Fooferfish

Just booked mine flying with Singapore as I know the route and the stops are minimal , like changi airport and can get a shower there for $9 , my return flight was over $3.4 return with travel insurance , small price to pay for visiting sick dad back in Poole . Also it's his 80th and he is on borrowed time .

I looked at cheaper options and the stop overs were like 15 hours in some random places in the world .

TommyLuck

I feel for you, I've got some serious decisions to make;

A very good mate is getting married in the South of France in October this year.

Been planning on visiting the US to go to the Superbowl in Phoenix in February 2015.

My Mum and Dad are planing on having a joint 60th shindig in Turkey in September 2015.

My best mate (and best man) is going to be in Hong Kong and Tokyo in October 2015 - seems churlish not to pop up and see the big fella seeing as he's half way here ...

kiwibrit101

I just paid 2100 nz for return flight akl lon.....cathay air nz combo. I was paying that ten years ago! I can't see how we are getting ripped off.

BEVS

Actually, this has caught my eye.

That is a blimmin' great price I send MrBEVS back every 18 months & not managed that for years. I'll keep my eyes peeled

I think the rip-off bit comes from theprice for a UK-NZ-UK flight as opposed to an NZ-UK-NZ flight. Big difference there.

Christmas2014

Look on skyscanner, prices are in GBP, I've just looked at random dates return to manchester and they are around £1000, I've seen them cheaper too.

Robbie2010

I've got return flights to the UK via Tokyo for $2,450 which I think is a reasonable price.

Jan n Neil

Maybe you where also getting overcharged 10 years ago, I think the price difference you pay here and the UK is scandalous. My son came here for 800 gbp return my mate got on the very same plane going back to the UK and he paid over 3 grand Kiwi.. How ever you do the maths we are being spanked

Neil

nzneville

Are you comparing like with like? UK fares to New Zealand and vice versa vary with the season. UK to NZ is cheaper when it is winter here and vice versa for summer, so its no use comparing the prices for travel at the same dates in reverse direction. It sounds silly but it is a fact.

For example, a round trip from NZ to UK in November is cheaper than a UK to NZ fare at the same time, or it used to be when I travelled the route.

BEVS

No.

Jan n Neil

I never thought of it that way but I have never had a cheaper flight from here than from the UK, It,s not just flights it,s almost everything... It is the only thing that gets on my tits about NZ

Example, we have just had a sparky out and going of the prices of the parts he has charged just under 200 bux an hour labour and he was one of the only blokes willing to turn out... Dont get me wrong I don,t mind spending it I just don,t like giving it away


Neil

Pollyana

There is a long running thread in the Aus forum about using an airmiles type scheme to get cheap fares. Whether this would help anyone I don't know for sure, but the thread is here and might be worth a look.
http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=653462. and bcworld is very helpful with his info as to how to get the best deal.

Also worth considering is the way I now do trips. I use the UK as the starting point, then book to Brisbane and back. That only works if you are going to do the return flight within a year, but if you find a changeable fare you can stretch it to the limit of a year and might work for some people. I book through Qantas using their UK site not the Aus one - might work if you can fly to Aus then to the UK from here, or it might be do-able on Air NZ. For instance when I fly to the UK next month I am on the return leg of a flight that was originally LHR--Brisbane in November.

Northern Henry

Just be mindful for those not used to playing the air miles/ frequent flier game and the issues that can be sometimes misunderstood:

1. All airlines only release certain seats if any (in a specific fare code) on some - not all flights.
2. Just because there is availability on a flight to buy a seat doesn't mean you will be able to use your miles.
3. buying into a frequent flier scheme is a risky business, as you are outlaying cash which is then tied into the scheme.
4. People will always rave on about the great deal they have found using them, however little is ever said about the frustrating times trying to find this deal, the flexibility on dates needed and often the obscure route needing to be flown.
5. It is a dark art, check out sites like Flyertalk.

If you can get your head around the ins-outs of the many schemes it can work well.

1. Its not suitable for multiple seats (2 max)
2. You will still have to pay associated Taxes and Fuel Surcharges (this being what many airlines are increasing to dumb down the value on reward bookings)
3. You need to be extremely flexible and also expect to be unable to travel where and when you want
4. Alliances such as Star Alliance seem to have broad coverage but many airlines will take preference on their own loyalty members first for these few seats- i.e. ANZ, Singapore and those flying with any form of "status" i.e. actual frequent fliers, will often get 1st chance at this.
5. A broader bet for collating air miles rather than outlay upfront is to try and use things like Amex points. Least then if you can't find your seats you can use on hotels etc.

NH

davros1984

I paid 800 quid for a return flight. Booked it mid-November 2013. That flight included flying from Edinburgh > Heathrow > Dubai > Auckland.

Pollyana

Definitely. All kinds of pitfalls in there. I don't play cos I travel Qantas for my points/status , but If anyone does delve into that thread I would just say talk to bcworld, he is in the industry and tells people quite honestly what can or can't be done

nzneville

Beware - the thread back to bcworld alludes to US Airways and their promotions when they were members of Star Alliance. US Airways is now a member of One World Alliance and hence the information contained in the original thread should not be used.