US to New Zealand [& Oz] Airfare specials

Kiwi airfares plummet!

Stop the presses! Airfare to New Zealand to drop to $559, roundtrip

By Reid Bramblett, ARTHUR FROMMER'S BUDGET TRAVEL

Sept. 12 — Normally our newsletter lies quiet from Friday through
Sunday, but since this unheard-of $559 airfare to New Zealand starts
Saturday morning at 12:01am PST—and is bound to sell out fast—we just
had to send out a special edition. Yep, that’s $559, roundtrip, to fly
from Los Angeles to Auckland. No foolin.

USUALLY, WE would crow about it if the price to NZ dropped to $899 or
something. That’s right; this promotional price is nearly half what we
would normally consider a very good deal. This sort of thing has never
happened before, and, while waiting on hold to confirm that this price
wasn’t a typo or something, this journalist started flipping through
his calendar and calculating how much vacation time he had left.

Are there restrictions? Of course, the main one being that the fare of
$559 is only available from LA, only via the Air New Zealand Web site
(www.airnewzealand.com/usa), and only on very specific flights: NZ3
and NZ4 (that’s airlinespeak for one flight each on Wednesdays,
Fridays, and Sundays) from Sept 15 to Nov 15 (returning by Nov 23 at
the latest). If you want to fly on a another day, you can slip them an
extra ninety bucks ($649) and catch any of two daily flights (NZ1,
NZ2, NZ5, or NZ6 in airport language) during the same range of dates.

You can’t waffle or take your time to consider, either; if you want
the fare you must to pay for it immediately and in full with your
credit card. OK, so the sale lasts until Sept 30, but we seriously
doubt this fare will still be around by then. This sucker’s gonna sell
out but quick. So if you’ve been considering a Kiwi vacation, I’d stay
up late Saturday night and log on just after midnight PST and start
clicking.

The sale isn’t even being made common knowledge until Saturday—not to
the traveling public, not on the airline’s Web site, and not in the
form of the press releases that daily flood our editorial email inbox,
so you guys are really getting the scoop.

(We stumbled across it by accident; one of our staffers has an Air NZ
frequent flier membership and got a preview email that was
accidentally sent out a day early—and that offers the rate of $499,
but only to folks who are part of the FF program.)

When I called to confirm, the airline admitted that the sale was
coming up, but pleaded with me to remind everyone that YOU CANNOT BOOK
UNTIL SATURDAY. So please don’t try. (Actually, it was supposed to be
Sunday, but that early emailing snafu caught them off guard so they’re
starting a day early. Hooray!)

By the way, you can also get almost-as-great rates through a travel
agent or over the phone (800-369-6867), but the price rises to $599
(Wed, Fri, Sun) and $699 (twice daily), respectively.

Interestingly, there’s no advance purchase requirement whatsoever on
these fares. If you call Sunday, you could conceivably buy a ticket
for $599 that leaves the very next day, Monday Sept 15. There’s a
minimum stay requirement of five days, and a maximum stay of one month
(which for some reason is halved to a max 15 days if you purchase the
cheaper Web fares).

Otherwise, these are the most restrictive ticket imaginable: only open
to USA-based credit cards with USA billing addresses, no stopovers,
changes, or waitlists are permitted, and it’s non-refundable,
non-endorseable, and non-transferable. It’s also not an e-ticket, so
add in $14.95 for the S&H to send the paper tickets to you—and another
$65 in taxes, airport charges, and security fees.

For more information or—STARTING SATURDAY ONLY—bookings, call
800-369-6867 or visit www.airnewzealand.com/usa



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Qantas Airways Red Tail Fares: Lowest Fares in Years! Travel from Los
Angeles to Auckland for as Little as $299 Each Way, Based on Roundtrip
Purchase

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 17, 2003--Qantas Airways is now
offering incredible deals for a dream vacation in New Zealand. The
"Red Tail" fare sale offers special discounted fares from as low as
$299 each way, based on roundtrip purchase, for travel between Los
Angeles and Auckland.

Now is a perfect time to visit New Zealand, where spring is just
beginning and the fares are at an all time low. These prices represent
significant savings and are valid on select dates and flights.
Travelers wanting to take advantage of these offers must hurry and
book their travel by September 30, 2003.

"Qantas Airways now provides a frequent and flexible schedule to New
Zealand and we are offering these low fares in celebration of the two
additional flights we've recently inaugurated on this route," said
Howard Goldberg, Qantas Airways vice president marketing and leisure
sales, North America. "Based on increased passenger demand, Qantas
will be adding a 3rd additional flight to Auckland effective October
29th," he added.

All fares are available through a travel agent or through Qantas
online at www.qantasusa.com.

Tickets must be issued within 72 hours of confirmation of reservation,
but not later than September 30, 2003. Fares are valid for outbound
travel between September 19th and November 15th, 2003.

Travel must include a minimum stay of seven days and a maximum stay of
one month and must be completed by November 23, 2003. Stopovers are
not permitted with this special fare. USA addons are permitted; New
Zealand addons are not permitted.

Reservations must be confirmed at the time of ticketing and tickets
are non-refundable. Once ticketed, re-routing or re-booking is not
permitted. All fares are subject to change without notice, may not be
available on all services and other restrictions apply.

Prices do not include foreign airport and Transportation taxes of up
to approximately US$50, depending on destination, a Qantas insurance
charge of US$6.60, and US airport/security/Passenger Facility
Charges/September 11th Security Fee/departure and arrival charges of
up to approximately US$43, depending on city of departure.

For those planning to travel to Australia, Qantas is offering fares up
to 50% off. For reservations and additional information, contact your
travel agent or Qantas Airways at 800-227-4500