So we now have direct flights to Australia from Europe. The London to Perth Qantas service started earlier in the year and has been a great success. There is now talk that Sydney and Melbourne will also be linked to London, maybe as early as 2021.
Non-stop flights between Heathrow and Sydney have moved a step closer, with Qantas vowing to operate “direct flights from the east coast of Australia to London and New York by 2022”.
The revelation came as the Australian airline announced record full-year profits.
Previously Qantas had said only that it had asked Airbus and Boeing to put forward proposals for aircraft to serve what would be the world’s longest routes.
In March, the Australian airline launched the first scheduled nonstop flights between Heathrow and Perth. It says the new route “is the highest rating service on our network”.
WHEN Qantas launched its direct flights from Perth to London, some praised it as a history making, game-changing event, while others cringed at the idea of 17 relentless hours in the air.
So in news that will thrill the first lot of people and raise eyebrows among the rest, Qantas now plans to do one better.
Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce has revealed plans for a 20-hour non-stop flight between Sydney and London, which he said was likely to reach the friendly skies within the next four years.
A year ago, Mr Joyce threw down the challenge to jet makers Boeing and Airbus to develop passenger planes capable of flying ultra-long routes from Sydney to London or New York by the early 2020s.
Now, in a new interview, Mr Joyce said he’s convinced they’ve done it.
If you are heading downunder then insure you have a good level of Australia travel insurance because medical costs there can be very high.
There is good news for fans of long-haul travel as Qantas has confirmed its plans to implement direct flights from Sydney to London and New York by 2022 are advancing. Its confidence will have been buoyed with the news that its new London to Perth service is the “highest rating service” on its network, and the flights have been 92% full since launching in late March.
Qantas’ Perth to London service is setting more records but this time it’s for passenger load factors and profitability.
And Perth and WA are the big winners with 78 per cent of passengers terminating in Perth or flying on to a destination in WA.
Speaking exclusively with The West Australian Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce said that the load factor on the service is 92 per cent and for premium classes 94 per cent making it the airline’s most profitable service say analysts.
Mr Joyce was responding to data released by the Civil Aviation Authority, the British aviation regulator which stated that the flight were only 78.1 per cent full.
However, what the CAA numbers do not count are those passengers going on to Melbourne or any other destination in Australia.
Times are a changing! There are many ways in 2018 for finding cheap long haul flights and we are going to list some super tips for saving money on your next plane ride!
For all of the changes in the transatlantic flight market, many pricing factors remain the same—as do the strategies for getting the cheapest airfare possible.
Be flexible. Summertime is still peak season, yet flights generally cost less if you avoid the season’s true peak and opt instead for departures in early June or late August. For example, in one of our searches Aer Lingus was charging $1,146 for a round trip from Los Angeles to Dublin in mid-July, compared to around $800 for departures at the tail ends of the season. For that matter, flexibility in general boosts the odds of snagging cheap flights. Switching departures from the weekend to the middle of the week can save you hundreds.
Be indirect. Connecting flights have always tended to be cheaper than nonstop to Europe, and that’s largely still the case for 2017. We couldn’t find direct flights from Washington, D.C., to Rome for anything less than $1,700 throughout the summer, for instance. But routes with one stopover could readily be had for under $1,000.
Book strategically. CheapAir.com crunched months of search data to conclude that the optimal time for booking flights to Europe for the least amount possible is roughly four months before departure. (That’s too late for you if you fancy a June getaway, but perfect if you’re targeting an August escape.) Travelers probably have more leeway when flying during non-peak periods; we’ve seen plenty of deals to Europe available for under $400 round trip at the last minute this winter and spring. And if you’re hoping to get ultra-cheap airfare, pay attention to when carriers like Norwegian Air announce new routes—and insane introductory prices as low as $65 to go along with them.
It’s a good idea to check multiple flight search engines before you book a ticket. You never know which site may show you the best price and cheapest flights.
Generally, my first stop is Skyscanner when searching for cheap flights. When I find a good deal, before I book it, I’ll also double check Momondo, Google Flights, Kayak, and finally the airline’s official website.
The best time to book a flight has been found to be 4-10 weeks in advance of your trip. The best days to depart seem to be Tuesday, Wednesday, or Saturday because they’re off-peak with less passengers and lower fares.
Early morning flights or red-eyes (overnight) will usually be cheaper too.
Flights with long layovers are less expensive. Another way to save money on tickets is by flying during the off-season, or shoulder seasons, when there will be less demand.
For example? Iceland in the Fall/Winter, or Mexico in the Summer.
If you happen to live near a few airports, remember to check the fares for each of them, as well as alternative airports or large hubs near your intended destination.
Sometimes traveling by bus to or from a different airport can save you a lot of money on flights.
In the past I’ve saved a few hundred dollars choosing a $10 bus ride to New York rather than flying directly out of Boston. It takes longer, so you’ll have to weigh the opportunity cost.
Long gone are the days when it was always cheaper to book a return flight on the same airline. Our research indicates you can frequently save by being disloyal. When we checked flights from London to Gran Canaria in August, we found savings of £76 for a family of four by going out with one airline and back with another.
But doing a comparison of all the flight options on the airlines’ own websites would take hours. But on Skyscanner.net, every search scours all the airlines and brings you the best deal, whether it’s flying out and back with the same airline or mixing it up – or even flying into and out of different airports.
Finally don’t forget holiday cover particularly if you are over the age of 80 as insurance has never been more important!
Lots of New Players in 2018 so there’s way more competition.
There’s a secondary effect of declining fuel costs: The lower prices have allowed established airlines to boost transatlantic routes and encouraged low-cost upstarts to get into the game. Both Norwegian Air and Iceland-based WOW Air have jumped into the transatlantic market in recent years and expanded rapidly, with new routes from the U.S. and special introductory fares under $100 seemingly announced every few weeks. Norwegian, in particular, uses the exceptionally fuel-efficient 787 Dreamliner on transatlantic routes, and passes along the cost savings to passengers in the form of cheaper airfare.
Larger carriers like Aer Lingus and Icelandair are likewise bumping up U.S. routes and advertising flight deals left and right. Even British Airways is expanding service, with new flights this year connecting London to New Orleans, Oakland, Calif., and Fort Lauderdale, Fla. And Level, a low-fare corporate sibling to British Airways, launches this summer, offering flights from California to Spain for as little as $149 too.
While the biggest airfare declines are generally for destinations frequented by the low-cost competitors, prices are cheaper almost anywhere you want to go in Europe. Data from Kayak.com shows that median airfare from the U.S. to 20 major European airports is down at least 20% this spring and summer compared with 2016 fares, with much bigger declines in flight search results for cities like Barcelona (down 31%), Paris (35%), Amsterdam (36%), and Zurich (43%). The flight search app Hopper reports similar data, with average European airfare prices down 18% for the summer of 2017, following a decrease of about 14% between summer 2015 and 2016.
“Cheap fuel is by far the most important factor” in the sharp decline of airfare to Europe, says Seth Kaplan, managing partner of the industry newsletter Airline Weekly. Beyond the general cost of owning or leasing aircraft, the largest expense for the low-fare airlines is fuel. So the huge drop in prices over the past few years is what’s made the current golden era for low-cost Europe flights possible. “In inflation-adjusted terms, it’s about as cheap as it’s ever been,” Kaplan says.
That’s been a game-changer. During the mid-’00s, fuel prices spiked and airlines added fuel surcharges onto flight prices to pass the costs on to passengers. Until fairly recently, these surcharges averaged $450 round trip on transatlantic flights, and taxes and fees tacked on another $165 or so, according to FareCompare CEO Rick Seaney. “So you’re in the low $600s even before charging for airfare,” Seaney says.
It’s official. We’re living in a time where airlines you’ve never heard of are giving the airlines we’re all loyal to a run for their money. Travel can be expensive, for instance the cost of travel insurance for the over 85s can seriously eat into a budget!
Well, I guess we shouldn’t see this as much of a surprise, but Scandinavian leisure airline Primera Air will add flights from London, Birmingham, and Paris, to Newark and Boston, as of spring 2018. They will operate these flights with a fleet of brand-new Airbus A321neos, while working on more routes for the near future. They have a total of eight A321neos on order, plus two A321LRs (they’re even the launch customer for this plane type).
Transatlantic flights are just getting cheaper and cheaper!
Non-stop flights from Denver to London, UK for only $199 one-way.
Or fly roundtrip for only $449.
The Norwegian website conveniently provides the prices in a monthly view, so there is no need for a list of example dates from us.
Simply click the “Fare Calendar” button on the Norwegian site.
Ever wondered what the longest flights in the world are? Well here is the current top 10 list as of April 2017.
Amazing flight price! Only EUR 79 for a flight from Athens to Sinapore, that’s seriously long haul on a budget!
Very cheap flights from Athens, Greece to Singapore for only €79 one-way.
Finally, always take out appropriate travel insurance over 85 or any age.