oldorch

as i begin my research on flights, are there airlines i should concentrate on or that i should avoid? looking at an october trip(staying with friends so hotel not an issue). people(fellow nyers) have told me sydney is the "best city in the world" and i would appreciate any insights. generally is $2,000. a good ballpark number to expect to pay for a rt flight?

walkabout

I think $2000 is a little high. For example, Qantas is currently running an online special, roundtrip LA to Sydney for $857 plus tax. If you caught a flight from NY to LA, it would still be much cheaper than $2000, even if you stayed overnight at a hotel in LA. Travel must commence March 9 or 11 and be completed March 19 or 20. Air New Zealand is offering a nearly identical deal for $850. <BR><BR>United Airlines is currently running an online special for travel through April 30, NY to Sydney, $1138 plus tax.<BR><BR>I know both of the above examples are outside your travel dates, but if you wait a little before you book, you will probably find similar deals, particularly if you have some flexibility as to your travel times. I suggest you keep checking websites and sign up for e-mail notification of special deals.<BR><BR>For Qantas, see www.qantasusa.com. For United, www.ual.com. Click &quot;Special Deals&quot;, then &quot;Discover Australia.&quot; For Air New Zealand, see www.airnzdeals.com(And your friends were right--Sydney is fantastic!)

oldorch

walkabout,<BR>thanks very much. i appreciate your help and now ill start my folder for my trip. would you (or anyone) have any insights or prefernces between the airlines you just mentioned? i.e. american airlines just added more leg room in economy class it it makes a huge difference (i am 6ft 2in). once again a sincere thanks. cheers<BR>

lizF

AA is a code share flight with Qantas and I am not sure that they actually fly into Sydney, I think it flys to LA and you change planes there to Qantas. Take a look at www.qantas.com.au and see what the seat specs are - if they have any on that site. <BR>I would endorse the idea of staying overnight in LA or if you can arrange it stop over somewhere else i.e. Hawaii or take an Air Pacific flight which is sub- part of the One World group and stop over in Fiji. 14 hours flight i.e. LA to Sydney is about all anyone can stand and stay sane ( just ask any Australian who has flown to the UK from Australia right through.

walkabout

As Liz said, the AA flight to Sydney is a codeshare (see ww.aa.com --it shows flights to all cities in Australia as codeshares). I don't remember being overly cramped on the Qantas flights, but when I flew United I was wedged into my seat, and I'm not very tall. Unless you get a bulkhead seat or can afford business class, you will find United a bit cramped.<BR><BR>Since you are starting a travel folder, you may want to check out frommers.com. Their &quot;Hot Spot&quot; is currently Australia (in the upper left corner). You can also sign up for a newsletter that alerts you to special airfares to Australia.(This may be a duplication of the deals offered through Qantas, Air New Zealand, and United). Also for your folder, you may want to check out www.australia.com, the website for the Australian Tourist Commission. <BR><BR>

YankDownUnder

I would say stop in LA/SF if you have friends or places to visit, but I do the NY-SYD trip multiple times a year and always straight through. Yes, it's a long trip, but you end up just as exhausted with a stop, and it just delays your trip.<BR><BR>Get an aisle seat, nicely ask if any upgrades are available when you check in (and dress the part, with some more comfy clothes to change into in your carry-on once you're on the plane) and just keep thinking of australia! the time will fly.<BR><BR>the only place you can stop on the way (really) is the west coast. If you go through fiji, you end up stopping west coast and fiji, and it costs more. Hawaii is even harder.

oldorch

huge thanks all around.....

Abby43

Oldorch-I have researched this and it depends on what airline you use. I was also using frequent flier miles so I have the advantage of stopping with no extra cost. That being said, you can fly Air Pacific and go to Fiji for a few days to relax, Air Tahiti and hit Tahiti, or Qantas and go to NZ/Australia. You can fly NY-LAX on American, then change over to one of the three airlines above. I'm not sure what would happen on United b/c my miles are with American. I would definitely stopover somewhere else-it's a very long flight and if you are going all that way then why not fit in an extra trip if you can afford it? I&quot;m from New York as well and when I went to Oz 2 years ago I stopped in Fiji. It was a nice way to break up a very long trip.

Travelnick

We did a round the world which had United from Honolulu to LA - with that ticket we got the better economy seats which were very good, but you may have to pay more for them for just a return. Upgrading is mor difficult now, but do not over dress - as Yankdownunder may have proposed - I read recent articles on upgrades - you are best with chinos/slacks , not jeans or jacket and tie as lots of people do not travel wearing tie etc now on longer flights and showing up wearing one just means you stand out as an upgrade attempt.

oldorch

all the input is GREAT... i love flying but unfortunately my wife doesn't, would a lay-over (1 day) make her trip easier? my reasoning is i am off to see australia and if we stop along the way it will only serve as a tease. what do you think? we also have ff miles on aa,delta and united and lean towards aa. this may sound dumb but what exactly is codeshare?

walkabout

A codeshare is when an airline permits the use of their reservation code in the flight schedule of another airline. On a codeshare, all or a portion of the journey will be on a partner airline.<BR><BR>For example, if you buy an American Airlines ticket to Australia, your ticket will show an AA flight number. However, AA doesn't fly to Australia, so all or a portion of your trip will be on Qantas, which is one of AA's partner airlines.<BR><BR>As for whether or not to stop off somewhere on your way to Australia, that's a subjective determination and you will probably get advice for and against. In my opinion, stopping off for one day may relieve some of your weariness, but is not enough time to do much, if any, sightseeing.<BR><BR>On long flights I prefer to tough it out and go straight through to my destination. Some people, though, find that breaking the trip up, and being able to shower and sleep in a real bed for a night, makes the trip much more bearable. If your wife doesn't like to fly, it may be better to just get the flight over with in one fell swoop. Or maybe not--just a matter of personal preference. (How's that for a wishy washy answer!) Have a safe and wonderful trip, whichever option you choose.

PJ11

My wife and I flew from Boston to Sydney a couple of years ago, so it's about the same. We flew American to LA and Quantas (codeshare) to Oz. My advice is to bite the bullet and do the trip in one fell swoop. Our layover at LAX was about four and there are restaurants in the terminal where you can have a GOOD meal, not airline food. The Quantas seating was OK, but not as large as American makes it. Take loose fitting, comfortable clothes to change into on the plane; I had a sweatsuit and saw several people in pajamas. It is a 14.5 hour flight but once in the air you will be psyched to get there. Enjoy!

LoisL

We were in Sydney in Jan., and spent ten days there, before and after a trip to New Zealand. It is now my favorite city. It is laid back and people friendly to get around, with friendly people. The city has so much to offer. I'm generally a type A person, and normally it takes me a while to get into a relax mode. In Sydney it happened immediately. Do spend some time on the ferries. Darling Harbour is beautiful. The Opera House and bridge of course, are must sees, but the whole waterfront area, from the Rocks to the Opera House, has beautiful areas to stroll through, great open air cafes, and so much more. The opera house has an interesting tour. Hyde Park is a beautiful area. On the way there, I said to my husband, 'there is no way we'll go this far again&quot;. Upon leaving, I felt it is someplace I have to get back to! Enjoy!

bez

Would recommend going straight through and stay up and tour the day you arrive to minimize the jet lag. I agree that stopover will just make it more tedious. $2000 per doen't sound bad but this may change depending on world politics.

YankDownUnder

Bez, here's what I do when family/friends show up from the US (especially the East Coast): get off the plane, take a shower at your hotel (ask for early check-in) and then have a nice breakfast/brunch. Then go to Bondi Beach and do a bit of the Bondi-Bronte cliff walk. It's a beautiful way to start your trip, and it's good to get the fresh air and legs going after a long plane ride (it isn't at all a difficult walk). Then have a nice late afternoon meal at the beach (either end...Bondi or Bronte) before heading back to the hotel.<BR><BR>Usually, this brings people up to about 5pm, which is when the wall hits. Once back at the hotel, a nice hot bath and perhaps a bit of a read/plan for the further days (if you can keep your eyes open!) is good, and bed tends to look mighty appealing around 8pm. Then a good 10-11 hours sleep (you'd be amazed at how easy it is to do that coming this direction...) gets you to the next morning, and you're good to go! No jetlag remaining! <BR><BR>Although I don't do the walk every time I return from the US, I rarely take a nap when I get here because I find I'm so exhausted afterwards that it causes the jetlag to last longer. I always go about my day and just make sure I get to bed around 7-8pm on the day of my arrival. This 'program' has worked with me and all my overseas guests!<BR><BR>The beauty about doing the cliffside walk is that you don't have to concentrate or think and the sea air is needed after the plane. Also, you're not &quot;ruining&quot; a part of the trip by doing it when tired...you can do the walk multiple times on your trip (many do it daily for exercise when they live here).<BR><BR>Hope that's helpful.

wlzmatilida

Hi,<BR><BR>when considering airlines / mileage, keep in mind that UA is bleeding millons of dollars a day. Yes, they are in bankrupcy, but at this point there's talk of just liquidating and selling off their stock (planes). Either use your miles soon or get a ticket on Air NZ (code share partner) if it's a flight in the future, as if you hang onto the miles they could be worth as much as Confedercy currency..while having an actual ticket would be better. <BR><BR>Melodie<BR>Certified Aussie Specialist