The HfP chat thread – Sunday 12th December

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• YC says:

  12 Dec12 December 10:42

  20% bonus on SLH gift cards. Do you know if u can book via hyatt and use SLH gift cards at check out given the partnership?

• manilabay says:

  12 Dec12 December 10:44

  Any data points on Regenerative Clinic Marylebone same day PCR tests (Day2)? Have mine booked for Christmas Eve at 8am…hoping to get it back by later in the day to travel to family. Begrudge having to pay the £399 for the 3h test.

  • John says:

    12 Dec12 December 12:17

    You can travel to family while waiting for results or before taking the test, provided that you will stay there until the result and continue to stay there if positive

  • MJ says:

    12 Dec12 December 16:45

    I have my appointment booked at 17:55 had the results back by midnight.

  • Tom H says:

    12 Dec12 December 17:44

    Honestly go to Halo at Sofitel, fraction of the cost!

    • manilabay says:

      13 Dec13 December 08:39

      Great thanks all! I had considered Halo at Sofitel but flying into Gatwick & staying in Central – had we travelled to LHR I definitely would’ve used it.

• Cat says:

  12 Dec12 December 10:52

  Hi all, just used my Berry Bros & Rudd £50 off £250 spend, and they gave me a referral link, which I thought might be of use to someone.

  If you haven’t ordered from them before, you can get £30 off a £275 spend, or £50 off a £400 spend, which should stack nicely with the AMEX offer. Just type my name (Catherine Downie) into the “Been referred by a friend?” box (click the link below the voucher code box on the checkout), and one of the offers should apply. I’ll get a discount too, obviously.

  Thanks all!

• Maxi says:

  12 Dec12 December 10:58

  Hi all, quick question. I am looking to book a flight to YUL from FRA transiting in London. The problem is I land at LCY and the flight to YUL is from LHR, will I need to book a PCR test or is this considered as a transit? Right now I am looking at cash tickets, if anyone has any recommendations for redemptions I am all ears. Thanks it advance.

  • SamG says:

    12 Dec12 December 12:02

    This is covered on the gov.uk website. You do need to fill in a PLF but do not require tests, you put in that you are exempt

  • John says:

    12 Dec12 December 12:21

    To avoid arrival testing you must travel directly to LHR when you leave LCY and cannot stop over at a hotel or to go shopping etc. If you do want to stop somewhere you need to test and self isolate there until negative.

• roger says:

  12 Dec12 December 11:02

  DataPoint – IB+ to BAEC Avios transfer worked today after so many years!
  directly via BAEC online account on Chrome.

• Andy says:

  12 Dec12 December 11:02

  Any clue if BA allows stopovers in London? They have some great connecting fares into Dubai from the location where I’m spending my holidays, and I’m keen to avoid January WFH.

  Do they offer stopover for 2/3 days on the same fare if you call, seeing as it can’t be done on the website?

  Alternatively, if you have a pretty long layover, is it possible to check in separately for the two flights so I can collect some luggage back in London (HBO for the short haul connection) and then take that with me on the long haul flight?

  • TGLoyalty says:

    12 Dec12 December 11:12

    You need to check the fare rules. Stopover of more than 24hrs in U.K. adds APD normally

    Then BA might add £100 or more themselves for more than 24hrs.

    Best to look at google flights.

    • TGLoyalty says:

      12 Dec12 December 11:13

      Btw it can be done on BA website but via multi city not simple return.

  • Colin MacKinnon says:

    12 Dec12 December 11:36

    With HBO on the flight to London, you don’t need to worry about retrieving bags from the holiday and then replacing with WFH stuff. Otherwise, it would be fly back into LCY or LGW, reclaim bags and then fly out of LHR – or other similar combinations.

    While there are tickets that might allow you a break of journey for a couple of days, as TGL says you’ll probably have higher costs and def will have UK APD to pay.

    But if you buy a separate ticket, you’ll still have to pay the UK APD!

    Best is to say you want to book stopovers on your – for example – Paris-London – xxxx flight and pick a 23 hour connection.

    It might help to say where you are and where you might WFH? For example, there are BA and Lufthansa flights for around £1k in business to Dubai – including UK APD.

  • Andy says:

    12 Dec12 December 22:28

    Understood, thanks TG and Colin!

• PL says:

  12 Dec12 December 11:30

  I’m wondering if anyone has a club world booking for LHR-HND autumn 2022 and whether the seating plan is showing as having the new club suite? I notice Tokyo is not listed on the recent HfP article but you never know

  • TGLoyalty says:

    12 Dec12 December 11:50

    Genuinely the plane could change 10x between now and then.

    The whole 777 fleet will have CS by end of 2022 (so in autumn it should be a large %) all A350 and 787-10 are CS so will then leave the 787-8/9 and A380 as long haul CW planes.

    Right now as of today 36% of the fleet has CS

    • Mark says:

      12 Dec12 December 18:01

      As you say, will depend on aircraft type and changes are very likely. The 787-10 won’t be operating flights to Tokyo, and it’s unlikely many, if any, 787-8/9 or A380 will have it by then.

      As things stand for next October BA5 is showing as a 787-9 with First blocked out, and BA7 as a 787-8 (3 class). So both the old CW sleeper suite.

      If switched to a three class 777 or A350 you may be in luck, but assuming both flights operate it may also depend on which one you pick.

      For various reasons related to the (post refit) configuration of the 777 fleet, and the fact that the 787=10 isn’t (in any practical sense) capable of operating flights of that distance there’s little chance of CS on Tokyo flights at that point if BA decides to put First back on your flight.

      So I’d go with the expectation of no CS, but you never know….

      • Mark says:

        12 Dec12 December 18:02

        Meant to say … old CW sleeper seat!

  • The Savage Squirrel says:

    12 Dec12 December 12:06

    I’d agree. I wouldn’t take a less convenient time/route/price on the basis of CS vs CW unless it’s flying imminently. Got a couple of CS bookings but I’m mentally prepared for the old seat to avoid disappointment. Going to have to take it as it comes for 2022.

  • Biki says:

    12 Dec12 December 12:11

    I’ve got flight booked for October which are currently old club seats on a 787

• Colin MacKinnon says:

  12 Dec12 December 11:40

  Staying in the Thistle Heathrow in a week or so. Yes, booked a non-refundable room to play on the pods just a few days before the pods were removed!

  Best way of getting into town for a night out? Thinking bus from hotel and HEX – don’t fancy the Piccadilly line at rush hour! Any advice on HEX discounts?

  Return, I am thinking Addison Lee. Do I get the discount with Amex Biz Plat? Any sign-up codes?

  • Roy says:

    12 Dec12 December 11:50

    TfL Rail is an option if you don’t fancy shelling out for HEX tickets. Same route as HEX but slower, and much cheaper

    • AJA says:

      12 Dec12 December 12:04

      +1 for TfL Rail.

  • John says:

    12 Dec12 December 12:24

    Well depends where you want to go. Out of Heathrow the Piccadilly line is contra peak until Hammersmith or so when it fills up with other people going for nights out

    No point going to Paddington if your final destination is Leicester Square though

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