Cheapest ways to fly down under from the UK?

[Anetos]

As it's unrealistic to get to the Pacific without flying, which airports and airlines would be cheapest for flights between the UK and Australia/New Zealand, Hong Kong? Singapore? Kuala Lumpur? Seoul-Incheon? Dubai? Qatar?

 

[ld0595]

As it's unrealistic to get to the Pacific without flying, which airports and airlines would be cheapest for flights between the UK and Australia/New Zealand, Hong Kong? Singapore? Kuala Lumpur? Seoul-Incheon? Dubai? Qatar?

I would guess one of the Chinese airlines. They tend to undercut other carriers by quite a lot.

Looking at Google flights, the cheapest flight to Sydney in the next 6 months is £552 from Heathrow, Brisbane for £603 and Melbourne for £622, all with China Southern.

 

[AlastairFraser]

I would guess one of the Chinese airlines. They tend to undercut other carriers by quite a lot.

Looking at Google flights, the cheapest flight to Sydney in the next 6 months is £552 from Heathrow, Brisbane for £603 and Melbourne for £622, all with China Southern.

Usually a connection in somewhere like Guangzhou is cheapest for just one connection, yes, but you can go a bit cheaper if you don't mind multiple stops.
Skyscanner has this £337 option (Skyscanner November London to Sydney) involving Ryanair, Turkmenistan Airlines (!!) and Jetstar (cheapo Qantas).
Takes a while, but the food and cabin on Turkmenistan is fairly nice from what I've seen on flight reviews, and Ashgabat airport is a nice place to wait in-between.

 

[thejuggler]

Usually a connection in somewhere like Guangzhou is cheapest for just one connection, yes, but you can go a bit cheaper if you don't mind multiple stops.
Skyscanner has this £337 option (Skyscanner November London to Sydney) involving Ryanair, Turkmenistan Airlines (!!) and Jetstar (cheapo Qantas).
Takes a while, but the food and cabin on Turkmenistan is fairly nice from what I've seen on flight reviews, and Ashgabat airport is a nice place to wait in-between.

The downside with such a route is you need to add lots and lots of time in airports just in case of delays. One leg is late or cancelled and you are on your own!

 

[TravelDream]

Look on Google Flights or Skyscanner or your preferred comparison site.

I imagine the cheapest options will be the Chinese airlines.

Not Oz, but Shenzhen Airlines had some stunning £300 ish deals from the UK to Thailand earlier in the year. Incredible value really.

Oh and do be careful with routes not on a single ticket. A route like Ryanair to Budapest and then a Chinese airline as you don't have protection and would lose the following flight if your first flight was sufficiently delayed. If you're on a single ticket and the first flight is delayed, the airline is responsible for getting you to the destination as well as any hotels/ meals as applicable.
I've done it, but left a lot of time between connecting flights and was aware of the risks.

 

[westv]

It's a very long way and takes a long time. If I was ever to do it, I wouldn't choose cheap.

 

[AlastairFraser]

The downside with such a route is you need to add lots and lots of time in airports just in case of delays. One leg is late or cancelled and you are on your own!

True. The Milan change of airport is slightly more risky (although with 6 hours and Ryanair is reasonably reliable), but the Turkmenistan connection at Ashgabat should be smooth and 5 hours for the Ho Chi Minh city connection onto Jetstar should be pretty smooth.

Oh and do be careful with routes not on a single ticket. A route like Ryanair to Budapest and then a Chinese airline as you don't have protection and would lose the following flight if your first flight was sufficiently delayed. If you're on a single ticket and the first flight is delayed, the airline is responsible for getting you to the destination as well as any hotels/ meals as applicable.

True, perhaps just buying from Milan or Budapest, then buying an earlier low cost airline flight from the UK to those destinations to allow a bit more breathing room would be a good idea.

 

[ld0595]

Usually a connection in somewhere like Guangzhou is cheapest for just one connection, yes, but you can go a bit cheaper if you don't mind multiple stops.
Skyscanner has this £337 option (Skyscanner November London to Sydney) involving Ryanair, Turkmenistan Airlines (!!) and Jetstar (cheapo Qantas).
Takes a while, but the food and cabin on Turkmenistan is fairly nice from what I've seen on flight reviews, and Ashgabat airport is a nice place to wait in-between.

Worth flagging that that fare won't include any luggage (even hand luggage). You'll have to pay for it on Ryanair and maybe Jetstar which will quickly add up!

 

[AlastairFraser]

Worth flagging that that fare won't include any luggage (even hand luggage). You'll have to pay for it on Ryanair and maybe Jetstar which will quickly add up!

Indeed. Ryanair aren't too bad if you can stomach a cabin bag only (especially on the way there to minimise outbound costs - usually £20-30 for a UK to continental Europe flight). Jetstar I know less about, may be expensive.

 

[TravelDream]

It's a very long way and takes a long time. If I was ever to do it, I wouldn't choose cheap.

Honestly, the comfort level on a Chinese airline and on Emirates is going to be basically the same.
Emirates will have better IFE and food.
The Chinese airline likely has wider seats (Emirates' 777's have very narrow seats. A380s are decent) and everything else will be fairly on par.

If that's going to save several hundred pounds, I'd do it.

 

[Acfb]

If you're looking at cheapest, I would have thought maybe going Scoot from Athens to Singapore and then flying from Singapore with either Scoot or Jetstar probably.

Until recently Scoot flew from Berlin to Singapore.

Not saying folk would want to do this though.

 

[route101]

I have flown Emirates and China Southern to Australia. A while back and Emirates was under £600 return(off season) and China Southern was not much more.

 

[AlastairFraser]

If you're looking at cheapest, I would have thought maybe going Scoot from Athens to Singapore and then flying from Singapore with either Scoot or Jetstar probably.

Until recently Scoot flew from Berlin to Singapore.

Not saying folk would want to do this though.

It's a couple of hundred quid on Scoot for that route I think, so you'd have to push the Singapore to Aus flight quite low to beat other characters (and the UK-Athens flight too).

 

[Bald Rick]

as others have said, China Southern via Guangzhou are typically cheapest for a single ticket, one change trip with protection in the event of delays. Especially if booking at short notice.

 

[GRALISTAIR]

It's a very long way and takes a long time. If I was ever to do it, I wouldn't choose cheap.

That is my opinion too. However, in fairness, I am fortunate enough to be financially able to do that whereas many are not.

 

[Tetchytyke]

If you have the time, you can still get good deals on BA flying “ex-EU”, i.e. starting in somewhere like Sofia then flying back through Heathrow. A bit more annoying to do that when flying east though as it involves a lot of doubling back.

Otherwise the Chinese airlines are the cheapest, but from what people have told me you very much get what you pay for.

Personally I’d stick with the more mainstream airlines and pay the extra. If you’re flexible on travel dates the best fares are usually January-March. Emirates are often competitively priced, a consequence of their A380 model.

 

[jamesr]

I live in Hong Kong and regularly travel back to the British Isles. Don’t be afraid of the Chinese airlines, they are fine. Seats feel exactly the same as any other airline (and, frankly, better than most European budget carriers) Depending on personal taste and willingness to “explore” cuisines, you may not like the food. Buy sandwiches if that’s the case.

Check visa requirements if you find flights via somewhere unusual - I seem to recall at least one of the “stans” requires you to hold a visa to transit.

Pre-Covid, Dublin was cheaper than the UK because of lower taxes. This doesn’t seem to be true these days. As Tetchytyke has said above, you pick up some absolute bargains flying EasyJet / Ryanair to Eastern Europe and starting the long haul from there. Zagreb to Hong Kong on Qatar in business is often a fraction of the price.

 

[TravelDream]

I live in Hong Kong and regularly travel back to the British Isles. Don’t be afraid of the Chinese airlines, they are fine. Seats feel exactly the same as any other airline (and, frankly, better than most European budget carriers) Depending on personal taste and willingness to “explore” cuisines, you may not like the food. Buy sandwiches if that’s the case.

Check visa requirements if you find flights via somewhere unusual - I seem to recall at least one of the “stans” requires you to hold a visa to transit.

Like I said above, there's no way Emirates is worth hundreds of pounds more than a Chinese airline. I flew Air China just a few months ago. Air fare was dirt cheap, the plane was modern (A350) and clean, and the IFE was decent. I do find Chinese airlines to have poor food, but, as you said, you can take sandwiches and Chinese airports I find to be very good value for food/ drinks compared to most hubs.

Others above say they wouldn't fly a Chinese airline and that's up to them, but they might up paying a lot more for not much more.

For the avoidance of doubt too, Brits don't need a visa to transit China. In fact Brits can get a 240 hour/ 10 day transit visa which means you can tag on a holiday to China essentially visa free if transiting through China.
I think you might mean transiting Turkmenistan via Ashgabat. Turkmenistan Airlines has some crazy low fares during the peak months as they have a fixed fare year-round meaning the fare is the same in March as it is in August/ December. They no longer require a transit visa, but used to. Might be a good option, but the fares are difficult to find as only a few places sell the tickets.

Pre-Covid, Dublin was cheaper than the UK because of lower taxes. This doesn’t seem to be true these days. As Tetchytyke has said above, you pick up some absolute bargains flying EasyJet / Ryanair to Eastern Europe and starting the long haul from there. Zagreb to Hong Kong on Qatar in business is often a fraction of the price.

I have found when you add a suitcase, the flight with bag, even with a low cost carrier, plus the flight on the other end tends to be more expensive that flights from London (I've only looked in economy). Plus you have the risk of a self-connection.

It made a lot more sense for people doing mileage runs to do Sofia-London-XXX as, under the old system, you'd get more tier points than just London-XXX and the fare would often be considerably less. BA's new frequent flyer programme has removed this 'trick'. I am not sure about other FFP as I am sure for some it is still worth it.

 

[John R]

Pre-Covid, Dublin was cheaper than the UK because of lower taxes. This doesn’t seem to be true these days. As Tetchytyke has said above, you pick up some absolute bargains flying EasyJet / Ryanair to Eastern Europe and starting the long haul from there. Zagreb to Hong Kong on Qatar in business is often a fraction of the price.

It's hardly a Business Class experience if you have to:-
- check in (paid for) bags at Luton or Stansted (no free fast track),
- travel in a cramped economy seat for the first two hours with Easyjet or Ryanair, with no decent meal
- go through immigration at the connecting airport,
- collect bags,
- check in again,
-go through (fast track) security,
- have a long wait in a lounge because you have to leave lots and lots of time for the connection (does Qatar let you into the lounge more than 3 hours before your flight - some airlines don't, unless you are through ticketed?),
- and finally get on board your Business Class seat. Phew!

Give me a Premium Economy seat in comparison to that any day (and I say that as someone who travels long-haul Business for leisure at least 50% of the time).

 

[route101]

as others have said, China Southern via Guangzhou are typically cheapest for a single ticket, one change trip with protection in the event of delays. Especially if booking at short notice.

Flew this way to Australia. Was cheapest option. Food was not all bad but I do recall there not being many drinks runs or soft drinks.

 

[TravelDream]

I do recall there not being many drinks runs or soft drinks.

Can't say how many drink runs there were on your flight, but China Southern services Coca-Cola products so should have Coca-Cola, Coke Zero, Sprite and Fanta. Plus they will also have a Chinese brand of beer which varies which will be generic, and red/white wine (probably Great Wall brand) which will be undrinkable.

You can always ring the call bell or go to the galley and get drinks as with basically all full service airlines.

It's hardly a Business Class experience if you have to:-

All very fair, but some people might tag on a day or two in Budapest or Zagreb before traveling on.
It was also good for those doing BA mileage runs back before the recent changes.
Any savings I have seen in economy have been minor at best and usually non-existent. Never really looked at business fares doing this.

 

[John R]

It was also good for those doing BA mileage runs back before the recent changes.

Just curious, how would that have worked, given the comment was that the flyer would be flying with Easyjet or Ryanair on the European leg?

 

[sh24]

Just curious, how would that have worked, given the comment was that the flyer would be flying with Easyjet or Ryanair on the European leg?

A Europe-Qatar-Asia round trip would net almost enough TP for Silver, 3 was enough for Gold if you then got your 4 BA segments in.

 

[John R]

A Europe-Qatar-Asia round trip would net almost enough TP for Silver, 3 was enough for Gold if you then got your 4 BA segments in.

Yes, but that’s not using lo cost operators to get to Budapest which was the context in which the comment was made.

 

[sh24]

Yes, but that’s not using lo cost operators to get to Budapest which was the context in which the comment was made.

LoCo to Budapest, then Qatar flight from there to Doha, and on to Asia/Australia.

 

[John R]

LoCo to Budapest, then Qatar flight from there to Doha, and on to Asia/Australia.

Ah, so from the UK to Asia we’ve gone from one direct flight to three, including a long stop in your Eastern European city of choice and one of undetermined length in Doha. As I said, it’s a lot of hassle just to get a cheaper Business Class seat or (as was) Tier Points.

 

[sh24]

Ah, so from the UK to Asia we’ve gone from one direct flight to three, including a long stop in your Eastern European city of choice and one of undetermined length in Doha. As I said, it’s a lot of hassle just to get a cheaper Business Class seat or (as was) Tier Points.

Tier point running was a niche sport! I only bothered when in touching distance of Gold Guest List which had some serious perks.

 

[TravelDream]

Just curious, how would that have worked, given the comment was that the flyer would be flying with Easyjet or Ryanair on the European leg?

Mileage runs.
So doing something like Sofia - London - Doha - Hong Kong would give significantly more tier points than just London - Hong Kong and would often be cheaper (certainly much cheaper per tier point).
Was a way to quickly and 'cheaply' get silver or gold.