Asia Deals: An excellent Asian deal on the market is from Lufthansa (Star Alliance) which has flights from London to Beijing from £349, flying on the Airbus A380. Other deals include:

Nanjing £349
Singapore £439
Shanghai £489

If flying to China it is usually cheaper to fly to Beijing rather than the business capital Shanghai, as seen from the above prices.  These Lufthansa deals are available until 3rd May for departures between 15th May and 30th June, maximum stay permitted is 3 months. The Singapore fare (operated using a 747) look quite good as well.

Australia Deals: Royal Brunei always has competitive fares to Australia/NZ in the off-season and the following deals are available through NetFlights:

Perth £619
Melbourne £630
Auckland £669

These are bookable until 14th June for travel up to 22nd June. If booking be aware of the length of stopovers at Brunei airport and also note the fuel stop in Dubai.

Cathay Pacific (Oneworld) has some reasonable fares to Australia including a sub-£700 fare to Brisbane:

Adelaide £779
Brisbane £699
Cairns £779
Melbourne £779
Perth £729
Sydney £779

These are bookable until 25th May for outbound travel until 15th June. You can stay up to 1 year – good for backpackers with working holiday visas.

Qantas (Oneworld) has almost matched the Perth fare, offering £731 for travel between 18th April and 20th June. Book by 3rd May.

Hopefully we will see some more competitive fares to Australia coming onto the market in the next month or two.

Auckland (AKL) is New Zealand’s major international air hub and well connected to Sydney Kingsford Smith international airport (SYD) in Australia.

There are 103 non-stop services flying each week on this particular trans-Tasman route, with the 1,340 mile flight taking around 3 hours. In terms of time zones, Auckland is 2 hours ahead of Sydney.

The following airlines currently serve the route:

Qantas - Australia’s main airline and Oneworld carrier flies 5-x-daily between SYD and AKL. The early flight at 0615 (QF141) is operated using an Airbus A330-200, whilst the other 4 services are flown with Boeing 737-800s. Watch for “Red E-Deal” offers which normally start at AUD 400 return – this will earn Qantas Frequent Flyers 40 status credits. Business class is priced from AUD 2,300.

Jetstar - Qantas “low-cost” subsidiary flies daily using an Airbus A320. Charges AUD 20 each leg for checked bags. Return fares can be found for under AUD 300. Flights can also be purchased on the Qantas website.

LAN - Oneworld member LAN runs a daily flight between the cities using a long-haul Airbus A340. The flight is code-shared with Qantas. Whilst ex-Oz economy prices are similar to Qantas, LAN’s business fares can be competitive from around AUD 1,200 return. However, buy the fare ex-New Zealand and you will pay from only AUD 630 – excellent value and QFF members will pick up a handy 160 Status credits.

Emirates - The Gulf heavyweight flies daily using an Airbus A380. Business class fares (upper-deck seating) from AUD 1,500 return or about 20% cheaper if buying ex-NZ.

Virgin (Pacific) Blue – Flies daily between the 2 cities using a Boeing 737-800. Prices are reasonably similar to Jetstar with 20kg checked luggage included. Passengers can pay AUD 50 each sector to choose “Blue Zone” seating – exit or first row. Note that Virgin Blue’s decent “The Lounge” (AUD 30 for a single entry pass, worth a visit) is only accessible from Sydney’s domestic terminal – whilst the AKL flight departs the international terminal.

Air New Zealand – The Star Alliance airline flies 5-x-daily using Boeing 767-300s (2 flights) and Airbus A320s (3 flights). Air NZ’s cheapest economy fare includes only carry-on bags (7kg) plus a hot drink – priced from about AUD 260 return. You can choose to pay extra for checked luggage, meals, movies and lounge access. Business class is normally priced from around AUD 2,000.

Aerolineas Argentinas – Flies 5-x-weekly using an older series Airbus A340 with economy returns from around AUD 400.

Exchange rates at time of writing:

1 USD = AUD 1.04 = NZD 1.34; 1 GBP = AUD 1.62 = NZD 2.09

As the autumn and winter months approach in UK / Europe, many people start thinking about jetting off to get some southern hemisphere sunshine – with Australia being the destination-of-choice.

Flight prices have been higher in 2010 than the previous 2 years and the days of sub-£500 fares to Australia seem long gone. As we move into high-season current fares for an economy ticket from UK to Australia are priced around £750-£1,250. The significant increase in UK Air Passenger Duty (APD) from November 1st 2010 has not helped matters either.

There are  a few factors to consider when booking flights to Australia:

Alliances – can you get miles or points for your primary or secondary frequent flyer program?

Connection Times – You may wish to avoid overly long waiting times at connecting airports. Also, what if your first flight gets delayed and you miss the connection – how long will you have to wait for the next flight?

Stopovers – Consider breaking up the long journey by stopping off for a few days in the Middle East or Asia. You may be able to get an accommodation deal with your airline.

Peak Season – Avoid flying out around the Christmas period when prices reach their highest level for the year.

Exchange Rate - Another factor to consider is that the Australian dollar has been very strong against the GB pound (rate:1.66) and euro (1.40) so travellers will notice everything in Australia being more expensive. Normal hotel rates in Sydney of AUD 200 per night equates to around £120 or €145 – not exactly cheap. And if you head out to a popular resort town like Byron Bay over Christmas and new year you will find eye-watering accommodation prices.

Let’s take a look at the airlines on the London to Australia market:

British Airways – Flies London to Sydney via Singapore and Bangkok using Boeing 747s and 777s. Economy seat pitch of 31″. BA only flies to Sydney in Australia but has a joint-service agreement with Qantas which gives them a little more flexibility. However they face significant competition from Asian and Middle eastern carriers who are able to utilise aircraft more efficiently on the route.

Qantas – Flies from London to Australia via Singapore, Bangkok and Hong Kong. Some services via Singapore are by Airbus A380. Standard seat pitch is 31″. Large Australian network means you can reach almost any part of the country, so Qantas remains a popular choice.

Virgin Atlantic – Flies to Sydney from London via Hong Kong using Airbus A340s. Codeshare arrangements with Singapore Airlines and also Virgin Blue for domestic Australian flights. Seat pitch 31″, prices similar to BA/Qantas.

Air New Zealand – Flies from London to Auckland via either Hong Kong or Los Angeles. From Auckland you can connect onto services to Sydney or other Australian cities. Good economy service, reasonable 33″ seat pitch which is superior to BA, Qantas and Virgin but be aware of 10 across seating being introduced soon on the 777-300ER. A drawback is the longer route to Australia which takes over 30 hours. Travellers wanting to avoid the US should be careful to select the Hong Kong flights.

Singapore Airlines – Serves various major cities in Australia from London via its hub at Changi Singapore – one of the world’s best airports. Operates some flights between London and Sydney/ Melbourne with the A380. Pretty decent service, seat pitch 32″ but always priced at the higher end.

Cathay Pacific – Likewise serves various cities around Australia from its Hong Kong gateway. Flies Boeing 747s/Airbus A340s from London to Hong Kong – then uses Airbus A330s to Australia. Seat pitch 32″. Like Singapore Airlines they have frequent connections. Occasional sale fares are competitive.

Malaysia Airlines – Offers competitive fares from London to Sydney (and 4 other Oz destinations) via its Kuala Lumpur hub. Uses Boeing 747s, 777s and Airbus A330s. Class leading 34″ seat pitch. Not a member of a major alliance.

Thai Airways – Flies London to Bangkok using B747s. Onward flights to Australia on A330s and A340s. Roomy 34″ seat pitch but prices tend to be on the higher side.

Emirates – Middle East heavyweight flying via Dubai. Departures from London and 5 UK airports – which makes them a serious choice for regional UK flyers. Note that some Australian leg flights make stops in Asia. Seat pitch up to 33″, but again, note the 10 across economy seating on the 777s.

Etihad - Flies from Abu Dhabi non-stop to both Melbourne and Sydney. Seat pitch 33″ on Airbus A330 and A340 aircraft. Their Coral Economy service is a reasonably good product and the airline is gaining a solid reputation.

Qatar Airways – Flies London-Doha-Melbourne using combinations of A330s, A340s and B777s. Seat pitch around the 33″ mark. Watch for occasional special offer fares.

Some other ‘off-beat’ options, not necessarily recommended but also flying the kangaroo route:

Royal Brunei – This airline serves Perth and Brisbane from London with stops in Dubai and Bandar Seri Begawan (Brunei). Now using B777 aircraft (instead of 767s) on the London-Brunei-Brisbane flights with 32″ pitch. They often have some of the cheapest airfares on the market. Note caveats – Royal Brunei is a dry airline; some of their cheapest fares coincide with long stopovers at Brunei airport meaning revenue may be recouped from passengers who decide to spend extra on meals and hotels.

Air Asia X – Budget airline flying from London Stansted to Kuala Lumpur using an A340. From there serves Perth, Gold Coast and Melbourne with A330s. London-Australia through-tickets are not possible – you need to make separate bookings, collect luggage and re-check-in. Allow plenty of time for any connections. Prices during special promo offers can be cheap but sell-out quickly. Be aware of tight seat pitch of around 30″ (9 across seating) and extra fees for meals and luggage.

China Airlines – Flies London to Taipei using an A340, then on to Sydney or Brisbane with A330s. Seat pitch 32″. Prices are competitive (particularly in business class). Their website can be a bit clunky.

Korean Air – Not particularly cheap but flies London-Seoul-Sydney with B747s with 33″ pitch.

Air Mauritius – Flies from London to Mauritius (on A340s) and on to Melbourne and Perth.

China Eastern Airlines – Flies London-Shanghai-Sydney with A330s. Seat pitch 32″.

Alternative: Consider a round-the-world (RTW) ticket which will cost extra but can give you much more interesting stopover opportunities.

Australian carrier Qantas has special offer business class deals to various Aussie / Kiwi cities from London. Travel is up to 13th December, book by 30th June.

Prices are:

Perth £1,990
Melbourne £1,991
Adelaide £1,998
Sydney £1,999
Brisbane £2,001
Christchurch £2,089
Wellington £2,089
Auckland £2,099

It is possible to fly on the QF A380 via Singapore. Some flights are code-shares operated by partner British Airways. The flight is bookable at the Qantas website but we found cheaper fares on Netflights (£1,938 to SYD, £2,041 to AKL). Note, (1) these are non-changeable / non-refundable fares and (2) these don’t seem to be available on ba.com.

Emirates has an exceptional 2-for-1 business class offer from the UK to Australia / NZ (and other worldwide destinations). Note – you have to fly from Birmingham BHX with a companion. Prices are:

Perth £1,565
Melbourne £1,566
Sydney £1,574
Brisbane £1,575
Christchurch £1,587
Auckland £1,597 (£1,549 on Netflights)

These are excellent prices, some of the lowest business fares Down Under for a while. You must book by 10th June using promo code UKBHX21, outbound travel by 30th November.

This companion offer also has fares to Asia and South Africa at around the £900 mark.

You get a complimentary chauffeur as long as both passengers are collected from the same address. Changes are permitted (for a charge) as is a free stopover in Dubai.

You could fly on the EK A380 on some sectors – currently utilised on daily flights Dubai to Sydney/Auckland (EK 412/413). Also EK 372/373 Dubai – Bangkok if you’re heading to BKK.

Cathay Pacific are selling business class flights to both Australia and New Zealand for sub £2k. This seems to be a reaction to the Qantas sale. Prices:

Sydney £1,980
Melbourne £1,972
Adelaide £1,978
Perth £1,970
Brisbane £1,981
Auckland £1,990

Book by June 30th, some changes are allowed for a fee.

If you are considering Qantas or Cathay and are not 100% sure of your travel plans then it would probably make sense to go with the slightly more flexible Cathay fares.

We found lower fares on some agents, for example Netflights / Travelocity had Cathay flights to Sydney for £1,870 – however no changes or refunds are allowed!

Tip: Always understand the terms / conditions of your ticket before booking with an airline and especially an agent.

Finally, Travelocity is selling Singapore Airlines business fares to Sydney in July for as low as £1,926 (Perth £1,947). Travelocity also has Etihad flights to Sydney for £1,938 (via Abu Dhabi).