Oceania (Australia, New Zealand & the South Pacific) - UK to NZ

We have tovisit Auckland at the end of October for 6 weeks. Has any one got experience of flying there and with which carriers?

We have tovisit Auckland at the end of October for 6 weeks. Has any one got experience of flying there and with which carriers?

What airport from and to what airport do you want to go to?

Well Any of the Asian Ones like Singapore Airlines,Cathay Pacific and Malaysia Airlines are the way to go and wish to avoid the dreaded LAX transit that you might get with Air NZ.These all go one stop

Have you researched which airlines fly from the UK to NZ or are you expecting readers of this forum to tell you? Are you planning on flying in first or on the cheapest economy ticket you can find? I'm sure lots of people have flown on a variety of different airlines from the UK to NZ. It would be helpful if you explained what criteria you have.

You have to touch down somewhere en route, probably either Singapore or Hong Kong or somewhere else in Asia or perhaps in the Middle East if you fly (at least part way) on Emirates/Qatar/Etihad. Presumably you have no affiliation to any particular airline?

Try researching fares for the dates you want to fly (and the class you want to fly) and see what price/airline choices you get. Based on that, people can then provide advice on one airline versus another and the prices you're finding for whatever class you want to fly. There are probably any number of sites where you can look for fares but here's one - http://www.jetabroad.com.au/

..as does NZ's flgihts via Hong Kong. You don't HAVE to go via LAX.

My first piece of advice would be to avoid any flight that transits through the USA (in practice, this means Los Angeles - LAX), since you generally have to pass through immigration and customs even though you're just passing trough.

Similarly, I'd avoid a route via Sydney (or other Australian airports) – although these airports are configured normally for international transit passengers, a stop adds to the time, and the flight on to New Zealand is short compared to the whole trip and so it doesn't really offer any worthwhile respite. This cuts out Qantas as an option.

Hong Kong is more out of the way than Singapore or Kuala Lumpur, but the increase in the flight time is not major.

My own choice would be Singapore Airlines, but they are likely to be among the more expensive. Singapore flies direct to Christchurch as well as Auckland, if that is of any interest.

My first piece of advice would be to avoid any flight that transits through the USA (in practice, this means Los Angeles - LAX), since you generally have to pass through immigration and customs even though you're just passing trough.


NZ1/2 have there own special arrangement at LAX by passing the need to fully clear customs.

NZ1/2 have there own special arrangement at LAX by passing the need to fully clear customs.
Ah, I beg your pardon. That obviously makes a difference.

ETA: It seems, though, that you do have to pass through immigration (and therefore need a visa or ESTA), though as you say, not customs. Here (http://www.airnewzealand.eu/transiting-via-la.) are the Air New Zealand instructions about transits in Los Angeles LAX.

Thanks for the replys , we were looking at SL, however their price has shot up over the last 2 weeks.
We want to book at the end of this month and have noticed all the Airline fares have increased. I have been using this SEARCH TOOL;

http://matrix.itasoftware.com/ ;

Ahy ideas when the prices will be back at 900 GBP ? flying economy 28/10 - 06/12 approx.

Thanks again

I'm booking flights for me & my partner in Jan/Feb 2013.
SQ (Singapore) wasn't too bad but the best pricing was with QF (Qantas).
We're making 2 stopovers of 24 hours (SIN outbound and SYD inbound) but QF's pricing was not bad at all. QF can also route directly to AKL from SIN through a JetStar codeshare.

Similarly, I'd avoid a route via Sydney (or other Australian airports) – although these airports are configured normally for international transit passengers, a stop adds to the time, and the flight on to New Zealand is short compared to the whole trip and so it doesn't really offer any worthwhile respite. This cuts out Qantas as an option.


This also cuts out Emirates as an option - All Emirates' flights to NZ (Auckland or Christchurch) are operated via an Australian airport (Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane).