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Post by chris on Jan 12, 2016 15:20:35 GMT 7
If Darwin. What's the quickest turnaround time eg within 24 to 48 hours.
If Cairns. Would you fly to Darwin, then purchase or book Jet Star to Cairns? Singapore Airlines does offer a direct flight which would be around $1400 AUD, round trip, at current exchange rates, Full service of course, meals and baggage allowance, and the connections are more convenient.
I'm sure we have members with plenty of experience on these routes.
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Post by mulloway on Jan 12, 2016 20:38:24 GMT 7
Philippine Airlines does direct flights between Cairns and Manila ....
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Post by chris on Jan 13, 2016 9:09:18 GMT 7
Philippine Airlines does direct flights between Cairns and Manila .... Correct. Singapore/Silk Air and PAL are top of the range.
How about cheaper options with more creative connections.
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Post by mulloway on Jan 13, 2016 9:31:10 GMT 7
You could use your $25 pension voucher to get the train from cairns to brisbane, then from brisbane/gold coast get a cheaper flight to the Philippines.
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Post by scallywag on Jan 13, 2016 10:50:26 GMT 7
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Post by chris on Jan 22, 2016 19:10:05 GMT 7
How about Jet Star?
They do have such routes. How about some anecdotal experience with the connections.
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Post by Banjo on Jan 23, 2016 8:12:45 GMT 7
A couple of years back when we were all doing 13 week returns to reset portability you would have been inundated with options Chris but very few, if any, are making the three or four times a year trip now. All I can suggest is that you google search for the cheap flights and subscribe to the airlines websites for promotion alerts by email and book well in advance. The budget airlines aren't much cheaper than the mainstream guys if you book a few days ahead.
You may have to reconsider living in Cairns if you plan to travel back to the Philippines regularly, Sydney and Brisbane are probably more likely to get good flight deals. If you plan on working you would be looking at a wider job market as well.
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Post by chris on Jan 23, 2016 18:52:31 GMT 7
A couple of years back when we were all doing 13 week returns to reset portability you would have been inundated with options Chris but very few, if any, are making the three or four times a year trip now. All I can suggest is that you google search for the cheap flights and subscribe to the airlines websites for promotion alerts by email and book well in advance. The budget airlines aren't much cheaper than the mainstream guys if you book a few days ahead. You may have to reconsider living in Cairns if you plan to travel back to the Philippines regularly, Sydney and Brisbane are probably more likely to get good flight deals. If you plan on working you would be looking at a wider job market as well. Doing 24 months in Cairns Banjo. But bringing equipment like bikes and etc. Singapore Airlines has the best connections with full allowances.
If I do finish the 24 months will consider other options.
You are saying I guess, that you might score a "cheaper" flight on a mainstream airline if you get the timing right and you are lucky. Is that what you meant?
The other thing is the budget airlines have some horrendous layover/waiting times, trying to avoid that also.
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Post by Banjo on Jan 24, 2016 8:31:45 GMT 7
The experience of members here seems to have been that the cheapest way to fly is to book budget airlines well in advance and put up with the inconveniences, we've all slept on airport carpets at some stage. For mainstream airlines I used to work the travel agents as well as watch online, average prices for Adelaide/Bangkok return used to be about $1000-1200 but $800 came up regularly if you watched for it. Most travel agent will match online prices, but not for El Cheapo airlines.
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Post by Denis-NFA on Jan 28, 2016 8:41:50 GMT 7
How about Jet Star? They do have such routes. How about some anecdotal experience with the connections. chris, I'm a bit late to this and my experience was back in 2012 and 2013 when I flew Manila to Cairns (August 2012) and then Cairns to Manila (August 2013). Jetstar only do 3 (maybe 4 ?) flights per week on that Manila-Darwin route but it is only 4.5 hours or thereabouts. But they don't do Darwin-Cairns! When I went I booked Virgin to Cairns but it meant flying Darwin-Brisbane then change to Virgin Brisbane-Cairns. When I came back in 2013 I had checked it out a bit better and flew Cairns-Darwin with Quantas then Jetstar Darwin-Manila. But both going and coming back there was waiting time at Darwin Airport and I tell you I would much rather wait in Singapore or KL airports than Darwin but if you don't mind sitting and doing nothing for a while then Darwin is okay. Just very small in comparison. Just throwing this in as outside the square a bit but 2013 there were a couple of Chinese Airlines scheduling flights from somewhere in mainland China direct to Cairns. No idea if they are still doing it, check Cairns Airport site for their names and originating Chinese departure points, but you might get a flight from either Clark or Manila to get you to China. Worst part about layovers or changing airlines is when you have baggage because you have to load it on a trolley and 'drag' it around with you. No doubt you know this but if you do get on a direct flight make sure you sit on an aisle seat or at least know how to exercise in place. Had a mate years and years ago that went on a holiday with his wife to New Z and on the return he got, is it an embolism(?), and he was gaga from then on. Make you cry. All the best.
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Post by Banjo on Jan 28, 2016 8:52:54 GMT 7
Part of the problem is the ridiculous price of all domestic travel in Australia, a couple of years ago I checked out long distance/interstate bus fares and was stunned at the cost. You get one free/cheap trip on the train each year as a member mentioned earlier.
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Post by Denis-NFA on Jan 28, 2016 9:38:04 GMT 7
Part of the problem is the ridiculous price of all domestic travel in Australia, a couple of years ago I checked out long distance/interstate bus fares and was stunned at the cost. You get one free/cheap trip on the train each year as a member mentioned earlier. I know what you mean about bus cost Banjo. I took a trip with Greyhound (?) from Perth to Exmouth back in January 2011 to visit one of my old uncles up there and from memory it cost me about $300-400 pension discount, return! Supposed to be prior Christmas 2010 but they had major flooding up around Geraldton and everything was deferred till about mid Jan 2011. But I happened to check out the price a few months ago and that same trip was at least double if not triple or more of what I paid back in 2010. And 'they' wonder why some of us want to live in a South East Asian country with some dignity! PS The reason I rechecked the bus cost was because of Ningaloo Reef near Exmouth where the whale sharks are. For anyone that wanted to swim with whale sharks it would be far cheaper to jump a plane from anywhere in Australia and get to Cebu then bus down to Oslob on Cebu Island.
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Post by Denis-NFA on Jan 28, 2016 10:17:13 GMT 7
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Post by chris on Feb 28, 2016 18:36:09 GMT 7
Did more research.
Tiger Air to the Gold Coast or Perth from Manila is the best deal. with the best connections. around $500 AUD in both cases,
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