Qatar Airways resumes direct Auckland flights – book for 180,000 Avios return in Business
Head for Points sent this email to their subscribers on May 11, 2023.
Qatar Airways has announced the resumption of direct flights between Doha and Auckland. This opens up an exceptional opportunity to fly in Business Class from the UK to New Zealand on Avios, with flights costing just 180,000 Avios return plus around £600 of taxes and charges per person. If, that is, you can get around […]
Qatar Airways resumes direct Auckland flights – book for 180,000 Avios return in Business
Qatar Airways has announced the resumption of direct flights between Doha and Auckland.
This opens up an exceptional opportunity to fly in Business Class from the UK to New Zealand on Avios, with flights costing just 180,000 Avios return plus around £600 of taxes and charges per person.
If, that is, you can get around the Qatar Airways booking system ….
Post covid, Qatar Airways has been flying to Auckland via Adelaide in Australia. The tag to Auckland is now being dropped and replaced by a direct flight.
Services start on 1st September and will operate daily.
The biggest ‘sweet spot’ in the entire Avios system is probably now Business Class from the UK to Australia / New Zealand for 180,000 Avios + taxes and charges per person.
This price only applies to Qatar Airways flights. The British Airways service to Sydney is 250,000 to 300,000 Avios per person, return, in Business Class, on the rare chance you can get seats.
What is even better is that Qatar Airways guarantees to make two Business Class seats available on each flight.
Once those two seats have gone, additional seats are often available for ‘double Avios’. If you needed ‘double Avios’ for all four legs (UK to Doha, Doha to Auckland, Auckland to Doha, Doha to UK) then a return Business Class flight would cost 360,000 Avios. In reality you may pay less as you can mix and match ‘double Avios’ and ‘single Avios’ legs if available.
No-one has yet figured out when Qatar Airways releases the two ‘standard price’ Business Class seats
Qatar Airways does NOT operate like British Airways. You do not get the two ‘guaranteed’ standard rate Business Class seats appearing immediately when the schedules open.
On Day 1, you usually see only ‘double Avios’ seats available in Business Class. These are marked with a green ‘Q2’ in the booking system.
Roughly 10-14 days later, the two guaranteed seats at standard pricing seem to appear – most of the time.
Some standard rate dates are bookable today
Booking for this new Auckland service only opened today so I wasn’t expecting standard rate Avios seats in Business Class to be available.
However, I did find a few dates. Here is availability from Birmingham to Auckland for October:
and inbound:
The total costis 180,000 Avios plus £541 in taxes and charges in Business Class.
The cost is meant to be identical if you book Qatar Airways flights on ba.com. However, due to tech weirdness, non-London UK departures often need more Avios if booked on the BA site.
You’ve got another snag – limited UK availability to Doha
Let’s assume that, in 10 days or so, Qatar Airways switches all of the remaining Business Class Avios availability from Doha to Auckland to standard pricing, not double pricing.
You might still be unable to get a seat at 180,000 Avios return because of the inability to get a seat from London Heathrow to Doha for the first leg and final leg.
London Gatwick availability is also tight because Qatar Airways has just scrapped its second daily Gatwick service. The airline has consolidated passengers from the cancelled flight onto the remaining one.
Your best bet for standard rate Avios availability from the UK to Doha this Autumn – assuming you are looking for seats from 1st September when the Auckland flights start – is from Birmingham.
Qatar Airways has only just resumed flights from Birmingham and, until cash and reward demand builds up, seat availability should be OK.
You can see in my example above that I chose Birmingham as my departure point. This wasn’t through choice – it was simply impossible to get a flight from London on the right day. Of course, if you’re happy to spend a few days in Doha in transit then it is not an issue.
Conclusion
Auckland is returning from 1st September as a direct flight from Doha on Qatar Airways.
This means that one-stop 180,000 Avios return redemptions in Business Class from the UK to Auckland are now back too.
This is exceptional value given that you will struggle to find cash fares to Australasia in Business Class for under £4,500 this year.
We’re always here to help you make the most of your Avios, Virgin Points and hotel points. If you have any questions or want to get in touch, send us an email at [email protected] or reach out on social media.
Please forward this email to any friends or family who you think may be interested in improving how they travel.
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Text-only version of this email
Qatar Airways has announced the resumption of direct flights between Doha and Auckland. This opens up an exceptional opportunity
to fly in Business Class from the UK to New Zealand on Avios, with flights costing just 180,000 Avios return plus around £600 of
taxes and charges per person. If, that is, you can get around […]
View this article online
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11 May 2023 by Rob Burgess
QATAR AIRWAYS RESUMES DIRECT AUCKLAND FLIGHTS – BOOK FOR 180,000 AVIOS RETURN IN BUSINESS
Qatar Airways has announced the resumption of direct flights between Doha and Auckland.
This opens up an exceptional opportunity to fly in Business Class from the UK to New Zealand on Avios, with flights costing just
180,000 Avios return plus around £600 of taxes and charges per person.
If, that is, you can get around the Qatar Airways booking system ….
Auckland Qatar Airways
Post covid, Qatar Airways has been flying to Auckland via Adelaide in Australia. The tag to Auckland is now being dropped and
replaced by a direct flight.
Services start on 1st September and will operate daily.
An Airbus A350-1000 is being scheduled, allowing passengers to benefit from the acclaimed Qsuite seat. We reviewed Qatar Airways
Qsuite on the Airbus A350 here.
HOW TO BOOK THIS FLIGHT WITH AVIOS
The biggest ‘sweet spot’ in the entire Avios system is probably now Business Class from the UK to Australia / New Zealand for
180,000 Avios + taxes and charges per person.
This price only applies to Qatar Airways flights. The British Airways service to Sydney is 250,000 to 300,000 Avios per person,
return, in Business Class, on the rare chance you can get seats.
What is even better is that Qatar Airways guarantees to make two Business Class seats available on each flight.
Once those two seats have gone, additional seats are often available for ‘double Avios’. If you needed ‘double Avios’ for all four
legs (UK to Doha, Doha to Auckland, Auckland to Doha, Doha to UK) then a return Business Class flight would cost 360,000 Avios. In
reality you may pay less as you can mix and match ‘double Avios’ and ‘single Avios’ legs if available.
Qatar Airways A350 to Auckland
NO-ONE HAS YET FIGURED OUT WHEN QATAR AIRWAYS RELEASES THE TWO ‘STANDARD PRICE’ BUSINESS CLASS SEATS
Qatar Airways does NOT operate like British Airways. You do not get the two ‘guaranteed’ standard rate Business Class seats
appearing immediately when the schedules open.
On Day 1, you usually see only ‘double Avios’ seats available in Business Class. These are marked with a green ‘Q2’ in the booking
system.
Roughly 10-14 days later, the two guaranteed seats at standard pricing seem to appear – most of the time.
SOME STANDARD RATE DATES ARE BOOKABLE TODAY
Booking for this new Auckland service only opened today so I wasn’t expecting standard rate Avios seats in Business Class to be
available.
However, I did find a few dates. Here is availability from Birmingham to Auckland for October:
Fi, 06 Sat, 070ct Von090c Tue. 100 N TR bcel iR, B o v o oo BHX o 17:55 DOH s . o 05 DOH 05 00 AKLes oo 90000 Aves
and inbound:
Snmoa Movz3oa Teadoa Wed2Sod Twoton Fizroa s 280u B, Mo, o i os S Sidtor, o e TTAMGAs o s o - m 16:00 AKL pR s Aok, A Arpor Do,
Hamad rstors gt Oered b G ey v Now zaana s 02:20 DOH miom 07:30 BHX e 90000 Avios
The total cost is 180,000 Avios plus £541 in taxes and charges in Business Class.
The cost is meant to be identical if you book Qatar Airways flights on ba.com. However, due to tech weirdness, non-London UK
departures often need more Avios if booked on the BA site.
YOU’VE GOT ANOTHER SNAG – LIMITED UK AVAILABILITY TO DOHA
Let’s assume that, in 10 days or so, Qatar Airways switches all of the remaining Business Class Avios availability from Doha to
Auckland to standard pricing, not double pricing.
You might still be unable to get a seat at 180,000 Avios return because of the inability to get a seat from London Heathrow to
Doha for the first leg and final leg.
London Gatwick availability is also tight because Qatar Airways has just scrapped its second daily Gatwick service. The airline
has consolidated passengers from the cancelled flight onto the remaining one.
Your best bet for standard rate Avios availability from the UK to Doha this Autumn – assuming you are looking for seats from 1st
September when the Auckland flights start – is from Birmingham.
Qatar Airways has only just resumed flights from Birmingham and, until cash and reward demand builds up, seat availability should
be OK.
You can see in my example above that I chose Birmingham as my departure point. This wasn’t through choice – it was simply
impossible to get a flight from London on the right day. Of course, if you’re happy to spend a few days in Doha in transit then it
is not an issue.
CONCLUSION
Auckland is returning from 1st September as a direct flight from Doha on Qatar Airways.
This means that one-stop 180,000 Avios return redemptions in Business Class from the UK to Auckland are now back too.
This is exceptional value given that you will struggle to find cash fares to Australasia in Business Class for under £4,500 this
year.
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We’re always here to help you make the most of your Avios, Virgin Points and hotel points. If you have any questions or want to
get in touch, send us an email at [email protected] or reach out on social media. Please forward this email to any friends
or family who you think may be interested in improving how they travel.
If you were sent this email by a friend and would like to subscribe, click here.
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