Help – Avios decision!

[G931401]

Hi Guys

Looking for some help and advice. Currently have a Qatar booking to return from KL in October. It is for 2 passengers, via 2 seperate avios bookings. One is for a business class flight to Doha, the next is economy to heathrow. In total this has cost 145000 avios and £300.00

I have noticed Malaysia airlines are doing a direct flight from KL for £1190 per person in business. Can anyone guide me as to which option would be best in terms of value?

Thanks

[AJA]

If you value Avios at 1p each then the reward booking has cost you £1,750 for 2 passengers ie £875 per passenger.

The business fare in cash is £315 more per passenger but is business all the way.

If you would pay that to upgrade from economy to business from DOH to LHR then I’d say pay the cash fare as you would also get SOME Avios and TP assuming it is in a fare bucket that does earn TP in BAEC (beware some KL and Cathay Pacific fare buckets do not)

[Jon]

Personally I’d buy the cash flights. My thinking would be that, taking a 1p per Avios valuation, your current bookings have cost you £1750 for one sector in business and one in economy. You’ll pay an extra £400 or so per person for the cash flights (I’m seeing it at 7403rm, which is about £1290 at today’s exchange rate, on the MH web site), but you’ll be in business all the way, you’ll be on direct flights, and you should earn back somewhere in the order of 8-10k Avios each, as well as earning tier points (which may or may not matter to you). Plus you’ll retain your 145,000 Avios for another trip.

Granted the extra £800 probably does make it slightly borderline and others may take a different view and say stick with the redemptions. Are you particularly wedded to travelling on Qatar metal and using their lounges in Doha? (Their F&B will likely be better than MH, and the seat too if it’s Qsuite, but that aside… Actually you won’t get the Doha lounges anyway as your onward is in economy, unless you have status?). Maybe also preferable to be on a single booking in case of irrops / downgrades etc?

Having said all that, if you value Avios at the price BA sells them at, your current booking would work out at something like £2800, making the cash flights a no-brainer 😉

[SamG]

+1 for cash. Particularly on the way home switching off of Business into Economy will be miserable. There is also some risk on seperate bookings – Qatar will likely show you absolutely no flexibility if anything goes wrong

[RK228]

On what dates are the fares £1190 return in business? I’d consider changing my own reward bookings for next summer if I could find cash tickets at those prices.