Reward flights – Return from Johannesburg October onwards – no availability
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I am trying to book a return reward flight (4 business class seats using two companion vouchers) from JNB to any London airport from 29th October onwards. There is plenty of availability on the outward flight (London to JNB) for most of the remainder of this year (multiple reward flights per week). And good availability on return flights (JNB to London) for most weeks from now until and including 20th October. However, there is then virtually no availability from JNB to London for the remainder of the year. This appears to be a blackout of reward seats because the flights are available for cash.
Does anyone know whether there is a blackout of reward flights from JNB to London from mid October onwards? And if so, is this likely to change?
Could just be the 4 guaranteed seats have gone , November is start out of high season so no extra CW seats
Sometimes they release a block at the same time, so worth checking regularly.
I wanted a LHR-JNB, CPT-LHR later this year, from 26th October onwards. Nothing to JNB after 25th, then on 19th Feb suddenly several days came up, and I got exactly what I wanted.
So my advice would be to check every day if possible.Where are you looking? SeatSpy is showing plenty of availability, though mostly in Y and PE. I haven’t double checked on BA, but if you’re just searching for 4 CW seats, you won’t see any because the vast majority of those look to have been snapped up already.
JNB is becoming one of the T-355 booking destinations as people are finding there’s too much competition for CPT.
As mentioned above, you need to keep checking as there might be a cancellation, but you might have to resign yourself to getting (e.g.) 2 x CW and 2 x PE.
Set up a Seatspy alert for the range of dates that would work for you. Are both vouchers in the same name, or could you split the group across 2 flights?
Consider booking in premium economy or economy, so that you’ve at least got a backup plan – you could change to Club if availability opens up later (for 4x£35 change fees)
Does anyone know whether there is a blackout of reward flights from JNB to London from mid October onwards? And if so, is this likely to change?
There are no blackout dates with BA but once the 4 guaranteed club reward seats have gone they don’t have to release any more. And if they do they can drop at any time.
For October most reward flights would have been snapped up last November as soon as they went on sale.
I suggest you read the numerous articles on how to use / get the most out of 2-4-1s.
I have been watching LHR-JNB with interest for while now and have never seen any reward availability for a long time on the inbound JNB to LHR in club. Which seems strange to me, as outbound there are normally seats.
Everyone says 4 seats available per flight. But are there not 2 fights per day, therefore thats 8 seats. So these seats are not being made available or then are going very quickly. I am aware that Seatspy only shows a max of 4 when 4+ are available, but they are going very quickly or are never there.
Given IMHO the terrible ying/yang seats on the A380’s in club, I am almost certainly going with Qatar and stopping off in Doha both ways. More comfortable flights, won’t be able to use my 241, but Qatar seems to be lower than BA in terms of Avios wanted forenoon 241 bookings.
1 there are absolutly 4 club seats made available on every flight
2 they are absolutly being bought immediatly they are released 355 days in advance of the flight.
There are 2 x CW JNB-LHR on Oct 14th and 21st showing on SeatSpy, and the odd single seat here and there (though IME SeatSpy is most likely to be wrong is when showing lone seats as available).
There are also 3 x F showing on Dec 15th so that might be worth checking on BA!
So … BA is showing 8 x PE and 1 x F on Dec 15th!
Also Oct 14th, 9 x PE and 2 x CW (even if Yin Yang).
Oct 21st, 3 x CW.
So they are there.
Thank me later 😜
I have been watching LHR-JNB with interest for while now and have never seen any reward availability for a long time on the inbound JNB to LHR in club. Which seems strange to me, as outbound there are normally seats.
Everyone says 4 seats available per flight. But are there not 2 fights per day, therefore thats 8 seats. So these seats are not being made available or then are going very quickly. I am aware that Seatspy only shows a max of 4 when 4+ are available, but they are going very quickly or are never there.
Given IMHO the terrible ying/yang seats on the A380’s in club, I am almost certainly going with Qatar and stopping off in Doha both ways. More comfortable flights, won’t be able to use my 241, but Qatar seems to be lower than BA in terms of Avios wanted forenoon 241 bookings.
I fly this route a few times a year, as stated above the seats go as soon as released so you gotta be on the ball and book @ midnight T-355 if you want guaranteed seats. Set up a seatspy alert and you can often get them outside of peak periods, last year I got late Nov availability about a month before the flight, but during Christmas etc you can just about forget it.
JNB normally much easier than CPT. As an example I booked 4 + 2 J returns on 24/11 & 22/12 last year for travel LHR-JNB 1/1/25 & back 14/1/25 so pretty much peak, peak season. I could have chosen almost any date in January. The availability was a smattering of standard & a lot of enhanced BAPP. I’ve had similar success for 2 seats multiple times over last 4 years.
CPT there is never anything Dec/Jan beyond the guaranteed 4.
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