Flights to Australia?

[*WDW*Groupie*]

If you add your Global Entry number in the "traveler id" field on the airline website when you are purchasing tickets you should get pre-check automatically. If I don't get it with Air Canada then I visit the check-in counter at the airport and have them re-print my boarding passes to get pre-check. It saves so much time.

tufbuf, $1,300 per person is a great fare. When are you leaving for Sydney?

We changed flights for the reason that dd didn't want to fly in the lie flat seats in business class on United. We are no longer routed through LAX; we are flying from Toronto to Vancouver and then Vancouver to Sydney (it is a direct flight but we have to stop for fuel). I'm relieved as we have eliminated a pesky 7 or 8 hour layover in LAX, but we now leave on June 16th instead of the 18th. So we now have 6 days in Sydney before the tour starts in Cairns. I have to decide what we are going to do for those extra days!

 

[tufbuf]

We are not leaving this year. We are looking at doing Australia in 2016 but I was just scouting airfare cost to determine how much we will spend for the whole trip. I thought the value is great too! I am wishing it will be the same for next year. When I was checking the fare a few months ago, it was like 2K per person. That's why I can't wait for ABD to publish their 2016 dates so we can start shopping for airfare.

 

[*WDW*Groupie*]

tufbuf, I am doing the same thing with China for next year! I usually book airfare 10 - 12 months in advance since we use points.

I am really, really hoping that ABD adds Disney Shanghai to their itinerary for next year. Maybe that's one of reasons why they are delaying their release dates. A girl can dream, right?! Two disney parks in one trip would amazing.

 

[tufbuf]

tufbuf, I am doing the same thing with China for next year! I usually book airfare 10 - 12 months in advance since we use points.

I am really, really hoping that ABD adds Disney Shanghai to their itinerary for next year. Maybe that's one of reasons why they are delaying their release dates. A girl can dream, right?! Two disney parks in one trip would amazing.

Yup, that's what I do! Keeps my sanity!!

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

We get it all the time flying within the States. Coming from abroad might be a different story.

I was checking airfare cost and from Seattle to Sydney/Melbourne, it's 1300 pp. I thought that was pretty reasonable.

TSA Pre is only applicable for flights originating in the U.S.

 

[pixiepirate]

Pixiepirate, I will let you know how it goes! I'm going from Chicago to LAX (4 hour layover, tried for 2 hours but the flight I wanted was no longer available when I actually tried to book), LAX to Brisbane (3 hour layover), then Brisbane to Cairns. On the return I'm going from Hobart to Melbourne (2 hour layover), Melbourne to LAX (4 hour layover), then LAX to Chicago. And don't think that I didn't consider just taking the Disneyland Express to the Grand Cali for a night or two at Disneyland before that last leg!

We have finally booked our flights, Chicago to Dallas, 2 hour layover, Dallas to Sydney, then on to Cairns. For the return it is Melbourne to LAX, 4 hour layover, then LAX to Chicago.

Any suggestions on flights from Hobart to Melbourne? We will be spending 4 nights in Melbourne before heading home. I am not sure when to book a flight our to Hobart. I don't want to short time for the last breakfast. Our hotel check in time is 2PM.

 

[SaraJR]

i recommend hands down quantas hands down, its a long flight so you always want to make sure your on a good airline so you dont have 36hrs of hell lol if you can do it without any parts being american airlines would be ideal because american airlines is by far the worst i had to do 5hours on them from toronto to lax before transfering to my quantas flight and omg those 5hours felt like 10 it was terrible

 

[Cousin Orville]

We have finally booked our flights, Chicago to Dallas, 2 hour layover, Dallas to Sydney, then on to Cairns. For the return it is Melbourne to LAX, 4 hour layover, then LAX to Chicago.

Any suggestions on flights from Hobart to Melbourne? We will be spending 4 nights in Melbourne before heading home. I am not sure when to book a flight our to Hobart. I don't want to short time for the last breakfast. Our hotel check in time is 2PM.

I don't have any experience yet, but we booked qantas out of Hobart (to Sydney). We're also on that Dallas to Sydney Qantas flight.

 

[pixiepirate]

I don't have any experience yet, but we booked qantas out of Hobart (to Sydney). We're also on that Dallas to Sydney Qantas flight.

We booked through Dallas in hope it may be less chaotic than LAX. Unfortunately none of the flights from Melbourne route through Dallas so we are stuck with LAX on the return. May I ask what time you are flying out of Hobart?

 

[Cousin Orville]

We booked through Dallas in hope it may be less chaotic than LAX. Unfortunately none of the flights from Melbourne route through Dallas so we are stuck with LAX on the return. May I ask what time you are flying out of Hobart?

12:35p Hobart to Sydney

 

[*WDW*Groupie*]

TSA Pre is only applicable for flights originating in the U.S.

GOES is known as Nexus in Canada and it is the same as TSA pre. Separate entry to customs and separate line for security. For the major airports in Canada (Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver) it is by far the fastest way to the gate !

 

[mathgeek]

Mathgeek, I will also be making the flight from Chicago next October. I would be interested to hear how things work out for you.

Pixiepirate, I will let you know how it goes! I'm going from Chicago to LAX (4 hour layover, tried for 2 hours but the flight I wanted was no longer available when I actually tried to book), LAX to Brisbane (3 hour layover), then Brisbane to Cairns. On the return I'm going from Hobart to Melbourne (2 hour layover), Melbourne to LAX (4 hour layover), then LAX to Chicago.

Pixiepirate, I made it through without missing any flights. Although the day I left Chicago there were terrible storms and many cancellations and delays, so I felt lucky to get out during a dry window. That flight was delayed a bit but I got to LA with time to spare.

For my flights coming home I wasn't concerned about layover time, but my flight out of Hobart was delayed an hour and a half. I made it to the gate in Melbourne with about 15 minutes to spare before boarding. And my layover there changed from my original post to a 2 hour 45 minute layover.

Working on this (Global Entry) now. Didn't realize that TSA pre comes as part of the package. That makes the $100 application fee a little more worth it.

Update - Global Entry was awesome. No line getting through immigration and customs at LAX. I then went and reprinted my boarding pass to Chicago at an American kiosk since the one printed in Hobart didn't have my TSA pre on it. Had plenty of time to spare at the gate.

 

[mathgeek]

We have finally booked our flights, Chicago to Dallas, 2 hour layover, Dallas to Sydney, then on to Cairns. For the return it is Melbourne to LAX, 4 hour layover, then LAX to Chicago.

Any suggestions on flights from Hobart to Melbourne? We will be spending 4 nights in Melbourne before heading home. I am not sure when to book a flight our to Hobart. I don't want to short time for the last breakfast. Our hotel check in time is 2PM.

Agree with SaraJR. Book Qantas. We flew on them for all but one of the internal flights, and I was booked on them for 4 of the 6 legs to/from Australia. They are a class act.

It's not a long flight from Hobart to Melbourne, and the Hobart airport only has 5 gates, so they don't drop you off at the airport as early as we do here in the US. I got there an hour and 20 minutes before my flight and had no problem getting to the gate on time. (Well, had the flight left on time I would've been there early. I ended up with a lot more time at that airport than I wanted.)

 

[pixiepirate]

Mathgeek, thanks a lot for your info. I am thinking about a flight in an 11Am - noon window. No rushing in the morning and with transportation from the Melbourne airport should get us to our hotel right around out 2pm check in.

 

[abdgeek]

Any suggestions on flights from Hobart to Melbourne? We will be spending 4 nights in Melbourne before heading home. I am not sure when to book a flight our to Hobart. I don't want to short time for the last breakfast. Our hotel check in time is 2PM.

Try Virgin Australia for your tickets. I'm spending a couple of days in Sydney after the ABD before I head home so I booked a separate flight from Hobart to Sydney on the Virgin Australia website. You may want to first check prices on cheaptickets.com. Then you can see whether Quantas or Virgin has the cheapest airfare. For my flight, Virgin was cheapest and had better times.

 

[pixiepirate]

Try Virgin Australia for your tickets. I'm spending a couple of days in Sydney after the ABD before I head home so I booked a separate flight from Hobart to Sydney on the Virgin Australia website. You may want to first check prices on cheaptickets.com. Then you can see whether Quantas or Virgin has the cheapest airfare. For my flight, Virgin was cheapest and had better times.

Thanks for the suggestion. I will check out both.