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.

These sale fares should have you hanging out for Macau. Photo Credit: Henrik Berger Jørgensen

Viva Macau may not be the most classy airline, but it sure does offer the punters a cheap fare to China. For the next 3 days, they’re offering direct flights between Sydney and Macau for $700 return, including tax! Direct flights also depart Melbourne for about $20 less each way.

Sale is on now until 14 January, for travel between 1 March – 24 October, 2010. Take a look at Viva Macau’s promo newsletter for details.

When Winter starts to set in, take off with Jetstar! Photo Credit: Flickr user Christopher Bearman

Jetstar have dropped their fares between Australian cities and a number of international destinations including Osaka, Tokyo, Phuket, Bangkok, Christchurch and Auckland, for departures during April – June, 2010. My favorite – flights to Vietnam (Ho Chi Minh City) are now only $427 return including tax ex. Sydney. Perfect for avoiding the blues as Winter approaches!

Other return fares ex. Sydney include:

• Christchurch from $264
• Bangkok from $587
• Tokyo from $617
• Phuket from $635

This doesn’t seem to be an advertised price drop, so get in quick for cheap fares. Naturally, visit Adioso to find select dates and fares for your destination of choice.

I anticipate we will see more price drops  like this between now and Feb, however don’t let the opportunity pass if you genuinely want to visit these destinations. On a related note, it is not known if the detainment of two Qantas/Jetstar Pacific employees over a dispute regarding jet fuel futures will affect future Jetstar operations into HCM City. For the interim, I’d say it’s totally safe to purchase away. Happy travels!

Need another holiday? Singapore on sale for less than $450 return

Jetstar has dropped the prices for all its routes to Singapore, meaning that you can pick up some unbelievable return fares, including:

• Melbourne return from $386
• Sydney return from $446

All fares are including tax. Departures are in late Feb – March. The full round-up of dates and fares can be found on Adioso.

I predict that we’re going to be seeing a lot more cut-price fares as January & February bring the usual retail lull. So, there’s no rush to spend your Christmas money all at once – by the end of January, there’s certainly going to be more where this came from.

Happy new year, everyone! I wish you all great adventures and more coin to spend on cocktails in 2010.

Perth. It's a long way, baby. Credit: Flickr user Ole Reidar Johansen

If you thought Adelaide had all the luck yesterday, well today is Melbourne’s day. Tiger Airways has excellent fares ex. Melbourne, including the Sydney $10 mid-week special, $20 fares to Brisbane (both one-way) and $206 return fares to Perth, including tax! Most departures are in March. Considering the price of Perth fares, it’s worth flying in from other capital cities to take advantage of this cheap round trip. I’ll be darned if I find a one-way fare for this price.

Check Adioso for a round-up of the cheap flights available from Melbourne. Full details feature on Tiger Airways’ sale page. This sale ends Thursday night. It’s great to be back, by the way. Thank you for hanging in there!

Nope, you don't get ants like these in Sydney. Credit: Flickr user vtveen

Tiger Airways has gone a little wild during the month of February, offering $20 flights between Sydney – Adelaide and Adelaide – Alice Springs. This means that if you line up your flights (departing Sydney on Tuesday or Saturday, then returning the following Wednesday), you can fly from Sydney to Alice Springs for only $80 return, inclusive of taxes! If you’ve ever tried booking a holiday to the red centre, you will know that fares for this route can easily cost $700 – $800 with Qantas. No wonder that Australians don’t visit their own backyard…

You can find details for these sale fares on Tiger Airways’ sale page. Dates for the Adelaide – Alice Springs legs are also searchable on Adioso. Sale is on for departures in February only and also includes other awesome fares ex. Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide. Get crawling!

Fly low to Tokyo! Photo Credit: Ali Nishan (Flickr)

Planning an international break next year? Or a ski trip to Japan’s legendary powder in February? Jetstar have released some amazing fares across their entire network, including international destinations! My favourites are as follows:

• Sydney – Tokyo for $590 return
• Gold Coast – Tokyo for $472 return
• Sydney – Bangkok (via Melbourne) for $575 return
• Well, any of the Japan fares ex. Australia… They’re all fabulous!

All fares listed  above are for Jetstar Light fares and are inclusive of tax. Travel periods are 10 November – 14 December 2009, 28 January – 23 March, 2010 and 20 April – 20 June, 2010. That said, check from February onwards for the cheapest and most plentiful fares and our friends at Adioso.com to find that bargain!

Oodles of routes are on sale, for both domestic and international travel, so check Jetstar’s sale page for the latest. Banzai!

Get Kevin out of Canberra on the cheap. Photo Credit: stage88 (Flickr)

Passed Lake George one too many times in the car? Your playlist no longer cutting the drive across flat and boring, either side of Goulburn McDonalds? You will be glad to know that Virgin Blue are offering $48 one-way fares between Sydney and Canberra, including tax! There are also a number of other hot tickets to Australian destinations (including Melbourne) as part of Virgin Blue’s 48-hour promotion. Sale is on now until midnight, Thursday, 8 October, for travel between 3 November – 17 December, 2009.

Check out Virgin Blue’s sale page for details and Adioso for availability. Get into it before the pollies do!

Discover Indonesia's wonders with Jetstar. Photo Credit: Fadil Basymeleh

Fancy a last-minute escape to Asia, prior to Christmas? Jetstar have launched their International Sale, offering some exceptionally tasty flights to Asia from a number of Australian cities. Highlights include:

• Melbourne – Bangkok: $309
• Perth – Jakarta: $130
• Sydney – Bali (Denpasar): $330

Plus numerous other international routes. All fares listed are one way and inclusive of taxes. Sale is on now until Tuesday, 6 October, for travel during varying periods between  8 October – 10 December, 2009. Jetstar have also posted their domestic sale fares for this afternoon’s Fare Frenzy, so make sure you take a look and prepare to snap up a cheap flight. Check out Jetstar’s sale page for details. Have a fabulous Labour Day long weekend, Australia!

Important Note: In light of the recent tragedies that have occurred across Asia-Pacific (Typhoon Ketsana, Sumatran earthquake, Samoan tsunami), I would like you to consider donating to the Red Cross or Red Crescent. The spare change that you may throw at a fun trip this Friday will certainly bring respite to the victims of these tragedies, so please consider making a difference - http://donate.ifrc.org/