Flights to Adelaide?

[tl47]

Hi, anyone with comments or suggestions on flights to Adelaide Australia? I am looking for my flight for next year, but even with such an advance purchase, the cheapest price via Travelocity was about $1200 one-way via Malaysian Airlines (from Portland, OR -- PDX to Adelaide, Australia -- ADL). Yikes. Is that the expected price, or someone has a better price?

P.S. 2-way was $18xx and up.

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[texasblue]

Airfare is expensive to Oz. Period. If you are flying during February or March, that's still summer and peak season. The best you can do is go through STA -- they can probably get you one way for about $800 US. But $1200 one way is perfectly reasonable and the going rate.

 

[pitman]

Try tix to Sydney (via Yahoo, travelocity, etc.), then go directly to Virgin's site or Qantas.com.au for Syd -> Adelaide prices. Last month I went San Fran -> Syd roundtrip for $1200, and Syd -> Adelaide $300 roundtrip.

-pitman

 

[tl47]

Hi guys, thanks for the suggestions.

STA was REALLY cheap ($875 from LAX to ADL) and useful (I want to be a member! I mean, I can use it even while in Australia to take a trip in different places). However, I don't know how I can join it given that I'm not currently a student. I have emailed them.

Thanks again for the ideas. Will continue checking. Getting a travel agency to quote now.

 

[pitman]

What's STA ??!?!

 

[redshifteffect]

Originally posted by pitman
What's STA ??!?!

STA travel...

Its a company that you can use to get discounts.

 

[texasblue]

"STA" is Student Travel Assoc. (I think) -- anyhow --- it's what Council Travel used to be in the US (bought out or something) . . . it's discount student and public fare and is located everywhere in the world . . . geared towards students and backpackers. As long as you are a student, under 26, or a teacher, you can get an ISIC card for discounts. They will give you a card if you are BECOMING a student again.
Double check Qantas though -- sometimes their fares posted on the website are quite good, plus remember you gain loads of miles for travelling that far.

 

[pitman]

Ah..thus explains my ignorance (35, haven't been a student per se since 1995)

-pitman

 

[redshifteffect]

Originally posted by texasblue
"STA" is Student Travel Assoc. (I think) -- anyhow --- it's what Council Travel used to be in the US (bought out or something) . . . it's discount student and public fare and is located everywhere in the world . . . geared towards students and backpackers. As long as you are a student, under 26, or a teacher, you can get an ISIC card for discounts. They will give you a card if you are BECOMING a student again.
Double check Qantas though -- sometimes their fares posted on the website are quite good, plus remember you gain loads of miles for travelling that far.

Sign up for Qantas frequent fliers...you will get some free kilometers every time you travel anywhere with Qantas.

If you have an AMA card I think you can sign up with Qantas Gold. But double check that.

 

[mic]

Originally posted by tl47
STA was REALLY cheap ($875 from LAX to ADL) and useful (I want to be a member!

STA is good, but you shouldn't stop looking elsewhere. Student/youth fares tend to be fairly static, whereas adult fares vary a lot, and can get significantly cheaper than student/youth fares. I travelled on a youth fare recently, which seemed cheap at the time, and then a few weeks later, a friend showed me a deal that the airline was offering, undercutting the youth fare by several hundred dollars.

 

[redshifteffect]

Originally posted by mic
STA is good, but you shouldn't stop looking elsewhere. Student/youth fares tend to be fairly static, whereas adult fares vary a lot, and can get significantly cheaper than student/youth fares. I travelled on a youth fare recently, which seemed cheap at the time, and then a few weeks later, a friend showed me a deal that the airline was offering, undercutting the youth fare by several hundred dollars.

statravel.com.au

From my experience they usually take a nice $10 markup on local flights...