'Cheap' NZ flights?

blindman

Voyager2002 wrote: »

Does that mean the taxes are different there?

Without getting into the question of which country it is in, which government controls and taxes the airports there?

It was Continental Airlines that started the ball rolling.

and the Irish Gov just kept on until the APD was ZERO :T:T:T

rev_henry

blindman wrote: »

It was Continental Airlines that started the ball rolling.

and the Irish Gov just kept on until the APD was ZERO :T:T:T

Excellent, however doing that route doesn't work for me, its more expensive!

jpsartre

Travelling from outside the UK to save APD is a nice idea that usually doesn't work well in practice. Think about it, APD to NZ is about £100 in economy. To travel outside the UK to catch a flight, you'll need to pay for a flight (or whatever else means of transportation you'll be use). Also, there's the lack of protection against missed connections I mentioned earlier so ideally you'll want to arrive a day early meaning you'll need to pay for a nights stay. Then there's the many hours of added travel time and food expenses. Really, the only time I can imagine it would be worth it is if you are planning a stop-over outside the UK anyway. Otherwise there must be very little money, if any, to be saved. Of course, in premium cabins, the savings will be greater but if you're spending thousands of pounds on a ticket are you really that concerned about saving £100 if it means adding another day of travel to your itinerary?

blindman

jpsartre wrote: »

Travelling from outside the UK to save APD is a nice idea that usually doesn't work well in practice.

It's not for everyone

Really, the only time I can imagine it would be worth it is if you are planning a stop-over outside the UK anyway.

One example

Otherwise there must be very little money, if any, to be saved. Of course, in premium cabins, the savings will be greater

And if there's two of you

but if you're spending thousands of pounds on a ticket are you really that concerned about saving £100 if it means adding another day of travel to your itinerary?

I'm flying Business class to China in April, total tickets cost over £3k :eek:
I'm saving a £100 by claiming a Free hotel and parking through Holiday extra's price guarantee to make me feel better :cool:

If you use Avios (BA reward saver flights) and Hotel points it can be a lot cheaper to leave ex UK.

Horses for courses.

Obviously_the_best

Have you considered getting a megabus or megatrain to london, and getting a flight from there.

rev_henry

Obviously_the_best wrote: »

Have you considered getting a megabus or megatrain to london, and getting a flight from there.

Yep makes little difference if any. All the major airlines seem to go just as frequently from MAN and LHR to the interchange somewhere in Arabia (usually).

MrsBunny

hi we went to NZ a couple of years ago for £600 ish return with Royal Brunei airlines from LHR. There was a long lay over but we had all the time in the world...maybe not ideal for you but worth a look? you can always do a MAN LHR with BA or get the train down. Also air NZ sometimes have some good fares from LHR via LAX but it is easter that you want to travel so I would expext high fares unfortantley.

rev_henry

Thanks for all the suggestions everyone, will keep looking. Just a thought, do any of these Arabic airlines not serve alcohol? Can't be doing without the free booze on such a long flight!

signol

There are a few deals highlighted here:
http://www.holidaypirates.com/?s=auckland
But be quick to book, they don't last long!

signol

MrsBunny

rev_henry wrote: »

Thanks for all the suggestions everyone, will keep looking. Just a thought, do any of these Arabic airlines not serve alcohol? Can't be doing without the free booze on such a long flight!

yes they do- EK, EY, QR and GF all serve the good stuff!