[KD17]

I've just been searching for our flights and after meeting up last weekend we've decided we'd like to fly with Singapore Airlines.

To fly the end of Oct to Auckland is around £500 each, but we don't want to fly to Auckland, we want to come to Welly.

I finally put Welly in and it comes up with £1500 each, the same criteria, one way, 2 adults, economy (love to fly 1st, but no chance...!!) I can't believe that difference..

I've also searched via travel agents and it comes up with the same price difference, is Welly that popular ??

Air NZ is around £450, but via LA which I don't really want to do. So it looks like our choices are that or fly to Auckland ?

Keith & Debby

[Smiler]

Debby

Sorry dumb question of the day :confused: Is that flying direct into Welly or stopping at Auckland and flying on.

Have PM'd you about the other stuff. :D

[anna_c]

That doesn't sound right - I've got flights direct to Welly before for GBP600 or thereabouts - will have to look up which agent.

Are you flying in on Labour w/end - if it includes internal flights that could hike it up somewhat, but I wouldn't expect that much.

Sounds like your best idea is to buy flights to Auckland and buy seperate AirNZ flights AKL to Wellington. Most flights to Wgtn go via Auckland anyways, and you have to transfer your baggage whether you buy them seperately or not.

[Trigirl]

We had this problem back in Feb. We flew Singapore Airlines to Auckland then AirNZ from Auckland to Wellington. As they are both part of Star Alliance they routed the hold luggage straight through to Wellington anyway. I think the flights from Auckland to Wellington were about £120 each return.

[Blakie]

I am a returning Wellingtonian after nearly 28 years - back only for holidays, to visit family and to get married (once only). We're looking forward to coming back in November but will settle in Nelson.

The airfares you have come up with seem incredible. We have been flying in and out of Wellington for years. However, never directly.

Unless its changed since I was last there (Oct 2004) the only international flights to depart Wellington are for Australia. All other international flights arrive via either Auckland or Christchurch. So there is no choice but to go to either Akld or ChCh - you can of course choose whether or not you want to stop there. Once you've landed in NZ you transfer to a smaller domestic plane - you and all your luggage can checked straight thru to your final destination.

Also my mum from Wgtn recently flew Singapore Airlines to Paris but she still had to get that connecting flight from Wgtn to Akld.

Singapore Airlines are usually the cheapest. Service is good. Plane very very cramped and usually very full. My mother flew back to NZ with Sing Air last week and reported that she found the food awful.

Have you thought about Air NZ - can be slightly dearer than Singapore but more leg room, sometimes spare seats so you can spread out? Because of the extra legroom we always arrive in NZ feeling much more refreshed than we ever did with Singapore Airlines.

With AirNZ there is a 2 hr transit time in LA which is nothing flash but by the time you've gone thru all the US security its time to re-board. Singapore is a 3hr transit time, nice airport and you at least have time to take a shower or a meal before reboarding.

One option to look at is to get a flight booking agency on to it for you and take away all the donkey work. I always use TravelBag. Just tell them the approximate dates, preferred choices of Airline, seating class and that your final destination will be Wellington. Are you booking a return air ticket? Airfares from NZ to Europe or anywhere other than Australia are much dearer. My husband and I intend to by a 'within a year' return and will keep doing that as long as we can.

Often flight booking agencies get better rates on the international flight and the rates for connecting domestic flights to your final destination should be better to when book all as one package.

Another option, full of options this morning me, is to fly to Akld and then hire a people mover (something like a Previa) and then drive down to Wgtn. The scenery in the top half of the Nth Island is great. Its not too scary to spend a night or 2 in Akld pick up your hire car, maybe make a stop in Rotorua for another 2 nights, great area for kids and then drive from Rotorua to Wgtn comfortably with stops in a day. Apologies if you have been there and done this already - don't wish to tell anyone how to suck eggs. Oh but if you're interested in the car hire option let me know and I will give you details of a very good firm we use with keen rates.

Oh yes and we have never flown 1st Class either but we never stop asking at check in - you always hear those stories dont you about so and so who got upgrade to 1st at the last minute.

Good luck.

[anna_c]

Yes, the only international flights to arrive in Wellington are from Australia (apart from the occassional to various Pacific Islands) however Australia is only the last stop. For example, many fly from Singapore, plane stops in Sydney for an hour, some passengers get off and others one, others stay on throughout, plane continues to Wgtn.

I think only Quantas and its codeshare partners do this, however.

My understanding is that in Auckland you have to recollect your luggage and take it through customs before rechecking it, but that

[Smiler]

Hi Blakie

Brilliant first post, thank you.

Welcome to the forum. :cheers:cheers

Your post reminded me that when came the last time via LA and Oz and flew straight into Welly. Brilliant! Well not the LA bit but maybe ok for 2 hours. :uhoh

[KD17]

I hadn't considered hiring a people carrier & driving from Auckland, that might not be a bad idea.
Uh Oh! - more thoughts going round in my head now :roll

How long would that take - roughly. keeping to all the speed limits of course !!!

I can see i'm not gonna get a great deal done today other than NZ stuff - Excellent way to spend the day :yes



Debby

[anna_c]

Driving in a small car but not excessively fast and only taking short breaks, it took us 9 hours last time I did it.

[Blakie]

Hi KD17

Thanks to Smiler for the encouragement. New to this forum lark but have been reading you all for weeks. Our move from France via the UK seems doubley fraught as leaving France will be difficult enough.

Anyway to the driving thing. We love just getting to Akld, hiring a car and then driving down. Somebody says it takes about 9 hrs - yes thats right but what a shame. Strike it on the right day and the scenery for the top half of the NI is something else (well scenery doesn't change just the weather).

Definately consider a stop around the Rotorua region. Have re-read your earlier post and its just the 2 of you no kids - so if in Rotorua consider getting a motel with your own thermal hot pool. The drive would be easy to do over 2 to 3 days with sight-seeing.

Oh yes someone mentioned Qantas to Sydney, transit an hour or so in Sydney and then onto Wgtn. Think that flight stops in Bangkok to refuel. Being a Kiwi therefore not a lover of Qantas - had bad experience few years back when I needed to get back to NZ in a hurry.

Re the luggage thing - all the times we have gone straight to Wgtn we have always had our luggage checked straight through too, never had to have it checked by customs at Akld - there's customs in Wgtn for that. But you will have to change planes and get yourselves over to the domestic terminal. There is a free shuttle bus between the 2 terminals or a well sign-posted walk of about a km (follow the painted blue line), which after 24 hrs on a plane is sometimes a relief (unless its tipping it down Akld-style).

Whatever you decide to do I'm sure you wont find it foreign, just a little different. After all NZ was settled by vast numbers of English, Irish, Welsh and Scots around 100 to 150 years ago - my ancestors included - its the same sort of exodus happening again.

Hope this helps - seriously consider seeing what TravelBag can do for you re your flights.

[Blakie]

Me again. Just had a thought - Travel Bag didn't come up with very cheap car hire or hotel accommodation if you decided to stop in Akld. I can provide info for that later.

Also thought that if you decide to book your own flights directly with the airline and it is 2 different airlines i.e. Singapore Airline to Akld then AirNZ onto Wellington then you might have to pull your luggage off at Akld. But if you've booked the flights altogether with an agency then you should be able to get your luggage to go straight to your final destination. Hope I'm not making that too confusing.

Was there any specific reason you didn't want to stop in Auckland?

[backtonz]

Air NZ is running promotions this end for their new flights through Hong Kong. You can check out if they have any plans in the UK. Also, the premier economy has lot more legroom and you get to use the business class toilets (less crowds and makes a big diff on long flights, specially with kids) - all seats have video and games on demand.

For the price you quoted(X 2 tickets), you could probably land in AKL, buy a car and get to Welly (and keep the car :clap )

[backtonz]

But if you've booked the flights altogether with an agency then you should be able to get your luggage to go straight to your final destination.

All bags will come off in Auckland in any case and go through MAF etc. All AKL - Welly flights are domestic. However, you don't need to cart them to the domestic airport - you can check them in right there...

[KD17]

No reason not to stop in Auckland, just don't want to go via LA. If Air NZ did another route, i'd go for that.

wound't we have to consider baggage allowance on internal flights?

Thanks for all your replies


Keith & Debby

[Smiler]

No reason not to stop in Auckland, just don't want to go via LA. If Air NZ did another route, i'd go for that.

wound't we have to consider baggage allowance on internal flights?

Thanks for all your replies Keith & Debby

Not if you book all the way through with the someone like Trailfinders or Travel bag or if using the airlines that are members of the same group like star alliance.:D

[backtonz]

No reason not to stop in Auckland, just don't want to go via LA. If Air NZ did another route, i'd go for that.

Keith & Debby

Air NZ is starting London-Hong Kong-Auckland sometime in October (I think) and offering major promotions.

I think that if you book upto Welly from an international destination, then you can retain whatever baggage allowance you had. In Auckland, once you clear customs, you just put your baggage back on another conveyor at the transit desk.

[Babette & Andy]

Hi guys,

Agree with all said above and hope you come via Auckland for a few days - time to get the ex-NW crew in NZ together and meet you here :cheers With it being just the two of you coming over, it sounds like a wonderful idea to make the journey by car (over a few days) down to Wellington. Would love to make that trip but think it would take us a lot longer with the two girls, Amy doesn't travel well :(

We managed to get cheapest 1way flights booking direct with Singapore Airlines, from all the airlines we've flown with over the years to us they are the best. Both for service, seat comfort, inflight entertainment and food. Believe however that Air NZ are going to be great competition on their HKG route.

Do let us know your decision! So exciting, finally being able to make your plans for real :raebanana

Babette

[KD17]

Thanks Babette

We're still looking at various options. I personally like the idea of driving to Welly from Auckland, but am trying to find companies that do one way hire and do not load the cost with returning the vehicle to Auckland.

Although we could always look to live near Auckland ;) We're free to go wherever we want as we've not secured jobs yet :p

Yes, making definite plans are daunting, exciting and definately a reality check after all this time.

As for the NW meet, the chances are we'd take a drive up anyways... you know us, not afraid to put the odd mile in here & there :)


K&D

[StevieD]

I am noting this with interest Debby, didn't know there was that much difference though. Was this an online investigation and was the £450 with ANZ the difference in price or the actual price per person???


Steve :)

[KD17]

Was this an online investigation and was the £450 with ANZ the difference in price or the actual price per person???

This was the price per person, one way with Singapore Airlines.

The ANZ flight was also per person, one way to Auckland stop in LA. If you look on their web site it is actually less than that, around £415 I think...

But I'm being fussy and don't want the LA route. We've found a good Quantas deal to Welly via Sydney (think there are a couple of stops actually, but don't have the details in front of me just now) This was around the £550 mark. We're close to taking that pending baggage allowance. It's the scenic route, but hey, as long as we get there safe & sound. :yes

It's amazing what you can find out when you have the time to seach and a good internet connection ;)

Debby

[StevieD]

Thanks Debby - guess we just have to wait till we sell up. Will all become reality soon we hope.....

[Lupin]

We're flying UK-Perth, WA (holiday) then Perth-AKL then AKL-Napier. I bought them all as seperate flights through Expedia as the price to buy it as one "trip" was laughable....at best £2K more! It might be worth buying the Auckland to Wellington through AIR NZ or expedia....our 1 hour flight to Napier was very cheap. hth.

[Jo_b]

I flew London to Sydney and Sydney to Wellington on a BA/Quantas codeshare in July - not great quality planes (very full on the BA leg to Sydney, food mediocre) but my bro was in Sydney at the time so I wanted to go via Oz. In November in doing Air New Zealand from London to Wellington (the Hong Kong route, not LA as it is a little bit quicker) and that has set me back £667 return (we are heading out for at least a year but on the offchance we want to head home for a visit in the summer thought we may as well get a return).