Flight to Oz - is it worth paying extra £££ for 'well known' airlines?

Fruit_and_Nut_Case

If the OP is prepared to fly out of Gatwick rather than Heathrow the Virgin-Atlantic option opens up at about £1170 (just under the BA cost). Well worth considering in my opinion.

malkie76

steelframedhouse wrote: »

Yep, I got the rough prices from the comparison site then went to each website to check the T&C's eg Cathay charge 200GBP for cancellations and Singapore it's only 100USD (around 60GBP). There's only a slim chance I might need to cancel, I don't mind losing £200 if that has to happen but would be gutted to lose the whole fare!

Don't assume that cancellation means refund - please check they do include the words full refund on the exact fare bucket you are buying.

I'm pretty much of the opinion that all long haul airlines are the same in economy. There's little to actually differentiate them.

steelframedhouse

Fruit_and_Nut_Case wrote: »

If the OP is prepared to fly out of Gatwick rather than Heathrow the Virgin-Atlantic option opens up at about £1170 (just under the BA cost). Well worth considering in my opinion.

Thanks, I'd consider Gatwick if the flight cost was significantly lower but not just to get the same price as it would be from a closer airport with another well respected airline eg Singapore/LHR is £1130 so no real value in the extra travel to LGW for a Virgin flight of roughly the same cost.

malkie76 wrote: »

Don't assume that cancellation means refund - please check they do include the words full refund on the exact fare bucket you are buying.

I'm pretty much of the opinion that all long haul airlines are the same in economy. There's little to actually differentiate them.

The ones I've looked at seem to allow it but I would ring the airline prior to booking to double check.

eg Singapore... Flexi saver economy class W

Cancellation/refund - Allowed
Before first flight has departed and with payment of USD100, subject to currency conversion and your bank's exchange rate. After first flight has departed, ticket is non-refundable except for fuel surcharges and airport taxes. For itineraries with flights to and from USA, if you purchased your ticket one week or more prior to the flight's scheduled departure date, you may cancel your ticket without penalty within 24 hours of ticket purchase.

Cathay Pacific... Economy special V

Cancellation Fee

• Before departure: GBP200
• After departure: If you cancel your ticket there is no refund.

richardw

Fruit_and_Nut_Case wrote: »

If the OP is prepared to fly out of Gatwick rather than Heathrow the Virgin-Atlantic option opens up at about £1170 (just under the BA cost). Well worth considering in my opinion.

Which routing is VS from LGW?

malkie76

steelframedhouse wrote: »

Thanks, I'd consider Gatwick if the flight cost was significantly lower but not just to get the same price as it would be from a closer airport with another well respected airline eg Singapore/LHR is £1130 so no real value in the extra travel to LGW for a Virgin flight of roughly the same cost.



The ones I've looked at seem to allow it but I would ring the airline prior to booking to double check.

eg Singapore... Flexi saver economy class W

Cathay Pacific... Economy special V

Good stuff - looks like you are definitely covered.

bylromarha

Personally would go Malaysia - staff are lovely and really helpful.

Emirates is even better, but not THAT much better than Malaysia.

Friends rate Singapore, but never used them myself.

Personally would avoid Cathay - heard many tales of grumpy staff.

Obviously_the_best

Why on earth has no one recommended Asiana yet. They're a brilliant airline. Skytrax rated 5*, that's higher than Emirates.

If they're the cheapest, then you're in luck.

http://www.airlinequality.com/Forum/asiana.htm

steelframedhouse

Obviously_the_best wrote: »

Why on earth has no one recommended Asiana yet. They're a brilliant airline. Skytrax rated 5*, that's higher than Emirates.

If they're the cheapest, then you're in luck.

http://www.airlinequality.com/Forum/asiana.htm

They're the cheapest but... althought the flight on the way there takes 25h 20 it takes 42h 40 on the way back due to a 20 hour stopover. I'm not sure that warrants the saving of £250, but saying that I could do something fun with that £250 in Oz!

Having worked things out the most convenient flights for me (short stopovers, A380 planes, arrive Oz/UK in the AM, £60 cancellation fee) are with Singapore at £1130.

Malaysia ticks all the boxes too - short flights, decent planes, arrive AM - at £1125 but the cancellation fee is £300!

Derwent

Singapore Airlines are the best airline I've ever flown with, I can't fault them on anything. Having also flown to Oz with Qantas and Cathay Pacific I can honestly say that Singapore Airlines are far superior in terms of customer service.

bylromarha

Obviously_the_best wrote: »

Why on earth has no one recommended Asiana yet. They're a brilliant airline. Skytrax rated 5*, that's higher than Emirates.

If they're the cheapest, then you're in luck.

http://www.airlinequality.com/Forum/asiana.htm

I was going to, but didn't know if they flew to Sydney...and couldn't be bothered to check