MadMuvva

Hello

Booking a seat about a week before you go - you're going pay well over the odds, right? They want hubby to start soon!!

Does it work like trains - book in advance and save money? Or not really? Been so long since took a long haul, can't remember.

What websites are good to check?

thanks

GarryP

It can be cheaper, about a year in advance. Prices are much more determined by 'special offer' times - although if a flight hasn't been selling the price can go down as the time approaches, then up again a week or two out to catch the businessmen.

Assuming you are coming from the UK:

Try www.kayak.co.uk for a feel of the prices, days and airlines. In particular do a search and then click on "Fare Charts" in the top left to see a graph of how fares have changed. Flying at the end of May still looks to have some reasonable prices.

Also www.opodo.co.uk to home in an actually book a flight - they seem to have the most flexible search routines.

You have to be careful and pick the right days and the right flights; don't want one that takes 36 hours to get to Oz - but you can usually beat what a human travel agent will find purely because you can spend longer over it.

paulry

Sorry it's not very helpful but sometimes it's cheaper to buy long in advance and sometimes it's not. Depends how flexible you are dates-wise as to which strategy you choose. Air Asia tends to offer very good value when booking months in advance whereas scheduled airlines are far less predictable.

bcworld

Many of the cheapest fares have advance purchase restrictions...although typically not longer than a month. However many of those cheapest fares will not be available when buying a oneway if that's what you're looking at?

I often use this to find potential fares and ideas (you can't book on this site):

http://matrix.itasoftware.com/

...it doesn't always show the cheapest available fares as sometimes these are only available by visiting the airline website and aren't even available to travel agents.

Cheapest it shows LON-MEL in the next month is 461GBP one-way and in the next week 520GBP. Both with China Eastern.

To be honest I don't think advance oneway fares would be much, if at all cheaper.

As for Air Asia...they don't fly to Europe any longer.

spuddyo

If the company end up paying the air fares as your other post suggests, maybe look more at levels of service and safety and less about the cost.

jimbo_d

get a price online, then go to a travel agent with a price beat guarentee, they will always beat online prices.

Beoz

Also try looking at 2 legs. Lon - Sing and Sing- Oz as separate bookings. Qantas and BA will allow you to book flights from Sing, for non residents at a locals price. Other Aisian cities don't allow it at the same cost if you are resident in UK or Oz. Airlines like to sting the direct flight booked for Lon - Oz

MadMuvva

thanks. The company will book the flight but wanted an idea as they have given us a relocation pot of money and didn't want them to have to blow half of it on a last minute flight with hubby travelling first class! I have looked and can see flights around the £670 mark one way so hopefully they will book him one of those. If he goes first class, won't be happy! Especially as sure we'll be in chicken class. Me plus 3 kids. Oh joy, just can't wait. Ding ding ding - another wine please. Hell, make it champers. Hope it's not Royal Brunei they book us on. Dry zone.

cheers.

Pollyana

You can take your own alcohol on board though

MadMuvva

Yeah, was told that before when I flew with them. I didn't take any on as felt I was being disrespectful but when the travel prayer came up on the overhead screens, started to think maybe I needed one and what state the plane was in if we were praying before we took off. I think it will be hell all the way. Have accepted that. Last time we flew, a Japanese businessman requested to move seats. Don't blame him to be honest, I would have if I could!!

Pollyana

When I flew Emirats there were people praying in the aisles throughout the flight, just part of the culture.
Several people on here have flown Brunei (and taken alcohol!) and the reports sound OK

MadMuvva

yes, have to say that Brunei was a good flight in terms of very pleasant staff and food wasn't too bad. 12 hour stopover at Brunei not so great. Ended up getting a room for $50 Aus. With hindsight should have overcome my fatigue and gone on the city tour. Can't believe I thought I was tired back then (BK - before kids). What a wimp! Just hate it when you get off at Singapore after what seems like the never-ending journey just to realise you got another 7 hours of fighting and squabbling kids. Made worse by you endlessly dishing out sweets to pacify them, which then serves to make them worse - just a never ending cycle of torture for parents. Plus coat hanger grin at other passengers - 'kids, eh! What can you do?' 'yes, just so excited, bless them'. (gnashing teeth). Tell you, as soon as I get there, I'm going on holiday for a week on my own.

billymacker

alot of the airlines only allow you 100ml of fluid on board.

sassie

Generally, once air side or on board the aircraft you can buy duty free alcohol, however if en route to Australia it needs to be drunk or discarded befored arrival, as you are not allowed to take any liquids over 100ml into Australia.

GarryP

It's fundamentally a protectionist measure that they are finally moving towards phasing out. You can buy duty free in Australian duty free, and get through customs. However you can't bring in over 100ml - eg duty free from elsewhere; and you can't transit with it either.

It's nothing to do with security and everything to do with earning money for the airports.