Flighthacker

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. Read entire article.

Now that Lance Armstrong has confirmed that he’s racing in the Tour Down Under, I’ve started seriously thinking about attending the first leg of the world’s greatest cycling series, the UCI ProTour, in Adelaide, South Australia. If you’re planning to cheer on the world’s greatest cyclists at the tour during 17 – 24 January, 2010, here are some tips on how to get there and stay like a fan should… On a bike-chain budget! Read entire article.

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!

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! Read entire article.

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. Read entire article.

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. Read entire article.

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. Read entire article.

Reading the recent press regarding Jetstar’s embattled launch into New Zealand is very much reminiscent of the press that came in the days following Jetstar’s Australian debut in 2004. The truth is, they have made some mistakes, as they did in Sydney, with reports of extensive flight delays and heaven forbid, passengers missing out on an All Blacks game due to a flight being overbooked. In fact, even I should have a reason to be disgruntled – soon after purchasing Qantas tickets at full rate for Christchurch to Queenstown return, the handover of Qantas services to Jetstar took place, meaning that I paid over 30% more than the Jetstar regular fare for, well, not much. But I digress. Read entire article.

Whether it be for a casino quick-break or a shopping blitzkrieg down Nathan Road, Macau and Hong Kong are two Asian destinations that have perpetually drawn travellers with their 24-hour energy, promise of good food and of course, shopping. Not only can a trip to either Macau and Hong Kong make for a satisfying holiday in its own right, but both cities serve as an easy gateway into China, thanks to a combination of English signage and tourist-savvy locals. Read entire article.

Given the myriad of airlines to choose from when flying between Australia and the United States at the present, airfares on these routes are not only becoming more plentiful, but cheaper, as the competing airlines engage in an increasingly vocal price war. Read entire article.