Airline Help/Suggestions needed ref RTW trip for 2012

Hi,

I'm taking some time out next year and planning to do the following (or a variant of) taking about two months all told.

LHR - LAX with VS approx 14 days Ski, Disney & chill
LAX - New Zealand (locations to be determined approx 21 - 28 days camper van agogo
NZ - PER aprox 10 days
PER - DXB approx 3 - 4 days
DXB - LHR with VS

I hoping to use the Econ - PE Upgrades on the VS element (subject to availability) and understand there will be no issue flying into LAX and out of DXB.

What I'm less sure about is the best/most advantageous in terms of cost and reward ref the 'bit in the middle'.

Are single leg journeys likely to be a lot more expensive?

Do I need to book the flights in pairs to get best value?

Any suggestions ref airlines? I'm thinking about Air NZ and V Australia ref the flight into NZ (NZ plans are not firmed up at all so far). We need to be in Perth to see friends and then onwards into DXB for a few days chilling at the end and to hook back into the VS network again.

Hope that make sense, there are 3 of us traveling 2 adults and a four year old. PE is probably the cabin most within reach for the majority of this trip, though we have circa 400k miles with VS across both our accounts.

As ever any help or suggestions welcomed

thanks

Andrew

Sounds like a fantastic trip. I can't answer all your questions, but here's a starter for ten.

The PE upgrade vouchers are technically for a round trip (which would prohibit flying into LAX and out of DXB), you could use them one way and sacrifice the other half. BUT, some people have reported being able to use one voucher to upgrade 2 people in one direction, YMMV.

You could do NZ all the way through to New Zealand with a stopover in LAX flying NZ. You can redeem VS miles for NZ flights but only round trips, not one way, and they don't offer PE rewards. Again, some posters have found extreme difficulty getting availability for redemptions on NZ. But a return LHR>LAX>LHR in Business Premier (their equivalent of UC) is 75K miles v 100,000 miles on VS. A return LHR to Australia via Auckland is 180K per adult in business.

One way revenue fares are almost always expensive, because they book into the highest, flexible fare buckets.

You could fly the 3 of you in upper on VS to LAX for 150k. Then coming back from Dubai fly PE, shortish daytime flight. Assuming you have 2 PE vouchers you would need 2 x 20k miles (for 2 T>U upgrades) and one outright PE reward @ 30K - so another 70k miles. That covers the trip to LAX and back from Dubai for 220K miles, well within your 400k pot.

You are certainly complicating things for the sake of a few days in DXB, not sure how wedded to that idea you are.

Regards
R2dV

You are certainly complicating things for the sake of a few days in DXB, not sure how wedded to that idea you are.

Regards
R2dV

Hi,

thanks for the swift reply, not wedded at all to Dubai, it came into the frame as its, a. somewhere to break the return journey, and b. it reconnects into the VS network, plus c. I was trying to avoid retracing my steps (i.e going back on the same route). From Perth it felt logical to go via the middle east, maybe I misread the route options here.

I'll look at what you've suggested for sure and check ref the VS bit.

thanks again.

A

Looks like its possible to book a one way reward Sydney to Abu Dhabi on Virgin Australia (International) = 70500 miles per person in premium economy.

AFAIK, you can only earn miles on V Australia (domestic flights)and not spend them.

Regards
R3dV