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After a wash-out summer, many travellers are setting their sights on the southern hemisphere, and in particular Australia. The reversal of the seasons makes Bondi Beach or Byron Bay a more agreeable choice for Christmas Day than Blackpool or Bridlington. As our exclusive research shows, air fares for the festive season are soaring to unprecedented levels.
Yet if you are able to avoid the peaks, the extra capacity coming into the market – particular from China – means some extremely good deals out there.
These are the key things to consider for anyone planning to head for Australia in the next few months.
1. Where do you really want to go and what do you want to do?
A ridiculous number of travellers buy a return ticket from the UK to Sydney – even if they plan to explore elsewhere in Australia. At the end of their stay, they make their way back to the city – even though it is the most distant of all the big Australian cities. Most airlines offer “open-jaw” tickets: into one Australia city and out of another with no increase in fare, saving backtracking.
British Airways, now with Sydney as its only destination in Australia, is an exception.
2. Factor in the luggage policy
The cheapest fares between the UK and Australia many have no checked bag included in the ticket price (for example, BA) – or it might be as much as 30kg (Singapore Airlines) or a two-piece allowance (China Eastern). Look at the cabin baggage allowance, too: these range from stingy (many Asian carriers) to generous (British Airways).
3. Be as flexible as you can
“Dynamic pricing” has come in for some bad press recently over the application of demand-responsive principals to the Oasis tour. But the main problem there was prospective gig-goers suddenly being confronted with tickets costing far more than they expected at the start of the process.
In travel, changing fares depending on how many people want to fly makes good business sense – and also means you can grab a bargain if you are flexible enough.
4. Build in a stopover – or two
Anyone heading almost halfway around the world should not rush the journey. Stopping off along the way can generate valuable experiences, and also help the adjustment to such a radically different time zone.
Your choice of airline will usually dictate the possibilities: Emirates means Dubai, Thai will be Bangkok and Singapore Airlines – guess where?
Yet you can also use a trip via China as a good way to get a glimpse into the People’s Republic: normally strict, slow and expensive visa rules are suspend for passengers en route from the UK to Australia (or on the way back). The arrival of Turkish Airlines to the market is interesting, too, from a stopover possibility: flights via Istanbul to Melbourne refuel at Singapore along the way, allowing you to stop at both cities en route to Australia; to Sydney, the airline touches down at Kuala Lumpur.
5. Be aware of taxes
Buying a premium economy or business-class ticket to Australia from the UK lands you with an Air Passenger Duty liability of £224 per person (or £1,120 for a family of five). But stop over in Istanbul for at least 24 hours on the way out, and that falls to just £28 (or £140 for the family) – reduced yet further if you are prepared to slum it in economy for the first stretch. Incidentally, Turkish Airlines announced in September that it will start flying from Istanbul to Sydney from 4 December. This is very late to go into the market, so excellent deals are available.
6. What about the planet?
You might not like the answer to this question. If you are planning to fly to Australia, the best way to minimise your impact is to go via Russia; not landing in Moscow, but flying over the world’s biggest country on the way to China. Airlines from the People’s Republic have an edge over other Asian and European carriers because they can take the most direct route – with the least damage per passenger.
Also, if you have harboured a wish to visit New Zealand at some point, then try to build it into your Australia plans (and if you are likely to be in NZ in the next two years, pay your International Visitor Levy before 1 October to avoid the trebling in price).
7. Ask an expert
Particularly when assembling a round-the-world flight, consult a human travel agent who specialises in Australasian itineraries. They will be able to construct the best itinerary for you, and identify domestic flights that are best bought individually or wrapped into the international ticket. A good agent will also mention extras you might have missed – such as the remarkable value stopover packages in Doha for Qatar Airways passengers – and advise on how to maximise the benefits of frequent-flyer schemes
8. Think laterally
Desperate for a comfortable trip but can’t afford business class? Create an economy trip where you fly three sectors of roughly seven hours each, during the day. In between, check into an airport hotel where you are guaranteed a lie-flat bed at a fraction of the price of going business class. Again, a good agent can find the optimum combination for you.
Our best bargains for winter 2024-2025
(All return fares, researched 5 September 2024 – except Turkish flights, researched 12 September 2024)
Basic bargain
London Heathrow-Guangzhou-Sydney, out 5 November back 19 November, £595 on China Southern from Trip.com. Route is over Russia.
Business-class indulgence
Manchester-Dubai-Melbourne, out 1 December back 15 December, £6,152 on Emirates. Very similar prices from other UK departure points and to other Australian cities making this a good open-jaw option.
Turkish delight
Birmingham-Istanbul-Sydney on 4 December, with a two-day stopover in Istanbul, £1,257 on Turkish Airlines. This is a semi-flexible ticket, with a 30kg baggage allowance.
Peak Perth
London to Perth, out and back on the busiest days of the festive season: 21 December out, 4 January back, £2,505 on Cathay Pacific via Hong Kong. Note that Emirates is going to increase its capacity from Dubai to Perth before Christmas, so better deals may become available. The nonstop flight from London to Perth on Qantas is nearly twice as much,
New-year reviver
An open-jaw trip allowing you to explore the coast of New South Wales and Queensland from Sydney via Byron Bay and the Gold Coast to Brisbane. Out from London Gatwick on 15 January, back a month later: £1,043 on China Eastern via Shanghai through Travelup. Human travel agents are likely to have similar deals.
Round the world
Qantas from London Heathrow to Singapore, Sydney, Auckland and Los Angeles on 1 February with a week in each, returning on American Airlines on 1 March: £2,977 using the Oneworld Explorer fare; many other combinations are available, and a good travel agent will provide more options and possibly a significantly lower fare.
