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Bits: underwhelming BA sale now on, new Qatar Airways amenity kits launched

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News in brief:

British Airways sale now on

British Airways has launched its annual December sale – click here for details.  Without a hint of irony, it is called ‘The Unforgettable Sale’.  Once you’ve seen the pricing you may disagree.

I’m not sure what is going on here – I am guessing that there will be a separate premium sale later on.  We know that business class loads are weak but there are no real deals here.

The headline deals being advertised are all in World Traveller:

  • New York from £399 return
  • New Orleans from £545 return
  • Santiago from £679 return
  • Los Angeles from £499 return
  • San Diego from £577 return
  • San Francisco from £499 return
  • Dubai from £299 return
  • Calgary from £549 return
  • Buenos Aires from £699 return
  • Tokyo from £677 return
  • Fort Lauderdale £379 return
  • Oakland £379 return
  • Singapore £499 return
  • Johannesburg from £570 return

A quick look at the British Airways Low Fare Finder site doesn’t show much of merit in Club World.

New York is no cheaper than £1800, for example.  San Francisco is no cheaper than £2075.  Buenos Aires is no cheaper than £2639 whilst Dubai bottoms out at a still pricey £1495 – and only if you travel during Ramadan.

The sale home page is here if you want to take a look.  All deals must be booked by 31st January.

There are some slightly better deals over at BA Holidays, assuming you are happy to package in a hotel with your flight.

qatar-first-class-brics-amenity-kit

New Qatar Airways amenity kits launched

Qatar Airways – a popular choice with HfP readers due to their low sale fares and ability to collect Avios and tier points – has launched a new range of amenity kits.  These are a partnership with BRICS and Castello Monte Vibiano Vecchio, who apparently are an environmentally friendly olive oil-based cosmetics company.

My first thought was ‘these look cute’.  My second thought was ‘no more Armani in First Class’ (I am still working through some Armani goodies I got earlier this year!).

The new First Class kit is pictured above, click to enlarge.

And here is the Business Class one:

qatar-business-class-brics-amenity-kit

The kits include lip balm, hydrating facial mist and City Cream anti-ageing moisturiser in Business Class, with the added night recovery cream for First Class kits.

PS.  Qatar now runs 72 flights a week from the UK, according to the press release they sent me.  Add in Emirates and Etihad and I wonder what % of BA’s long-haul capacity the ‘Middle East 3’ now have between them?

Category

British Airways and Avios, Qatar Airways and Privilege Club

Comments (82)

This article is closed to new posts. Discussion continues in the HfP Forums.

  • Nick says:
    22 Dec22 December 05:06

    Sadly this also means no more Armani in business class too. I have made three return trips to Far East in last 15 months so fortunately picked up 12 of the old Armani kits and still have a good supply of the excellent after shave lotion. Will really miss that on future flights.

  • CV3V says:
    22 Dec22 December 05:14

    There is a very good Qatar economy sale on st moment, UK to Asia for £305 rtn, search using momondo.

  • Holger S. says:
    22 Dec22 December 06:03

    Off topic gents, flying with Qatar from Frankfurt to Auckland on business class via Doha, HK and Melbourne (slightly different route back) and I am on the fence here if I collect Qmiles or Avios. If my calculations are correct I earn 90k Qmiles (plus potentially Gold) but only 30k avios? Wanted to see what your take is on this. Qmiles or Avios? Thanks in advance.

    • Monopolies commission says:
      22 Dec22 December 06:25

      What does 90K qmiles actually get you and how long until they expire?
      Same with Gold – depends if the benefits are useful if its really worth considering.

      • Rob says:
        22 Dec22 December 09:15

        Remember that BA status will get you all of your current membership year and all of the next one, so 13-23 months depending on timing.

        But also remember you wont be upgraded to Silver until you’ve also flown 4 BA cash segments this year.

        • DaveP says:
          23 Dec23 December 13:23

          Hi Rob, I am BA Silver tier currently and am flying return to Bali via Doha in May 2017 with Qatar. Will these four segments not count towards retaining Silver status? Or am I reading that despite having miles and tier points counting towards my BAEC a/c and retention via Oneworld, I would still need to take 4 cash segments with BA only?

    • C77 says:
      22 Dec22 December 07:11

      Also why assume this is a gents only website?
      Regarding amenity kits, I’m just back from Sydney with QR (my nominated ex PSA destination after AKL was postponed) and report there is still plenty of Gorgio Armani knocking about. Wondering when the brics kits will be introduced from?

      • Genghis says:
        22 Dec22 December 07:22

        Indeed. Don’t want a repeat of shirtgate

      • Brian says:
        22 Dec22 December 13:21

        Why assume that Holger assumes it’s a gents-only website? Perhaps he is only interested in the advice of the gents? :))

    • TGLoyalty says:
      22 Dec22 December 07:32

      Gold is equivalent to BA Silver which you’d also get if you have 4 BA flights under your belt already.

    • N says:
      22 Dec22 December 09:24

      90k Q miles = 20k Accor points
      20k Accor = 400EUR off a hotel booking

      Also worth considering that route

  • Phil says:
    22 Dec22 December 07:17

    Am I the only one who can’t enlarge the pictures? Is it an iPad thing, maybe?

  • th real harry says:
    22 Dec22 December 07:48

    Qatar had some decent deals in cattle yesterday
    Edinburgh – Kuala Lumpur: £289
    Birmingham – Kuala Lumpur: £296
    Manchester – Kathmandu: £303
    Manchester – Hong Kong: £310
    London – Bali: £314
    Birmingham – Hong Kong: £317
    London – Kathmandu: £321
    Birmingham – Singapore: £321
    Manchester – Singapore: £326
    London – Singapore: £328
    Manchester – Bangkok: £337
    Edinburgh – Ho Chi Minh City: £349
    Birmingham – Bangkok: £374

    • Brian says:
      22 Dec22 December 13:23

      Did you actually manage to find availability at those prices? I always find with Qatar’s ex-UK sales that the headline prices are great, in both business and economy, but then you can’t actually find those prices for any dates.

  • John G says:
    22 Dec22 December 07:57

    Thank goodness, no more horrendous black and gold Armani kits – such revolting things! The new ones at least look a little more classy.

  • Anon says:
    22 Dec22 December 08:23

    BA getting less impressive as the months go by.

    Just booked outbound leg to Perth using BA 241.

    Obvs can only use 241 on BA metal, fair enough, CW to Singapore (no First available), job done.

    Okay then now to just tag on Qantas redemption flight SIN-PER, was told by BA Exec computer says no can’t mix bookings, so no guarantee of bags being checked through Singapore… This is because BA have withdrawn goodwill with OW partners.

    OW – WTF?

    I’m still astonished a pax on a through ticket on a UK domestic connection to a long haul First & CW flight has to pay for a cup of tea or bottle of water, it’s crazy.

    Well they’re not the only ones that can withdraw goodwill.

    Qatar could be getting some serious attention to Australia in the future.

    • Rob says:
      22 Dec22 December 09:19

      BA will no longer transfer bags TO ITS OWN FLIGHTS on separate tickets. Book LHR to XXX on Avios but pay cash for MAN- LHR because there is no Avios availability and you will have to collect your bags at Heathrow, go landside and recheck them.

      • Anon says:
        22 Dec22 December 09:40

        I had also had that unbelievable & wonderful “Enhancement” explained to me by the BAEC cust services rep.

        BA are swiftly becoming a crock of …..

      • James67 says:
        22 Dec22 December 10:06

        FlyBe flaging up their interline agreements with SQ and VS in promoting new LHR-EDI/ABZ routes. Small fry I know but it might just hurt BA a little, and in conjunction with ‘great’ customer feedback, might give them second thoughts.

        • Alan says:
          22 Dec22 December 23:16

          Wonder if they could do it for VS or SQ redemption flights on separate tickets – I doubt it but they would definitely get my connecting business if so!

      • Lady London says:
        22 Dec22 December 10:30

        As in…… Ryanair

        “We are a point to point airline and don’t transfer bags”. Ryanair… and now, British Airways!!

        Not much difference really.

        I do hope BA is looking behind them…. Easyjet is coming up behind them expanding like billy-ho – many new routes across several European countries next year.

        • James67 says:
          22 Dec22 December 11:43

          If I’m honest with myself Ryanair is now a superior option to BA for flights to Europe. Legroom is better, aircraft are generally newer, and for those of us outside London, they can usually get us clkse to just about anyplace we want to go nonstop. If Ryanair cannot do it then one of the other LCC usually does. 2017 will see something of a change for me including my first ever flights on easyjet, KLM and AF. For the first time since they took over BMI my BAEC redemotiobs will amount to only one return longhaul journey for my partner and I. BA now so poor that I just pick up easy avios, not worth any special effort for them.

      • roberto says:
        22 Dec22 December 12:53

        It will become a chargeable option I guess..

      • John says:
        22 Dec22 December 13:58

        They are just moving baggage handling cost onto check-in cost. Don’t get it.

      • RIcatti says:
        23 Dec23 December 05:36

        Coupled with the awful queues for luggage drop at T5 in all of its sections, this is an insult.

        In fact, are they creating queues this way, almost on purpose and certainly with knowledge?

        Commercial decisions, cost is one thing but it looks like airline bosses train and treat the crowds of people as school children and its more about following the artificial rules, than any sense.

        No check-through means people prefer to take train/car and arrive at Heathrow with luggage — in fact, I recommend this way as waiting for luggage and going outside, staying in the queues, and trying to make to cut-off time to and through security.

    • Nick says:
      22 Dec22 December 10:25

      BA is an absolute disgrace. What I really dislike is being lied to by BA staff at check-in who are too embarrassed to give the real reason for not checking baggage through to a connecting OneWorld flight.. As a gold member, I use the First Class check-in. Last month flying from Heathrow to Amsterdam and connecting on to Qatar to Doha business class and then onward to Bangkok, I was told bags could not be checked through to Qatar for security reasons on two separate bookings. However on the return journey, Qatar staff were delighted to check my bags through to London. This week I flew to Sri Lanka using 241 Club a World to Chennai connecting onto Sri Lankan to Colombo. When booking back in January, BA said it had to be on two tickets in order to use 2for1 but bags could be checked right through on OneWorld partners. After the change in policy, I phoned BA as I was travelling with my 89 year old mother for who having to go through immigration twice, collect bags recheck-in is quite a hassle. I was told the check-in managers have discretion and to ask at check-in and explain the situation. I did this at First Class check-in but was told that checking luggage through to onward destination is not possible anyway due to Indian security restrictions. So in Chennai with my 89 year old mother in a wheelchair we set off on a long trip to immigration, collected bags, bumped along an external road in hot and humid conditions to the check in entrance, cleared security and went through immigration to arrive back at same place we had been 90 minutes earlier. The immigration officer was not happy either and said we should have asked British Airways to check the bags through to Colombo! I also am appalled by BA still using Priority Baggage labels when they write in High Life magazine that British Airways does not operate priority baggage. It is sad to see BA treating their customers in such a shoddy manner and can only harm the airline in the long term with strong completion from airlines who respect their passengers.

      • Lady London says:
        22 Dec22 December 10:33

        @Nick I am sure you didn’t fall for that!

        Whenever some official or person wants to stop me doing something or won’t do something obvious, and says “Security” is the reason in the UK, I know they’re flat out lying. It’s so lame.

        • the_real_a says:
          22 Dec22 December 12:22

          Similar to unions when striking citing “safety” when they mean “pay and benefits”

      • Tim says:
        22 Dec22 December 13:11

        Hey Nick, Quick question regarding your booking London – Columbo.

        I’m looking to make the same booking in Club using 241 for next november. Did you manage to get the 241 to apply for the sri lankan airlines leg as well? Or did you just book those as two separate return flights? Thanks

  • Barry cutters says:
    22 Dec22 December 08:41

    Iberia doing economy lhr- Panama City via Madrid for £386 , £345 if using skyscanner on 3rd party website. Can combine with 777 to Madrid. Very cheap for that length of flight . Madrid lounge is ok too, but no emerald lounge .

This article is closed to new posts. Discussion continues in the HfP Forums.

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