Cheap international flights - backwards!

mbssmith

I'm not too sure this is a problem that most money savers have ever come across. I recently moved to Australia although still have close ties with England and am looking to return there for a visit soon. The problem is that flights from Australia to England are very expensive in Australian dollars, yet the same flights are almost half price in Sterling after taking into account the exchange rate. For example, London to Sydney with BA in June 2010 is ₤669, the same flights work out to be AUD$2,177 - equivalent to ₤1,244:eek:.
So my problem/query is in a few parts. Firstly, why can't I buy a flight with my pounds to go from Australia to UK and return (as opposed to Uk to Australia return)? If the flights worked out less than half price in sterling, could I buy two flights and only use one leg of each? (i.e. could I buy a flight from London to Sydney return and only use the return part (as I would already be in Sydney?) Is the return flight conditional on the outward flight being taken?)

dmg24

With regard to taking an outbound flight and not the return, it is possible that the airline would charge you the single fare (which would be a lot more than the return) when you failed to show for the return. However, I have only heard of limited instances of this happening.

With regard to taking an inbound flight only, when you did not show up for the outbound it is very likely that the return would be cancelled also.

Bananabelly

The reason for that is they need to fill planes. You want to go to Europe in the summer, so do lots of Aussies, so they can charge a lot. Not so many people want to go to Australia in winter, so it's cheaper going the other way.

Like dmg24 said, you will almost certainly lose the return flight if you miss the outbound (they have thought of everything).

Try Air Asia, one of my friends got a return to London in August last year for about $400. Won't be that good now, but will probably still be cheaper.

nico26

I find the same problem when travelling back home from malaysia. Prices are nearly double. Its a bummer. Emirates come up the cheapest for me.

pcg2001

I had a similar experience recently when trying to book flights from my home country to the USA. The phone operator could see promotional fares but only when booking from the US, not to the US. The exact same leg of the journey was being sold at different prices depending on where I started.

Having said this I "commute" often to and from the UK, and a few year back discovered I was able to buy the single leg from the UK for the price of a single, without being penalized, as if this were a low-cost carrier, which it wasn't. This can work to your advantage because you may be able to book flights from Australia to the UK, like this Australia - UK in June, UK-Australia after Christmas, as long as you are able to book a single UK - Australia in June... I have no idea of your specifics, but it often pays to think outside the box and juggle dates.

Another advice I would give you is to call the airline and inquire about the cancellation after not taking one leg of the journey. Or even send an email, that way you have written confirmation. This may take a bit of time, but since you will be doing this journey in the future, it pays to invest some time now.

Good luck down under!

mbssmith

Thanks people. I thought I might get penalised for not taking one part of the flight! Regarding charging more for the UK summer/Australian winter, the fares are pretty similar all year round, i.e. it's always more expensive to fly to the UK rather than from the UK. The airlines aren't helping the UK tourism industry much!!!!:rolleyes:
When I initially left the UK I had thought about the idea of a "rolling return" whereby I would fly to Australia and book the return for a year later. If it wasn't for the fact that I had enough miles built up to do a one-way trip then I probably would have done this. I wish I had now!
So, a tip to anyone out there who is about to emigrate to another country, explore the thought of buying a return instead of a one-way, with the return leg around year later. Then you have the ability to visit the UK on UK cheaper fares plus you will be building up miles to eventually make the one-way trip for free! (subject to taxes).

Bananabelly

mbssmith wrote: »

Thanks people. I thought I might get penalised for not taking one part of the flight! Regarding charging more for the UK summer/Australian winter, the fares are pretty similar all year round, i.e. it's always more expensive to fly to the UK rather than from the UK.

I would disagree. I lived in the UK for 5 years and flying to Australia in the southern summer was always more expensive than winter. And like I said, my friend got return flights to London with Airasia for $AUD400 (ie, 200 pounds). Also, there are sales in oz with qantas at times - sometimes 2 for 1. Maybe keep an eye out for that, though I couldn't tell you when it might be. I have certainly never paid $2000 for a return flight! That would be without any searching or saving.
I think there is a little more competition in the UK, but it is not always as different as the prices you quoted. Play around with the dates, see a travel agent who can manipulate things for you a bit if you want to save some money. Play them off against each other, especially flight centre with their lowest price guarantee.

nico26

My flight from Kl to Glasgow is nearly $Aud 1400 and that was the cheapest. Malaysian Airlines were advertising this week for flight to london for later on in the year. have a look there. Mine is Emirates.

spottydog

Aus-->UK return flights have always been far more expensive than UK-->Aus flights (most expats comment when they book their first visit back).

The only way you could take advantage of the cheaper flights would be to buy a single Aus to UK then buy a return from the UK and use the return half to get you back for a further visit to the UK (within 365 days) and repeat the process every year.

alenax

dmg24 wrote: »

With regard to taking an outbound flight and not the return, it is possible that the airline would charge you the single fare (which would be a lot more than the return) when you failed to show for the return. However, I have only heard of limited instances of this happening.

With regard to taking an inbound flight only, when you did not show up for the outbound it is very likely that the return would be cancelled also.

Really? Sorry, this really got my attention. How come? I thought the airline don't care as long as the money for the tickets has been paid...

Heliflyguy

alenax wrote: »

Really? Sorry, this really got my attention. How come? I thought the airline don't care as long as the money for the tickets has been paid...

I think they are talking in instances were the return ticket can be refunded from a return booking, the airline would take a one way fare from the return priced ticket and refund the remainder, plus unused taxes.
Stops people buying cheaper flexable returns then using them oneway.