Which airline to Sydney from USA -- Qantas or United?
 

They are very similarly priced. Any preferences??

Thanks :)

please don't be offended kristind05, but are you crazy out of your mind? Fly Qantas! it's actually a nice flight. (I've flown 4 times). The worst part is having to listen to any of your friends who have flown United complain, bitch and moan about the poor food, poor service, and tight seats [hint: don't tell them about Qantas' food or the choice of movies or nice flight attendants]. And I'm sure you'll have a wonderful time in Australia.

I have flown both Qantas and United and I can unequivocably say you will have a MUCH, MUCH better experience on Qantas. You'll have better seats, better food, better service on Qantas than on United. There's no comparision--go with Qantas.
(FYI: The only reason I flew United is that I got an incredible deal on the tickets. Now, I would probably fly Qantas no matter the price difference.)

Wow, high praise Longhorn!
(glad to see that you've come to your senses! :)

Kristin - as I tell my clients "when flying Coach on Qantas, you'll think you're in First Class compared to any US airline."

Enjoy your flight!

Melodie
Certified Aussie Specialist

fantastic - thank you everyone! i am booking right now. appreciate the quick responses!!

I recently flew Sydney to Hong Kong with Qantas and it was lovely. The food was nice and you could buzz them if you wanted anything between meals like a hot chocolate with marshmellows or Whisky and soda ( free ) however coming back from HK to Melbourne the flight and the attendants were nowhere near as good, didn't off any extras like getting you drinks etc and spoke to the Chinese tourists on the flight in a way that embarrassed me. Why they did not have a Chinese speaker on board I do not know but I was not impressed at all. The food was aweful ( however that was cooked in Hongkong I guess) but fortunately I was asleep for breakfast so missed that and I am sure my stomach says thank you!
Having said that I still fly Qantas whenever I can. Its the safest airline in the World and the best as far as I am concerned. Just remember that we in Australia always say " could I have a coffee please" and we also say " thank you" when we get something. I know this sounds picky but it is something that I have noticed with Americans - they do not say "please" and it makes such a difference, and so does saying ' thank you". So remember that that is our cultural norm when you are here.

That's good advice, Lizzie. Something I'd not thought about for a long time - except that I now reflect on some of the "requests" I heard in the US, and on a post here some time ago about some criticism on slow service in a coffee shop in the eastern suburbs. The server couldn't hear the (increasingly frustrated) request until "Please" was added. Thankfully, I'm not in the hospitality industry; I'd be similarly afflicted with selective hearing if I were, I'm sure :)

Air Pacific...tons cheaper. You'll have a layover in Fiji, but the money you'll save will be worth it.

Glad that someone has mentioned Air Pacific because I was looking at them because it looks like Jetstar are going to stop the Honolulu route soon.
If you have been on Air Pacific then please tell us about it as I am sure that it would be a better flight than with Jetstar which are in my cross hairs.

I love Qantas. And not all Americans neglect to say please and thank you....

That is true nevermind, there are those that do say please but I always was on my friend's case about her not saying it when she lived here ( she was from Atlanta and I thought a Southern Belle would have known to say please).

I've found Americans the politest and most courteous of people, which makes it puzzling that Australian hospitality staff do, it seems, often comment on a certain matter-of-factness in the way Americans deal with them which they see as brusqueness, a "Me master, you servant" approach.

I dislike generalisations, and I don't know to interpret this, but there's no point pretending it doesn't exist. Liz's Atlanta friend aside, it may be a regional thing - New Yorkers often receive special mention, which won't surprise many other Americans.

Some study or other found that when Australians and New Zealanders think of "good service" they lay some stress on a friendly, equal relationship with staff - something to do with that tradition of egalitarianism we like to talk about, perhaps. The same study found that Americans tend to associate "good service" more with efficiency and are less tolerant of delays and stuff-ups. Me, I can't say.

Thank you Neil, on behalf of Americans everywhere (even those from New York).

I like to think I'm polite, and I always say 'please' and 'thank you' as that's how I was raised (by southern folk transplanted in Colorado).

At the risk of generalizing, I think it comes down to impatience - a sin of which I'm guilty. I'm working on it, but it's a hard habit to break.

My husband (an Aussie) and I (an American) have flown Air Pacific many times. A lot of flights aren't even close to being full, so you can "stake your claim" on a full row of seats and sleep laying down, instead of waking up with a sore neck! We have always found Air Pacific to be much, much cheaper than Qantas.

Nrosebrock, I've been looking for an alternative to Qantas to fly to the US and empty flights sounds terrific!

Is the overnight in Fiji part of a package or do you book it yourself?

MelnQ8, actually we didn't encounter any rudeness in NYC - well, apart from one cabbie, which is about par for the course anywhere. In fact the minute we took out a map on a subway train we were deluged with helpful (even if contradictory) advice from several passengers.

The sad fact is that (to generalise about nationalities) none of us are at our best when away from our familiar home turf. You have to work hard at adjusting to local conditions and habits, and sometimes you don't succeed. We can feel disoriented and insecure and unthinkingly take it out on some poor local.

Some individuals are worse than others, of course, and tourists traveling in packs are usually the worst - they seem to reinforce each other's worst instincts.

On generalising - it's a funny thing, but when we do it we usually focus on the other nationality's perceived failings, not its virtues.

Susan, your layover in Fiji could be a few hours or a day if you want, it's up to you.

We have only done the normal 2-3 hour layover. It's a nice break from the long flight...gives you a chance to get up and really walk around. My husband and I will be traveling to Oz to live for a year and we'll be staying a week in Fiji on the way!

I haven't booked a holiday through Air Pacific, but you always have that option from their website.

Once my husband flew one way on Air New Zealand (layover in Auckland) and the other way with Air Pacific. Another option, which is typically more expensive is Air Tahiti Nui. After our wedding in Oz, we flew Air Tahiti Nui and spent our honeymoon on Tahiti and Bora Bora and continued on to LA.

Just check out all the websites and compare. The websites like Kayak really do not have the cheapest fares. I can normally look on the airlines website and find the flights a little cheaper, sometimes by $50-$100.

Thanks heaps Nrosebrock, that's really helpful.