Qatar redemptions – on BA or Qatar website?

[phantomchickenz]

Hi folks,

I’m looking at booking a redemption on Qatar shortly, which is showing two seats available. The plan is to try and snaffle up two additional seats at a later date so the family of four can QSuite it, or as a last resort pay cash for the remaining two. My questions:

1. Is Qatar known (or otherwise) for releasing additional Avios seats as the year goes by?

2. If more seats become available, I would need all four on the same booking so I can use my Avios. I presume I’ll need to use a call centre to amend the original booking – am I therefore better off booking via ba.com or the Qatar website? Or does it not really matter?

[JDB]

You won’t be able to add two further people to an existing booking. It would need to be a new booking made online or via call centre. QR does add some extra seats but with double Avios required.

[phantomchickenz]

Thanks. If I’m a named traveller on the first booking, I presume I wouldn’t be able to make the second booking using my personal Avios (as I wouldn’t be travelling on that booking). Is that correct?

Double Avios is going to put it out of my budget. Is that always the case or do they sometimes release extra at the standard rate?

[Aston100]

phantomchickenz wrote:

Thanks. If I’m a named traveller on the first booking, I presume I wouldn’t be able to make the second booking using my personal Avios (as I wouldn’t be travelling on that booking). Is that correct?

Double Avios is going to put it out of my budget. Is that always the case or do they sometimes release extra at the standard rate?

I can’t work out the logic of the double avios seats.
On the routes that I’m looking at, newly released seats (almost a year away) seem to be set at double avios immediately. I am struggling to find any business class seats that are NOT double avios during English school holidays, and that has been the case since I started checking a few months ago.
I can’t prove it, but it *feels* as if double avios is the norm for English school holidays and for new seats.

[phantomchickenz]

Aston100 wrote:

phantomchickenz wrote:

Thanks. If I’m a named traveller on the first booking, I presume I wouldn’t be able to make the second booking using my personal Avios (as I wouldn’t be travelling on that booking). Is that correct?

Double Avios is going to put it out of my budget. Is that always the case or do they sometimes release extra at the standard rate?

I can’t work out the logic of the double avios seats.
On the routes that I’m looking at, newly released seats (almost a year away) seem to be set at double avios immediately. I am struggling to find any business class seats that are NOT double avios during English school holidays, and that has been the case since I started checking a few months ago.
I can’t prove it, but it *feels* as if double avios is the norm for English school holidays and for new seats.

I suspect that is down to the non-double ones being snapped up immediately (a la BA to Sydney). I’m taking the approach that the kids will miss a bit of school and we’ll pay the fine – it may be their last chance to see their grandparents, not a cheesy summer trip to Ibiza, so hopefully the school will see sense.

[Reney]

phantomchickenz wrote:

Thanks. If I’m a named traveller on the first booking, I presume I wouldn’t be able to make the second booking using my personal Avios (as I wouldn’t be travelling on that booking). Is that correct?

Double Avios is going to put it out of my budget. Is that always the case or do they sometimes release extra at the standard rate?

I think you can book for anyone in your friends and family list or in your household account. The ‘you have to travel rule’ only applies if using one of the BA vouchers.

[DonLee]

Aston100 wrote:

phantomchickenz wrote:

Thanks. If I’m a named traveller on the first booking, I presume I wouldn’t be able to make the second booking using my personal Avios (as I wouldn’t be travelling on that booking). Is that correct?

Double Avios is going to put it out of my budget. Is that always the case or do they sometimes release extra at the standard rate?

I can’t work out the logic of the double avios seats.
On the routes that I’m looking at, newly released seats (almost a year away) seem to be set at double avios immediately. I am struggling to find any business class seats that are NOT double avios during English school holidays, and that has been the case since I started checking a few months ago.
I can’t prove it, but it *feels* as if double avios is the norm for English school holidays and for new seats.

It dose look like that.

I managed snap two tickets from MAN-MLE with standard points on the day my son’s school end. From then I couldn’t find a single ticket till Aug.

[Aston100]

DonLee wrote:

Aston100 wrote:

phantomchickenz wrote:

Thanks. If I’m a named traveller on the first booking, I presume I wouldn’t be able to make the second booking using my personal Avios (as I wouldn’t be travelling on that booking). Is that correct?

Double Avios is going to put it out of my budget. Is that always the case or do they sometimes release extra at the standard rate?

I can’t work out the logic of the double avios seats.
On the routes that I’m looking at, newly released seats (almost a year away) seem to be set at double avios immediately. I am struggling to find any business class seats that are NOT double avios during English school holidays, and that has been the case since I started checking a few months ago.
I can’t prove it, but it *feels* as if double avios is the norm for English school holidays and for new seats.

It dose look like that.

I managed snap two tickets from MAN-MLE with standard points on the day my son’s school end. From then I couldn’t find a single ticket till Aug.

Thanks for that. So not just me then.