MiaFL Welcome to FT
Your question is more about the best flights to Australia (Sydney) and the south island of New Zealand. Not so much as about SYD connections.
Originally Posted by
MiaFL
Looking at flights for Nov 2016 from JAX-NZ South Island, with a couple of days in Sydney on the way. Travelling with 2 elementary aged-kids. Flying on one ticket. Best options are Qantas JAX-DFW-SYD outbound and trying to figure out if we can make the connections for ZQN-SYD-DFW-JAX. Connection time in SYD is 1:25. The other option takes us from CHC-SYD-DFW-JAX but we have a 6:25 connection time, adding 5 more ours onto our already very long day.
Flights are:
ZQN-SYD QA/Jetstar 220,
CHC-SYD QA/Jetconnect 138
SYD-DFW Qantas Airways 4381
So all on 1 PNR/ticket.
JAX-DFW-SYD, SYD-ZQN
ZQN-SYD-DFW-JAX
Or
JAX-DFW-SYD, SYD-ZQN
ZQN-CHC how? CHC-SYD-DFW-JAX
Have both these itineraries been offered to you as 1 PNR/ticket?
The code for Qantas is QF. QF4381 is a DFW-JAX codeshare on AA
Is a very big risk to go with the Jetstar JQ220 flight ZQN-SYD. Jetstar is a low cost carrier own by Qantas, with a less than stellar reputation. I would never fly JQ expecting a 1:25 connection to a USA flight.
Jetconnect is NZ based and owned by Qantas Australia. For all intended purpose it is Qantas. Aircraft are painted as QF Australia, but they have NZ rego and (better) NZ based crew. 99% of passengers will notice there is a difference between QF NZ & QF Au.
There are many options on flights to Aust/NZ. AA & UA now fly from Auckland AKL to LAX. A real travel agent may be able to get you on QF or AA to SYD, SYD-ZQN and AA from AKL to LAX-xxx-JAX
And as this is FlyerTalk, is earning freq flyer miles a consideration?
Do you have ff miles and or status with any airline freq flyer program?