Help with 241 Sydney return leg May 2024 or start again with Qatar + Avios?

[Jerry]

Thanks to Anna posting SYD J availability for next April we have 2 outbound for 17th April 2024.145,000 avios and £750 one way. We’ve done this trip in 2016 with 241 in F.

Build from this or start again with Qatar?

Looking for some help with return leg. Or should I start again following Rob’s post about using Qatar for Aus and NZ sweetspot at 180,000 avios + around £600 taxes.I have successfully linked my BA and Qatar accounts, but will be relying on houshold avios so assume must book via BA.

This time we think we may combine the trip with NZ and return with Qatar from NZ.

How can I best do this?

1. Should I scrap the 241 (expiring April 2024) itinerary and start again on Qatar (assuming I can find flights).
2. Would it be better to fly back to Aus from NZ and use the return 241 option when flights open up at 1am 355 days ahead?

Any help and advice appreciated. Thanks Jerry

[NorthernLass]

How flexible are you with return dates? I think you might have a decent chance of bagging seats online at T-355 now that the Easter rush is over and it will be autumn in the southern hemisphere. Obviously you’d need to have enough avios to book at full price, then ask for 50% to be refunded.

It would be a shame to waste the 241 given that you’ve managed to get the SYD seats, and also you’ll need a lot more avios to do the trip with QR.

You could also keep your outbound flights and just return on QR, you don’t have to use both halves of the voucher.

Another option would be to do an open jaw with the voucher and return from SIN or TYO via NZ.

[Jerry]

NorthernLass wrote:

How flexible are you with return dates? I think you might have a decent chance of bagging seats online at T-355 now that the Easter rush is over and it will be autumn in the southern hemisphere. Obviously you’d need to have enough avios to book at full price, then ask for 50% to be refunded.

It would be a shame to waste the 241 given that you’ve managed to get the SYD seats, and also you’ll need a lot more avios to do the trip with QR.

You could also keep your outbound flights and just return on QR, you don’t have to use both halves of the voucher.

Another option would be to do an open jaw with the voucher and return from SIN or TYO via NZ.

Can I open Jaw from TYO? Isn’t it too far from Sydney? If it’s allowed I could try the T355 to add it.

Are you suggesting my itinerary would be LHR-SYD (existing 241) AUS-NZ purchased flight NZ-TYO -purchased flight then TYO-LHR (Avios 241 return leg?)

Thanks
Jerry

[NorthernLass]

I thought TYO might just fall within the open jaw rules but you’d need to double check. Just thinking of alternatives which would let you use the return portion of the 241 if you couldn’t get seats back from SYD. SIN and TYO have also been difficult to get lately, so again it depends how flexible your dates are. The alternative departure points might not suit your travel plans though. The main problem is that BA has cut so many routes to the east that it’s made redemptions pretty difficult to get.