Australia, New Zealand & the South Pacific - Airlines within Australia, have some ?'s

Husband will have a three month work assignment in Sydney. We want to go sightseeing on the weekends. Does Virgin Blue usually offer the best fares or can you recommend other carriers for flights within Australia. We are flying over on Quantas and have also considered buying some sort of pass. Any insight would be very helpful. Husband is EP on AA and we have over a million miles in our Adv Acct. Thanks.

Husband will have a three month work assignment in Sydney. We want to go sightseeing on the weekends. Does Virgin Blue usually offer the best fares or can you recommend other carriers for flights within Australia. We are flying over on Quantas and have also considered buying some sort of pass. Any insight would be very helpful. Husband is EP on AA and we have over a million miles in our Adv Acct. Thanks. Neither Qantas (QF) (no 'U' in there, btw) or Virgin Blue (DJ) consistently offer the "best fare" - both carriers have set quotas of cheap fares, and sometimes the really cheap fares sell out on QF first, leaving DJ cheaper, other times they sell out on DJ first, leaving QF cheaper.

When booking your flights, best to check both carriers for the times you want, and see what is cheap.

One thing though is that as an AA EXP, you will get lounge access with QF (and also with Jetstar - JQ), and we have free alcohol after 1200 in our lounges (unlike in AC's) - possibly something to consider.

Dave

The Virgin Blue pass seems like a pretty good deal. I booked it for our trip this summer and it worked out quite a bit cheaper than the regular lowest price fares on any of the airlines. You have to book at least 3 segments (and can book as many as you want), we are actually only flying 2, but it still worked out cheaper, so we will just not take the extra flight.

The fares for the routes we are flying seemed about the same as their "happy hour" fares that I had been checking (but never were offered during the dates we are flying). You are also allowed one checked bag/person with this fare, so we will be saving money that way too.

You do have to buy it before you get to Australia though.

When are you in Syd?

Sometimes it's better to book fares directly rather than use the "passes".

Currently there's several sales on which may be of interest to you. They finish on May 10.


Qantas - Australia Wide Sale (http://www.qantas.com.au/deals/do/dyn/specials/displayRedEDeals?departureAirportCode=SYD)
Jetstar - Take a Friend for Free sale! (http://www.jetstar.com/au/en/cheap-flights/takeafriendforfree.aspx?utm_source=jq_home&utm_medium=top_banner&utm_campaign=take_a_friend_for_free_20090506) (2 for 1)
Virgin Blue - Domestic Flight Specials (http://www.virginblue.com.au/Personal/Specialsoffers/Specials/index.htm)


... One thing though is that as an AA EXP, you will get lounge access with QF (and also with Jetstar - JQ), and we have free alcohol after 1200 in our lounges (unlike in AC's) - possibly something to consider. ...It's a very important point, thadocta's re EXP status. Lounge access can make travel far more comfortable - also Qantas lounges have a reasonable supply of food. So it may be worth a bit extra to travel QF (or JQ). Lounge access is avialable when travelling Qantas or Jetstar.

Also, if you do book on Qantas, AA miles may be earned on the cheaper O class "red e-deal" fares (not N, E or Q). See here on how to ascertain that: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/qantas-frequent-flyer/770940-how-do-you-find-fare-class-qantas-com.html#post10514972

The Virgin Blue pass seems like a pretty good deal. I booked it for our trip this summer and it worked out quite a bit cheaper than the regular lowest price fares on any of the airlines. You have to book at least 3 segments (and can book as many as you want), we are actually only flying 2, but it still worked out cheaper, so we will just not take the extra flight.

The fares for the routes we are flying seemed about the same as their "happy hour" fares that I had been checking (but never were offered during the dates we are flying). You are also allowed one checked bag/person with this fare, so we will be saving money that way too.

You do have to buy it before you get to Australia though.

Wow thanks for telling me! That checked bag thing and Jetstar were giving me sort of a headache, but with this, the price is the same and i get a direct flight! =D Now I just got to figure out a third flight that I would use....

Wow thanks for telling me! That checked bag thing and Jetstar were giving me sort of a headache, but with this, the price is the same and i get a direct flight! =D Now I just got to figure out a third flight that I would use....How so? It is only USD7 extra for the checked bag on Jetstar -- is your budget so tight that you were getting a headache from a USD 7 charge? The fares do vary a lot, but whenever I've checked DJ has been significantly more expensive (but I wasn't flexible on travel dates/times). Don't assume that DJ is cheaper than QF, it often costs more. For those with Oneworld status, QF will always have better service than DJ which is also a consideration.

The various "visit Australia" passes (ie. only sold overseas) are generally offering flexibility and predictable cost and not the cheapest fare. Almost always it is possible to find a cheaper fare than the pass (but with significant restrictions on travel dates/time/fare rule). Air fares have dropped a lot in Australia in the past couple of years (at least on the routes that I've checked) and are pretty competitively priced by world standards (surprising given the limited competition here). Of course this is why Star and Skyteam haven't been able to get into the Australian market (and even Air NZ had to pull out). There simple isn't the margin and traffic load to make it profitable for a new entrant -- despite SYD-MEL being one of the 5 busiest air routes in the world, busier than SFO-LAX and LGA-BOS combined, for example.

How so? It is only USD7 extra for the checked bag on Jetstar -- is your budget so tight that you were getting a headache from a USD 7 charge? The fares do vary a lot, but whenever I've checked DJ has been significantly more expensive (but I wasn't flexible on travel dates/times). Don't assume that DJ is cheaper than QF, it often costs more. For those with Oneworld status, QF will always have better service than DJ which is also a consideration.

The various "visit Australia" passes (ie. only sold overseas) are generally offering flexibility and predictable cost and not the cheapest fare. Almost always it is possible to find a cheaper fare than the pass (but with significant restrictions on travel dates/time/fare rule). Air fares have dropped a lot in Australia in the past couple of years (at least on the routes that I've checked) and are pretty competitively priced by world standards (surprising given the limited competition here). Of course this is why Star and Skyteam haven't been able to get into the Australian market (and even Air NZ had to pull out). There simple isn't the margin and traffic load to make it profitable for a new entrant -- despite SYD-MEL being one of the 5 busiest air routes in the world, busier than SFO-LAX and LGA-BOS combined, for example.

Well, when I priced out my trips, I either could do Jetstar roundtrip from Cains to Mel for $478(before the cc fees and checked baggage but DJ has them too) vs 418 on DJ + free checked baggage. Actually cheaper if I go to Sydney instead of Melbourne for the time I want from just buying the tickets normally. I am travelling during the school holiday, so this could affect prices probably. >.> It's mainly because there are 5 of us that it makes it more difficult for me to decide things, since I'm trying to save costs whenever possible.

Usually these passes aren't worth it, I know, but I been watching fares for 2 and 1/2 weeks, and the fares gone up once, well pricing it using the pass gave me cheaper fares than when I checked weeks ago. Others made suggestions in the other thread that I should basically buy the fares since it is high travel time to a holiday destination.

your best bet is to use www.webjet.com.au

on any given day any of the three airlines might be cheaper

although the order is Jet Star < Virgin Blue < Qantas

you can also fly Rex or Tiger Airways but they only serve select cities

Its pretty expensive to fly in Australia I find... unless you're super flexible

Agree Webjet is the way to search - and you can then book direct on the relevant airlines website - less fees.

some happy hour fares on the Virgin Blue web site at noon are pretty decent, although they have way too many date restrictions.

I can't say enough about Virgin Blue's Air Pass for foreign visitors. The fares may not always be the cheapest but they seem competitive to me. The GST and baggage inclusive fares can add up to reasonable savings over multiple flights and I love the flexibility of the pass.

I can't say enough about Virgin Blue's Air Pass for foreign visitors. The fares may not always be the cheapest but they seem competitive to me. The GST and baggage inclusive fares can add up to reasonable savings over multiple flights and I love the flexibility of the pass.


If you are outside Australia at the time you book the flights they are not, or should not be subject to GST (http://www.ato.gov.au/businesses/content.asp?doc=/content/13384.htm).

Can I supply domestic transport to non-residents GST-free?

You can supply air transport within Australia GST-free to non-residents, provided they are outside Australia when they purchase it.

...

Example

Nils lives in Sweden and arrives in Australia for a holiday. When he booked his international transport in Sweden, he knew he wanted to visit the Northern Territory and purchased a domestic flight to Darwin as part of his itinerary. Nils’s entire fare is GST-free.

Its pretty expensive to fly in Australia I find... unless you're super flexible

Really? I think it's actually fairly well priced. Business class is expensive but cheap Y seats are usually fairly easy to find.