see_the_world7

We live in England and have traveled extensively throughout Europe and parts of Africa, but never Australia or New Zealand. We are planning a trip to New Zealand (South Island) in June/July and this will be our longest flight time for a trip so far. Usually I book flights on my own using skyscanner.net or kayak.com to find the best fares. Is that the best way to go for flights to New Zealand as well? I think both Qantas and Air New Zealand are on both these sites. Is there a better site to use? Are there other airlines I should be considering that wouldn't be on these sites? Would a travel agent possibly be better for this trip? Is it better to book the international flight to Auckland first and then book separately for the flight to Christ Church? We don't plan to stop on the North Island but to go straight to the South Island since we won't have time to explore both.

I'm sure I'll be posting more questions over the next few weeks as we plan but want to get flight information first. Thanks!

mlgb

You could see if flying two legs, one to LAX and then to AKL might save money. Also some reports of airlines that route you via Sydney on the way back being less expensive. ANZ tends to be the MOST expensive option.

Air Tahiti Nui is one that goes to NZ from Paris.

stormbird

Gosh you have lot of options regarding airlines stw7. Singapore airlines, Emirates etc all fly London to Christchurch as well.

Personally, I like Singapore airlines because not only is it a very nice airline to fly but with the stopover at Singapore the airport there accommodates transit passengers extremely well. You are able to have a lovely shower (approx. 10 singapore dollars) book a hotel room for a couple of hours (approx. 50 singapore dollars) or overnight.

I always book my big international flights through a travel agent only because I feel I have a contact who can help if something were to ever go wrong. Flightcentre here in Australia provide you with an emergency assist phone number as part of the service. But there is absolutely no need - you can book your own online. Most big travel agents have a policy of matching cheaper prices - so it might be worthwhile to do your homework online and see what an agent might be able to do for you.

Personally, I'd fly direct to Christchurch. You could also check out the website www.webjet.com but once you have done that I would then go direct to the airline that you choose and you will find it will probably be a little cheaper booking direct with the airline.

see_the_world7

Thanks for the replies so far. I've just looked at webjet.com and will keep checking that. Singapore Air and Emirates are also on kayak.com so they have been included in my searches. I have just been using London Heathrow to Christchurch as my searches. We don't plan to stop on the way more than necessary so whatever flight works out best is fine with us. I only mentioned Auckland since at least one airline we checked went through there and also since I thought perhaps it would be cheaper to book the hop to Christchurch separately. So far, that doesn't seem to be the case though. We don't have a regular travel agent but maybe I'll pop into somewhere in town to at least get an idea of whether they could get significantly better deals.

kiwi_rob

Whenever possible, I try to get a flight that will bring me into Christchurch without the domestic link from Auckland. Until a few months ago, only Qantas, Emirates (both through Australia) and Singapore Air (from Singapore) would do that. A new, low cost, player entered the game last year, Air Asia. It would be worthwhile checking its schedule and pricing.

All Air NZ flights from Europe come into Auckland but, even so, that is still my preferred airline, alongside Singapore Air.

Rob.

crellston

I too live in England and have usually found http://www.trailfinders.com/ to provide the best deals (i.e. 90% of the time) they don't have an online booking facility but their agents are excellent (and all are seasoned travellers). They often seem to have deals with the airlines that are not available including some good IT fares. They are also ABTA bonded so you get an extra level of protection if things go wrong.

http://www.statravel.co.uk/ also have some good deals

7134

I flew to NZ in 2005 to watch the lions tour, great fun shame about the result. Anyway I flew with Air New Zealand and they were great, went via LAX which was good too.

see_the_world7 - on a different note, I was reading your previous forum re: speeding ticket in Norway from static camera. Whatever happened with that? I'm really worried I may have one on it's way to me.

see_the_world7

@7134: We never received that ticket from Norway. The camera definitely flashed, and we even asked about it upon turning the car in and made sure the rental agency had our correct address on record in case the police contacted them, but we never got anything. We moved this summer, but it had been almost a year when we moved so if we didn't get it by then, I don't think we will. We're assuming it was just a flash, but not actually reported, or that they didn't bother since it was a rental car.

Regarding flights to New Zealand, can anyone give me a rough estimate of what is a 'good' price for a seat in economy class traveling England to Christchurch? I have a daily email set for kayak.com, but I don't know whether the current price is low, normal, or high. I know it will vary for many reasons, but a ball park would be great. We're traveling from about 18 June through 10 July.