Oct 30, 2007
The Aussie AirPass brings travel to -- and around -- Australia down to $1,099
From the sail-like contours of the Sydney Opera House and the wines of South Australia to the underwater life of the Great Barrier Reef and the crocs and kangaroos of the Outback, Australia is a once-in-a-lifetime trip.
But the problem with traveling in Australia is that the place is so enormous. This is, after all, not just a country but a continent. Don't expect to be able to drive quickly from one part to another. You really have to fly. That's what makes the Aussie Air Pass from Qantas (tel. 800/227-4603; www.qantasusa.com) an important tool and, starting at $1,099, one of the best deals in transpacific travel.
The pass includes the round-trip transpacific airfare from Los Angeles, San Francisco, or Honolulu (15 other major U.S. gateways are available for add-on fees of $90 to $360) into Sydney, Melbourne, or Brisbane. The big bonus is that you also get three additional flight segments within Australia at no extra charge.
Considering that a simple roundtrip flight to Australia for the time period involved (late November) on other airlines starts at $1,201, that ‘s a pretty good deal to begin with. Add in those extra flights within Australia and the pass becomes a top travel bargain.
The pass divides Australia into three zones, and at its base price covers only flights within Zone 1: southeast Australia, including the three arrival cities as well as the Gold Coast, Tasmania, and Adelaide. If you wish to travel beyond that region, you'll have to pay an extra $200 to $400 (depending on season) for a version good for travel throughout Zone 2, covering the rest of Eastern Australia -- and, frankly, everything else most visitors want to see. This includes Cairns, gateway to that wonder of the natural world, the Great Barrier Reef; Darwin in the tropical Top End, the land of didgeridoos, crocodiles, and the massive Kakadu National Park; Alice Springs, the unofficial capital of the Outback in the deserts of Australia's Red Center; and Ayers Rock/Uluru, that iconic mound of red sandstone rising out of the sandy plains in the geographic center of the continent. (Zone 3 covers Western Australia, an unlikely destination for first-time visitors to the land Down Under.)
These prices on the pass are good from travel Nov. 17 to 30, and again in May and August of next year. In between these dates, the price fluctuates between a still very reasonable $1,399 and $1,599, with a high season spike (Dec. 9 to Jan. 31) to $2,199. Taxes and airport fees can add up to $200 or so to the total price.
Write and read comments about this post.
But the problem with traveling in Australia is that the place is so enormous. This is, after all, not just a country but a continent. Don't expect to be able to drive quickly from one part to another. You really have to fly. That's what makes the Aussie Air Pass from Qantas (tel. 800/227-4603; www.qantasusa.com) an important tool and, starting at $1,099, one of the best deals in transpacific travel.
The pass includes the round-trip transpacific airfare from Los Angeles, San Francisco, or Honolulu (15 other major U.S. gateways are available for add-on fees of $90 to $360) into Sydney, Melbourne, or Brisbane. The big bonus is that you also get three additional flight segments within Australia at no extra charge.
Considering that a simple roundtrip flight to Australia for the time period involved (late November) on other airlines starts at $1,201, that ‘s a pretty good deal to begin with. Add in those extra flights within Australia and the pass becomes a top travel bargain.
The pass divides Australia into three zones, and at its base price covers only flights within Zone 1: southeast Australia, including the three arrival cities as well as the Gold Coast, Tasmania, and Adelaide. If you wish to travel beyond that region, you'll have to pay an extra $200 to $400 (depending on season) for a version good for travel throughout Zone 2, covering the rest of Eastern Australia -- and, frankly, everything else most visitors want to see. This includes Cairns, gateway to that wonder of the natural world, the Great Barrier Reef; Darwin in the tropical Top End, the land of didgeridoos, crocodiles, and the massive Kakadu National Park; Alice Springs, the unofficial capital of the Outback in the deserts of Australia's Red Center; and Ayers Rock/Uluru, that iconic mound of red sandstone rising out of the sandy plains in the geographic center of the continent. (Zone 3 covers Western Australia, an unlikely destination for first-time visitors to the land Down Under.)
These prices on the pass are good from travel Nov. 17 to 30, and again in May and August of next year. In between these dates, the price fluctuates between a still very reasonable $1,399 and $1,599, with a high season spike (Dec. 9 to Jan. 31) to $2,199. Taxes and airport fees can add up to $200 or so to the total price.
Write and read comments about this post.
Fifty years ago, 
Arthur Frommer is generally acknowledged to be the nation's foremost travel authority. He is the founder of the
