The HfP chat thread – Thursday 4th November

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• Biki says:

  4 Nov4 November 10:16

  I’ve not seen this posted already, so apologies if it already has… It looks like BA have extended the A380 on the MIA route into FEB ’22 now, so lots of availability both ways in Jan and Feb.

  • Rhys says:

    4 Nov4 November 10:19

    On the other hand LAX has been dropped from the 10th Jan in favour of Joburg.

  • HBommie says:

    4 Nov4 November 13:22

    Hope they don’t mess up my CS on that route with the big bus not having it.

• Mel T says:

  4 Nov4 November 10:18

  I wonder if any of you clever people could just have a look at my reasoning on where to credit Star Alliance flights and see if I have missed anything.
  OH and I usually ( pre covid) do a road trip in the USA every year, flying over with VA as i have a ton of miles. Over the next 6 months we have 2 out of character flights, one with Air Canada and one with Swiss, and will need to get to Chicago in autumn of next year.
  Aeroplan miles expire after 18 months and Swiss 36 months. I think it’s better to credit to United, as those miles dont expire, and we could then use them for internal flights in the USA on future road trips, .
  Have I missed a more obvious answer?

  • BuildBackBetter says:

    4 Nov4 November 10:32

    Would’ve suggested AS (for their mileage chart and network) or B6 (for the quality of flights), but given neither AC nor LX partner with first two, UA seems the logical choice. SQ has a couple of flights you may want to use next time you fly to USA (MAN-IAH & FRA-JFK), that’s another option as they don’t release J seats to any other partner.

    • Mel T says:

      4 Nov4 November 10:38

      * googles airline codes*
      Thank you, reassuring I’m not missing anything as new to this bar using VA! Will def look at SQ next time too.

      • kitten says:

        4 Nov4 November 11:21

        VS not VA btw, unless you’re planning on flying Virgin Australia

        • Mel T says:

          4 Nov4 November 11:43

          And there I show my newbie colours. Oops.

        • ChrisC says:

          4 Nov4 November 12:02

          And originally VA belonged to an Argentinian airline!

          When Virgin Atlantic was formed they went with VS from Virgin atlantic airwayS.

          When the Argentine ailine went kaput it was too late for VS to swap (not an easy thing to do anyway) but it enabled Virgin Australia to get the VA code.

    • Liam says:

      4 Nov4 November 15:31

      Availability is a bit patchy but you can get some excellent *A redemptions using AC (Aeroplan) miles. One of the flights I had to cancel during covid was ORD-LHR on UA in J for 60,000 AC miles + $5.60, for example. I do need to find a way to credit something to that account to stop what’s left of them expiring, however, and simply transferring 1,000 points from my (US) Amex account didn’t seem to do the trick…

      • Mel T says:

        4 Nov4 November 22:53

        I am sure I read something about signing up for one of the Canadian version of e-rewards surveys would keep a trick of miles going and keep the miles alive?

• DaveL says:

  4 Nov4 November 10:21

  Hey all. I want to book some reward flights for OH and I plus new baby for 2022, ahead of BA site going down. However baby is not yet on our HHA, and it appears I’m already too late to add due to the IT ‘works’.
  Is there anything I can do but wait? Can I book for the two of us and add +1 at a later date, or can they do it by phone (not that I fancy the wait!)?
  Thanks in advance

  • DaveL says:

    4 Nov4 November 10:22

    P.S. Wanting to use 241 companion voucher for the two of us…

  • John Caribbean says:

    4 Nov4 November 10:28

    I booked before the child had arrived on a 241 a few years back, added the child later no problem. I imagine it was by phone, in the days it didn’t take two hours

  • TicknBash says:

    4 Nov4 November 11:09

    +1
    Secure the 241 seats for the adults first and ring up later to add the infant which will cost 10% avios

    Our baby had a 1k welcome avios and I had my BA status extended for a year.

  • John says:

    4 Nov4 November 12:20

    Baby doesn’t need to have a BAEC account to be booked, and no urgency to do it since you’re going it have to call anyway, there won’t be lack of availability as not having their own seat, so might as well wait until you have a name and birthdate (and hopefully everything goes well with the birth so you’re certain you can travel)

    Don’t get the baby status extension until the 7 week period in between your tier year end and your card expiry date – then your status extends for 23 months rather than 13

  • DaveL says:

    4 Nov4 November 13:08

    Thanks all, very helpful indeed.

• Simon says:

  4 Nov4 November 10:31

  Meta/Lady London

  Would you have any aversion to Rob letting me contact you via email? Or else you contacting me via vikingsfanuk AT hotmail DOT com, if you had time/inclination?

  I just wanted to politely ask for your collective advice/wisdom about the sh1t shower BA has just visited upon me?

  Many thanks in advance

  • Lady London says:

    4 Nov4 November 16:56

    Yes fine. But might benefit others if you post.

    • Lady London says:

      4 Nov4 November 16:57

      Will send you a blank

• Blindman says:

  4 Nov4 November 10:40

  Bought a BA flight using e-voucher

  Need to change the Inbound dates only-Can’t do this on-line

  So
  Do I cancel the whole thing and rebook for the dates I want-This would be an extra £200.
  Or
  Do I ring (!) and get the CS to make the change-Would this still be “free” or would they adjust for the fare difference?

  Ta.

  • ChrisC says:

    4 Nov4 November 11:23

    You still pay the fare difference.

    • Blindman says:

      4 Nov4 November 12:49

      Thought as much.

      Thanks for the reply

• Rachel Robinson says:

  4 Nov4 November 10:44

  Is there any risk involved in letting the date for my cancelled BA flight go by without having rescheduled or got a refund? Want to rebook but can’t until next year’s flights are available. Thanks

  • roberto says:

    4 Nov4 November 12:52

    You have up to 6 years to claim so yes, wait for now and call CS to rebook once your flights are released.

    • Rachel Robinson says:

      4 Nov4 November 12:52

      Thank you!

• Ant says:

  4 Nov4 November 10:45

  what’s the best number to call to make an avios booking using an FTV?

• Super Secret Stuff says:

  4 Nov4 November 10:49

  Interesting piece of info from a friend that is BA cabin crew, if you actually manage to get first don’t expect the IFE to work as BA haven’t paid the subscription costs 🙂

  • Blenz101 says:

    4 Nov4 November 11:19

    Well that isn’t true. Unless you mean where they are operating long haul aircraft on SH routes for training where they don’t have the licence for the IFE. Same in all cabins though.

  • BuildBackBetter says:

    4 Nov4 November 11:21

    With BA, you start with zero expectations.

  • TGLoyalty says:

    4 Nov4 November 11:48

    To where?

    If it’s the European A380 flights then yeah that’s normal

    I can’t believe that’s the case for international First. You’d see many stories on it already.

    • Pete M says:

      4 Nov4 November 12:11

      Assuming it’s on the European flights, that seems unwise. Given that the IFE regularly goes down on long-haul and the European flights are training/refreshers, surely you’d want to practice resetting and troubleshooting the system? (Said in jest!) 🙂

      • Super Secret Stuff says:

        4 Nov4 November 19:47

        Might have been Stockholm. People where sat in them, sounded like it was every aircraft but could be wrong

        • TGLoyalty says:

          4 Nov4 November 20:42

          It’s every long haul aircraft flying within Europe yes because they have never paid the licence fee.

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