Flighthacker

Hainan Airlines: Low fares between Sydney - Shenzhen from $618 return

Many moons ago, this blog used to wax lyrical about an amazingly cheap airline, the now-defunct Viva Macau. Back in 2009, it seemed like every other day I was making mention of their rock-bottom fares between Sydney and Southern China – rock-bottom fares which consequently drove them out of business (alongside reports of crap service and antique aircraft).

When they folded, I assumed the era of the cheap Chinese carrier was dead.

Then this morning at the airport, I came across a banner for Hainan Airlines. Their claim to be ‘China’s 5-Star Airline’, combined with the fact that I had never heard of them had my curiosity aroused. So I did a couple of searches and immediately, memories of Viva Macau came flooding back. To cut a long story short, they offer wonderfully cheap flights between Sydney and Shenzhen, China. From here, they fly on to Europe and Canada, but lets keep this matter simple for now.

So, on to the good stuff: between 1 September and 31 October, 2011, fares for direct flights between Sydney and Shenzhen start from $618 return (inc. tax, see above). These fares are plentiful and appear to include weekends and holiday periods, including the Labour Day long weekend in October. Sure, that their booking system is a little slow, a little wonky and won’t return any logical fares beyond December, 2011. But play by the rules and you’re bound to get a cheap flight – book now on Hainan Airlines’ website. Hainan also accepts Paypal.

If you’re wondering what my fascination is with this southern Chinese industrial city is, let me get this straight – it’s Hong Kong, baby, Hong Kong. From Shenzhen, this shopping and cultural mecca is a bit over an hour away by train. Then once you’re ready to move on, Hong Kong is an excellent launch pad to the rest of Asia. Note that you will require a Chinese visa prior to departure.

Finally, I’d like to end the comparisons between Hainan and Viva Macau, except when it comes to price. Based on SKYTRAX passenger reviews, Hainan Airlines rates an 8.9/10 – an exceptional score, even outshining Qantas (who scored 8/10 at the time of writing). Unlike Viva Macau, folks genuinely seem to like flying with Hainan Airlines. So lets hope they enjoy greater prosperity than their low cost, low service cousin.

Have you booked tickets, or flown with Hainan Airlines? I’d love to hear about your experiences in the comments below.

Southern Alps, New Zealand. Photo: GothPhil

If the smell of fresh snow from across the Tasman has become too much to bear, then take heart. A full-on fare war has begun amongst Jetstar, Virgin Blue and Air New Zealand over the hotly-contested east coast – Christchurch routes, resulting in some of the most competitive peak ski season fares I’ve seen in a long time.

All three airlines are offering promo fares during August, with additional travel dates spanning late-October to mid-December, 2011. Here are the cheapest return fares available at present between Sydney – Christchurch during the August period:

• Jetstar: $199.36 (New Zealand sale)
• Virgin Australia: $222.93
• Air New Zealand: $229.06 (using discount code ‘NZ150′, valid until 2 June)

All airfares include tax and don’t include optional extras like check-in baggage.

Yes, there are direct flights between Australia’s east coast cities and Queenstown, New Zealand’s ski mecca. However, unless you’re short on time, it’s always far more economical to travel via Christchurch, then drive, bus or fly Jetstar down to the snow. With fares starting around the $30 one way mark for the Christchurch to Queenstown leg, you get my drift.

Heading to New Zealand’s ski fields really is exceptional value. Unless you are unlucky enough to encounter a very warm season, you will find that everything from snow quality, to accommodation absolutely eclipses what’s on offer in Australia. So, pull on your boots – if you’re planning to hit the white stuff this season, this is the time to get planning. Happy flight hunting and first tracks!

Akaroa, New Zealand. Photo: math89 (flickr)

As the weekend very quickly comes to a close, my mind is in hazard-avoidance mode, trying to distract itself from the prospect of 5 days ahead sans a lengthy sleep-in and breakfast at midday. So, it’s time to look towards the next holiday – and if you’re a long-time reader of this poorly-kept blog (thank you!), well, you may reason that I’ve got a lot of things to think about, really.

This upcoming Queens Birthday long weekend (11-13 June) is a brief pleasure – it’s long enough to pack the bags for, but not quite long enough for anyone to really go troppo. However, if you’re keen to capitalise on the high Australian dollar and want to really feel like you’re overseas (instead of over the street), my tip is to give New Zealand a thought.

I’ve been tracking fares between Australia’s east coast and New Zealand over the last few weeks and without a doubt, we’re approaching the end of my ‘good value’ window*. Flights from Sydney to Christchurch begin at a tempting $263 return (inc. tax) with Virgin Blue over the break period, if you’re happy to tack on an extra day at the end. Combine that with accommodation and travel expenses that are considerably below Australian rates and you’ve got your sights on a tour that even the Queen would envy.

Now, I’m not going to skirt around the fact that New Zealand has had its share of troubles lately. Much of Christchurch’s CBD is still off-limits after the February earthquake and the odd tremor is a part of life for many South Islanders. However, as the locals have stressed repeatedly, outside of central Christchurch it’s business as usual – and boy, do they need the business. For a relaxed, earthquake-free weekend away, you can either rent a car or catch a shuttle to the French-influenced town of Akaroa. Just over an hour’s drive south of Christchurch, its main draw is an expansive harbour that is home to endangered (and very cute) Hector’s dolphins. Two hours of swimming with these little guys is a bargain $104 via Viator and the tour operator is keen to stress that warm wetsuits and warmer post-swim showers are provided!

If that sounds a little too energetic, there are also wine tours in the Waipara region, or even sneaky day trips to Mt Hutt to taste the beginning of New Zealand’s snow season. While we’re on the topic of snow, I’ve seen Jetstar NZ offering fares between Christchurch and Queenstown for roughly $30 each way. If you ask me, there are certainly advantages to swapping over 5 hours of sketchy driving, for 45 lazy minutes in the air en route to your massif of choice

If you’ve been to New Zealand before, then this excursion across the pond will seem like a bargain no-brainer. However, if you haven’t, then this is a good time to become a fan of New Zealand’s hospitality, winter-warming food and Jemaine from Flight of the Conchords. Even if you miss the latter, it will still be a truly amazing trip.

* A fortnight prior, fares for the same route were $202 return. The price increase since is most probably due to increasing holiday demand, but I’m also keeping an eye on whether the recent Virgin Blue brand and price restructure has had an impact on ‘everyday’ prices.

Tiger Airways - The verdict is out.

Recently I had the pleasure of flying Tiger Airways between Sydney and Melbourne, on my own coin, of course. Prior to the flights, I had been inundated with both positive and negative stories regarding Tiger flights, ranging from, “Oh, you have to walk on the tarmac, ooooh!”, to “Well, it’s $28 a pop”, not to mention exposure to Channel 7′s controversial show, ‘Airways’. Combining these tales with my own experience, I realised that, for all its merits, perhaps Tiger Airways isn’t really for everyone. The following is my breakdown of what to expect on a Tiger flight; hopefully it will help you decide whether Tiger should be your carrier of choice, or if you should invest that extra few dollars to avoid the mobile stairs. [...]

Jetstar have been emailing a number of their JetMail email subscribers, offering $100 flight vouchers if they book a return flight by 16 August, for travel prior to 15 September. This is great if you’re a JetMail subscriber and are planning to fly Jetstar in the coming weeks, anyway.

From the email:

1. Book a return flight at Jetstar.com by 16 August 2009, where the return date for your trip is on or before 15 September 2009.

2. Make sure you use the email address that you have used to register for JetMail (ie. the email address we have used to mail this email to you) in the booking process.

3. We’ll email you a $100 Jetstar flight voucher within 28 days to put towards your next flight with us.

Please note that I cannot verify if this still works for subscribers who have not personally received this email (such as myself). If you do get a voucher out of this, do kindly share your experiences, as I’d love to hear from you! Check out the Jetstar voucher email for further details. Good luck!

Buy your tickets with low-cost carriers at the right time and save money. Photo Credit: Martin Gommel

Everyone will tell you – Earlybird specials are dead. So when exactly is the best time to book that budget holiday and how? Here are some lessons I’ve learnt from tracking sales and booking fares, so don’t let anyone bully you into buying an airfare 10 months in advance! [...]

Photo Credit: P J Partridge

To celebrate the launch of CherryPow.com yesterday, I’ve decided to write on a topic that has many ski-bunnies quaking in their boots, being how to carry your prized ski equipment on a low-cost flight in Australia and New Zealand. [...]

Photo Credit: Jon Keegan

After reader Mark threw down the gauntlet regarding my recent ‘Round the World on Discount Airlines‘ article, I made it my imperative to sum up how much it would cost to actually travel Round The World solely on discount airlines. [...]

Photo Credit: Gemma (3fold)

Foremost, I’ve read a handful of articles proudly proclaiming that “you can now fly around the world using discount airlines alone!”, but sadly, no-one has told their fair readers how this can be done. Secondly, I’ve read countless round-the-world (RTW) itineraries and they all share one thing in common – they’re all the sort of trips that your mum would put you on. So let me hit two birds with one stone, friends. Not only am I going to show you how to travel RTW solely on low-cost carriers, but provide you with two itineraries that not only showcase the variety of airlines that can get you there on the cheap, but will provide trips to remember. For all the wrong reasons. [...]