Get 2,000 free Avios if you fly British Airways over Christmas

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.

• TripRep says:

  11 Dec11 December 05:17

  ps. I should add it’s good to see BA working with you to up its profile on here. Grateful my recent Avios CE/CW outbound flights worked out well (apart from restrictive One world luggage rule).

  For the future I’m still undecided on BA241 vs Qatar sale fare, having seen the news from LHR, I consider myself v fortunate to have flown hours before the snow came in.

  Hence why for those in the region’s, bypassing LHR could remains attractive during the winter months…

  • Polly says:

    11 Dec11 December 09:48

    Triprep
    re your indecision between ba 241 and qr j lh ex eu sales…241 still great if you get F to Asia or beyond. Highly unlikely to get Oz via SIN tho maybe in J…but good also to have the option to cancel a 241 if a great ex eu qr J sale comes along. Which indeed we have done now twice in the last few years. Gave up 241 F to hkg for qr J to kul. As we were going to Bali so didn’t mind which onward flight we took. MAS y was around £6 plus avios.
    Know Rob has done the same with his family to dbx..
    So both have their merits but qr sales maybe better for you if avoiding lhr.

• TripRep says:

  11 Dec11 December 05:35

  For anyone considering Conrad Rangali, unless you’re desperate I’d wait for the next 100% bonus. But the great thing about a points redemption there is that you avoid 23+% resort taxes…

  • Cat says:

    11 Dec11 December 07:41

    Thanks for this, I was deliberating!

  • TripRep says:

    11 Dec11 December 08:11

    Yep, would only recommend a points booking there (unless your loaded), one thing I didn’t mention above, is that if you’re rounding up for the fifth free night then $420ish per night equivalent on points with benefits from status and potential upgrade is still worth it,. When you thinking of going?

    • Cat says:

      11 Dec11 December 08:17

      As soon as I have enough points for 10 nights!

  • Barry cutters says:

    11 Dec11 December 16:54

    TR- Cant reply to your comment above, but yes we are at a Hogmanay wedding on NYE and staying for a few days .
    Looking forward to it. will check out the bars you have mentioned
    Cheers BC

• Hingeless says:

  11 Dec11 December 06:16

  Very OT: Do Stobart Air flights with a BA flight number count as one of the 4 flights required for status renewal, (I’ll be flying over xmas to make this slightly on topic)

  • John says:

    11 Dec11 December 09:51

    Yes anything with a BA flight number should count

• Ian says:

  11 Dec11 December 06:33

  Just read some of the news stories from Heathrow, blimey, yet another PR nightmare for BA! They seem to go into complete disarray as soon as there’s a problem.

• Paul says:

  11 Dec11 December 06:35

  2000 Avios is a nice gesture but let’s not get carried away by their generosity.

  Yesterday thousands, indeed 10s of thousands of their customers were faced with chaos and mass cancellation following a snow shower. They claimed it was not forecast yet as far back as last Wednesday the BBC said snow was expected as far south as high Wycombe and that it would not take much to push it further south. Yet they and the airport ignored this.

  People sat on board aircraft for 5 hours waiting for a stand but they stuck ridgedly to their discredited buy on board policy and offered nothing for free.

  The mayhem in the terminal led to mass cancellations as the day progressed including long haul as they list control (again) and passengers were forced to queue for hours to get back through to landslide.

  So let’s put 2000 Avios in perspective. This is firm that simply had no real operational control, it is poorly led. Under resourced and doesn’t give a stiff for it passengers. It does however have an active PR department trying to deflect from its many failings.

  • the real harry1 says:

    11 Dec11 December 07:55

    BA doesn’t run Heathrow airport

    • Cat says:

      11 Dec11 December 08:13

      +1
      Some friends are trying to fly back to UK with Ryanair, who are being typically shocking. Am I right in thinking that they should be getting the EU 261 compensation?

      • TripRep says:

        11 Dec11 December 08:19

        V doubtful.

        Weather is rarely a qualifying factor for EU261/2004 claims.

      • Polly says:

        11 Dec11 December 08:23

        No, weather is one major exclusion, unfortunately!

    • TripRep says:

      11 Dec11 December 08:17

      See my earlier comment, LHR are hinting airlines were not prepared.

      IMHO LHR & Airlines share the responsibility for how it was managed.

    • paul says:

      11 Dec11 December 12:23

      So that’s alright then lets blame someone else. Ridiculous statement, they are the biggest by some way and in any event it was not a LHR issues, it was a loss of control of their own operations for whom there is no one to blame but themselves. A lack of staff, a total absence of planning and no operational experience caused yesterdays, todays and tomorrows problems.

• Emma says:

  11 Dec11 December 06:36

  I was meant to be flying from Glasgow to Budapest yesterday with BA. Landed at Heathrow around 1400 and then had to sit on the plane for 5hrs while we waited for a stand. When we finally got into the airport it was a total shambles. No staff to be seen and huge queues at the desks that were open that were purely just arranging hotels. The only info BA gave was to leave the airport and ring customer services or rebook online. Both options would not work for me as the customer services line was totally jammed (and still is) and the website won’t let me rebook. I just went and got my own hotel. Just going to try and go back to the airport now and get my bags. Im not holding out much hope. Does anyone if the BA Amex lost baggage insurance covers me here?

• Anna says:

  11 Dec11 December 07:09

  And this is temperate Britain’s largest airport, while the likes of Toronto aren’t so “surprised” by snow and ice in December and are fully open for business I imagine?!!

  • mark2 says:

    11 Dec11 December 07:36

    Surely Toronto would be surprised If there was no snow?

  • Andrew says:

    11 Dec11 December 09:35

    It’s not really fair to compare Heathrow with Toronto in terms of snow preparation. Heathrow might have snow two, maybe three times a year while I imagine Toronto is snow bound for months. Heathrow could invest the same in deicing and snow clearing as Toronto but it would sit idle for almost the entire winter whilst still costing a lot of money.

    Like it or not we’re never going to be as prepared for snow as Canada and disruption is inevitable. Where Heathrow and BA could improve is offering more information, refreshments and even compensation on the rare occasions when snow does cause problem.

    • Anna says:

      11 Dec11 December 15:20

      How much do hundreds of cancelled flights and loss of disgruntled customers cost?

• Cat says:

  11 Dec11 December 07:38

  Hey all, O/T, sorry! I’m looking for advice. My boyfriend and I are spending NYE in Hong Kong, and I’ve booked us into the Conrad as a redemption, because hotels were crazily expensive, because I’d read that they usually keep the stunning looking executive lounge open for the fireworks, and I’m Honors Diamond (thanks to this brilliant website!). I’ve just been told by the Conrad that they’re having an event that night, and if I want to use the lounge, we will need to pay to get in. I thought I had guaranteed access!
  Has anyone got any helpful words of wisdom? Many thanks, as always!

  • Genghis says:

    11 Dec11 December 07:47

    This happened to us in Conrad Hong Kong when the lounge was closed for an event for the National Day fireworks. We were notified a few days in advance by email. I responded with a polite email expressing my disappointment. We were then upgraded to a harbour view suite with wine, macaroons etc etc on arrival. Good result. There was even an alternative lounge on the day in the lobby where staff were extra nice and there was more food and drink than normal. Worth a shot?

    • TripRep says:

      11 Dec11 December 08:00

      Well played sir, great result and advice.

      Cat – Fingers crossed for you getting a good response

    • Cat says:

      11 Dec11 December 08:08

      Definitely worth a shot. I’ve sent my polite email to both the hotel and Hilton Honors. I’ve had nothing but excuses so far! Fingers crossed!

    • Polly says:

      11 Dec11 December 09:24

      Same with us at CNY at the Harbour Grand. They put a great alternative night on for club guests.. think HKG top hotels know how to handle their premium guests in these circs..

      Trip rep not a seat left to price up.9k avios value but tomorrow’s equivalent is £400 and counting ow to lcy.. so l make that 22.5p per avios. Probably my best yet..

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.