What are our chances of getting 4 Velocity Business Reward Seats on Etihad to Europe?

Flights & Airfares
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Hi all,

Just after some advice reference booking velocity business reward seats on Etihad to Europe. On 23 April 2017 my wife and I along with my best friend and his wife are planning a 5 week trip to Europe. Our plan is to fly into Rome and out of London. We are planning parts of Italy, Munich, Lucerne, Paris, London. The idea is that both couples would use their velocity points to book business reward seats from Brisbane to Rome via Abu Dhabi. Then pay for return leg premium economy on Singapore airlines from London to Brisbane (get those important status credits to keep my gold ticking).

Now the problem we are facing is that we want 4 reward seats, 2 for each couple. Wont be in the one booking and we are happy to split up couples and have 1 fly via Brisbane and the other Sydney or Melbourne if we can’t get 4 seats out of Brisbane. There are flights to Abu Dhabi that all leave various times throughout the day from Brisbane, Syd and Melbourne. The problem is there is only one connecting flight the next morning to Rome from Abu Dhabi. Would there actually be 4 reward seats on this flight? Surely virgin wouldn’t show BN, SYD, MEL to Rome as available options if technically as soon as 2 people booked seats on any one of those flights, it wouldn’t be available to the other cities as the 2 seats on the Abu Dhabi to Rome seat are now gone? Or would they?.. Even though there would likely be at least 2 reward seats on the other 2 Australia to Abu Dhabi city flights.

Our other backup option is flying Singapore airlines to Munich and changing the direction we travel to London. Don’t want to fly Singapore to Rome as they use their old 777-200. Not wasting points on that. Can book 4 reward seats on the Munich flight for the 23rd right now. But it is a 17hr layover in Singapore… Less then ideal and 1 less day in Europe. Also worried that those 4 seats will be gone by the time we wait until the end of the month for Etihad seats to open…

Anyone have any advice for my situation and know what our chances are of 4 reward seats across 2 bookings in the 1 day?

Cheers,

David

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Great question!

I’d start by searching for 2 seats across the board and see if you can find an itinerary that works for 2 groups of 2 across multiple days. You may have to each arrive on consecutive days due to the single flight into Rome, as you note. The Velocity call centre will be able to advise how many award seats they can look for on that flight if you have found a day with two seats at least to start with.

I have grabbed 4 award seats in Etihad Business Class in the past between London - Abu Dhabi - Sydney, so it’s definitely doable.

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