Flying in Australia

People who travel frequently in Australia and internationally are talking more about airfare deals and about receiving the best prices at the best time to travel. It's possible to fly to many places inside Australia and around the World for considerably less than the full standard fare, although ticket prices seem to fluctuate significantly in various locations; with some research and given you've gotten the assistance of a capable travel agent or one of Australia's low cost airlines such as Virgin Blue.

The key factor related to getting good deal from the airline carriers is how adaptable the traveler is. If you're flexible and willing to compromise on the day and time of year you travel, there's a great possibility that you will get a cheap seat. Airlines want to save money by slotting people into empty seats, and you can capitalize off this if you are able to modify your dates to suit theirs. However, with most airlines, if you decide to switch your travel date after you have booked a flight, you will incur a hefty cancellation of amendment penalty. Another point about being flexible in looking at flights is that if you want to cancel or change your flight without an additional charge, then you might have to pay for the full fare.



Frequent flyers usually win in the 'dog eat dog' world of airlines and airfare deals. The frequent flyer program is designed as a thank you for good customers because of their loyalty. Regular airline passengers can be awarded benefits each and every time they utilize certain carriers and then redeem for free tickets or for other compensations. Intense competition has led to many airlines' adoption of this devise or to their linking with other airlines; many hotels are doing the same. In Australia, QANTAS probably has one of the better frequent flier programs though other lower cost airlines are joining the game as well.

The internet is the best-known source to find airfare deals. Watch out for online sites specializing in the sales of airline tickets at a discount, the business could be totally legitimate, but it is wiser to book flights with more known discount agents. Often the problem is that travelers cannot verify the authenticity of these sites until after they have made the purchase. Never expect email contact as the only avenue for assessing an agent's knowledge of the airline industry, visit the office and if that's not possible, make a call and talk directly with the agent. Query with as many questions as you can, to learn of any likely snags related to their ticket deals, such as stopovers in unattractive parts of the world. The importance of knowing exactly which airline you are flying with cannot be stressed enough; make sure you have the information. You can get around that problem by buying directly from the airline own site, though other discount flight websites also exist for the Australian market.

Airfare deals and options involving new destinations with more flexible tariffs are opening up and increasing daily. If you are careful, flexible and well-researched, you should find little in the way of getting to the destination you desire.

Now is the time to travel in Australia as with fuel costs going up, airlines are starting to think about increasing their prices. Get in now before things get more expensive!