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Get Oneworld Sapphire with one return trip
Qatar has a new offer which requires starting your trip outside the UK but would give you oneworld Sapphire via Qatar Privilege Club Gold in one trip.
If you fly with Qatar Airways from the UK to most destinations except the Middle East, you would earn enough TPs with the BA Executive Club to almost reach Silver as it would deliver 560 tier points if you credit to BA. 600 is the threshold for silver or oneworld Sapphire, which gives lounge access. But, you will still need to do two more flights with BA in business class on short haul to get to Silver.
However, if you don’t want to have to do two more flights in business class, this could be a better option. Typically, the destinations that qualify for the offer are cheap starting points anyway. This particularly applies to Oslo, which is my current go-to starting point. It is also worth stopping off for a short break if you get a chance.
The offer gives you double Qpoints and 50% more Avios the next time you travel with Qatar in Business Class. You would need to credit the flights to Qatar Privilege Club. Gold would give you lounge access and free seat selection, amongst other benefits which you can find here.
- Starting airports: Stockholm, Copenhagen, Oslo, Warsaw or Helsinki
- Travel dates: 1 January 2024 – 30 June 2024
- Airports to make Gold in one trip: Cape Town, Shanghai or Tokyo
You can find the offer page here.
Change to BA Double tier points offer
If you are chasing BA status, one of the easiest ways to earn tier points quickly is with the BA Holidays Double Tier points offer. There is currently a decent sale on, so it is well worth a look at a holiday package to get the extra tier points. The offer is valid on holidays departing the UK (including Jersey) before 31 December 2024, which includes at least five days of hotel or car hire within the dates of your flights. BA Holidays seems to be constantly tweaking the rules, so it is well worth checking the rules before you book anything, so you definitely get the extra tier points.
Recently, they changed the rules to mean that you can only depart the UK once on a trip (but domestic connections are fine and a good way to get extra tier points on a trip). They also said that you must collect the hire car and stay in the hotel you book.
Now, there has been another change to say that the booking must be made by a UK resident and must originate AND end in the UK. How they would check you were a UK resident officially, I don’t know, but I suspect that it will be based on your registered address for your BA Executive Club account.
Here is the BA Holidays Tier Point offer page with all the terms and conditions.
Airport liquids rule change may be delayed
The UK government gave airports until June 2024 to start installation of new scanning equipment which is able to detect suspect items without the need to remove them from passengers’ bags. They also will mean that you will be able to take up to 2 litres of liquids in each container. A range of airports already have the technology, such as London City and Jersey.
However, reports are emerging that many of the larger airports will miss the target considerably. While it obviously takes more money and time to install the equipment at larger airport, they have had plenty of notice. Amsterdam has had the new scanners for years as an example and first trialled them in 2015.
London’s Heathrow Airport carried out a trial that began in 2017, and the government’s plan was announced in 2022. Bloomberg has reported that Heathrow will not complete its work until mid-2025, a year past the UK government’s deadline. Apparently, some screening areas will need their flooring reinforced. New scanners are currently in terminal 2, terminal 3 fast track and will shortly be installed in the First Wing at T5.
The Times, also said a number of other airports are also behind in the installation process, including Gatwick, Stansted and Manchester. Gatwick expects to have the 3D scanners in place by the first three months of 2025.
13 comments
Will you report when you think the T5 Gold / First entry / security has them ?
Thanks
Yes. The First Wing security is due to shut from 8 January until it’s complete so we will know when they are installed.
I suppose the Qatar Gold catch is you have to buy a more expensive Comfort Business Class ticket rather than a cheaper Business Lite or Classic ticket.
LBA installing the new scanners currently. Maybe when the new terminal extension is complete it will entice BA back. Maybe…..
I have full faith in Manchester Airport security finding a way to make the experience even worse once the new machines are in place. On a recent trip through T1 fast track (and thus a fair chance of having more experienced travellers in it), the tray rejection rate was 81%
“The UK government gave airports until June 2024 to start installation of new scanning equipment”
As HAL have already started their installations at LHR, doesn’t this technically mean they have met the requirement?
T3 Fast Track (on a December trip to Stuttgart) was a bit chaotic with the new scanners. Lots of people confused by not having to remove devices and liquids from bags (better advertising of new scanners would have helped, as would notices in the queue), the situation seemed to be made worse by footwear scanning…
People were told to leave footwear on, then told to remove them after the bodyscan, so the shoes/boots/etc could be passed back through the manual scanners, interrupting the flow of trays and blocking the flow of people whilst the shoeless people were held waiting for the security staff to return with their shoes.
It seemed a little inefficient
Having done further research it looks like they have to complete the work by then, so the original thing I read was incorrect.
Would you not update the article following the further research to reflect the more accurate information?
I think the scanning of footwear if you’ve been asked to do a body scan is normal procedure, to double check. That’s not something peculiar to the new scanners. In most airports I go through, I only put my shoes through the scanner if the random number generator selects me for a pat down.
Thing is, EVERYONE has to go through the body scanner… implying that everyone will have to have their shoes scanned separately?
Double TPs
The BA US website still has the DTP offer listed for US residents through til the end of 2024
https://www.britishairways.com/en-us/executive-club/offers/holidays-double-tier-points
Interesting!
I note that the BAH T&C’s for double tier points states that the info is correct as at 27 Sep 2023, even though this new requirement to be a UK resident was only introduced in Jan. Does anyone know where to find archived copies of T&C’s?
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