Need help with airlines!

[CruzinNoony]

We have booked an Australian cruise departing from Sydney and ending up in Perth. My problem is the airfare cost. Which airlines fly from Perth to Sydney? I think perhaps the way to go is a round trip ticket from the west coast to Sydney, but then we will need a one way ticket from Perth to Sydney. Please help!!!:eek:

[MMDown Under]

We have booked an Australian cruise departing from Sydney and ending up in Perth. My problem is the airfare cost. Which airlines fly from Perth to Sydney? I think perhaps the way to go is a round trip ticket from the west coast to Sydney, but then we will need a one way ticket from Perth to Sydney. Please help!!!:eek:

 

Depends when you are planning to fly. From the West Coast, you could fly round trip with VAustralia or Qantas, then check what their extra cost would be for a one way trip from Perth to Sydney (special costs for internal flights for international visitors, with overseas baggage entitlements).

 

From Perth to Sydney you could fly with Virgin Blue or Qantas. Check their lesser baggage entitlements, if booked separately. Subscribe to their newsletters to find out when fares are on special to get best deal.

[pcur]

We are also booked on a cruise from Sydney to Perth. I found that Virgin Blue has the lowest airfare so far, and that was $225 per person as of August 2008. I was looking at fares for the same month as our cruise, but for THIS year, because I can't see the fares for 2009 as far as our cruise date.

 

I checked many airlines for this fare, too.

 

Flying Perth to the West Coast of CA (LAX for me), you have to go into Sydney, anyway, so it was cheaper to fly the domestic Virgin Blue Perth-Sydney, and then catch the other half of the roundtrip back from Sydney.

 

We aren't doing this entire air itinerary, because we are booked on a b2b, and our first cruise leaves from Honlulu. So, the roundtrip LAX-HNL is what we need anyway, and then the one way Perth-Sydney-HNL. You might want to look into breaking your air up that way, because JetStar flies SYD-HNL for a really good price, and we are looking at taking their business class for that long haul SYD-HNL. Then, we will catch our HNL-LAX flight back, but maybe with an overnight in Honolulu.

[Globaliser]

Which airlines fly from Perth to Sydney? I think perhaps the way to go is a round trip ticket from the west coast to Sydney, but then we will need a one way ticket from Perth to Sydney.

You're probably right about the long-haul ticket, as others have said.

 

I'm equally hampered by not knowing when you want to go, but at present Qantas' lowest fare for Perth to Sydney one-way is AUD 219 (= USD 181). This fare is valid for travel from 15 Oct 08 - 16 Dec 08 and 13 Jan 09 - 07 Apr 09, book by midnight Tuesday 9 September 2008 (AEST). Qantas has about six non-stop flights a day. Checked baggage and inflight refreshments are included.

 

Special note: If you fly Qantas, you will get a more generous included baggage allowance, irrespective of the airline on which you've flown to Australia on. "If your itinerary includes a flight to/from or via the USA, US Territories, Tahiti, South America or Canada, you are entitled to two pieces (one piece for infants) of checked baggage on all Qantas and QantasLink operated flights within your itinerary, regardless of whether these flights appear on the same or a separate ticket. You will be required to provide proof of your international ticket at check-in indicating travel to/from or via the USA, US Territories, Tahiti, South America or Canada. Valid for the duration of your international ticket, or up to a maximum of 12 months from the date of the first flight to/from the USA, US Territories, Tahiti, South America or Canada – whichever date falls first."

 

Virgin Blue's lowest fare at present is AUD 168 (= USD 139). This is a very restrictive fare. This fare is valid for travel from 15 Oct 08 - 16 Dec 08, book by midnight 09 Sep 08. The next lowest fare is AUD 249 (= USD 206), and the conditions of this are more like Qantas' lowest fare (although this still does not include checked baggage). Virgin Blue has about five non-stop flights a day.

 

Booking these fares from overseas is easy: Just do it on the airlines' websites. Using an overseas credit card is no problem. (I do this frequently from the UK.)

 

If you are going to do this, sign up for emails from both airlines for notification of fare sales. They're the best times to buy tickets. And there are plenty of them.

[CruzinNoony]

You all have been very helpful! The cruise is on the Sun Princess, departing Sydney on April 14, 2009 and arriving in Perth on May 2. I'm thinking that we should book our r/t air to Sydney when we find a good price and wait for Qantas for specials for the Perth to Sydney flight. Qantas has a good baggage policy, which Virgin Blue doesn't seem to. BTW, the cheapest fllight I was able to locate on Qantas (Perth to Sydney) was $442 (U.S.) per person.:eek:

[Globaliser]

BTW, the cheapest fllight I was able to locate on Qantas (Perth to Sydney) was $442 (U.S.) per person.:eek:

The reason is probably that you were looking on a US-based website. The cheapest fares for Qantas domestic flights in Australia are usually restricted to sale only in the Australia/New Zealand/South Pacific area. So a US-based website will be unable to offer those fares, and can only sell the more expensive fares that do not have this restriction.

 

However, if you book directly on the Qantas website, this counts as making a booking in Australia, even though you may be physically overseas and using an overseas credit card. That is why the Qantas website will show you and sell these lower fares, including the lowest sale fares.

 

One other thing about your flights: when you find a good price for your long-haul flights, do ask at that time about an add-on from Perth back to Sydney. USA-Sydney/Perth-USA is a valid open-jaw routing, so it is possible that you could spend less money by booking the whole routing on one ticket. But it is very likely to cost you some more than USA-Sydney-USA. With the information you have in this thread, you can make an assessment as to whether you'd be better off booking the simple return and buying the separate one-way, or doing it all in one go.

[vozzie]

Yes, I'm seeing A$311 as the cheapest Qantas flight (Per-Syd) in the first week of May 2009

[pcur]

Globaliser is correct: using the AU sites, I got the following fares for my fake dates in November 2008:

 

Perth - SYD = $183 US on Qantas

SYD - HNL = $1,166 on Jetstar

 

The $311 AU cost is because CruzinNoony is flying on a Saturday.

 

Many thanks!!

[Aquarians]

We have booked an Australian cruise departing from Sydney and ending up in Perth. My problem is the airfare cost. Which airlines fly from Perth to Sydney? I think perhaps the way to go is a round trip ticket from the west coast to Sydney, but then we will need a one way ticket from Perth to Sydney. Please help!!!:eek:

Kia ora,

Do you need to return via Sydney? If not you could consider Air New Zealand, which flies direct (non stop) from Perth to Auckland & then direct to the US. Alternatively you could go direct from Perth to Singapore on Singapore airways, or one of the very good Asian airlines (Eg Thai, Cathay) and then direct to the US.

Aquarians

[MMDown Under]

What a great suggestion. I didn't realise you could fly direct from Perth to Auckland.

 

West Coast to Sydney

Perth to West Coast

 

with Air NZ all the way, sounds good to me.

[sayaguru]

"Australian spelling lesson: There is no 'U' in ."

 

 

It has nothing to do with spelling (in any country)

 

QANTAS is an acronym- it stands for:-

 

Queensland And Northern Territory Air Service

[Globaliser]

It has nothing to do with spelling (in any country)

 

QANTAS is an acronym- it stands for:-

 

Queensland And Northern Territory Air Service

Actually, it is more that "Qantas" originated as an acronym. It is now a name in its own right, spelt in the time-honoured way.

 

The line in my signature is, in fact, an exasperated dig at those who cannot spell the word properly, whether you regard it as a proper name or an acronym.

 

But while we're in a temporarily pedantic mode, may I please point out that the acronym was actually for:-

 

Queensland And Northern Territory Aerial Services

[Dutch88]

To Globaliser and others with any Qantas knowledge:

I've been monitoring the fares on the Qantas website for a one-way flight from Sydney to Brisbane (January 23, 2009) we want to take before our cruise. It was $89 AUD last week and now it is $129! Of course I wish I would have committed last week but am wondering what the chance of the fare going down would be. I noticed the Virgin Blue fare went up also, but still quite a bit cheaper than Qantas ($79 + luggage costs). Maybe they went up as that date is now less than 3 months away? Not sure which airline to go with and whether I should take a chance and wait for a sale or just commit before the best times get sold out (although there are many flights that day). Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks!

[staceymrow]

Hi Dutch 88

I would hold off abit longer.

I got $68 seats Brisbane-Sydney last week with Virgin as the airlines had a sale on.

I had been waiting for the prices to come down by checking the website most days.

The sale ended a few days ago, but they always seem to have them every few weeks or so.

Im sure another special will become availiable between now and December.

Just keep checking!!

[bobsydney]

To Globaliser and others with any Qantas knowledge:

I've been monitoring the fares on the Qantas website for a one-way flight from Sydney to Brisbane (January 23, 2009) we want to take before our cruise. It was $89 AUD last week and now it is $129! Of course I wish I would have committed last week but am wondering what the chance of the fare going down would be. I noticed the Virgin Blue fare went up also, but still quite a bit cheaper than Qantas ($79 + luggage costs). Maybe they went up as that date is now less than 3 months away? Not sure which airline to go with and whether I should take a chance and wait for a sale or just commit before the best times get sold out (although there are many flights that day). Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks!

 

I fly to Brisbane and back about once a month and tend to go for the cheapest fare ... generally, Vigin Blue comes in a little cheaper than Qantas, but not always, and from my experience, anything less than $100 is a good price. I have picked up some real bargains at times (sales come up reasonably frequently ... one just ended) but generally have paid in the $90-100 range. My guess is that the cheapest batch of tickets on Qantas have now been sold, hence the QF price rise ... even if they come on sale again, the price is unlikely to be less than $105, which is the second tier pricing available from VJ at the moment. I would be inclined to bite the bullet and buy a Virgin $87 with baggage ticket before they also go up.

 

Virgin is a quality airline - better than Qantas in many respects, not as good in others. A bugbear for some is that you have to pay for food and baggage on VJ but if I can get a flight to Brisbane on VJ $40 cheaper than on QF, then I will go with VJ every time.

 

Cheers

Bob

[Globaliser]

I've been monitoring the fares on the Qantas website for a one-way flight from Sydney to Brisbane (January 23, 2009) we want to take before our cruise. It was $89 AUD last week and now it is $129! Of course I wish I would have committed last week but am wondering what the chance of the fare going down would be. I noticed the Virgin Blue fare went up also, but still quite a bit cheaper than Qantas ($79 + luggage costs). Maybe they went up as that date is now less than 3 months away?

If you were looking at the Qantas website, you'd have seen a big splash on the front page saying "Great Escape Sale". That was originally scheduled to end at midnight Sydney time on 15 October 2008, but was extended by six days and finally ended at midnight on 21 October 2008, as you'd have seen if you clicked through.

 

However, as your flight is a little time away and there is a lot of frequency on this route, if I were in your position I would sit tight and wait for the next sale. But in the interim I would be looking from time to time to see whether there was any stress on capacity; if fares start going up from the $129 level for some flights then it may well be time to jump in and pick up a ticket at the lowest fare level on a flight on which it's still available.

 

My impression is that in recent months there have been more fare sales than usual. However, some of them have been for limited travel periods (on one occasion, for travel on one specific day only!). So there is no predicting quite what will happen.

 

And even so, there's a limit to how much time one can put into trying to save $40 each way!

... even if they come on sale again, the price is unlikely to be less than $105, which is the second tier pricing available from VJ at the moment.

I don't think that this is accurate reasoning. The pricing that is available now is simply that which is normally in place and which was in place immediately before the latest sale. The level of discount in any fare sale is usually governed simply by the commercial pressures that have driven a sale to be put in place. The next sale may be at about the $105 level; or it may be back to the $90 level.

 

As a point of detail, Virgin Blue's two-character IATA code is "DJ", not "VJ".

[moyaroo]

We have booked an Australian cruise departing from Sydney and ending up in Perth. My problem is the airfare cost. Which airlines fly from Perth to Sydney? I think perhaps the way to go is a round trip ticket from the west coast to Sydney, but then we will need a one way ticket from Perth to Sydney. Please help!!!:eek:

 

 

Have you looked at an open jaw ticket routing would be LAX (or SFO) Syd with an open leg and then Perth-LAX for return. You will have the advantage of avoiding the baggage problems of not being on international tickets. and I have found open jaws to be quite economical.

[bobsydney]

As a point of detail, Virgin Blue's two-character IATA code is "DJ", not "VJ".

 

oops ...not sure what possessed me to say VJ!! Thanks for correcting me.

 

Cheers

Bob

[Dutch88]

Thanks to all for your help. I think we might wait a bit and if no change, go for the Virgin Blue flight (still one of the cheapest flights I'll ever book!).

[Globaliser]

Even the normal Qantas fares on these trunk routes are IMHO pretty good value.

[Bob&Janet]

I've been monitoring the fares on the Qantas website for a one-way flight from Sydney to Brisbane (January 23, 2009) we want to take before our cruise. It was $89 AUD last week and now it is $129! Of course I wish I would have committed last week but am wondering what the chance of the fare going down would be. I noticed the Virgin Blue fare went up also, but still quite a bit cheaper than Qantas ($79 + luggage costs). Maybe they went up as that date is now less than 3 months away? Not sure which airline to go with and whether I should take a chance and wait for a sale or just commit before the best times get sold out (although there are many flights that day). Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

Dutch, if you haven't already booked, you might want to check out the Qantas and Virgin Blue websites. Both are both having sales at the moment, with QF offering Sydney to Brisbane flights for $89 and DJ for $69 plus $8 per checked bag. The sale goes for a week, but more choice by jumping in early.

 

The sale covers flights through to early April 2009 (Easter) so it won't help the OPs on this thread who were looking for Perth to Sydney in May. They might have to wait for the January airline sales, which generally cover have flights through to the second half of the year.

 

Cheers

Bob

[Dutch88]

Thanks Bob!

I just happened to do a check on the Qantas website this morning (before I read your entry) and got the cheaper $89 flight! I missed the Virgin Blue one as the time/cheaper rate we wanted sold out, so was pretty happy the Qantas one went back on sale.

 

Thanks to everyone for your help!

[kwhite7]

Im not sure if Tiger Airways flies from Perth to Sydney, but they often have really good deals. They are a new airline in AU and have pretty new planes. I was pretty impressed when I flew them in January. I was able to get a round trip ticket from Melbourne to the Gold Coast for $80AU round trip with all fees and everything. Good luck and happy travels!

[Globaliser]

Im not sure if Tiger Airways flies from Perth to Sydney ...

No. Tiger has no operations to Sydney at all.

 

Personally, I'm not surprised. It would get eaten for lunch there.