Aug 4, 2008
Better news: a reduction in airfares to Australia, provided you book by August 15
The Australian airline, Qantas, has just announced a short-term sale on its fares to Australia, by folding taxes and fuel surcharge (a big one) into the total price charged for the trip. What results is an all-in round-trip airfare of $1,251 to $1,271 between Los Angeles or San Francisco and either Sydney or Brisbane. And to repeat: that's with everything -- including the dreaded fuel surcharge and taxes, which usually add many hundreds of dollars to such long-distance (15 hours or more) flights.
Prices are good for departure between next week and September 21. And routes can be modified: you can add $100 to fly into Melbourne or Cairns, or tack on standard fees to fly from other American cities (such as $300 round-trip for New York, $250 for Dallas, and so forth).
To realize how good these prices are, consider the following: $1,200 round-trip to Australia is what you would have paid a few years ago, before the price of fuel skyrocketed. By the upcoming November, the start of Australia's summer and its high tourist season, just a one-way economy ticket will cost $1,000 until next March or April.
As with so many good airfare prices these days, this will only be available for a short time. Qantas insists the fare be booked online by August 15. Allow the website to search for flexible dates to increase your chances of avoiding the sold-out flights.
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Prices are good for departure between next week and September 21. And routes can be modified: you can add $100 to fly into Melbourne or Cairns, or tack on standard fees to fly from other American cities (such as $300 round-trip for New York, $250 for Dallas, and so forth).
To realize how good these prices are, consider the following: $1,200 round-trip to Australia is what you would have paid a few years ago, before the price of fuel skyrocketed. By the upcoming November, the start of Australia's summer and its high tourist season, just a one-way economy ticket will cost $1,000 until next March or April.
As with so many good airfare prices these days, this will only be available for a short time. Qantas insists the fare be booked online by August 15. Allow the website to search for flexible dates to increase your chances of avoiding the sold-out flights.
Write and read comments about this post.
Mar 7, 2008
Travel to Australia is about to boom; keep checking the websites of Qantas, Air New Zealand -- and, especially, V Australia
In an historic "Open Skies" treaty signed on February 15 by the U.S. and Australia, air traffic between the two countries has been totally deregulated. Starting now, any airline can fly between the two countries, using any airport in either country, and operating as many flights as they wish. And, as you'd expect, the flamboyant British tycoon Richard Branson will be the first to take advantage of those opportunities with a new airline called V Australia (www.vaustralia.com), for which he is buying six Boeing 777s. Service between the U.S. and Australia on V Australia will begin later this year, when an unholy price war will break out.
That enhanced competition is already evident between Qantas (the Australian flag carrier) and Air New Zealand (which also flies to Australia from the U.S.). Starting now, Qantas has matched the stunning $898 round-trip fare that Air New Zealand recently announced between Los Angeles/San Francisco and Auckland for the months of May and August. During the same months, Qantas has lowered the round-trip airfare between LosAngeles/San Francisco and Sydney, Australia, to $998 in May and August. (All fares must be purchased prior to March 31, and all tickets must be purchased on the internet and not by phone.)
In the meantime, for immediate use, Qantas (www.qantas.com.au) is selling its "Aussie AirPass" at $1,099, giving you round-trip air to Australia from the U.S. west coast and three flights within the country, for departures from now through June.
If you have any interest in finally attempting a trip to Australia, you'd be wise to periodically check the websites of all three airlines -- and especially the new website of V Australia. Obviously, the new airline will be starting operations with a stunning promotional fare, and you'll want to be among the first to snare it.
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That enhanced competition is already evident between Qantas (the Australian flag carrier) and Air New Zealand (which also flies to Australia from the U.S.). Starting now, Qantas has matched the stunning $898 round-trip fare that Air New Zealand recently announced between Los Angeles/San Francisco and Auckland for the months of May and August. During the same months, Qantas has lowered the round-trip airfare between LosAngeles/San Francisco and Sydney, Australia, to $998 in May and August. (All fares must be purchased prior to March 31, and all tickets must be purchased on the internet and not by phone.)
In the meantime, for immediate use, Qantas (www.qantas.com.au) is selling its "Aussie AirPass" at $1,099, giving you round-trip air to Australia from the U.S. west coast and three flights within the country, for departures from now through June.
If you have any interest in finally attempting a trip to Australia, you'd be wise to periodically check the websites of all three airlines -- and especially the new website of V Australia. Obviously, the new airline will be starting operations with a stunning promotional fare, and you'll want to be among the first to snare it.
Write and read comments about this post.
Labels: australia, deals, new zealand
Nov 13, 2007
Backpackers of America, rejoice! You can stay up to a year (and work) in Australia
Because backpackers don't have the fat wallets of business travelers or luxury vacationeers, the big glossy travel magazines don't pay much attention to them. However, the country of Australia has caught wise to the value of the backpackers' market. It has calculated that more than half a million visited their country in the year preceding March 2007, and that during that period, they spent some $2.8 billion of their dollars.
Some 48,000 of those backpackers were American. Cleverly, Australia's enlightened immigration authorities have decided, based mostly on these impressive figures, to give American backpackers a better opportunity to explore Down Under. As of the start of November, Australia introduced a new visa that will allow Americans aged 18 to 30 to legally spend up to a year in the country, working and travelling. The previous cut-off for American visitors was three months, after which they had to leave the country, and working was out of the question.
Anything that helps young Americans fund -- and therefore prolong -- their exploration of other cultures can only benefit our own country. As more and more countries, including our own, lock up their borders and turn their backs on even visitors from their allies, this new visa is now one of the few that can be enjoyed by young Americans.
To my mind, these news rules are a positive development not just for American youth who'd like to spend some time exploring a sister nation, but also for Australian industry, which now has access to a temporary work force that's willing to do jobs (picking fruit, waiting tables) that locals may not be keen to do themselves.
One of the directors of the Australian Tourism Export Council put a fringe benefit this way: "We will have a whole new generation of Americans who will have a first-hand love for and understanding of Australia, who will have friends and roots here, and who will hopefully return to visit again and again throughout their lives."
And, by the way, what are the immigration authorities of our own country doing to ensure a whole new generation comes to love America, and what are we doing to encourage peaceful and mutually beneficial visitation? The gloomy answer: Nothing, which is why our international visitor numbers and our reputation abroad have been taking dramatic plunges over the past few years.
Write and read comments about this post.
Some 48,000 of those backpackers were American. Cleverly, Australia's enlightened immigration authorities have decided, based mostly on these impressive figures, to give American backpackers a better opportunity to explore Down Under. As of the start of November, Australia introduced a new visa that will allow Americans aged 18 to 30 to legally spend up to a year in the country, working and travelling. The previous cut-off for American visitors was three months, after which they had to leave the country, and working was out of the question.
Anything that helps young Americans fund -- and therefore prolong -- their exploration of other cultures can only benefit our own country. As more and more countries, including our own, lock up their borders and turn their backs on even visitors from their allies, this new visa is now one of the few that can be enjoyed by young Americans.
To my mind, these news rules are a positive development not just for American youth who'd like to spend some time exploring a sister nation, but also for Australian industry, which now has access to a temporary work force that's willing to do jobs (picking fruit, waiting tables) that locals may not be keen to do themselves.
One of the directors of the Australian Tourism Export Council put a fringe benefit this way: "We will have a whole new generation of Americans who will have a first-hand love for and understanding of Australia, who will have friends and roots here, and who will hopefully return to visit again and again throughout their lives."
And, by the way, what are the immigration authorities of our own country doing to ensure a whole new generation comes to love America, and what are we doing to encourage peaceful and mutually beneficial visitation? The gloomy answer: Nothing, which is why our international visitor numbers and our reputation abroad have been taking dramatic plunges over the past few years.
Write and read comments about this post.
Labels: australia, red tape, student travel
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.
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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
