UK to Sydney flights

markwhelan92

Hey all!

I'm planning a trip to Australia around November. Through skyscanner, I can generally find flights from Manchester to Sydney for about £550 if I'm flexible with dates.

Does anybody have any tips on making the most of this flight, in terms of gaining frequent flyer miles, getting money back through quidco, making the most of loyalty schemes etc? Are there firms that run this route that I'd be wise to go with?

Absolutely any tips or advice would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks very much!
Mark

PeacefulWaters

Seek out the best combination of fare and stopover for you.

Then worry about loyalty points and the like.

richardw

I think Cathay Pacific are starting flights non stop to HKG soon, keep an eye for opening offers.

Alan_Bowen

Is £550 a one way fare as I haven't seen return tickets at that price for years? If price is your only determining factor, then get the lowest fare and worry about everything else later. If you will be taking the route on a regular basis, the choosing Singapore Airlines, for example, and joining their FF programme may be a good idea. If you tell us an airline offering the fare, we may be able to offer further advice

Caz3121

Watch out for cheap fares being offered by 3rd party agents via skyscanner. You may find some of these fares are not available when you actually go to book. Worth checking reviews for the agents but better still, book direct with the airline

markwhelan92

Thanks a lot for all the advice!

Yeah the £540 was one way - and it was a third party offer. That said, I've just found that I can book directly with Etihad and fly the same route for £560!

I'll look into Singapore Airlines' FF scheme too. Anybody flown with Etihad before? Any hidden charges I might not be aware of just yet?

Thanks again for the advice.
Mark

Obviously_the_best

Etihad are great. Often though, the second flight between Abu Dhabi and Oz with actually be with Virgin Australia. A great airline, but just something to be aware of.

Also, Etihad aren't part of a global alliance, so you can only pick up points with them specifically.

fifeken

Etihad, Qatar and Emirates all have cashback offers on Quidco.

ibizafan_2

We have paid £850 return with Singapore Airlines, leaving tomorrow and flying to Brisbane. We return in a months time from Sydney. My eldest son did the trip with Cathay Pacific in March. We decided that on such a long journey, we wanted a good airline first and foremost, although I expect most of the main players are pretty much equal.