Is this the best round-the-world routing using Avios?

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• Martin says:

  11 Mar11 March 06:56

  I echo Kavino – that would be really useful – especially if some sectors could incorporate an open jaw BA flight so 2 for 1 could be used. A real challenge for somebody! Business n First RTW may be via Australia back from Tokyo may enable a big chunk with open jaw 241??

  • pauldb says:

    11 Mar11 March 10:00

    Out to Oz and back from Tokyo wouldn’t be an RTW. If BA are strict on the distance restrictions for open jaws then I believe the only RTW 241 use allowed is -NRT//LAX-.No was to combine SYD with anywhere in the Americas. (Unless BA start flying to SCL!)

    Incidentally on the original routing you could swap LAX-NRT for LAX-HNL-NRT for an extra 7.5k. I think that would make the trip a bit more special. NYC-MCI-PHX-HNL would be more efficient but probably not desirable unless you already seen LA/ORD.

• Rodger McSalty says:

  11 Mar11 March 06:15

  This sounds more like an ex-EU trip to three USA cities with a stop in Tokyo and Doha on the way back…

  Seems like a good use of Avios if those three places are where you want to visit, but not much to be gained otherwise. No stops in South America, China, Australasia or Africa which seems to miss the opportunities a round-the-world trip ordinarily offers (and gives it the slight adventurous feel over regular return journeys).

  • Christian says:

    11 Mar11 March 07:27

    Agree, USA doesn’t deserve that many stops.

  • John says:

    11 Mar11 March 08:00

    Exactly, this is not a round the world trip, it is a trip to the USA which returns the “long way”.

    If you reduce it to LHR-DUS-LAX-TYO-LHR you can get it down to 78500 avios

  • harry says:

    11 Mar11 March 08:01

    +1 not my idea of RTW fun at all.

    I’d rather go the other way around taking in a couple of the best countries in Europe, [given that you might want some winter sun in Australasia, perhaps the warmer ones for Nov/ Dec], Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Australia, NZ, USA on the way back.

    Missing out Doha would be a massive plus in my eyes as it is definitely NOT a place you’d choose to spend even 1 day.

    • Choons says:

      11 Mar11 March 09:12

      +1 for this, it is about seeing the things you want to see or going to the places you want to, rather than just a straight circumnavigation

• kevino says:

  11 Mar11 March 06:16

  How about the best route in business or the best in first if you really want a challenge.

  • Jamie P says:

    11 Mar11 March 06:42

    +1

  • Joe says:

    11 Mar11 March 06:57

    +1

  • Mike says:

    11 Mar11 March 06:58

    +1

    • Choons says:

      11 Mar11 March 08:09

      But for the same price in business of F you could probably visit a lot more places in economy, plus there is the availability issue…

  • John says:

    11 Mar11 March 08:02

    -1.

    Just multiply the longhauls by 3 avios, if you can get availability.

    • pauldb says:

      11 Mar11 March 08:10

      Or you are probably better looking at a distance-based multi partner award if you can get it to work as the business multiplier is 2x and first 3x (versus 3x/4x).

      You can do Asia and North America <20k miles flown for 200k avios in J. Or a simple trip to Oz or NZ plus North or South America in <25 miles = 240k but the sweet spot for a once in a lifetime is maybe 280k for 35k miles of flying in J.

      • Choons says:

        11 Mar11 March 08:19

        Interesting, must look into that more

        • Choons says:

          11 Mar11 March 09:13

          thanks

        • Pawel says:

          11 Mar11 March 18:29

          this is under 25k miles

          cdg-doh-bkk-kul-sin-hkg-hnd-sfo-jfk-mia-mad-cdg

          I think that all legs have first class
          how much taxes it will be?

      • Leo says:

        11 Mar11 March 08:51

        Didn’t understand a word of that!

        • pauldb says:

          11 Mar11 March 09:04

          If you book individual legs they price up as Rob has broken out in the article. If you put multiple BA legs together on one ticket or pair BA with a single partner airline, the cost is the same: the sum of the individual legs. If you want to travel business the avios costs are tripled (roughly!).

          However if you put more than one partner airline on a ticket, eg. a complex RTW, the pricing structure is completely different. The price is simply based on the class of travel and the total distance flown.

        • Joe says:

          11 Mar11 March 10:06

          … this is very interesting. I did not know about this.

        • Alan says:

          11 Mar11 March 10:22

          Following on from yesterday’s comments re the new QR DOH-AKL flight, looks like you’d probably be better combining this with a QF flight back to turn it into a partner redemption and re reducing the cost!

• eccles says:

  11 Mar11 March 06:42

  Also interesting would be the best routing to gain as manyTPs for the least cost. Ex UK /Europe

  • Joe says:

    11 Mar11 March 06:57

    +1

• Erico1875 says:

  11 Mar11 March 07:11

  Amazing. However you still get people complaining collecting Avios is a waste of time.

• EdC says:

  11 Mar11 March 07:24

  If you swapped Berlin for Dublin, you could then add a stop in Boston (12,500 Avios) before going on to New York (4500, I assume) for slightly less Avios in total than direct to New York… Maybe I read HfP too much!

  • Choons says:

    11 Mar11 March 07:49

    I think US short-haul has now gone up to 7,500 avios minimum, but going to Boston that way still sounds a good deal

    • EdC says:

      11 Mar11 March 08:09

      7500! Bah, Megabus it is then 🙂

      • Choons says:

        11 Mar11 March 08:21

        or let the train take the strain

  • JamesWag says:

    11 Mar11 March 11:08

    So four stops out of 8 would be America !!

• Pawel says:

  11 Mar11 March 07:26

  Very poor example

  In my opinion last leg to London should be from
  RIO/GRU or HKG to avoid taxes
  My proposition
  LHR-TXL-AUH/DXB-KUL/SIN-SYD-AKL-SCL-RIO/GRU-LHR
  Some legs are only twice expensive to got business seat
  For example
  SYD-AKL-SCL-GRU on LATAM airlines new b787

  • Andy says:

    11 Mar11 March 07:49

    Don’t hold back…

  • pauldb says:

    11 Mar11 March 07:54

    That’s pretty caustic. I make your route 131k and who exactly flies AUH/DXB-KUL/SIN? No thanks.

    Business at twice the cost: don’t think so …. unless you book the whole route as a multi-partner award (biz = 2x) which is probably the right way to consider a J RTW unless you want to use a 241 voucher.

    • Pawel says:

      11 Mar11 March 12:09

      check out for example
      SCL-GRU on new b787
      10000avios economy
      20000avios bizness

      • pauldb says:

        11 Mar11 March 16:47

        yes sure that’s how the short hauls price (as is the case for BA shorthaul) but the significant leg AKL-SCL 30k or 90k.

• Andy says:

  11 Mar11 March 07:27

  I like this article. I need a trip for 80 tier points this year. Where do I look for the cheapest 80 tier weekend trip from London?

  • Helen says:

    11 Mar11 March 07:38

    Depends what level you are now but worth a look at maybe Athens or Marrakech, you can us the Avios calculator on the BA website.

    • John says:

      11 Mar11 March 07:47

      Presumably he’s coming back, so only need CE to France or Germany.

  • Choons says:

    11 Mar11 March 07:39

    the flyer talk TP run thread

  • LondonFoodie says:

    11 Mar11 March 09:38

    Club Europe LGW – many destination on sale < £200 will give you 80 TP
    See Rob's article about the promo – I think BCN was super cheap

    • Andy says:

      11 Mar11 March 16:10

      Thanks everyone. I’ll look at Flyertalk and the ba sale.

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