Wish that were the case, but it's a year-round price imbalance.

I just get the feeling that things are beginning to change though.

e.g. before deciding to go to the Uk we looked at going to Vietnam. Cost of the ticket? $550. I thought that was fantastic value for a 7 hour flight.

Tiger Air and Air Asia are starting to shake things up.

It needs more people to be prepared to shop around or do things a little left field such as using a Singapore travel agent.

I've really started to notice this myself. It's almost as if the Aussies have no concept of good value, or trying to find it.

Not just with flights, but for loads of stuff - Groceries, cars, houses, services. They just shrug and say "What can you do?" Almost as if trying to find better value than the first place they see is just far too much bother.

Strange.

S

I agree with this. It would be interesting to explore why Australian's have this approach.

I wonder if it's to do with the 'fair go' - you've got to give the companies a fair go at making money etc etc

Hmm. A fair go at making money by ripping of punters you mean?

Banking is another example.

I notice it at work, as we have a pretty cosmopolitan mix of people from around the world. The Europeans will always go out of their way to get the best deal - ringing around for insurance quotes etc, where the aussies just sign up for the first one they come across, then moan that it was too much

S

A partial solution to this problem of overly inflated costs of flights leaving these dear shores, is to by a one way ticket from this end and a return ticket from the uk. This would go some way to beating the horendous monopoly on flight costings that exists here in Austalia. The downside or advantage given your point of view is that you would have to be taking a yearly trip to the UK to make this really work for you. I smile with satisfaction thinking about the possibility of improving those bloody awful costs

my wife says its something to do with the currency exchange rates. Because you get over 2 A$ to 1 GBP this means that the pound is the stronger currency so when you fly from the uk its not so bad but when its the other way round, the airlines take into account the exchange rate and charge more on the flight from australia to make up for it. It's a sneaky but brilliant way for airlines to make more money.

One of my oz family started this about 7years ago, basically they got a one way flight to the UK then booked a return ticket to the UK which would mean they could return the following year and they have just bought new tickets when they land each and everytime. Therefore saving tons of money.

(emma here)

thats a real clever way to get around silly prices!

they do the same on aircraft too which is ridiculous. If you fly to the UK from Oz, always get your change in A$ and if you fly from the uk, try to use GBP and get the change in A$.

its a bit strange i know but if you fly into the uk, the probability is most things are done in GBP (although they will have the capability to accept A$) and when they calculate your change, you actually lose money which is a sneaky way for cabin crew to get more comission on everything they sell. If you fly out of the uk, using GBP gives you more change in A$ than it would if you were getting your change in GBP.

just a little tip that most cabin crew wont ever tell you and as im training part time in the evenings along side my uni course, I have nothing to lose by telling you because i wont be able to take up that career for another two years!

If its confusing, just pm the hubby and ill reply asap

*hands back to martin*

have a great day!

Quite agree!!!!!!!!!