Qantas = Ripoff Merchant
I have no idea how the airlines can get away with this crap. Using Qantas’s website, I get a fare of $1998 for a return trip ticket between Sydney and San Francisco. If I switch to their US site and use the exact same cities on the same dates (just going in the opposite direction), the cost is USD $1229. Even allowing for the exchange rate, that’s still a $500 premium that they levy on Australians. I got so mad I just called them. “We’re very sorry, Ma’am, but there are certain fares that are only available to North Americans…” yada yada yada. Qantas is supposed to be an Australian company, right? Why shouldn’t we be getting the special deals? This sucks. I’ll fly Air New Zealand instead.
clare eats
February 18, 2008 — 8:59 pm
I have had HUGE problems with Quantas and my work lately.. bastards but I have a PLAN! 🙂
did you consider buying the tickets in reverse? from the USA?
and no thats not the plan 🙂
Kris
February 18, 2008 — 9:46 pm
Heh. That’s the first thing everybody suggests. Unfortunately the US site will only let you book flights originating from US destinations.
There’s actually a really sweet deal for, like, $1250 with Air China, but the Snook refuses to fly with them. He’s like Raymond from Rain Man sometimes, I swear.
AussieKnitGirl
February 20, 2008 — 7:59 am
I feel your frustration. I go through the same thing, over here in San Diego trying to fly back to Sydney. I just don’t understand how sites such as Expedia, for example, justify raising their prices by almost $1000, depending on what day of the week it is….
sharre
February 20, 2008 — 1:59 pm
Air New Zealand makes for a much nicer trip across the pacific anyway. They feed you ice cream. really good ice cream. Can you tell where my priorities lie 🙂
Rob
February 24, 2008 — 3:49 am
ANZ feed us breakfast first then dinner before landing in SF at 8AM – total jet lag screw up to get the meal services reversed and it took ages to recover. I have sworn off them ever since (but miss the foot rests that neither QF or UAL provide. UAL STILL doesn’t have video on demand. WTF? so QF is your best bet and once you get over here everything is so damn cheap you will make up your 500 bucks in food and drink in no time.
It is simply supply and demand. with a 90cent exchange rate there is little demand for Americans to go to OZ but lots of demand for Aussies to go to North America hence the price difference.
Good news is the route is finally opening up to competition so once we have Virgin, Delta, American and the rest flying the routes things should get cheep. At least until the oil runs out.
PS – Air China is to be avoided. That’s no Rain Man thing – those plane catch fire.
Kris
February 24, 2008 — 8:20 pm
On June 20, 2007, Air China was ranked 461 out of the Worlds Top 500 Brands, an accolade in which Air China is the only airline known to be on the top 500.
Air China Limited is currently the world’s largest carrier by market capitalisation. It overtook Singapore Airlines in 2007. It is the 4th largest airline in Asia, 5th largest in the world in terms of Domestic cargo traffic and 17th largest airline in the world by terms of fleet size.
Air China has had only one major accident in 20 years:
On April 15, 2002, Flight 129, a Boeing 767-200ER from Beijing to Busan, South Korea, crashed into a hill while trying to land at Gimhae International Airport during inclement weather, killing 128 of the 166 people on board. This is the only accident with fatalities involving Air China since 1988.
Don’t connect Air China with China Airlines, a Taiwan based carrier not known for safety. Airline companies in the Peoples Republic of China are among the safest in the world.
Kris
February 24, 2008 — 8:27 pm
Thanks for the perspective and clarification, (Other) Kris. For what it’s worth, I’m happy to fly Air China myself. I think in this particular case though, it’s the 17 hour layover in Taipei that’s going to be the sticking point.