I haven’t had any issues with Jetstar, but I also go in with limited expectations. You get what you pay for, and for $320 return CNS -> Tokyo I’m not gonna complain too much.
I’ve enjoyed flying with Jetstar more than I’ve enjoyed flying with Cathay Pacific.
Yeah I know plenty of people who love Jetstar but after about half a dozen bad experiences and cancelled flights I’ve given up on them.
Yeah Jetstar nearly ruined my wedding when they changed the flights for my wife’s family to the day after the wedding, and didn’t inform us. I checked it two weeks prior by chance and was shocked to see the change, called them and they told me the flight I’d booked was full so they’d moved them to three days later. I’d bought tickets, selected seating months and months prior. I basically had to plead to get some dude to change it back to the flights they’d sold me. Thankfully they did. Fark them.
Thanks A-T for your observations.
The USA is in no way on my travel radar - no wish to be gunned down by some red-neck in-bred gun toting Trump loving hillbilly, or ethnic gang banging criminal, or NRA member exercising their constitutional rights!!
I prefer safer countries.
Also, get get a future Visa to the USA after Iran I understand that I’d need to attend an interview - which probably means a CIA water-boarding.
My travel agent specialises in tours in Iran, so in them I trust re the Visa.
I just booked a trip on a tour in China yesterday. I wasn’t particularly looking to go to China or on a tour but the deal is amazing - 7 days including Beijing, Xi’an and the Great Wall for $699, including return international flights, 1 internal flight, all hotels and transfers.
Best of all I don’t get to miss a game in Melbourne, just the game in Sydney on May 10.
They also have an 8 day trip cruising the Yangtze river for 2 people at $1999 including return flights, I may do that later in the year
My parents go on about 4-5 of those a year and love it. Once they have your money they don’t care if you want to do the day tours or just chill at your own pace. The first couple of trips they went on they did all the tours with the group but now they do their own thing. The hotels are all pretty good and throw in the flights and you have a bargain.
I’d thoroughly recommend the Yangtze River cruise if you ever get the chance, absolutely amazing. My wife keeps pestering me to book another trip to China but we will have to see how the calendar pans out
Got a date back from my brother yesterday for our trip to Europe for his wedding - September 21! Downside is I miss our finals campaign and first premiership for 19 years 
So we can begin planning our trip, locations. While doing this is our first step booking the return flight to Europe?? And if so, any tips? Do I wait for some special to London? Flight Centre were doing specials this weekend in August and October and NOT September when we are going - they obviously know the game.
How do people normally tackle planning their trips? We are looking at about 4 weeks covering England, Germany and Italy and … maybe somewhere else 
Maybe look at prices for each hub - London, Frankfurt, Rome - seeing as how you’re keen to visit all of these countries. Get a good deal for one of those and it can be your entry and exit point. Then use budget airlines to get between countries, which will allow you flexibility when setting up your schedule.
You probably wanna think about wedding clothes too - wearing a nice suit once but lugging it around in your case trying not to crush it for a whole trip would be a drag!
Open jaw tickets can be same price or cheaper. Fly into say London and then out of Frankfurt, Rome etc to save backtracking. The UK has the highest departure taxes so try to avoid flying out of the UK. Use LCC’s for internal European flights and don’t try to cram too much into your time. Pick a couple of spots and spend some decent time in each
Yes we’re really looking forward to it. I’m now trying to piggyback the Yangtze river cruise on the back of the first tour rather than making 2 trips. But all of it looks amazing
It is amazing. Some tour operators may let you change your flight home for a fee to piggyback in a Yangtze cruise but many won’t allow it.
For the cruise itself we have done both directions and actually preferred going upstream despite it taking an extra day. The 5 stage lock was far more impressive sailing west than East. April, May or September, October are the best months to cruise it.
Where the fark did you find that?
Scoupon, Groupon etc have them all the time and they are often advertised on travel websites. Return flights to China are often under $400 from MEL/SYD and sometimes as low as $220 return!
I think it’s available for another 3 days
Thanks Aceman, yes I was looking at the best dates to do it with May looking the best if I can get it organised. I don’t really want to miss the start of the season in April while September is out for obvious reasons and I think I’ll be back in New Zealand in October, so I hope May can work out.
That is a ridiculous deal. Some of the deals for China are almost too cheap to believe. How do they make money?
China is having a big tourism push and the airlines offer ridiculous fares that the government subsidise.
Well it certainly worked for us. We had no intention of going to China until I saw the deal advertised in the weekend paper, and I can’t even get return airfares for that price.
I’ve looked into doing the Yangtze river cruise separately either before or after the tour without flying back but can’t get it cheaper than is advertised with return airfares, so we may do the first tour then fly back again a couple of weeks later which seems ridiculous but that’s the way it is.
Bu if you’re flexible with dates you can get some amazing deals. I just came back from New Zealand on $154 return tickets and a couple of years ago got $156 return to Bali (which in hindsight I wish I didn’t go on - we landed at about 1/4 time of the Essendon Hawthorn game that Hooker kicked the sealer and my internet dropped out on the way to the hotel.
At 3/4 time I passed a place that advertised AFL games and should have stopped to watch the last quarter but didn’t, then read the whole game day thread on blitz and wished I was at the game.
The Chinese carriers are having a massive push at gaining the Australian market with most offering return fares to China from the East Coast for $400-500. Hainan who are an excellent airline often have specials of $280-400 return. China Eastern currently has a special on Brisbane to London via Shanghai for $748 return with some availability in May/June
Ticket says we’re landing in Amman early Sunday week. Online forecast says top of 14 and low of 7. Might have pack the long johns. Hopefully warmer down south.