Getting There
 

I am going to Australia in October for the 1st time. Has anyone gone in October? I read in a guide book it is the best time for weather but I would like some advice.<BR><BR>Also, out of Air New Zealand and Quantas which airline is the best for flying there. Would it be better to take United or American? There are just too many possibilities and questions before I even get to Australia.<BR><BR>Please help with any advice you can give.<BR><BR>Thanks

Use Qantas as they have co-deals that you may be interested in i.e. travelling around Australia and/or accommodation deals. I had the misfortune to travel Air New Zealand from LA last November and apart from the food that was unedible all of the middle section that I was in had no lights, sound, buzzers etc and therefore no TV and music for the entire trip. On enquiring about this I was told that there was a major electrical malfunction, so for 14 hours we just twiddled our thumbs.. great!! On Qantas in June I had a bad connection with my earphones, as it was a full plane I could not move somewhere else but instead had a profuse apology from the staff and given a free gift to the value of $80 from Duty Free!<BR>Air NZ - no thanks!

I have flown both Qantas and Air New Zealand from the U.S.A. to Australia. When I flew Qantas, I was lucky to have an empty seat next to me going and coming back. Without that benefit, and the extra wiggle-room it gave me, the flight would have been a bit unbearable. I found nearly all of my domestic flights on Qantas to be pretty good experiences. The good points I found with Air New Zealand were the extra inches of leg room and the foot rest. The flight from L.A. to Sydney was fine but the flight home was delayed by over an hour. As far as service (okay on both) and food (horrible on both), I found the two airlines comparable. I don't think that American Airlines flies to Australia (its flights are actually codeshares with travel on Qantas planes). Since you are looking at the opportunity to earn a lot of frequent flier miles, that might be something to take into account (as far as which airline to fly). Personally, because of the extra space, I would fly Air New Zealand. Whatever you decide, have a safe trip and enjoy Australia!

Hi, Jenny!<BR>Can't add anything to the advice above re flights -- to me, a plane is a plane and I just look for the lowest price -- but the guide book is right about October. There is no better month to visit Australia (even though April would run it a "dead heat".) You have chosen well. Have a great time!

I think that safety is worth a mention and that would exclude USA airlines and Air NZ. As for the food on most airlines, doesn't it come from the same place? Gate' Foods Catering? American Airlines are associated with Qantas in that you can get your FF miles on either for either and I am pretty sure that United is with Air NZ.

Just wanted to thank everyone for your help and advice.<BR><BR>One question - between Qantas and Air New Zealand which one is the most comfortable for this long of a flight? I am flying from Los Angeles so it is supposed to be 14 hours. Any suggestions on how to get a good seat with enough leg room so that you don't feel like a sardine? I am leaning toward ANZ because of their better seats for coach class. I have heard Qantas is not very comfortable. I do plan on using Qantas Boomerang Pass once in Australia it is just getting to Australia where I have the problem.

I just though of this.<BR><BR>Since a few of you mentioned the food on the plane and how bad it is, have any of you had any difficulty bringing food on board? I know from previous experiences that the food really tastes bad except for the peanuts, but I am just wondering if I were to bring something, say a sandwich or something that would stay good and not come up as something odd as they screen my luggage, I might be able to have something decent.<BR><BR>

Check in as early as possible and ask for the exit aisle (I checked in four hours before takeoff - mainly because I was there) or one of the bulkhead seats . If you are connecting from another city and have only a couple of hours then you'll probably have no luck getting the good seats.