British Airways operate a fifth-freedom route between Sydney and Singapore. While the route is flown year-round, for the most part it is served by one of British Airways’ B787-9 sporting the older Business and First Class seats.
British Airways B787-9 Business Class – image courtesy British Airways
As you can tell from the picture above, Business Class seats on the Dreamliner laid-out in the staggered 2-4-2 configuration are a bit behind times.
The good news is that each year between November and March, British Airways swap the Dreamliner with one their B777-300 ER aircrafts. These planes are amongst the London based carrier’s most modern and a notch above anything else in their fleet.
Fly British Airways B777-300 First Class
Like every year, British Airways are bringing back the Boeing-777 on London to Sydney route between 1 November 2023 and 1 April 2024.
British Airways B777-300 First Class – image courtesy British Airways
First Class seats on B777-300 are fitted with sliding doors, offering a greater sense of privacy and exclusivity as can be seen above.
While the London to Sydney flight is operated as a 1-stop service via Singapore, passengers are able to travel exclusively between Sydney and Singapore without needing to continue on to London. And right now, there is good award availability for November 2023 if you want to experience British Airways First Class.
Searching British Airways Award Space
The best place to look for British Airways award space is on American Airlines website. I am a big fan of the calendar view on American which lets you quickly see a whole month’s worth of award inventory.
British Airways First Class Award Space in November 2023
As you can see, there is availability in First Class on 8 different days in November 2023. In-fact on some days I was able to find up to 3 seats, which is a bit crazy considering the cabin only holds 8 First Class seats in total.
If you are open to flying Business Class, besides November 2023, you will also find a tonne of availability for February and March 2024.
British Airways Business Class Award Space in November 2023
Booking British Airways Awards
There are few different ways to fly British Airways on points. You can redeem Qantas Points, Asia Miles, Qatar Airways Avios and American Airlines Miles, to name a few. In addition to the required number of points, you will also be on the hook for approx $350 to cover fees, taxes and carrier charges.
While Qantas points are probably the easiest to earn, it’s Qatar Airways Avios that offer the best all-around value (with the exception of American Airline Miles which are incredibly difficult to earn).
If you have an American Express card, you can transfer Membership Rewards Points to Qatar Airways Privilege Club in the ratio of 2:1 (2 MR Points = 1 Avios).
One thing to keep in mind is that Avios redemptions are subject to peak/off-peak pricing, with off-peak rates typically discounted by 15%. The good news is that all of November 2023 is classified as off-peak.
Here are the redemption rates to fly British Airways between Sydney and Singapore under various points currencies :
| Frequent Flyer Program | First Class | Business Class |
|---|---|---|
| British Airways Executive Club | 68,000* 80,000^ | 50,000* 60,000^ |
| Qatar Airways Privilege Club | 68,000* 80,000^ | 50,000* 60,000^ |
| Qantas Frequent Flyer | 107,700 | 75,000 |
| Asia Miles | 87,000 | 70,000 |
| AAdvantage | 50,000 | 40,000 |
*off-peak pricing
^peak pricing
In Conclusion
If you are planning travel between Sydney and Singapore anytime between November 2023 and March 2024, this is a good opportunity to experience British Airways long-haul flying without spending 20+ hours on the plane.
Generally speaking, its Avios that offer best value redemption on this route. But if you are short of Avios or are saving them for another redemption, redeeming Asia Miles or Qantas Points may be the next best option.
Have you flown British Airways First Class? Leave a comment below.
