[NorthernLass]

Re the voucher – has anyone used it on a booking for more than 2 people, i.e. would they just apply the 75/150k points to the whole booking rather than just the 2nd person’s ticket?

[NorthernLass]

It’s being reported that the government is starting to draw up evacuation plans in the event of prolonged disruption.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/mar/01/foreign-office-starts-planning-evacution-of-thousands-of-britons-in-middle-east

Non-EU airlines won’t necessarily reimburse costs for people booking their own alternative flights; travel insurance may cover it but it’s advisable to check with them first.

Keep checking phones and internet for updates, as @Roberto says; at least in places like the Emirates the infrastructure and connectivity are well-developed and reliable.

@asp – have you contacted your insurer? There may well be some provision for living costs incurred by the disruption, hopefully as per @davefl your accommodation will be covered locally.

Thoughts with anyone stranded, especially if you have children with you.

[NorthernLass]

No I was thinking of Centurion! Never been in there though.

[NorthernLass]

Doesn’t the Amex Platinum get you into one of the T3 lounges?

[NorthernLass]

A nice thing to be planning, when are you taking this trip?

MLE/SYD are 2 of the most difficult BA redemptions to achieve, so it’s advisable to have a Plan B.

For this route, you can only use the BA 241 on BA flights, which again limits your options. You could use it theoretically, though, to book LHR-MLE, then DOH-LHR (or vice versa). Or LHR-DOH return and book connecting flights on separate bookings on QR. DOH-MLE has 3 daily departures, IIRC, and at around 5 hours flight time would be perfectly doable in economy.

VS flies LHR-MLE so there might be scope to use your Virgin voucher. You don’t say how many VS points you have, if any, so it’s not clear whether this would be an award or cash booking.

Obviously bear in mind the current security situation and whether insurance would cover you for making a booking while FCDO advice is to avoid the region.

[NorthernLass]

@DorsetFlyer, as @JDB says, you’re fortunate to have booked with BAH as they are very helpful when it comes to disruption. Keep an eye on your emails and phone messages because IME they may well contact you proactively to advise of a cancellation and offer alternative transport arrangements.

[NorthernLass]

It seems a shame to waste your accommodation when the Maldives aren’t affected by the current ME situation. If QR does cancel your flights, you are entitled to re-routing, although you might have to book your own alternative flights then go into battle to be reimbursed by QR! From what I can see, there are departures from other European cities like Paris and Rome which would get you there without transiting the ME.

If that doesn’t appeal, I would say that in the opposite direction the more exclusive Caribbean islands probably most closely replicates what you’d have in the Maldives like beautiful beaches and good food (and corresponding prices!)

The usual suspects like Switzerland and Austria are going to be in still in winter sport season if you want something closer and not hot!

If you’re looking for avios seats, however, you’re going to be limited by what’s available at this stage, it being peak season in the tropics.

[NorthernLass]

If you read the older dedicated threads people have posted that they have done this, but it does depend on getting an agent who is willing and able.

[NorthernLass]

Best wishes indeed.

Spookily we’re down in Oxfordshire at the end of this month (finally visiting Blenheim Palace), and will hopefully find time to visit the Ashmolean and maybe also the Pitt Rivers museums. Two might be one too many for OH though!

The Egyptian collections in Berlin and Vienna are also incredible, I have a feeling you may have seen at least one of them?

[NorthernLass]

That’s a big fail for SeatSpy then.

Ah, I was thinking of the extra avios seats for gold members, I’ve seen a message to that effect pop up a couple of times when searching for certain routes.

[NorthernLass]

Assuming these dates are wrong, have you checked in MMB to see if you’ve been given any re-routing options? IB are notorious for changes and cancellations, but usually offer an alternative where possible, IME.

As noted, you won’t get any concessions for missing your easyJet flight, this always needs to be taken into consideration when booking separate positioning flights. I think EZ do allow changes but it can cost more than just paying for new flights!

[NorthernLass]

That’s pretty poor assuming that you’d be using the F lounge if departing from South. But at least your travel wasn’t disrupted!

[NorthernLass]

SeatSpy was showing plenty of F to JNB next month – is this not replicated on BA?

Also I’m confused by your gold priority comment – don’t these just apply to economy award seats?

[NorthernLass]

As above, I would want a response from the horse’s mouth!

[NorthernLass]

@BadOmens, your OP did sound like you just hadn’t bothered to check whether the transfer was included! Some clarification would be interesting as to whether the transfer has been free in the past – have you done this previously, or just heard about other people’s experiences. Was this communicated in earlier bookings?

IMO it’s worth taking up with Hilton CS if you get no joy from the hotel. They’ve addressed issues with specific hotels for me in the past, most recently sending me a “Be My Guest” certificate when the Westminster hotel left the portfolio and refused to honour HH benefits, or refund the non-cancellable rate I’d booked. They could have just referred me back to the hotel but they were very decent about the whole thing (as they generally are, IME).

@davefl, welcome home. Sounds like you’ve had a proper bucket list trip there. I’ve had a couple of Ancient Egypt exhibitions pop up on social media recently so hoping to check at least one out on our London trip in May. There’s also an Egypt VR experience coming to Manchester in April – I know people on here are a bit sniffy about these things but it’ll be the closest you’ll get to seeing it as it was originally!

[NorthernLass]

It should be fine, I’ve done it several times in the past and so have other readers.

[NorthernLass]

@BadOmens, included transfers are definitely the exception to the rule, that’s why! There’s a lot of discussion around them, especially when it’s a seaplane which can cost not far off $1k. If the transfer was included when you booked, I would definitely push back. Hilton CS can be very reasonable IME, if you’re politely persistent.

That said, SLH are a bit different from standard Hilton chains and anecdotally may be more difficult to deal with.

[NorthernLass]

If it’s in the same zone as JNB, SeatSpy says 93,500.

Anyone wanting to fly F to JNB next month might be in luck! (Double check on ba.com first, obvs)

[NorthernLass]

That was my immediate though, but @BBbetter’s comment suggests that this was a known “freebie” until recently, so @BadOmens may have grounds for complaint!

[NorthernLass]

You’re pushing it a bit now but you might get an agent who will process the refund if you call asap. They sometimes decline to help if you don’t ask for it within a day or so of the booking. I’d still be inclined to follow the strategy I posted above.

[NorthernLass]

Edited

I was looking at Hilton/Maldives redemptions the other day and noticed that a couple didn’t specify transfer fees.

Hoping that any readers in the ME are safe and get home soon. Be mindful that EU/UK261 can’t be relied on for e.g. QR flights from DOH, although travel insurance should be valid if there was no previous FCDO warning in place.

[NorthernLass]

Welcome home, @polly. Outdoor swimming is the thing I miss most in this country – you definitely won’t find me in a lido or lake in UK temperatures, lol! I did go in the sea in Anglesey last July, but it was a freak 27 C that day and I couldn’t feel my hands and feet when I got out!

Apparently spring is just around the corner …!

[NorthernLass]

@davefl, I’ll look into the hands-on days. It’s a 20 min hop on the train for me these days. I went to school in Bolton and spent many of my Saturdays hanging out with friends in the town centre – it’s become rather neglected in recent years, sadly.

[NorthernLass]

@davefl, I read with interest that 100 of the exhibits are from Bolton Museum – I am well acquainted with that establishment. It was a popular “free” day out during my childhood; the aquarium in the basement is always full of parents looking to distract small children on rainy afternoons, lol.
It also featured in “Alma’s Not Normal”!

[NorthernLass]

A lovely read, @Froggee. Tenerife is a favourite of mine – I did my year abroad there a rather long time ago – and don’t get back there as often as I’d like. You did remind me, however, of a trip when my son was 6 and halfway up the winding mountain road to Teide National Park he threw up chocolate Rice Krispies (permitted as we were on holiday, lol) all down the front of himself and of course we hadn’t packed extra clothes!

Playa del Duque is beautiful, I think if you squint it can look a little bit like pictures of the Seychelles 🏝️ 😂