Dear Alex,
I am an [Executive Club] gold member and this December I am using my BA miles for a business class flight from London Heathrow to Hong Kong.
Business Traveller recently reported that Qantas [a fellow Oneworld alliance member] might soon scrap first class on this route with “favoured” passengers being seated in the old first class cabin.
It means Qantas appears a good choice for my trip, but how could I secure an allocation in the former first class cabin where the seats have the fully-flat bed?
Albert Yuen, London
Alex replies:
It’s a tricky one to answer because December is a long way ahead and Qantas has not finalised its plans. Qantas sells first class tickets on this route at present but it cannot confirm the situation after June.
However, if last year was anything to go by (when first class was suspended), it is unlikely that Qantas will not reinstate it. What we have been told is that the airline will begin to remove first class seats from its B747-400s (the plane that operates the London-Hong Kong route) at the end of this year in favour of a larger 58-seat business cabin with fully-flat beds. The fleet refit will take two years.
Qantas needs three B747s to operate a daily London-Hong Kong service as the flight continues to Melbourne, so there is a good chance the flight you choose will not have been converted. But if it hasn’t, you still benefit because you will be accommodated in a new and fully-flat business seat and can opt to sit in the “nose” of the B747.
