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.

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.

Although details are sketchy at this moment, Jetstar have announced that in conjunction with Macquarie Bank, they will be releasing a Jetstar MasterCard in two flavours today – being regular and platinum. For the regular card, every dollar spent equates to 1c in Jetstar money, which can eventually be redeemed for flight vouchers and promotional offers. For platinum, this doubles to 2c.

Word has it that there may be a Qantas/Jetstar points tie-in announced next year.

Make sure you check details first, but the skinny is that interest will be pegged at 10.99% and the card itself will come with a $49 annual fee. So, if you think all those cents accrued will exceed the annual price tag, then it doesn’t seem too rough to me. Hopefully it won’t come with a minimum spend in order to collect points, like that pesky Everyday Rewards/Qantas Frequent Flyer card.

Watch this page for the card’s launch later today.

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. [...]

A striking red dust storm blankets Sydney. Photo Credit: tolomea

For the first time in living memory, Sydney has been hit by an apocalypse-red dust storm, paired with gale-force winds and a whole lot of environmental anxiety. This has caused chaos on both the ground and in the air, causing numerous flights to be redirected to Melbourne and Brisbane airports and creating major delays for passengers arriving to or departing from Sydney Airport. Even I encountered a significant delay this morning, while determining whether I wanted to walk through a painted reproduction from the final chapter of a children’s Bible. Finally, I closed my eyes and stepped outside – it couldn’t be any worse than in the Emirates, if they were to ever have a cold day, right?

If they ever had a day this cool in Dubai, I’m sure there would be chaos, too. But that was beside the point.

Onto the practical stuff:

• As of the time of writing, Sydney Airport’s website has been put out of order due to the influx of enquiries regarding flight delays
• Significant delays are to also be encountered at Brisbane airport, due to the arrival of redirected flights
• Qantas has announced that they will be refunding or rescheduling passengers on affected flights
• Jetstar will be rescheduling passengers on affected flights until Friday
• No word from Tiger Airways and Virgin Blue – call your airline if you are concerned about potential delays on flights departing in the next 24 hours

Well, the skies are starting to clear now over Sydney in a fascinating transition, from the morning’s blaze of grapefruit red, to a dull orange-yellow, to cottage cheese and finally, a sliver of blue. Check out this amazing Sydney dust storm photo set on Flickr.

What a dramatic, final day to my twenty-fifth year!

Fly into your perfect hotel room. Photo Credit: James Yu

First of all, I’m not a travel agent. In fact, I’m a graphic designer who primarily constructs email and websites with some degree of competency and plans holidays with zest and grand design. However, unlike my travel agent friends, I don’t have access to magnificent tools or connections, so when it comes to finding the right hotel, I use the same resources as everyone else – travel websites. [...]

Pack light, outta sight! Photo Credit: SlipStreamJC

Hand Luggage Only (HLO) travel seems to be a perennial topic across countless travel sites and forums, especially now that pretty much every low-cost airline has provided it as a fare-saving option. Often the questions raised include the following:

• I’ve booked a discount flight and waived the check-in baggage fee, how am I going to carry everything I need?
• I’m tired of lugging a suitcase around, can I fit everything into a carry-on bag instead; or
• Honestly, how do you carry-on only folks do it?

[...]

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: slack13

Well, when I’m not writing, performing the day-job or watching Tour de France, I seem to be doing one thing quite successfully – booking holidays for other people. So when I do get the pleasure of booking a trip for myself, I have the bargain radar well honed  and those specials be quakin’ in their boots.

The mission: Fill a 5-day, 6-night itinerary with fun (and not too pricey), Winter things to do in Christchurch and Queenstown, New Zealand. With a fistful of Australian dollars, this wasn’t to hard at all (all prices are in AUD). [...]