Travel research
I’ve been keeping watch on airfares from various sources since my brother gave me a heads up on the wedding date. Initially my idea was to try to get a fare going Qantas straight through to Dallas. That’s the most direct flight available but it does mean a longer flight from Sydney to Dallas. For a while this was the longest flight in the world but I think there’s another one that outdoes it now. Plus I think there’s a flight from Perth to London that will be happening which is even longer. Anyway, I was really inclined to get there as quickly as possible.
But then the idea came up that it might be difficult to handle such a long haul flight. I remember when Lego Lover and I went back seven years ago I was in horrible shape on arrival and that was only the leg from Melbourne to LA. Also, Qantas’ reputation isn’t what it once was and the seating space is pretty small.
I’ve been looking at many different websites to find out about airfares and have noticed some interesting things happening. The first day I looked at several of these websites (mostly aggregators for other travel sites) and saw some really cheap deals. Well, some weren’t as cheap as I thought because they weren’t in Australian dollars. But many were cheap. I can get some really good airfares flying Emirates or Etihad Airways too. I have had to rule both out as they both fly through the middle east and would mean severe restrictions on electronic devices for the leg from Dubai or Abu Dhabi to Dallas. Both have really good reputations for flights so it’s a shame and those flights are almost as quick as the Qantas route.
I also found some weirdly routed flights going through Singapore and Seoul outbound and Tokyo and Singapore inbound. Both stops are short and just mean a change of planes. I though that would be kind of cool, especially if they landed or took off during the day time. Those flights have disappeared from the results since. I also found flights on Japan Airlines which are kind of appealing because they have more legroom and supposedly more comfortable seats. It’s just a bit too much extra to justify it. If I felt it would make a significant different to my ability to handle the travel, it would be fine. But IÂ rather doubt that is the case at all.
I just remember there was one flight on Emirates, I think, that stopped in Singapore then went on to Colombo, Sri Lanka before going to Dubai. It’s pretty amazing because Colombo is definitely not the sort of place that you would expect a plane transfer. Then there was one flight home that started in Dallas, went to New York and then to either Chicago or San Francisco before heading to Los Angeles to return to Australia. They were all short stops…I could have done a tour of the country on the way back…lol.
Over the days, I’ve noticed heaps of changes in results. The airlines that are showing up are quite different to the first days of checking. It’s like the airlines pay the companies to include their results or something. Well, I rather imagine it is a bit like that anyway. Some of the actual travel agents had really limited airlines they work with in the results.
One change from my previous trip home is that I can pretty much avoid flying any of the airlines in the US which I’ve found are pretty unpleasant…even the best of them…although I can’t say I have that much experience from recent years, of course.
One other option I am considering is taking Air New Zealand. If I time it right I will have a layover in Auckland for enough hours I could take a bus into the city and spend the day there. The Perth to Auckland flight arrives at 5:25am and it’s already daylight then so I’d be free to do my thing for several hours and then head back to the airport ahead of my flight. Then I could fly into San Francisco, which would be at least a change from LAX…
Anyway, I am back to leaning towards taking that direct Qantas flight right now. It’s generally one of the better fares and it’s direct so it’s almost a no-brainer…The longer I wait to make a booking, that option is likely to be the easiest. Trying to work around the Thanksgiving holiday is kind of tricky…although at least it’s a bit earlier this year and should allow me to be home in time for the Scientist’s birthday on the 1st of December.
