Want to go to Sydney? Good Avios availability just released in British Airways Club World

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• Jody says:

  24 Jun24 June 17:51

  Well, we managed to get booked! Phoned up, asked about the voucher, but was told they could just change the flights on the phone with no charge, so that was a bonus.

  Thanks so much for this, just got to hope it isn’t cancelled now!

• William says:

  24 Jun24 June 18:04

  Would be good if you gave the Avios requirements for a return in the article too. But good tip, thanks!

  • Rob says:

    24 Jun24 June 18:30

    Fair point!

• Jeremy says:

  24 Jun24 June 22:33

  Ok so I got business to SYD In Feb and used my 241 as Rob says I can see where things are in December and if it looks workable book the rest of the holiday or cancel for 70 quid , not stopping in Singapore but availability was thin when I read the article and gave it a punt , thanks Rob out 4th feb and back on 22nd if it goes ahead

  • Jerrry Butler says:

    24 Jun24 June 23:04

    Sounds great Jezza, you will be there for the start of for Mardi Gras, you’ll love it.

    • Lady London says:

      25 Jun25 June 00:06

      Hmmm… Mardi Gras with potential social distancing.

• onlysuites says:

  24 Jun24 June 23:33

  Rob if BA does end up cancelling can’t you rebook for next year on any date you want? That for me is the biggest bonus if still being allowed.

  • Louie says:

    25 Jun25 June 00:57

    Excellent point. Although BA might have changed their policy by then given most borders will hopefully be open.

• Louie says:

  25 Jun25 June 00:55

  Alan Joyce has just announced that Qantas don’t expect to be flying internationally until next July. They are more likely to have their finger on the pulse as to when the Australian government expects the borders to open.

• Jon says:

  25 Jun25 June 05:09

  Some airlines’ fare conditions include words along the lines of:

  “In case of refusal of official documents/entry permit/visa a full refund will apply…”

  Not sure about BA, and presumably it may vary by ticket type / fare bucket anyway, so would have to read the small print carefully.

  But I wonder whether that would apply where the flight is not cancelled but the destination country’s borders are closed? Might save the £35pp cancellation fee *if* BA has something like this in its fare conditions for an Avios redemption booking? (Then again, BA’s general conditions of carriage basically say you’re liable to reimburse BA for any costs if you’re denied entry at the border and have to be sent home – but I’m thinking more about if you needed to cancel before flying due to borders being closed – would that count as visa refused/entry denied?).

  • John says:

    25 Jun25 June 06:41

    As everyone needs a “visa” to enter Australia (albeit a simple online application for most people), the question is whether they are denying new applications or not. They may be accepting visa applications but just refusing permission to fly at the airport.

    • TimS says:

      25 Jun25 June 08:01

      ETA visas for Australia are not currently possible to even apply for online while travel restrictions are in place.

• Michael says:

  25 Jun25 June 07:11

  Does it even make sense to pay up to 400k avios + taxes for this route, unless you want to guarantee a seat today with cancellation option? Rob, if I remember correctly, you had told in the past to not bother for sydney redemptions and wait for sales? Wouldn’t you normally find a business return between 2-3k ex Scandinavia? Do we have any reason to believe there won’t be any sales this year?

  • Rhys says:

    25 Jun25 June 08:45

    For people with more Avios than they can use it definitely makes sense. If you scroll through the comments you’ll see people who coupled it with a 2-4-1 for £1519 + 275k.

    • Jeff 99 says:

      25 Jun25 June 08:52

      But you’re tying up your 2-4-1 voucher into a trip that probably won’t even happen and you might not find this out for another few months.

      • Rhys says:

        25 Jun25 June 08:54

        A lot of people have had their 2-4-1s released this year due to all the cancellations, so it may not matter. Especially if both you and your partner have 2-4-1s. It may not make sense for you but there are plenty for whom taking the gamble is worth it.

      • Jody says:

        25 Jun25 June 11:14

        But if your 2 for 1 is due to expire soon anyway, then it’s not really an issua?

        We were supposed to be going for a West Coast and Hawaii trip in April this year using our 2 for 1. Obviously the avios and 2 for 1 were returned, and with the 6 month extension given, that means it is now due to expire mid Feb 2021.

        We then booked a trip next Jan using it to Miami, and had booked a cruise, but the cruise has since been cancelled (passenger terminal in Panama City won’t be ready). I hadn’t bothered cancelling the flights yet, and was considering taking the voucher, as this would mean that effectively, our 2 for 1 due to expire in Feb 2021 would be extended to April 2022. Then this article came up yesterday, and we’ve managed to swap our Miami flights to Sydney flights paying an extra £92 per person taxes and 112000 extra avios.

        We are not avios rich, and this has pretty much wiped us out. Nor are we likely to earn another 2 for 1 any time soon (and no point if we don’t have any avios to use!). However, I never thought we’d be able to get a redemption to Sydney because with only 2 seats per flight than go in seconds, it’s almost impossible. Yes our 2 for 1, avios and money for taxes are tied up, but they would have been anyway. If BA cancel we get everything back, if they don’t we’re happy at this point in time to take a voucher which means we’ll still get the opportunity to make use of our 2 for 1 up until April 2022 when it would otherwise expire, and worst case scenario we could just forgo it and get the taxes and avios back and only lose £35 per person.

        For us it’s an opportunity we wouldn’t normally get, and one we’re definitely prepared to take a punt on. We’re not like a lot of people on here, don’t have 6 figure salaries, travel for business, or even hold any status with airlines. It’s just a hobby, we earn points slowly, and this to us is a great opportunity to fly somewhere we never normally would be able to at a cost of £750 each in taxes for a business class flight (which is the only way I would contemplate such a long flight). Others may not look at in the same way as we do, but for us it’s win win.

• Mikeact says:

  25 Jun25 June 08:41

  Not the best use of Avios. I’d look at the multi carrier option for better value…apart from the patience you need to get flights on the routings you want. I’ve done it once and got two decent holidays out of it, and a short weekend trip to Edinburgh to maximise the miles. If you attempt it…..the best of luck !

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