Flights to Australia

[Cal Cruiser]

Does anyone know what Airline Princess uses to fly to Australia???????????

My wife is so worried about changing planes and the long flying times. Princess is no help for our flights or the time. What a bummer, it seems they would no something. But they keep saying it is to early. I guess it is but my wife is driving me nuts. Making early bookings has some drawbacks it gives my wife a lot of time to worry about everything? I new 2006 was a long way off but I wanted to be ready. LOL Also does Princess fly you from Los Angeles

Nonstop (I hope) Nonstop is only 15 hours any longer and I will have to knock

out my wife.

 

Thanks

[MtnBikerFallDown]

Oh, the flight to Australia is a nightmare. We make it a couple of times a year, to see my brother, who lives in Sydney. I do not envy you that trip. I'm claustrophobic and just about ready to tear a hole in the side of the plane before we get there. Let me give you some survival tips.

 

Even if you have to cancel the Princess Air and do it on your own... fly Air New Zealand. They do non-stops out of LAX every day at 6pm. They're friendlier, have larger planes and seats and are cheaper than Qantas. Also, they offer frequent flier miles that are compatible with most programs. If you are flying in from somewhere to LAX, spend the night in one of the airport hotels. It will keep you from flying hours and hours straight. It's a flight you want to start refreshed, not already weary.

 

Get some Xanax for your wife if she's a bad flier. I had panic attacks when we first flew, and I asked my doctor for something. It's a prescription narcotic, but it doesn't totally knock you out (some people get sleeping pills to knock them totally out. Not a bad idea, if you ask me). It just keeps you from flipping out. Try to stay awake until you are about 8-10 hours outside of Sydney, then sleep. As they are on totally opposite times as us (16 hours time difference between Eastern Time zone here and Sydney), it's hard to reset your internal clock. Doing it that way flying in makes life much easier. I figured that one out on my 2nd trip!

 

If you can't find out from Princess, call a local TA and ask them if they know who Princess uses for their Australian air. Or, check with the biggies, Qantas and Air New Zealand. They may know.

 

I hope some of this helps! It's a beast of a trip, but it's worth every second once you get there. Gorgeous country, very friendly and very safe. I love it there and I'm willing to bet you will, too! Good Luck!

[ahracer]

They're friendlier, have larger planes and seats and are cheaper than Qantas.

 

Doesn't Air New Zealand and Qantas both fly 747's on that route??

 

Scott

[MtnBikerFallDown]

Scott,

You are right, they both have the airbus configured planes on that route. It's only the seats that are bigger. I'd forgotten that! My bad!

[ahracer]

Bigger seats make a huge difference on a long flight. By the way at Boeing people get real upset if you refer to a 747 as an Airbus. ;)

 

Scott

[patlanta]

When we went with Princess to AUS/NZ the airline was Quantas

 

One thing you should know is that Quantas was acting quite strict about the weight of the carry-on luggage--see their Web site for the specification. At departure from Los Angeles, the airline representatives announced that they would be weighing carry-on bags and there was a mad rush of people in the waiting area to have their bags weighed, just to be sure. After maybe 25 or 50 people had their bags weighed, and the line was quite long, it was time for boarding and Quantas just seemed to "eye" carry-ons they would select to be weighed.

 

If you're doing the land tour portion in Australia, with the flights between the cities, all of your luggage is weighed each time. We saw some really sophisticated-looking travellers on the airport floors rearranging belongings among various bags.

[Toto2Kansas]

We have used cruise line air to or from Australia on three different sailings. I can highly recommend that you pay the air deviation IF you are not leaving from the West Coast. Cruise lines are well known for their long flight layovers (we had one that was 7 hours in San Francisco after the long flight home from Sydney) which is a very unpleasent experience when you are tired.

 

We have done the flight on United (not very nice), Air New Zealand (better, but still not the best) and the best flight of all, Singapore Airlines on our return from Asia after our cruise up the East Coast of Australia.

 

This flight is a tough one in coach, and that is putting it mildly. If there is anyway you can purchase your own flights and maybe upgrade with FF miles, do it by all means, you will be very glad you did.

 

There is almost no way to tell which airline or the flight schedule they will put you on unless you pay the air deviation fee until much closer to your sailing.

 

Other than that, may I suggest you see your doctor, get a prescription for Ambien and try to sleep for most of the flight, it does help.

 

Australia is worth the trip, but it still doesn't make the flight any nicer. :(

[graycottag]

One tip I learned when face with a long flight, whether Europe or Asia, is to pack a change of clothes in my carryon, usualy a pair of flannel lounge pants, heavy socks, and some sort of long sleeve t-shirt thing. After take off I change (a challenge in the plane bathroom to say the least). Yes, I look like I am flying in my pajamas...BUT, I am also one of the few people who appears to be comfortable - I figure I will never see any of these people again, anyway. Plus, I don't arrive in clothes that are wrinkled, or smell, or have food stains down the front like most of my fellow passengers. Learned that from a guy who flies to China twice a month.

[emmy]

MtnBikerFallDown...

 

Although I do not have a cruise booked out of Australia I did read this timely post and recommendations with interest. My daughter is flying to Sydney Australia on Dec. 10 to spend a year there. Hope to visit her as well so am taking special note of your tips.

 

Just might do a cruise when we are there.

 

So from one Emily to another Emily thank you....

 

Emily

[CruiseAholic]

We used Princess air when we did the Australia/New Zealand cruise. It was Quantas. We could not match the price on our own.

 

We flew from Washington, DC/Dulles to Los Angeles where we had a 6-hour layover. We were meeting friends who had flown to Los Angeles a day early and split the cost of them keeping the hotel room another day, so we went there for several hours, was a nice way to relax. The room wasn't used after 10:00 p.m.

 

The flight from Los Angeles to Sydney was direct and crowded but a nice flilght.

 

Remember, when using Princess air, they don't ususally know the flights until after final payment (unless you pay the deviation), around 30-45 days prior.