Airlines to Australia

[gubby]

We are thinking of the possibility of B2B cruises around Australia in Nov. The airlines I am thinking about are Air Canada, Qantas, and Cathay Pacific. We would fly from Toronto on Oct 28 and return from Sydney on Dec 4. This should allow us to somewhat recover from the very long flight to Sydney. which airline would be your preferred one? Why? We cannot afford anything but economy class. With the cruise and return air, we are already looking at over $ 12 K Cdn. This would be our last major holiday before resigning ourselves to bus trips with other seniors in North America. We have also been considering a three week land trip to Viet Nam/Cambodia in the same time period, but realize a cruise would likely be enough to handle.

[CruiserBruce]

Given the 3 airlines you have mentioned, Air Canada will be the cheapest and faster. Qantas going through Dallas would possibly be the "nicest" as it is on their A380. Bear in mind Coach is pretty much the same across all carriers.

 

I don't see a schedule that works Cathy into this.

[Zach1213]

The Qantas A380 would be my bet. Look at spending the extra AUD$180 per person for exit row.

[TruckerDave]

Not knowing if Air Canada flies to SYD but if not you can use a combo of AC and United and go via LAX or SFO. In which case you can get the extra leg room seating. (you stated you were going in coach and those few extra inches can make a difference).

 

Whichever way you go, just make sure you sign up for the frequent flier programs. Just for laughs I plugged in Toronto to Sydney (using the United website) and it is almost 10k miles each way. So one round trip earns you almost enough mies for a future flight someplace. Just something to keep in mind. You will be flying you might as well earn the miles.

[wowzz]

Cathay Pacific - the others don't come close in terms of quality.

[CruiserBruce]

Not knowing if Air Canada flies to SYD

 

Air Canada flies to SYD from Vancouver.

[CruiserBruce]

Cathay Pacific - the others don't come close in terms of quality.

 

A Cathay routing didn't pop up on my first search, all though I was pretty sure you could go via Hong Kong. Further research shows a Cathay option. Cheapest price is 10% higher than the Air Canada routing.

 

Only negative, it adds 8 hours to your pretty long trip each way.

Edited June 4, 2015 by CruiserBruce

[iancal]

We came back for Australia in April. One way tickets. We were travelling Sydney-Calgary. We wanted a stopover...my spouse had sustained a back injury on our extended vacation.

 

We decided on Sydney-Honolulu on Jetstar. Jetstar is a discount airline owned by Qantas. Our Jetstar flight was actually a codeshare with Quantas.

We paid aprox. $550 CAD for the flight. This included bags and a meal. We stayed in Honolulu and then had an AC flight to Calgary @$300 (it was easter). Stopping over was great, highly recommend it.

 

So glad we stopped in Honolulu for two days. Especially since we came home to snow.

 

You might want to try a return ticket to HNL and then a return ticket on Jetstar HNL-SDY.

 

We are seniors in our early sixties. Our vacation started on New Years eve. We flew to Bangkok. Worked our way though Thailand (wonderful) and Malaysia, then flew to Brisbane. We love Thailand. Vietnam and Cambodia are on the list.

Edited June 4, 2015 by iancal

[gubby]

Thanks for the suggestions. I am going to look into the options today. Signing up for FF programs and doing a stopover make the flights sound more appealing. As does the exit row seating. We are both on the short side (me 5'4" and DH 5'8"). Would the extra few inches make a difference to us?

[TruckerDave]

Thanks for the suggestions. I am going to look into the options today. Signing up for FF programs and doing a stopover make the flights sound more appealing. As does the exit row seating. We are both on the short side (me 5'4" and DH 5'8"). Would the extra few inches make a difference to us?

 

In reality, probably not, but if you can get some extra room it will make life a little easier for the person who has to get up and use the lavatory. :D

[TruckerDave]

Air Canada flies to SYD from Vancouver.

 

 

I didn't know this thanks. That would make life a little easier with only 1 connection from Toronto and not have to do any C&I until down under.

[TruckerDave]

Cathay Pacific - the others don't come close in terms of quality.

 

 

If you are flying up front, yes, they are near the top. But flying in coach and having to go via HKG you are adding almost 3k miles each way.(Starting in Toronto) :eek:

[Zach1213]

If you are flying up front, yes, they are near the top. But flying in coach and having to go via HKG you are adding almost 3k miles each way.(Starting in Toronto) :eek:

 

Agreed 110%. I love, love, love Cathay Pacific (even in economy) and HKG is my favorite major airport in the world...but I wouldn't go North America to Australia via Hong Kong just to fly Cathay.

[cirman52]

We flew Virgin Australia from Sydney to LAX & had a wonderful flight. We booked preminum economy & the seats were great, we are both 6'4". You can connect with via Ottawa or Vancouver or fly to LAX on any carrier

[TruckerDave]

Agreed 110%. I love, love, love Cathay Pacific (even in economy) and HKG is my favorite major airport in the world...but I wouldn't go North America to Australia via Hong Kong just to fly Cathay.

 

Especially when you can hop the daily Qantas A380 bird and go DFW-SYD direct.

[Cruise Junky]

I've been playing with dates and routes for our trip to Sydney and as much as AC is tempting because of the direct flight, CP with the stop in Hong Kong was a lot cheaper.

[TruckerDave]

I've been playing with dates and routes for our trip to Sydney and as much as AC is tempting because of the direct flight, CP with the stop in Hong Kong was a lot cheaper.

 

It's CX not CP. According to wikipedia CP was Canadian Airlines and was bought by AC.

[Cruise Junky]

It's CX not CP. According to wikipedia CP was Canadian Airlines and was bought by AC.

 

If I'd have said CX the OP would have had no idea what I was talking about. In my world CP is short for Cathay Pacific.

[FlyerTalker]

If I'd have said CX the OP would have had no idea what I was talking about. In my world CP is short for Cathay Pacific.

And SW is Southwest. Right? How 'bout the good ol' days of HP, FL (both times), KP, OC, SI and many more that didn't correspond.

[TruckerDave]

If I'd have said CX the OP would have had no idea what I was talking about. In my world CP is short for Cathay Pacific.

 

If you are going to use two letter initials when talking about airlines you should at least use the correct ones. It's not that hard. :rolleyes:

[Cruise Junky]

If you are going to use two letter initials when talking about airlines you should at least use the correct ones. It's not that hard. :rolleyes:

 

Seriously? apparently you have too much time on your hands. It was an abbreviation for Cathay Pacific. Deal with it :eek: why would anyone not in the industry refer to an airline using it's IATA code, your post is ridiculous. Would you have been happier if I'd used it's call sign and just called it Cathay?

Edited June 11, 2015 by Cruise Junky

[Zach1213]

Seriously? apparently you have too much time on your hands. It was an abbreviation for Cathay Pacific. Deal with it :eek: why would anyone not in the industry refer to an airline using it's IATA code, your post is ridiculous. Would you have been happier if I'd used it's call sign and just called it Cathay?

In a good chunk of the world, referring to an airline by its IATA code is pretty common. "Final call for Air France flight AF1304 to Rome" or "Now boarding, Emirates flight EK612 to Islamabad". Many people outside of the industry know the codes for that reason. However, in the US/Canada, I agree it's the minority that know IATA codes.

[FlyerTalker]

At Heathrow, if you are flying Virgin Atlantic, you had better know to look for "VS". If you are waiting for "VA", you'll be there a while. In many airports, there is no designation of airline other than the two-letter IATA code. So you had better know that CX is Cathay, MU is China Eastern, OZ is Asiana, OK is Czech and so forth.

 

It's not so tough to be accurate. And there's even a website that can help, both with airline AND airport codes. Try the Airline Codes Website.

[Zach1213]

At Heathrow, if you are flying Virgin Atlantic, you had better know to look for "VS". If you are waiting for "VA", you'll be there a while. In many airports, there is no designation of airline other than the two-letter IATA code. So you had better know that CX is Cathay, MU is China Eastern, OZ is Asiana, OK is Czech and so forth.

 

I went to the University of Kansas (KU) and desperately want to get on a Kuwait Airways flight for the fun of the KU flight number.

[kenish]

In many airports, there is no designation of airline other than the two-letter IATA code.

 

There's even cases in the USA. When John Wayne / Orange County Airport (SNA) expanded and updated the terminals, they converted to a "flex" check-in and gate system. All the electronic signage and kiosks only display the IATA code.

 

I'm one for being exact too...if you're using specific industry terms and abbreviations in a post. No problem being casual and unofficial, but don't toss around incorrect codes. Another alternative is the 3-letter ICAO codes (CPA = Cathay Pacific, SWA= Southwest, AAL= American)...but some are still obscure (VX or VRD for Virgin America ???)

Edited June 11, 2015 by kenish