If you are flying from Asia to the UK it is often worth looking for flights that start/finish in Europe rather than the UK. Tickets are often substantial cheaper, in all classes. This was the return leg of a trip booked almost a year previously for around £440 return, with on of the long haul legs in World Traveller Plus.
As I have noted before the BA KL service is using relatively old 777s at the moment, and this is particularly noticeable in Economy and with the in flight entertainment system. That having been said, service and food were both good and as I was travelling with my two children we had a row to ourselves. Night flights in Economy are not great, but when you don't have to sit next to strangers I can just about mange them, if I have to.
Unfortunately when I booked these tickets (over a year ago) I did not look carefully enough at the transit time in Heathrow. With 8 hours to kill in Heathrow we all had showers in the Terminal 3 BA lounge. The lounge is fine- and we were there so early it was actually quiet. We then headed out of the airport to do some shopping in Hounslow. A short flight to Barcelona was uneventful, and the catering in economy limited to a sandwich- which was of very good quality.
BA is up against Malaysia Airlines A380s out of Heathrow. If there is a straight choice I'd go on the A380. However, by looking to start your journey elsewhere in Europe the BA flights can be very affordable. Consider looking at Barcelona, Paris, Marseille, Franfurt and Amsterdam as starting points.
Showing posts with label British Airways. Show all posts
Showing posts with label British Airways. Show all posts
Sunday, 23 August 2015
Tuesday, 30 June 2015
British Airways Club World London to Kuala Lumpur
This route is currently flown by an older 777. As a result it is a bit noisy and dated. However, this is less of a problem in Club World than in World Traveller or World Traveller Plus. The entertainment system is OK, though not great by Business Class Standards. I also find the BA programme/movie range not really to my taste. Perhaps I am a bit picky. These days an alternative is to watch downloaded content on your tablet. Unfortunately there was no USB point, and so I had to use my laptop as a power source.
The service was fine and the food provided of a very good standard. However, if I had a choice I would travel with Malaysia Airlines on their A380. I have not quite got to grips with the Club World layout. If you are travelling with a companion side by side is surely better- this can be done on BA, but you are then trapped by the feet of other passengers if the seats are used.
Travelling alone, I also don't think the layout works. To avoid invading the personal space of another passenger you need two seats to be free (the one next to you, becuase when that divider goes down you are face to face, and the one which needs to climb over you to get out of their seat when you are sleeping) whereas on Malaysia Airlines you only need the seat next to you to be free. (it normally is when flying to Paris, London perhaps less so!)
As I have written before, it is great that there is now the choice of two A380s and one 777 flying between KL and LHR. Long may it continue.
The service was fine and the food provided of a very good standard. However, if I had a choice I would travel with Malaysia Airlines on their A380. I have not quite got to grips with the Club World layout. If you are travelling with a companion side by side is surely better- this can be done on BA, but you are then trapped by the feet of other passengers if the seats are used.
Travelling alone, I also don't think the layout works. To avoid invading the personal space of another passenger you need two seats to be free (the one next to you, becuase when that divider goes down you are face to face, and the one which needs to climb over you to get out of their seat when you are sleeping) whereas on Malaysia Airlines you only need the seat next to you to be free. (it normally is when flying to Paris, London perhaps less so!)
As I have written before, it is great that there is now the choice of two A380s and one 777 flying between KL and LHR. Long may it continue.
Monday, 29 June 2015
Galleries Lounges at Heathrow
The Galleries Lounges at T5 Heathrow are quite good. They are spacious and there is often a good range of hot and cold food as will as a good range of beers and wines. The two lounges in the main building do get very busy. If you are travelling from satellite building B or C it is usually better to head over to B to the lounge there. It is much quieter. However, there isn't a first class lounge there.
If you are flying from the main building and you have lots of time to kill, you can still make use of the lounge in building B. You will not be able to take the transit back to A, but on floor -4 there is a walkway which connects all the buildings and is open to the public. It takes 10-15 minutes to walk back from the lounge in satellite building B to the main Building.
If you are flying from the main building and you have lots of time to kill, you can still make use of the lounge in building B. You will not be able to take the transit back to A, but on floor -4 there is a walkway which connects all the buildings and is open to the public. It takes 10-15 minutes to walk back from the lounge in satellite building B to the main Building.
Sunday, 28 June 2015
Britiah Airways World Traveller Plus
BA's Premium Economy Product is an interesting one. It is certainly an improvement on Economy, the extra leg room and very slightly wider seats do make a difference. The small cabins do make the experience a bit more bearable. However, some of the frustrations of Economy are still present. One that sticks in the mind from a recent flight is the queues for the loo. As is often the case it very much depends on which plane you are on. The A380 World Traveller Plus cabins are very impressive. There are lots of convenient storage spaces and the seats a re comfortable. The older 777s are less good. The entertainment equipment is poor and the middle east airline's economy entertainment systems are far superior.
One other disadvantage can be that it can sometimes be full, because the cabin is quite small. However, this was not the case on my most recent flight.
World Traveller Plus does have a role to play. If you are flying economy, and there is a cheap upgrade available it can be worth it for the tier points alone. It can also be worth booking with the view to picking up a cheap or avios upgrade to Club World at a later stage. Sometimes, if all the cheap economy tickets have gone, it can sometimes be cheaper to fly in Premium Economy (This seems to happen quite often on the Hong Kong route.
One other disadvantage can be that it can sometimes be full, because the cabin is quite small. However, this was not the case on my most recent flight.
World Traveller Plus does have a role to play. If you are flying economy, and there is a cheap upgrade available it can be worth it for the tier points alone. It can also be worth booking with the view to picking up a cheap or avios upgrade to Club World at a later stage. Sometimes, if all the cheap economy tickets have gone, it can sometimes be cheaper to fly in Premium Economy (This seems to happen quite often on the Hong Kong route.
Monday, 18 May 2015
Malaysia Airlines Tier Point Run
Those members of the various one world frequent flyer schemes who are based on the Island of Borneo have usually found it best to get off the Island before looking at tier point runs. As described here there are often good options from Phuket. However, today I have been looking for Tier Point runs starting on Borneo. Infact, I was just looking for the hop from Miri to Kuching, which is, once a day, flown by Malaysia airlines (rather than MASwings- no tier points!). Whilst this came up, a much more interesting option for tier points also became apparent, that was Miri to Kuching via Kuala Lumpur and return. (MYY-KUL-KCH-KUL-MYY). This comes in at £253 at will earn 160 Tier Points in the BA scheme. (£1.58 per tier point- which is not so bad) and will earn 3706 avios for BA executive club members. One of the legs could be flown direct, reducing the tier points to 120, and the price to £233 which gets a better return of £1.47 per tier point). The direct flights come in at £223, a rather unattractive £2.87 per tier point.
If you are tempted to include Borneo as part of a tier point run, do make sure you are not booked on a MASwings flight- no Tier points will be awarded. If your run includes a stay in Kuching then I highly recommend the Pullman.
If you are tempted to include Borneo as part of a tier point run, do make sure you are not booked on a MASwings flight- no Tier points will be awarded. If your run includes a stay in Kuching then I highly recommend the Pullman.
Tuesday, 12 May 2015
Kuala Lumpur to Paris (and London) in A380 Economy
Since Malaysia airlines joined one world and bought some A380s, I have made extensive use of the KL-Paris and KL-London routes. I have flown the sector in Economy from KL to both Paris and London, and the return sector from Paris to Kuala Lumpur. Economy on an A380 is not too bad at all. The relatively high cabin coupled with the twin aisles gives a good feeling of space. The service is fine, Perhaps I am spoiling the surprise, but trays of plastic classes filled with lager brought around after take off are an interesting service innovation. There are currently two flights to London, one night flight leaving just before midnight and one day flight leaving at 10:10. 13 hours is a long time to spend in Economy, and so I am often tempted to look again at a routing through the middle east. I also found that there is a long gap between the meal services. I have become quite hungry on these flights.
It is great these flights are available and it will be sad to lose them if Malaysia Airlines sell their A380s. If I am buying tickets for my whole family, these flights have become an inexpensive direct routing to Europe. A few prices differences made a stop in the Middle East or Hong Kong almost essential. In the next few months I will be flying this route, all be it on BA, a number of times, both in World Traveller Plus and in World Traveller. (As written about here) I'll see how they go, but, given the length of the direct flight, I am currently tempted to split the journey and to look at Qatar, Emirates, or Etihad if I have to use Economy.
It is great these flights are available and it will be sad to lose them if Malaysia Airlines sell their A380s. If I am buying tickets for my whole family, these flights have become an inexpensive direct routing to Europe. A few prices differences made a stop in the Middle East or Hong Kong almost essential. In the next few months I will be flying this route, all be it on BA, a number of times, both in World Traveller Plus and in World Traveller. (As written about here) I'll see how they go, but, given the length of the direct flight, I am currently tempted to split the journey and to look at Qatar, Emirates, or Etihad if I have to use Economy.
Thursday, 7 May 2015
Malaysia Airlines for Tier Point Runs
In order to maintain Silver status in the British Airways Executive club you need to collect 600 tier points in each membership year. (You also need to take four British Airways Flights). Silver Status is equivalent to sapphire One World Status and will get you lounge access across the one world network. In order to obtain BA Gold you need to earn 1500 tier points.
Flying on Malaysia Airlines is a good way to pick up cheap tier points. Ideally you are looking for flights just over 2000 miles as these pick up 140 tier points in Business Class. It is possible to find tier points runs that work out as less than £1 a tier point on Malaysia Airlines- though they can be awkward.
For example a return flight from Phuket to New Delhi via KL will earn 360 tier points (40+140+140+40) and can be purchased in June (and quite often) for approximately £351.
Perhaps you need fewer Tier Points to get you over the line to a higher status level. If this is the case then the domestic business class promotions are sometimes good value. You can often find Business Tickets from Kuala Lumpur to Johor Bharu or Langkawi for RM380, around £70. This will net you 40 tier points (80 return) for less than £2 a tier point.
People looking for Tier Point runs from Europe or Asia have spent years looking at American Airlines in the US with envy- Malaysia Airlines give us a chance to pick up those last few tier points almost as cheaply we could in the US.
Flying on Malaysia Airlines is a good way to pick up cheap tier points. Ideally you are looking for flights just over 2000 miles as these pick up 140 tier points in Business Class. It is possible to find tier points runs that work out as less than £1 a tier point on Malaysia Airlines- though they can be awkward.
For example a return flight from Phuket to New Delhi via KL will earn 360 tier points (40+140+140+40) and can be purchased in June (and quite often) for approximately £351.
Perhaps you need fewer Tier Points to get you over the line to a higher status level. If this is the case then the domestic business class promotions are sometimes good value. You can often find Business Tickets from Kuala Lumpur to Johor Bharu or Langkawi for RM380, around £70. This will net you 40 tier points (80 return) for less than £2 a tier point.
People looking for Tier Point runs from Europe or Asia have spent years looking at American Airlines in the US with envy- Malaysia Airlines give us a chance to pick up those last few tier points almost as cheaply we could in the US.
Sunday, 3 May 2015
One World Alliance - key benefitsof British Airways Executive Club
The one world alliance contains a large number of key airlines for travellers based in the ASEAN region. The founding members included British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas, which gave the alliance useful coverage between Europe and Asia and within Asia. Recently Malaysia Airlines, Qatar and Sri Lankan Airlines have joined making the alliance particularly attractive.
Of all of the loyalty programmes within one world, despite the recent changes the British Airways Executive club is my preferred choice. This is despite the fact that the majority of my flights are actually flown with Malaysia Airlines. The key benefits of the British Airways Executive Club are:
1. Clear progression through the tiers- Tier points are straight forward and earned on almost every flight (be careful on Malyasia Airlines though- more to follow on this)
2. Even following the devlauation, generous points earning opportunities from flying- especially on British Airways, American Airlines and Iberia.
3. The household account- this makes earning avios as a family a breeze and means reward flights are earned much quicker than with competing schemes.
4. Tier status benefits are well respected throughout the alliance- sometimes additional luggage allowances can be a little bit of a struggle at check in though.
By having status in the BA programme rather than the MH programme I do miss out on some benefits when flying on Malaysia Airlines. For example, I do not pick up tier bonus enrich points. The additional luggage allowance for enrich passengers with status is generous and quite straight forward (50%/100% extra for Gold/Platinum members). Finally I never get upgraded when travelling on Malaysia Airlines. However, given how empty Business/first cabins seem to be I assume that Malaysia Airlines only upgrade for operational reasons, so I doubt I miss much.
The British Airways Executive club is a good option for ASEAN travellers. However, you do need to have 4 flights on British Airways flights each year to maintain status. This may be a problem for a reader who does not travel once a year or so to Europe (or Australia).
More on the benefits of the Executive Club, and how to earn and maintain status in future posts.
Of all of the loyalty programmes within one world, despite the recent changes the British Airways Executive club is my preferred choice. This is despite the fact that the majority of my flights are actually flown with Malaysia Airlines. The key benefits of the British Airways Executive Club are:
1. Clear progression through the tiers- Tier points are straight forward and earned on almost every flight (be careful on Malyasia Airlines though- more to follow on this)
2. Even following the devlauation, generous points earning opportunities from flying- especially on British Airways, American Airlines and Iberia.
3. The household account- this makes earning avios as a family a breeze and means reward flights are earned much quicker than with competing schemes.
4. Tier status benefits are well respected throughout the alliance- sometimes additional luggage allowances can be a little bit of a struggle at check in though.
By having status in the BA programme rather than the MH programme I do miss out on some benefits when flying on Malaysia Airlines. For example, I do not pick up tier bonus enrich points. The additional luggage allowance for enrich passengers with status is generous and quite straight forward (50%/100% extra for Gold/Platinum members). Finally I never get upgraded when travelling on Malaysia Airlines. However, given how empty Business/first cabins seem to be I assume that Malaysia Airlines only upgrade for operational reasons, so I doubt I miss much.
The British Airways Executive club is a good option for ASEAN travellers. However, you do need to have 4 flights on British Airways flights each year to maintain status. This may be a problem for a reader who does not travel once a year or so to Europe (or Australia).
More on the benefits of the Executive Club, and how to earn and maintain status in future posts.
Friday, 1 May 2015
How I am travelling from KL to London for "free" in World Traveller Plus
As the British Airways Kuala Lumpur route beds in there are often some interesting fares available. I am travelling to London for a few days in June, unfortunately the quick turnaround meant that few decent business class fares were available. As a result I booked world traveller plus with BA for around £900 return with the hope that I would be able to use Avios or cash to upgrade at some stage.
This is not a great deal, given that Qatar have been offering Business class returns the other way (from elsewhere in Europe) for less than £1000. To make matters worse, the upgrade has not materialised- it does look like I'll be in premium economy.
However, some quick calculations show that I am not too badly off after all. The trip will generate 200 tier points - which I value at £3 each (If the journey is being made anyway) and 30,000 avios, which I still value at 1p each (for convenience.......following the recent value there are worth less than that to me.)
Tier points 300 X £3 = £600
Avios 30,000 X 0.01 = £300
Total = £900
Could be worse. Could also be better- a recent journey on the BA A380 to Hong Kong in Premium Economy was very impressive. I may be a little disappointed by the same product on the 777- especially as Malaysia airlines have an A380 going to London twice a day.
This is not a great deal, given that Qatar have been offering Business class returns the other way (from elsewhere in Europe) for less than £1000. To make matters worse, the upgrade has not materialised- it does look like I'll be in premium economy.
However, some quick calculations show that I am not too badly off after all. The trip will generate 200 tier points - which I value at £3 each (If the journey is being made anyway) and 30,000 avios, which I still value at 1p each (for convenience.......following the recent value there are worth less than that to me.)
Tier points 300 X £3 = £600
Avios 30,000 X 0.01 = £300
Total = £900
Could be worse. Could also be better- a recent journey on the BA A380 to Hong Kong in Premium Economy was very impressive. I may be a little disappointed by the same product on the 777- especially as Malaysia airlines have an A380 going to London twice a day.
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