I know that over the past few years, reward flights have got harder to acheive at certain times of the year, but I am wondering if they are now being choked at source?
This is a bit of a long story, but I would like your comments. (if this is in the wrong section, please do move it mods)
The story is split into two sections.
Section 1 Trying to book the cheapest VS UC flights.
After last years debacle of having to cancel our main holiday I was determined not to do so this year. I have always foun that booking as close to the 336 limit gets you the optimum prices, so for 1st dec to 15th dec 2007 to MCO, i rang up on the Monday 16th January, two days after the 336 day limit.
Both myself and the wife have around 90,000 FC miles, but of course, "little 'un", whilst already a veteran VS flyer for his 4 year of age, (34,688 actual VS miles flown) cannot have his own account. So I contacted Silver FC by phone to arrange reward seats. We are very flexible in terms of which of the two flights per leg we would be booked on. However, i was informed that there were now (2 days after 336 days) no reward setas left on any of the flights!
OK, normally that time of year is normally quiet, with around the 14th Dec the start of the rush for Christmas flights, but perhaps this has changed this year.
So, back to the drawing board.
First off, look at M + M fares.
Very surprised that for 15,000 miles each, the saving was only around £200 per person over available "Z" class fares.
Section 2 Other airline choices
After that quite dissapopinting situation, I looked at alternative UC type choices.
the prices came out as follows: (For all of us)
1) VS LGW-MCO UC Z £3,854.60
2) BA LGW-MCO Club £3,829.90
3) Continental BHX-MCO Buisness First £4,175.10
Cheapest on these basic prices was BA by a huge £24.70
However, when you add hotel at LGW and 15 days LGW car parking, Continental were closer (£229 total more expensive than BA)
After much deliberation (friday travelling to LGW. Hotel, plus drive back Vs BHX-NWK-MCO time length plus extra £229) we decided on LGW and VS for the Clubhouse (the fact that a revivals type lounge is available on the way back tipped the scales against better food)
So, (almost done, keep awake there!) I booked via FC phone three Z class fares on VS 027 and VS 016.
Now, when I checked our seats (6A,K and 7A) on both legs, we are the ONLY pax checked in UC seats, with all the rest available.
How can that be is to quote FC "All rewards seats had already gone"??
We will have over 100,000 miles in our accounts, but what is the point if we cannot even get reward seats at the low season?
PS, just another tip, I looked on all the normal web sites for hotel plus car parking at LGW and for the Sofitel (ex Le Meridian) at LGW, it was cheaper to book on the Sofitel web site than with one of the normal web sites (£160.85 against £178.00)
This is a bit of a long story, but I would like your comments. (if this is in the wrong section, please do move it mods)
The story is split into two sections.
Section 1 Trying to book the cheapest VS UC flights.
After last years debacle of having to cancel our main holiday I was determined not to do so this year. I have always foun that booking as close to the 336 limit gets you the optimum prices, so for 1st dec to 15th dec 2007 to MCO, i rang up on the Monday 16th January, two days after the 336 day limit.
Both myself and the wife have around 90,000 FC miles, but of course, "little 'un", whilst already a veteran VS flyer for his 4 year of age, (34,688 actual VS miles flown) cannot have his own account. So I contacted Silver FC by phone to arrange reward seats. We are very flexible in terms of which of the two flights per leg we would be booked on. However, i was informed that there were now (2 days after 336 days) no reward setas left on any of the flights!
OK, normally that time of year is normally quiet, with around the 14th Dec the start of the rush for Christmas flights, but perhaps this has changed this year.
So, back to the drawing board.
First off, look at M + M fares.
Very surprised that for 15,000 miles each, the saving was only around £200 per person over available "Z" class fares.
Section 2 Other airline choices
After that quite dissapopinting situation, I looked at alternative UC type choices.
the prices came out as follows: (For all of us)
1) VS LGW-MCO UC Z £3,854.60
2) BA LGW-MCO Club £3,829.90
3) Continental BHX-MCO Buisness First £4,175.10
Cheapest on these basic prices was BA by a huge £24.70
However, when you add hotel at LGW and 15 days LGW car parking, Continental were closer (£229 total more expensive than BA)
After much deliberation (friday travelling to LGW. Hotel, plus drive back Vs BHX-NWK-MCO time length plus extra £229) we decided on LGW and VS for the Clubhouse (the fact that a revivals type lounge is available on the way back tipped the scales against better food)
So, (almost done, keep awake there!) I booked via FC phone three Z class fares on VS 027 and VS 016.
Now, when I checked our seats (6A,K and 7A) on both legs, we are the ONLY pax checked in UC seats, with all the rest available.
How can that be is to quote FC "All rewards seats had already gone"??
We will have over 100,000 miles in our accounts, but what is the point if we cannot even get reward seats at the low season?
PS, just another tip, I looked on all the normal web sites for hotel plus car parking at LGW and for the Sofitel (ex Le Meridian) at LGW, it was cheaper to book on the Sofitel web site than with one of the normal web sites (£160.85 against £178.00)
I'd also like to see Rev Man get a little more commonsense and open up G's to people who are booking one or more full fare tickets. You can either sell one or two Z/D/J fares and one G - or lose out to BA! 
