ….

  FYI – Copenhagan to Male biz in Sept £1101 pp Not too shaby a deal, ah well.

• Rob says:

  15 Apr15 April 09:39

  No it won’t because these are not ex-UK bookings

  • Rob says:

    15 Apr15 April 10:24

    Hmmmm. Perhaps I am wrong – I was under the assumption it worked that way. Nothing to lose by using the link anyway.

• Dave says:

  15 Apr15 April 09:45

  Type comment

• Neil says:

  15 Apr15 April 10:49

  I have to say i Did Paris – Saigon via Doha at Christmas and although the A380 business product was fantastic the A340 seat was dire and for me made the convoluted trip ( i had to get to Paris from Lon as well) a waste of time, i think i would have arrived in a similar state had i booked direct from Lon in economy. ( i say “i think” because i havent done eco long haul for a decade!)

• Worzel says:

  15 Apr15 April 11:04

  Did a dummy search (Business Class 10-24 June).

  Qatar: CPH-SIN-CPH = £873.
  BA: LHR-SIN-LHR = £529 +140,000 avios.

  Value per Avios on this basis= 0.246p.

  Living in the sticks I could get to CPH using EZY for £100-otherwise LHR £40 by train.

  BA have ensured that it is not possible for me to burn at a 0.246p rate as there is zero availability over the next 12 months.

  • Rob says:

    15 Apr15 April 11:58

    It’s even worse, because you need to factor in the (very large) number of Avios you will earn from the Qatar flight!

    • Worzel says:

      15 Apr15 April 12:33

      Were you to merely cash-out those extra earned Avios (on the CPH-SIN-CPH example above) at the 0.57p Base Rate (hotel redemptions etc) you would have a “potential” £64 benefit appears to me.

    • Brian says:

      15 Apr15 April 14:10

      And the tier points that will practically get you Silver status…

    • Michalis says:

      15 Apr15 April 15:23

      Clearly 2-4-1 and avios are not that valuable in a lot of routes with these kind of sales…That’s why i am thinking of not bothering again with the 241 and keep a small stack of avios to use on short-haul flights.

      There are still a few routes that make sense like South Africa which isperfect as it’s in the same time-zone for a long-haul. Also in their ‘summer’ season economy tickets (even one-stop) are often £750+ and non-stop £1000+ so it makes sense to use the 241 there.
      However there is some “minor” issue of finding availability, so the only way to get availability on dates you want is to book a year ahead.

    • Kurshee says:

      16 Apr16 April 10:36

      It doesn’t give a large number of Avios does it? On Ba website ARN-DOH, DOH-BKK, BKK-DOH, DOH – ARN is about 15,300 Avios. Unless I’m reading this wrong.

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