Air New Zealand Air Points - Which airline cheaper for taxes/surcharges: Virgin vs Singapore vs Air New Zealand?

Dear All,

I'm looking to purchase a Great Escapade round the world (RTW) ticket this month starting and ending in LHR. For those unfamiliar with the product it is a 29,000 mi RTW (+4500 mi for fee) fare that can only use Virgin Atlantic, Singapore Airlines (and Silk Air for one side trip), and Air New Zealand. I have the itinerary generally worked out as below (layovers in parentheses):

LHR-DEL-SIN-SYD-AKL-NOU-(akl)-APW-TBU-(akl)-NAN-RAR-LAX-LHR

Unfortunately the island-hopping in the South Pacific that ANZ used to do was a lot more direct so the above itinerary uses up a lot of miles.

I just want to know which airline I should book through to get the lowest taxes. I plan to depart September 14, 2009 at the Great Escapade price of 1018 GBP (presently about $1680 USD). So as the title of my thread says, which airline cheaper for taxes/surcharges: Virgin vs Singapore vs Air New Zealand?

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Cheers, Robert

I don't know what VS fuel surcharges are like these days but there is no NAN-RAR flight.

I booked a Great Escapade fare in Y for myself and 4 family members recently. Our ITN is LGW-LAS//LAX-(APW)-TBU-AKL-NRT//KIX-SIN-LHR-AMS.

Being a PPS member I tried to book through the PPS help desk. However they referred me to VS since we will be flying the first sector on VS.

Booking through VS reservations was actually a pain. It took them three weeks to figure everyting out and they made a number of mistakes that had to be corrected. I have yet to receive a specification of the fares and I had to beg them numerous times to send me the e-tickets.

Since they provided me only the total cost plus a breakdown of the fare LHR-AMS (for which they told me they were not able not use the special rate that is mentioned in the Great Escapde fare rules), I tried to calculate the fares and surcharges myself.

This is what I figured out:

Base fare GBP 946 p/pax
Surcharges GBP 246 p/pax

Base fare LHR-AMS GBP 65 p/pax
Surcharges LHR-AMS GBP 30 p/pax

Assumption for this calculation is that child fare is 75% of adult fare, and surcharges are equal for adults and children.

I suppose it wouldn't hurt to get the 3 Airlines to give you a price.

I think NZ has got a booking office in London, it might be a good idea to give them a visit oneday. You may find it simpler to book face to face compared to over the phone. Then you would be able to look at the options on screen.

Note: RAR-LAX is once weekly so is APW-TBU

Thanks for the suggestions all.

1. NAN-RAR I've thought was a mistake in the Great Escapade travel planner. I've noticed that so many direct (i.e., not via AKL) flights in the South Pacific served by NZ have been replaced by flights that require transiting through AKL (and using up quite a few miles in the process). I couldn't find nonstop NAN-RAR on ITASoftware but it was in the Great Escapade travel planner, and since NZ does not have a downloadable copy of their timetable, I couldn't confirm if in fact the direct NAN-RAR flight had been cancelled. I guess it has. Thanks.

2. I've never flown NZ or VS and have had mixed experiences with SQ despite the "hype" that a lot have attributed to them, but I suppose every airline (out of first/business, where I have less experience and won't comment) is subpar these days when enough flights are taken. My last RTW was with *A and it took 3 hours on the phone, so I was hoping that things would have gotten better in the 4 years since that last RTW. But it sounds like RTW tickets (with the possible exception of new e-ticketing and online booking supposedly for OneWorld RTW) are still cumbersome for many.

3. Right now I'm based in Maldives and will be until the end of August. Then I'll be in Chicago and not planning to be in London until shortly before commencing the Great Escapade on September 14. I guess what I'm trying to say is that stopping at a local London office is unfortunately not an option. But it is good to hear that e-tickets are issued. Last time I had to go to the airport and wait 2+ hours for my tickets to be printed. I was worried I'd have to pay postal fees for the paper tickets if I couldn't convince the airlines to hold the tickets until arriving in LHR.

4. I have experience with flights in the North Pacific and know all too well the pain of booking multi-island trips. Just in case the following helps anyone else (since it is a pain without a downloadable timetable), and since this is posted on the Air New Zealand forum, I've discovered the following routings:

AKL-NOU SuTuThSa
NOU-AKL SuTuThSa
AKL-APW MTuWThFSa
APW-AKL SuMTuWFSa
APW-TBU W
TBU-APW T
AKL-TBU MTuWThFSa
TBU-AKL MWThSa
AKL-NAN SuMTuWThFSa
NAN-(akl)-RAR SuTuWThSa
AKL-RAR SuMTuWThFSaSu
RAR-LAX Sa

5. But still, if others are able to get more detailed answers to my original question, I'd appreciate the help. I wonder now which airline I'd be forced to book with: VS because it is the first flight; SQ because it is the first (potentially) Pacific flight; or NZ because it crosses the most of the Pacific and is the only trans-Pacific flight, which is the first ocean crossed (since I bypass the Indian Ocean) on my planned itinerary

6. I suppose it looks like for the mileage to fit without a direct NAN-RAR I might pose the additional question: Given the islands that I'm travelling through, and understanding that everything is a matter of opinion, if one had about 2 weeks total and had to choose 2 of 3 of the following islands, which ones would people vote for: TBU (Tonga), APW (Samoa), or NAN (Fiji)? I could make cases for all three so other opinions are worthwhile. I'll probably return to all three in the future but this trip will be a "reconnaissance." Oh, and if it helps, I'm a marine biologist but my friend/travel companion is not, so nice reefs with snorkeling options over diving are preferable (though I hope to get a few dives in also!).

Thanks again, Robert

I think NZ has got a booking office in London, it might be a good idea to give them a visit oneday. You may find it simpler to book face to face compared to over the phone.


Yep, the NZ Travelcentre is on the ground floor of the NZ High Commission (Embassy..) in central London near to Piccadilly Circus. They are usually very helpful and welcoming - and can be very helpful contacting inventory management when TAs can only put you on the waitlist. Its been a while since I booked there but I recall a £40 booking fee -- either per pax or per booking.


3. Right now I'm based in Maldives and will be until the end of August. Then I'll be in Chicago and not planning to be in London until shortly before commencing the Great Escapade on September 14. I guess what I'm trying to say is that stopping at a local London office is unfortunately not an option. But it is good to hear that e-tickets are issued. Last time I had to go to the airport and wait 2+ hours for my tickets to be printed. I was worried I'd have to pay postal fees for the paper tickets if I couldn't convince the airlines to hold the tickets until arriving in LHR.


Yep, the Escapade can definitely be issued as e-tickets -- I've only had to go for paper tickets twice: once with a Silk Air/MI flight in the mix, and once I recall (hazy memory) with a bmi/BD add-on segment. Are those two airlines still involved in the escapade?

In any case, the vast majority of good UK-based travel agents are familliar with the product - large chains like Flight Centre, STA Travel or Travelbag/Trailfinders come to mind. Be aware that a number of UK retail travel agents charge a booking fee (even for business class travel) or a credit card surcharge.

All but the pushiest consultants will talk you through which airline is best/worst for taxes and surcharges. From memory, my TA-booked escapades have been about a 60/40 mix between SQ/NZ, never had a VS plated one.

Of course, the commission rate paid from each airline may be a factor there - but I don't really know what the commission situation is these days.

Can you book the GreatEscape ex AKL?

Never mind the taxes, I'm still getting over the "I'm a marine biologist working in the Maldives"!

I'm sure "I'm a systems programmer working in Wellington" might have its own charms to the person who utters it, but c'mon, how cool is the OPs version? :p

I believe as of 2007 (maybe earlier) the Great Escapade became bookable only starting via UK (MAN/LHR only). The three airlines listed are SQ-NZ-VS but I remember reading in the past that MI was part of Great Escapade but that only one side trip from SIN was allowed. I'm still working out the final itinerary (I think NAN is dropped) and once I have everything settled for miles and times I'll check with the respective airlines and see if I can't get prices up for everyone.

Robert