There are a lot of factors that go into determining airfares, but generally, the longer the flight, the higher the fare. But with international travel still in a major slump (the Travel Industry Association has stated that it’s down by about 10 percent from last year), we’ve been seeing some surprising discounts on long-haul international routes.
InsertArt(2025185)JUST LAST WEEK, we uncovered a spectacular $498 round-trip to New Zealand (sorry, that one’s now gone) and while Qantas’ sale of $712 from Los Angeles to Australia isn’t quite as sensational, it’s far cheaper than one would normally pay for a Spring holiday Down Under, comes with significantly fewer restrictions and significantly higher availability.
First off, you can use this fare to create a multi-city itinerary in Australia, for no extra cost. The rate of $712 will work for flights between Los Angeles and either Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane. Even sweeter, you can fly out of any of those cities (hence the open jaw). It doesn’t matter which city you flew into originally.
The time frame on this one is darn nice, too. Instead of a sprinkling of dates within the next month (as was the case with the Kiwi sale), travelers can depart anytime from Sept. 29 through Nov. 29, with returns no later than Dec. 5. There’s a minimum six-night stay at this rate. Children ages 2 to 11 pay 75 percent of the normal rate, under 2 pay 10 percent.
Sale fares are available from other gateways but please note that these are not open-jawed tickets, however. As well, the discounts aren’t nearly as deep. It may end up being less expensive to simply make your own way to LA, and then catch a flight there. Do a web search on an engine such as www.qixo.com or www.sidestep.com before booking any of the following rates:
Boston—$1058 for Sydney or Melbourne, $1158 for Brisbane
Chicago or Denver—$1018 for Sydney or Melbourne, $1118 for Brisbane
Dallas—$1038 Sydney or Melbourne, $1138 Brisbane
Las Vegas—$948 Sydney or Melbourne, $1048 Brisbane
Miami—$1063 Sydney or Melbourne, $1163 Brisbane
New York—$998 Sydney or Melbourne, $1098 Brisbane
Portland—$1123 Sydney or Melbourne, $1223 Brisbane
Saint Louis—$1243 Sydney of Melbourne, $1343 Brisbane
San Diego—$883 Sydney or Melbourne, $983 Brisbane
San Francisco—$863 Sydney or Melbourne, $963 Brisbane
San Jose—$938 Sydney or Melbourne, $1038 Brisbane
Seattle—$988 Sydney or Melbourne, $1088 Brisbane
Washington DC—$1058 Sydney or Melbourne, $1158 Brisbane
If you do decide to book, you must do it soon—all travel must be paid for by Sept. 30. And this is not a flexible ticket or one that you can buy on a whim. It comes with hefty cancellation penalties so be sure that you want to travel, or you’ll be stuck with a costly mistake.
The fare is available online only at http://qantasusa.com/webDeals/101.
Copyright © 2003 Newsweek Budget Travel, Inc.
