For those looking for flights to SYD/AKL

[marshaatn]

We are cruising on February '08 on the Mercury on the SYD to AKL leg. We just booked our round trip flight out of Los Angeles to Sydney and then Aukland back to Los Angeles for $1144.94 each. Found it on http://www.flycheapabroad.com. It is non-stop from LAX, on the return we have to fly to Sydney and then connect on to LAX.

 

It is on United, not our first choice, but for this price we'll take it.

[Karynanne]

We are cruising on February '08 on the Mercury on the SYD to AKL leg. We just booked our round trip flight out of Los Angeles to Sydney and then Aukland back to Los Angeles for $1144.94 each. Found it on http://www.flycheapabroad.com. It is non-stop from LAX, on the return we have to fly to Sydney and then connect on to LAX.

 

It is on United, not our first choice, but for this price we'll take it.

 

We are on Mercury 2/17/08, and booked Air New Zealand, one-way, since we're doing a B2B, and paid $699.00/pp, so your price sounds pretty good! We fly out of San Francisco.

[ArizonaRalphie]

We are cruising on February '08 on the Mercury on the SYD to AKL leg. We just booked our round trip flight out of Los Angeles to Sydney and then Aukland back to Los Angeles for $1144.94 each. Found it on http://www.flycheapabroad.com. It is non-stop from LAX, on the return we have to fly to Sydney and then connect on to LAX.

 

It is on United, not our first choice, but for this price we'll take it.

 

We booked our LAX to AKL and back to LAX from SYD by way of AKL for about $1,280 RT. I know this is a bit more BUT you have to realize that Air New Zealand has a seat pitch of 34" rather than the 31" on United and Qantas. It's only 3" but after almost 12 hours it is going to be well worth it for us.

Give them a try http://www.airnewzealand.com

[vozzie]

When flying in Economy ... size is important !

[pinksuit]

We are cruising on February '08 on the Mercury on the SYD to AKL leg. We just booked our round trip flight out of Los Angeles to Sydney and then Aukland back to Los Angeles for $1144.94 each. Found it on http://www.flycheapabroad.com. It is non-stop from LAX, on the return we have to fly to Sydney and then connect on to LAX.

 

 

 

It is on United, not our first choice, but for this price we'll take it.

 

Good for you! Is that with tax and insurance?

PinkSuit

[marshaatn]

Karynanne -- we will also be on the Mercury on 2/17/08! It is much fun to plan and I'm just happy to have the ticket purchased.

 

Arizonaralphie: my husband would definitely agree with you as he is 6'2", but we decided to go ahead and jump on that fare while we could. The 3 inches won't matter as much to me at 5'1"! Our first overall preference was Qantas, but we will make do.

 

Pinksuit: yes, that does include all taxes, but not insurance. We have purchased our travel insurance separately.

[pinksuit]

Thanks! Good!

PinkSuit

[marshaatn]

For $299 per couple, you can upgrade to "Economy Plus" on United. That will put you in a seat with approximately 5" more of pitch. One person upgrades their Mileage Plus account with United but it allows you to upgrade a travel companion also. Just an FYI.

[Globaliser]

FWIW, I received this news in an Australian email newsletter today. Some of it is, I think, old news (I don't follow UA news very closely as I try my best not to fly them), but the last bit may be of interest to those who are yet to make a decision about flights:-

* United Airlines has unveiled its new business and first class product for its long haul services, revealing restyled lie-flat beds, fresh decors and larger bins. But the airline has reportedly resisted the urge to add seat back in-flight entertainment screens in economy on its 747s which serve Australia, instead opting to replace the current ceiling mounted rear projection screens with LCDs.

[whynotnow]

We will be flying to Auckland with return from Sydney in Feb. '08 also.

 

Our first choice was to fly Air New Zealand. When we are in Sydney we will be flying to other areas of the country before returning to the US. According to the Quantas rep. I spoke with on the telephone, they "most likely" will not honor another airline's international flight ticket, even though I will have proof of an international flight. This means that we will be limited to 1 suitcase each unless we pay for additional luggage, which is charged by the mile. (International tickets allow you to fly with 2 suitcases each.)

 

Which airlines are you booked with thru FlyCheapAbroad? I got a price from their website for our itinerary, which is about $100. less than the lowest price we've gotten, however they don't show the airlines they use. I don't want to get stuck at the airport paying additional fees for luggage.

 

Thank you!

[Globaliser]

According to the Quantas rep. I spoke with on the telephone, they "most likely" will not honor another airline's international flight ticket, even though I will have proof of an international flight. This means that we will be limited to 1 suitcase each unless we pay for additional luggage, which is charged by the mile. (International tickets allow you to fly with 2 suitcases each.)

Were you discussing Qantas domestic flights? If so, I think that the rep was misinformed. Excess baggage on domestics is charged at AUD 20 + GST = AUD 22 (= USD 18) per piece - see this page.

[whynotnow]

Yes, I was referring to Quantas domestic flights. I had checked the Quantas website regarding baggage and it states "The charges apply to travel wholly on Quantas...to contact the local Quantas office for details on charges if your trip involves other airlines...". I called the number given and it was that fellow who gave me the information.

 

From past experience, I know that you can get verbal information that differs dependent on the informer so this morning I sent an email to Quantas for clarification.

 

If we do have to pay for each of our additional second suitcases, it appears that it would be $8.00 per piece, each way, making it $32.00 round trip from Sydney/Adelaide. Not a budget breaker but would be nice if I didn't have to pay it.

[ArizonaRalphie]

Yes, I was referring to Quantas domestic flights. I had checked the Quantas website regarding baggage and it states "The charges apply to travel wholly on Quantas...to contact the local Quantas office for details on charges if your trip involves other airlines...". I called the number given and it was that fellow who gave me the information.

 

From past experience, I know that you can get verbal information that differs dependent on the informer so this morning I sent an email to Quantas for clarification.

 

If we do have to pay for each of our additional second suitcases, it appears that it would be $8.00 per piece, each way, making it $32.00 round trip from Sydney/Adelaide. Not a budget breaker but would be nice if I didn't have to pay it.

A whole lot of years ago there were three of us flying, I think American, to Vancouver and we were one bag over. We got hit with a $50.00 charge.

 

Ralph

[Globaliser]

Yes, I was referring to Quantas domestic flights.

...

If we do have to pay for each of our additional second suitcases, it appears that it would be $8.00 per piece, each way, making it $32.00 round trip from Sydney/Adelaide. Not a budget breaker but would be nice if I didn't have to pay it.

kenexx is really the person to sort this out. And if you can get a rate of USD 8 per piece, that's obviously better than USD 18!

 

But if you're in this position because you're booking the Qantas flights separately from your international flights (ie on a separate ticket), I would have thought that Qantas would treat you as a standard domestic passenger, even though you happen to have arrived from overseas. The rates that you've been quoted are for:

International Flights - Piece System

The piece system applies for international flights to or from the USA, US Territories, Tahiti, South America and Canada via the Pacific.

And if your domestic travel within Australia is on an entirely separate ticket from your international tickets, then technically you are not connecting and the Qantas domestic travel is not part of an international journey.

 

As an aside, you might want to note that there is no "u" in Qantas.

[marshaatn]

When using flycheapabroad, I would go to another website such as Travelocity or American Express to find the flight times so that I could figure out the airline. That was the only thing I knew to do, so I knew that I was booking a United flight before I bought it. I have actually found them very pleasant to deal with on the phone for our seat selections. I was surprised. I am hopeful that they are trying to improve their service since I would have preferred to fly Qantas, but for the $1000 savings (for the both of us), I will tolerate a little more discomfort.

[TenerifeSharon]

I have a feeling that you (or kenexx) are the person to answer my question, which is similar to those previously asked.

 

We are flying on Unitedl (PAD-FRA-SFO-SYD - hard to believe, but true!!) and then are on a one-way from SYD to AKL with LAN Chile before our Mercury cruise in February. How does the excess baggage problem work out for this situation? Will I have to sell my soul (or first born -- pretty hard, since I don't have any!) to get my and DHs second suitcases from SYD to AKL? Any advice? Almost impossible to speak with anyone from LAN here on Tenerife - they're a bit difficult to contact -- will not even issue eTickets. I had to go to a TA here on the island and I had the feeling they had NEVER issued one-ways from SYD to AKL before.:rolleyes:

[Globaliser]

We are flying on Unitedl (PAD-FRA-SFO-SYD - hard to believe, but true!!) and then are on a one-way from SYD to AKL with LAN Chile before our Mercury cruise in February. How does the excess baggage problem work out for this situation? Will I have to sell my soul (or first born -- pretty hard, since I don't have any!) to get my and DHs second suitcases from SYD to AKL?

On the assumption that the SYD-AKL ticket is entirely separate from the ticket on which you arrive at SYD, I would have thought that this page is the one you're looking for. "Oceania" appears to mean Australia and NZ to them.

[TenerifeSharon]

Thanks for your quick reply. That's what I thought also and had already added a print-out of that page to my tickets to present when I re check-in at SYD -- just in case. Hope that LAN sees it the same way we do.

[whynotnow]

Globaliser -

You are right, there is no "u" in Qantas. We Americans can't spell a word beginning with the letter "q" without adding a "u" after it!

 

The excess baggage chart shows $8.00 charge (zone 1)

The excess weight chart is higher in rate.

 

Yes, as I had stated, I'm looking to book our international portion on Air New Zealand and the domestic flights on Qantas. I received a response back from Qantas today, asking for more information,which I sent.

 

Marshaatn -

Thank you for the information on the flight you booked thru flycheapabroad. I checked their website after reading your posting and they were a little over $100. cheaper than the rate my travel agent quoted me.

 

According to United's web site, they use Air New Zealand for their flights so that would give me the baggage issue.

 

Arizona Ralphie -

I hear you, those excess baggage charges are an eye opener. I like the idea of the additional space on Air New Zealand (we are both tall) but I've also heard good things about Qantas from a friend who flys them yearly to Sydney. Sure hope to get definite answers soon.

[Globaliser]

The excess baggage chart shows $8.00 charge (zone 1)

The excess weight chart is higher in rate.

 

Yes, as I had stated, I'm looking to book our international portion on Air New Zealand and the domestic flights on Qantas. I received a response back from Qantas today, asking for more information,which I sent.

The USD 8 (zone 1) rate is for international flights. It'll be good if you can get it, and it seems to me that there's no risk that you'll have to pay the per kg rate.

 

But if you've booked the domestic flights separately from your international flights, Qantas is very likely to regard you as a pure domestic passenger, because technically you are not connecting from an international flight. "Connections" only exist when the flights on either side of the connection are written on one ticket.

[ErinH1]

In Jan. we flew Qantas on an AA award tickets SFO-SYD then AKL-LAX-SFO. However, I purchased paid tickets on Qantas to visit Cairns during our stay in Sydney, so we went SYD-CNS-SYD. They did not give us any problem with checking 2 suitcases each (under 50 pounds) on the trip to/from Cairns. I had my international tickets with me to plead my case in case they said something. I will mention the flight to Cairns continued onto Japan so maybe that had something to do with it. Maybe we got lucky both times with the agent who checked us in, I don't know. I guess all I can say is hope for the best but be prepared for the worst.

[whynotnow]

I love planning our cruises, by the time we get where we're cruising to, I feel as if we know the place. Unfortunately, this Australia/New Zealand one was not going well.

 

We were out in Phoenix and New Mexico for almost a month and just got back home a week and a half ago. My Dad was sick and then passed away and it's been difficult at times trying to concentrate on this trip.

 

I woke up at 2am this morning, just trying to sort out this air/luggage situation, wanting to get it resolved so that I could do our multiple hotel bookings.

 

I was on the computer again, checking rates, etc. when it dawned on me. I had not flown Continental for a while so when their One Pass Office opened, I called them to check on my mileage status. I also checked on flights for the 2/14 cruise, plus the 3/25 and 4/2 cruises. Nothing was available for the 2/14. For the 3/25. I can make all my flights except back to LAX; but I struck the mother lode with the 4/2 cruise date! I put 2 seats on hold (till 6/4) and called my travel agent to confirm we could still get a good balcony cabin on the 4/2 cruise - we can, and I put a hold on one immediately,(till 5/29). We are now flying Qantas RT, LAX to AKL, SYD to ADL, ADL to SYD to LAX - for free and may be able to add on MYR to LAX/ LAX to MYR! We will just have to pay the air taxes.

 

I'm going to call Qantas daily till 5/29 to check on flights availability for the 2/14 cruise. If seats become available, we'll keep the 2/14 cruise; otherwise we will be doing the 4/2 cruise.

 

Either way, I am thrilled! No luggage restriction problems and we will be saving a minimum of $3,500.00!

 

Thank you all again for your input.