Cost of air travel to get to Australia?

[ArizonaRalphie]

Go to this link and check out the $700 airfare special that RCL has for Rhapsody sailings.

 

http://www.creative.rccl.com/sales/promowave/RCL.pdf

 

This link is updated each week.

Just my opinion, but based on a Balcony pricing of $3699 PP they can get away with the low airfair. We're booked into an AB balcony on a Princess 12 day for $2017 PP.

[piercetc4]

anyone ever use wholesale-fares.com to fly from usa to australia? i found some fares from new orleans or houston , texas for 963 pp rt.................on ual- for jan. 12 - 20 ish going/ coming - to melbourne for the australian open- wondering if this organization is on the up and up or not?

[SheilaNC]

We just kept 'looking' for short term bargains (after we had included air from the cruise line). Found a sudden very inexpensive airfare from Honolulu to Sydney and ended up flying through Honolulu on American with ongoing flight to Sydney via Hawaiian. Since we only needed the one-way flight (due to doing B2B cruises with the 2ned one ending in Honolulu) it was quite a good deal for us AND we are doing a 2 night layover in Honolulu as well. Saved a lot and get a break in the travel. No problem cancelling our cruise air. Good luck looking - I agree that it gets more difficult the closer you get to your sail date.

[Janan]

3Sisteract....I got my air thru the cruise line for my wife and I (thru princess good but not great) and I am still continuing to check. We cruise January 5,2009....so if you're gonna do Princess on your next cruise, c'mon over and Join our Roll call http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=635966

 

Whatever you decide to do Have a great Cruise!!!

 

Andy

[CruisinKiki]

Janan, we are interested in going in Jan/Feb of 2009 as well. Did you get a good deal booking so far ahead? I was thinking it would be better to wait.

Looking for any advice anyone can provide. Thanks!

[helenb]

I had originally priced the flights I wanted for our January 2008 cruise at $1,900 per person. This included the kids (who are both under 8 years old)!!!!

 

Then I found a good deal in August on Air New Zealand. We got r.t. flights for $1,400 pp PLUS we got a discount for the kids... can you imagine? An actual, honest to goodness child fare (discount of 25%). I was pretty happy with that, especially with Air NZ's reputation for service.

[Hebe]

We also got very good airfare to Auckland with New Zealand Air for Feb 2008. We are flying LAX to AUK for $649 (with taxes). Because we are flying from the east coast, I booked only the LAX route, waiting until Southwest did a promotion and got one way air from PHL to LAX for $107.00. Could not find a better one way deal. Since we are traveling in winter, it also gives me comfort to know we can go into LAX early and have no problem with a missed connection to AUK.

 

We will book a hotel near the airport and do a little sight seeing in LA on the way. Sure does help with the jet lag.

[TenerifeSharon]

We also got very good airfare to Auckland with New Zealand Air for Feb 2008. We are flying LAX to AUK for $649 (with taxes). Because we are flying from the east coast, I booked only the LAX route, waiting until Southwest did a promotion and got one way air from PHL to LAX for $107.00. Could not find a better one way deal. Since we are traveling in winter, it also gives me comfort to know we can go into LAX early and have no problem with a missed connection to AUK.

 

Is your $649 LAX-AKL incl. taxes also for one-way? If it's round-trip, it's not just a very good airfare, it's a fantastic airfare!! Even for one-way, it's an incredible airfare -- sounds more like a computer "glitch". Congratulations.

[Janan]

Cruisinkiki,

 

Yeah I think I got a good deal for me and my wife ($2000.00 ea) from ATL to SYD- then from AUK-ATL and the fare for midgrade inside cabin was $1395.00 and change.....If the Cruise fare goes down (which I expect it to we will get either as an obc or discount) Right now for the two of us to fly independently would cost us over $4000.00 and give us a tremendous headache. We've guaranteed us getting there a day early by booking the intercontinental for 199.00 each (through Princess);when you take into account air deviation it would have been more and then ontop of it we would have had to get a hotel....so we came out good there too....the only way I will book our air independently is if I can do it for around $3,000.00 for both of us that means atl-la-syd and then either auk-la-syd or syd-la-atl with a connection flight from auk-syd both scenarios are really expensive right now.

 

Andy

[SelectSys]

I will be happy when VAustralia starts flying to the US next year. That should put a dent into the current prices of United, Qantas, and Air New Zealand.

 

http://www.dancewithshadows.com/flights/virgin-blue-vaustralia.asp

[Pacific islanders]

Thanks Captain Ron, wonderful info for our holiday!

[ozcaz]

To all those booked on Air New Zealand

 

Make sure you take the following.

 

Snacks - Air New Zealand cabin crew disappear and their service is shocking.

 

Cushion or Pillow - Seats are as hard as a rock.

 

Ear Plugs - So you dont have to hear just how rude their cabin staff are in how they relate to their passengers.

 

I even got hit in the middle of the back with a food trolley trying to watch a movie from the aisle seat and not even an apology.

 

I have flown them a few times and inflight service/entertainment is really bad.

 

But if you have to change your booking for whatever reason they are really accomodating. My son got chicken pox and we couldnt fly home.

Everyday for a week we booked our seat for the next day waiting for approval to fly from the doctor and they were not only accomodating but didnt charge us a cent for this service.

 

If you can afford it fly Singapore Airlines. You wont find a better service, food, entertainment on any other airline in the world. Air New Zealand is a second rate airline in my opinion.

 

Caz

[NANCYR2]

We booked LAX to Sydney with a stop-over in Honolulu on Hawaiian Air for $605pp for an April 08 trip.We do not need air back, as we disembark in Los Angles. I used 1800cheapseats to book.

[Carol & Jim]

You might check Jetstar, it's the budget side of Quantas. We just used them for our one-way Sydney to Honolulu, then we took Hawaiian Air from Honolulu to San Jose. It was very reasonable and we had no problems. The airplane was new, you buy food, blanket/pillow and entertainment but for what we saved it was worth it. We also used them on one flight from Cairns to Sydney and the flight was on time and okay.

Going through customs in Honolulu was very quick, no lines. I've heard other airports like LAX and SFO can have lines. Check it out, might save $$.

[MMDown Under]

I wouldn't book Jetstar for any long distance travel, as they don't have a consistently reliable reputation.

 

My daughter and friend have just returned from a ski holiday in Japan, with Jetstar. Their ski bags weren't delivered until half way through their ski holiday. For lack of warm ski clothes, no skis, hiring of skis, Jetstar in Osaka on the way home gave my daughter $40.

 

We have always found both Qantas and Air New Zealand excellent airlines. Last year, we flew Air Pacific, basic aircraft and superb crew, from Brisbane to Fiji to Honolulu. My friend (who had difficulty getting reasonable flights to Honolulu from Brisbane one day after our booking) flew from Fiji to LA, SF to Honolulu, with newer aircraft.

 

If you have the time, I would recommend you break your journey.

[Johanna7]

We booked with Celebrity through an agency and Celebrity had air add-on and it was extremely reasonable for such a distance. Only 40% of what we paid in Jan. 2005. It also included the transfers to the ship and from the ship to a hotel for about 6-1/2 hours and then another transfer to the airport.

 

We flew United to Sydney and from Auckland via Qantas to LA and from there AA home via Chicago.

 

It would be worth investigating what the cruise lines offer.

[jannandjohn]

I wouldn't book Jetstar for any long distance travel, as they don't have a consistently reliable reputation.

.

if they cancel a flight , they leave you stranded..it's been happening a bit lately!

[DChabira]

We are going on the Rhapsody 11 day cruise November 11, 2008 out of Sydney. Searched Kayak.com every morning and just got R/T from Vegas to Sydney on United for $1231. Great flights, 1 hour to San Francisco, a one hour layover, and a 14 hour non-stop to Sydney.

[UofMGoBlue]

DChabira,

 

Do you think your 1 hour layover in San Fran enough time? I have flights booked through Royal Caribbean on United with only a 1 & 1/2 layover for my December 2008 Rhapsody cruise and I'm a little worried about it. Of course, I'm coming from Chicago and we have SNOW in December.

[DChabira]

I think an hour to one and a half hours is fine.

[UofMGoBlue]

I have a 2 hour layover on the way home. Enough time for customs?