Gretal

Hi new to this site and have just been granted visa's and looking forward to moving to Melbourne next year was wondering if anyone could advise on cheapest airline or best way to get all our luggage transported over. Looking for a one way ticket and allowance of 40kg which will cost £540 to send by air freight.

Also any views on living in St Kilda as this is one of the places looking to move to.

Thanks

worzel

St Kilda is becoming a trendy area again. We went there on the tram a couple of years ago and got the next one back out again because it was full of tarts and druggies (the town and the tram). Others don't have such a bad opinion of it but that was our view based upon 10 minutes there. But it is one of those inner city areas that are very much up and coming thanks to regeneration. Any property you buy there will gain value very quickly I suspect.

elksa

Not used them myself but Singapore airlines get good write ups on here. They also allow 40kg of baggage if you posses a PR visa and 1 way ticket.

Deadmeat

A very nice lady at Singapore Airlines gave me an extra 10kg (30 in total) on a "fiance" visa (subclass 300), which was good enough for my purposes.

shecha

Hi Gretal,
I have recently checked by e-mail with Singapore Airlines and they will give you a 40 kg allowance if you have a permenant visa on a one way ticket.
I flew with them to Brisbane in June and they were really good. Nothing was too much trouble and they regularly served free food, snacks and drinks. I can't praise them enough!!!
Good luck!
Shell

stephenwhite68

don't use quantas.
they still will not give me the extra baggage ...

Sander

Hmmm, you got extra 10 kg for free?? I'm being told that it will cost me €55,- :scared:

Geordie George

Still not entirely sure that we believe it, but we've been told we can take 65kg when we fly. We're going with Air New Zealand via the States (in February/March 2005). Will check this out and get back to you though. One way flights with 3 stop-overs en route to Sydney were about £550 each.

Deadmeat

Bummer ... it might be dependant on the flight time and popularity I guess, I didn't have to work too hard for it, I just didn't push for the extra 20 too hard.

saraliz

Flying via the US is the best way to get lots of baggage allowance. All flights that go via the US get 64kg of baggage allowance (max of 2 pieces checked luggage).

I just bought a one-way ticket through United Airlines - I paid £517inc. from London to Sydney (had the option of Melbourne instead of Sydney). I get 2 free stopovers anywhere United flies in the US, and 64kg of baggage allowance! Air New Zealand also fly via the US (as Geordie George has posted), but I think if you fly with them you go via NZ (which could mean an extra stop).

sunny side up

dont fly emirates then - they wont give me any extra allowance unless i'm of a certain 'ethnic group' as they put it - turned out to be holders of an arabic passport....

there are some excess baggage companies that will send your stuff over for 'not too much' money - have a look at excessbaggage.com

good luck.

tanja

Pollyana

And yet people have laughed at me when I said you get preferential treatment on emirates if you are Arabic!
Excessbaggage are very handy if flying from Heathrow with too much stuff at the last minute - you can drop off your box there in the terminal!

Sander

So I'm guessing you contacted SA yourself? Did you ring their main office or something? The extra 10kg is what my travelagent was able to get from them.

Deadmeat

I think it was their main office, I got the number from the travel agent (Lee's Travel in London). I rang 'em on 0870 6088886 first and they told me to book the flight first then come back to them and they'd amend my check-in notes.

I took the name of the woman that I spoke to just in case of an argument but they were very good about it. I don't think I'd've got the extra 20 (not without a permanent visa) but 10 was good enough for me.

Sander

Thanks, I'll see if I can do the same!