ANA announces a new Vienna to Tokyo flight, redeemable with Virgin Atlantic miles

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• The streets says:

  10 Nov10 November 07:50

  Does anyone know an easy way to check ANA, Air NZ or Singapore reward availability using virgin miles for other routes. Would it be the same as what is shown on the united website?

  • Neil Donoghue says:

    10 Nov10 November 08:10

    Yup, the same as the united site but you need to find “Saver” availability.

    • The streets says:

      10 Nov10 November 08:12

      Brilliant thanks – that makes life easier!

      • barry cutters says:

        10 Nov10 November 08:15

        i managed to get a first redemption booked with them for net year.
        Its impossible almost to get 2x premium seats on the same flight . We were lucky.
        Economy isnt an issue.
        If you need one seat it will be much easier.

  • HeathrowFlyer says:

    10 Nov10 November 08:54

    Had a look at ex-VIE availability to HND in J/F for TWO seats earlier this week – basically forget it.

• barry cutters says:

  10 Nov10 November 08:14

  im looking to go up there in the summer to do leg 1 of my 3 peaks challange.
  (i wont be doing them all in 24h-rather 1 each weekend for 3 weeks).
  Is inverness the best option for Ft William?, will be making a long weekend of it – so would prefer a nice drive over motorway from glasgow.

  • Relaxo says:

    10 Nov10 November 08:33

    Probably easier to just drive to ft William from Glasgow rather than routing through Inv?

    • barry cutters says:

      10 Nov10 November 08:41

      Iv just been looking and it looks as though inverness is 70 miles and glasgow is 110.
      Anyone know which is the nicer drive. -nice places to stop for lunch etc. – can also detour if something worth seeing which is not nesseserily on the way.

    • Stu N says:

      10 Nov10 November 10:33

      I’d do Glasgow as well, the drive is stunning on a good day. The views as you cross Rannoch Moor and down through Glencoe are absolutely world class. It’s about 3 hours drive – I’d personally avoid Green Welly Shop in Tyndrum and stop at Bridge of Orchy hotel for tea and cake half way.

      Ft William has a total mix of accommodation – the Lime Tree is good for accommodation and food. Grog and Gruel on the High St probably the best pub. Lots of other good suggestions for things to do, it’s amazing part of the world apart from the rain and the midge.

    • Anna says:

      10 Nov10 November 11:08

      +1 to Stu N. If you’re so inclined you can take the single track off the main road at Glen Etive (IIRC) before you get to Glencoe and recreate the famous Bond moment from Skyfall where Daniel Craig and M stop and brood by the river!

  • Will says:

    10 Nov10 November 08:53

    Are you in the South East? Personally, I’d just do the Caledonian Sleeper. Leave Euston at 9pm ish and wake up in Fort William about 12 hours later.

    • Cat says:

      10 Nov10 November 10:07

      Will – or, if you’re unlucky, you only just make the train in Euston by sheer luck, because Serco decide to leave an hour early without telling their passengers, and then you wake up in the middle of nowhere, were told to get on a rail replacement bus, which doesn’t turn up, so you’re put back on the train, and dropped in Oban instead of FW (because Serco) where you wait for a very cold hour by the side of the road for another tardy rail replacement bus, cursing the February drizzle, and then arrive in FW around about midday, still shivering.
      I’d avoid the Caledonian Sleeper, personally.

  • Cat says:

    10 Nov10 November 09:56

    Hey, for detours in the vicinity (ish) of FW, I’d choose between Glenfinnan, Ratagan, Plockton and Dornie. All of them are stunning in their own way.

  • Sandra says:

    10 Nov10 November 10:04

    Another alternative is leave the car in Glasgow and take the train to Fort William on the West Highland Line and if time over the weekend continue on to Mallaig either on the normal train or the steam train which is the one used in Harry Potter films. Very scenic, very popular so book early and book seats on the left side as you face the engine going to Mallaig for the best views. Gives you time to chill without worrying about traffic.
    Or walk the West Highland Way! Milngavie (home territory) to Fort William or in reverse but maybe a bit of an ask after your other challenge. Good luck anyway.

• Max says:

  10 Nov10 November 08:24

  Is Newquay still free from APD?

  Can’t see it mentioned in https://www.gov.uk/guidance/exemptions-from-air-passenger-duty

  An old article mentions only the Newquay to Gatwick route – does anyone know the situation there?

  • Shoestring says:

    10 Nov10 November 08:50

    Pretty sure it’s just the Gatwick/ Newquay route (both directions). Fairly long-standing policy of supporting NQY to help develop Cornwall. Eg check out the Regional Air Connectivity Fund. And NQY got £40m of EU funding to bring it up to modern standards in the last 15 years.

• Relaxo says:

  10 Nov10 November 08:28

  Don’t need more tourists up here. Roads can’t handle em.

  • barry cutters says:

    10 Nov10 November 08:31

    Ahh ok- i wont bother then .

  • HeathrowFlyer says:

    10 Nov10 November 08:56

    Nonsense. Drove A9 INV – Aviemore last weekend, if you consider that busy try driving in London!

    • Genghis says:

      10 Nov10 November 09:03

      Reminds me of a Guernsey taxi driver complaining about the traffic as there were 3 cars in front of her at a junction…

    • Barry cutters says:

      10 Nov10 November 09:15

      Was that in the afternoon?
      It’s a lot quieter then as most of the population spend the day in the pub after lunchtime ????

• Hugo says:

  10 Nov10 November 08:56

  O/T
  I got my friend to get a amex gold to get the lounge access at Heathrow terminal 4 and told her she could prebook – was I wrong on that one? if I was, then what is her chances of getting in to either of the lounges?

  • Shoestring says:

    10 Nov10 November 09:07

    https://www.headforpoints dot com/2015/12/17/review-plaza-premium-lounge-heathrow-terminal-4/

  • Rob says:

    10 Nov10 November 10:27

    I’ve never heard of anyone being turned away from Plaza Premium.

    • Shoestring says:

      10 Nov10 November 15:13

      She’ll DEFINITELY get turned away from the other one lol

• Liz says:

  10 Nov10 November 09:01

  OT: I am now getting really p$$$$d off with our SPG/Marriott pts expiry dates. I converted both our accounts via the SPG website so we can log in via the old SPG number or the new generated number. I’ve added both these numbers for both accounts to Award Wallet. I just did a small MR transfer to my new account number in the hope it reset it to 2 yrs expiry – it hasn’t – it has been stuck on 29/2/20 for months now so new activity is not extending the expiry date. My husbands accounts date shows unknown expiry even though monthly Amex pts are going across. His SPG a/c when you log in also says 29/2/20. The SPG rewards people say as long as there is activity they won’t expire for 2 yrs but the accounts both say 1 yr 3 mths. Does everyone else have the same 1 yr 3 mth restriction or are others showing a full 2 year expiry date. I don’t plan on spending them on hotels and want to save long term for KF miles but don’t want to risk losing them in the future before I have enough saved and want to travel. Getting really frustrated trying to get this to work.

  • Clive says:

    10 Nov10 November 09:33

    It’s a known glitch. I am Lifetime but still have an expiry date

    • Liz says:

      10 Nov10 November 09:43

      Ok I didn’t know it was a known glitch. And neither did the SPG Rewards person I spoke to as she didn’t mention it.

• IslandDweller says:

  10 Nov10 November 09:05

  @BarryCutters. Any route to Fort William is through stunning scenery. Far more flight options (and usually cheaper car hire) out of Glasgow.
  Drive time can be much slower than you’d expect in high summer. A combination of camper vans doing 35mph followed by a queue of drivers who apparently don’t realise overtaking is permitted.

• mednec says:

  10 Nov10 November 09:37

  Is there another way of booking an ANA reward flight using Virgin miles to Tokyo other than using the Virgin call centre? ANA flights are bookable 355 days in advance but Virgin are 335 days. When I phoned the Virgin call centre I was told that I would have to wait for the 335 days; I asked him to double check but he said the computer wouldn’t let him.

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