h1992

Hi all,

I've been having some difficulty booking a flight and wanted to seek your combined wisdom.

In June I'll be travelling one-way from Sydney to Bali. When I originally checked these flights at the start of the year the average fare was ~£150. Unfortunately they've now increased to >£200 (£270 on Qantas), and I wanted to double-check that I'm not missing something before paying this increased fare.

I've always tried to avoid booking through 3rd parties as it seems like the risk far outweighs the reward. Specifically in the case of this flight I was looking at buying through Qantas as they offer free baggage and refreshments, unlike Jetstar and Virgin Aus.

I did have a brief moment of success a few days ago on the Qantas website where a one-off "SALE" fare came up for my route. I didn't book at the time and now this offer has vanished. Is there any way to induce a quick flash sale offer like this again?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Dave Noble

There is no risk of buying through a travel agent. If it has better fares, then go for ir.

An electronic ticket issued by a TA works the same as one issued by an airline

If booking on Jetstar, the site allows inclusion of meals and baggage as options - perhaps include these when comparing price; on Virgin, baggage, meals and drinks are included

You could gamble on fares dropping again or just book the cheapest option that is now available

Cedar Jet

Another thing to consider is Jetstar fly a 787-8 where Qantas will use a smaller 737-800 as will Virgin.
Good luck.

serfty

Note that in economy the Jetstar seat pitch and width on the 788 is somewhat less than those of the 738's.

Cedar Jet

Agree totally, but there is also the quieter, wide body, more humid & lower cabin altitude factors to consider. It is a 5-6 hour flight.

og

Interestingly, after flights of multiple hours in 787s of JQ, UA, AA and LA I have not noticed any significant difference in cabin altitude compared with similar stages and flight levels in 777, 744 and 330s. This is based on my watch. They all start out lowish - typically around 1600 m and progressively rise to around 2000 m or more after a handfull of hours. These are bulk trends and my perception. There may be tiny differences with the 787, but not noticeable to me.

Has Boeing or others stated just how much lower the cabin altitude is?

3544quebec

I have a personal preference for the cabin altitude to be pretty close to the engine altitiude

Mwenenzi

Agreed
The (internal) cabin pressure is another matter. [equivalent effective cabin altitude]
http://www.who.int/ith/mode_of_travel/cab/en/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cabin_pressurization

vbroucek

I think you might be misinformed... AFAIK, Virgin Australia does not sell any fares without luggage and refreshment anymore...

perthite

Boeing say that the cabin altitude for the 787 is 6,000 ft, versus the more conventional 8,000 ft.

og

Hmmm. Interesting (& thanks). I presume the crew in row 0 get to choose how to make this happen and by how much (factoring in the increaed cost to achieve higher pressurisation). Probably one for professional pilots.