Recommendations for Business Class to SYD via SIN

[All Ahead Full]

This may may been posted before but I will be flying out to Sydney via Sinapore for a stopover outbound, and back via Hong Kong again for a stopover, will be travelling in April.

Question is an recommendations as to carrier, I normally use BA, and would like to gather some miles etc.. for the trip, and have heard that Cathay provide excellent service.

Thoughts?

[Gibon2]

Well, assuming you want to go LHR-SIN-SYD and return SYD-HKG-LHR without other stops or diversions, your options are pretty limited - especially if you want to stick to oneworld carriers so that you'll get BA miles.

If price is no object, it's pretty hard to beat Singapore Airlines business class on the A380 for LHR-SIN-SYD. But that won't get you back through HKG.

Cathay is certainly pretty good, although some find the new business-class herringbone layout of mini-cabinettes a bit claustrophobic and difficult to get in and out of. I found it weird at first, but it's great for privacy and sleeping. Huge IFE screen, if that's your thing. I'd rate the cabin service above BA, and well ahead of Qantas.

Anyway, given your routing, I think your best bet is BA or Qantas on the way out (QF if you'd like to try the A380), and Cathay on the way back. You should be able to do this all on a BA ticket with codeshare flights on QF and CX, but even if you can't, they are all oneworld carriers and your miles will be credited.

[Senior Pilot]

Far better would be Virgin Atlantic Upper Class. I'd take them over BA First or Business any day, and my last trip that way with Cathay was overwhelmingly unimpressive in Business :(

[OverRun]

I'm not a big fan of Cathy business class. I get the impression that they are trying so hard to preserve a hierarchy for their various frequent flyer classes that the normal business class punter gets the short end of the stick. To my surprise, although given your constraints and choices, QF may indeed be the way to go.

[All Ahead Full]

Thanks chaps, I'll let you know what I choose

[FairlieFlyer]

And as a counter, I've always been so very impressed by Cathay staff but felt Virgn was a little too cool and quite sloppy in attitude & service.

In the very imprtant longhaul open snackbar comparison, Cathay is superb while Virgin is simply an oatbar, which aint great on a 14hour flight

Have flown Cathay for over 6 years now and on a number of occasions felt the burning need to pen a letter commending cabin crew for a range of small but impressive details they have picked up on.

Not once for Virgin have I done this (let alone BA First & Biz whose CC feel like the certain characters from Carry On films)

Re the beds as a 6'4' I actually find CX longer and easier to sleep in than both VS and BA. Seems to be an extra inch or so which actually makes a difference to me to strech out. Agree on seeming narrow at seating angle but at lying shoulder level is no problem

SQ I havent flown for years as I've never been tempted to move from CX

CX pls contact me for my next upgrade voucher :}

[Neptunus Rex]

All Ahead Full

Have you considered a Round The World ticket? Fly outbound via Hong Kong AND Singapore, then from Sydney you could fly via Hawaii and the USA, Mexico or Canada. You must not 'backtrack' and can have quite a few layovers. The cost of the ticket will quite possibly be less than the London - Sydney return. It certainly used to be the case that the best value in ticketing was a Business Class Round The World ticket.

Whatever you choose, have a great voyage.

[raffele]

Good idea Neptunus Rex re RTW tickets

oneworld - Fare estimate (http://www.oneworld.com/ow/air-travel-options/fare-estimate-all-products)

Oneworld RTW tickets start from about £4800, though use the planner to help you find the right fare.

[Two-Tone-Blue]

Thanks also for that RTW tip ... I'm seeing a SIN - SYD trip, then visiting friends in Alaska, ditto in DC and then home. Very interesting.

[10DowningSt]

Think outside the box.....recapture some old world magic, rejuvinate, relax, chill, see some of the world instead of rushing over it eating crappy food 5 miles up at Mach .85 or thereabouts, crammed into a tin and plastic tube made of 1,000,000 parts that have to keep working and/or fastened to each other for your survival, ,.........what's the rush, anyway?

OK on the cargo boat you wouldn't see Singapore, but is that so important?

Go by Cargo Ship (http://www.strandtravelltd.co.uk/downloads/A-AUS03%20wbr.pdf)

Or by Liner via Singapore
(http://www.cruisepeople.co.uk/press0.htm)

[Fargoo]

I like your thinking but several weeks at sea with the side of a container for a view doesn't really appeal to most of us :}

[Fargoo]

This however

Queen Mary 2 World Cruise Guide - 2010 and 2011 cruise around the world (http://www.worldcruisecentral.com/qm2-world-cruise.html)

:ok:

[raffele]

I like your thinking but several weeks at sea with the side of a container for a view doesn't really appeal to most of us

It was good and enjoyable enough for Michael Palin back in the late 80s!

SeeSaw - Watch Around the World in 80 Days online (http://www.seesaw.com/TV/Factual/s-7675-Around-the-World-in-80-Days)

[All Ahead Full]

Thanks for all the suggestions, especially like the idea on a cruise ship, but as I do have work to do, the boss might not agree on that one!

After speaking to BA, they have offered BA to SIN, with a stopover, and then Quantas onto MEL, then a few flights around Australia, with a return again on Quantas to HKG, and then BA back to London for £3,800 which isn't bad, considering I paid over £500 to do a return to Frankfurt on Wednesday.

Apparently the big saving is to book all the flights at one, as that way the internal flights are at a big saving.

I did look at the round the world option, but it does come out more expensive in the end.

AAF

[ozineurope]

Sorry but it is QANTAS, not Quantas......

Queensland
and
Northern
Territory
Aerial
Service.

[All Ahead Full]

my sincere apologies, all done now with a combination of BA and QANTAS, coming in @4k. Thanks for all the help.

[strake]

Queensland
and
Northern
Territory
Aerial
Service.

Sorry but it is:
Queensland
and
Northern
Territory
Aerial
Services::p

[raffele]

Surely the and in QANTAS should be with a capital A? :p

[strake]

Blast!

Raffele trumps all...:D

[10DowningSt]

I like your thinking but several weeks at sea with the side of a container for a view doesn't really appeal to most of us

Cheapskate! If you take The Owners Cabin you get a sea view. It's only steerage that gets the container view.

[Kiltrash]

I know its all done and dusted now but I have to share this with all

Many years ago, about 1990? me thinks went on SS Canberra Southampton to Sydney in 6 weeks then flew the rest of the way back to UK via Hawaii, LA, NYC, LON with stopovers for 6 months in total when we had a inheritance come up

Point is if time is no constraint sea voyage every time over fly, even if first class

Its something you HAVE to do