BA opens up their award redemption 350 days in advance. Most other airlines are 330 days in advance. I was able to get our flights to Africa via London on BA, but the return flight award is already sold out in First or Biz. Now I have to wait until the 330 day window to open and try to find another airline.

A friend of mine flew South Africa Biz Class from Wash Dulles to J-burg last year and loved it. They make a short refueling stop depending on the winds.

Connecting via London should be much better by the time of ROAR. The new Terminal 5 opens up next spring which is supposed to improve things dramatically there. The new BA Clubs in T-5 are supposed to be among the best in the world when they open next year.