Today I have paid a deposit on business class seats on an Emirates flight to Perth, a flight from Perth to Adelaide, and the return flight home! The compensation claim money is still theoretical,(!!*) but at my age, who cares?! First quote from BA was nearly £6,000 but it was very inflexible; the first quote from Emirates was £13,000!!!!!, but the agreed cost is less than £4,500, so that sounds good. My friends have put the dates in their diaries so that's something to look forward to next June.
*The very minimum will be £10,000 but I think the solicitor thinks it will be quite a bit more. However, I have never lived my life on expectations!!