question about flight to Auckland

[here2cruise]

we booked our cruise to New Zealand/Australia January 2009 and are wondering how long the flight will be to Auckland from San Francisco? Also, is the flight from Syndey to San Francisco about the same length?

[Stuartm]

The direct flight from Sydney to Los Angeles is about 13.5 hours, so SF to Auckland would be maybe an hour less. You can check the airline timetables on the internet but you have to be able to calculate the time difference. Coming back from Australia to the US I think you get home before you left!:D

[Pam in CA]

This is a case where you might want to check on Princess air. There aren't a lot of ways you can be routed and often, their open-jaw prices are better than booking independently.

 

Here's a link to a website where you can calculate the time difference: http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/

 

Here's another link to another page on the same site that gives you the differences in hours: http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/difference.html?p1=137

[jannandjohn]

we booked our cruise to New Zealand/Australia January 2009 and are wondering how long the flight will be to Auckland from San Francisco? Also, is the flight from Syndey to San Francisco about the same length?

 

it's 3 hrs from Sydney to Auckland, and 10.5 hrs from Auckland to San Fran

plus the time spent between connections....

[chasetf]

This is a case where you might want to check on Princess air. There aren't a lot of ways you can be routed and often, their open-jaw prices are better than booking independently.

I disagree. Look seriously at booking independently. We did LA to Sydney, then Auckland to Fiji, and finally Fiji to LA. It was a significant savings over the cruise air. We did a pre and post cruise stay so did not have to pay any deviation fees. The additional cost to stop over in Fiji was about $100-150 so we enjoyed an additional five days in Fiji for very little additional airfare cost on the was home. Fiji is a place we probably would not fly to exclusively, so it was a great opportunity to see it.

 

We also booked Auckland to Queenstown, Queenstown to Auckland for a post cruise in New Zealand.

 

So pencil it out both ways and you may find more flexibility (get to pick your route, airline) as well as cost savings. I would also add a recommendation for Qantas airline.

[kenexx]

The flight times out of the Amadeus res system are:

AKL LAX is 11:50 on a 744

AKL SFO is 12:15 on a 777

Hope that helps :)

Maurice

[jannandjohn]

it's 3 hrs from Sydney to Auckland, and 10.5 hrs from Auckland to San Fran.....sorry I had my Sanfrans mixed up with my L.A'S

plus the time spent between connections....

OOPS

[nomorework]

It is about 12 hours LA to Auckland, so about the same direct the SF

[Globaliser]

we ... are wondering how long the flight will be to Auckland from San Francisco? Also, is the flight from Syndey to San Francisco about the same length?

Currently, scheduled times San Francisco to Auckland are 13:10 or 13:15 (Air New Zealand, 777).

 

Auckland to San Francisco is scheduled at 12:15.

 

San Francisco to Sydney is currently scheduled between 14:30 and 14:40 (Qantas and United Airlines, 747).

 

Sydney to San Francisco is scheduled between 13:15 and 13:30.

 

This reflects the longer distance to/from Sydney (900 miles extra), and the partially-compensating factor of the 747 flying that route.

[Pam in CA]

So pencil it out both ways and you may find more flexibility (get to pick your route, airline) as well as cost savings. I would also add a recommendation for Qantas airline.

I agree... check everything out and do your research. Because many of my cruises involve long flights with open-jaw routing and I usually go Business Class, I book cruise air and then have until final payment to get the best rate and book that.

 

I've had a couple of experiences where Princess air was substantially less-expensive which is why I think it's worth checking out or using as a last-resort rather than dismissing out of hand. Last year, I was booking air for my November cruise and when I looked at airfare in February, it didn't look too bad but I hated to book that far in advance since I was preparing to move and needed my money to fix up my condo for sale. Then, I forgot about it for several months and by the time I realized I had to get on the ball, the exact same flights (booked on my own) had doubled in price. So, I went with the Princess air which was about what I would have paid if I'd booked last February. Surprisingly, these were the exact same flights that I'd looked at doing independently and if I'd booked on my own, would have paid a lot more. The other instance was booking air for my upcoming Sapphire cruise in April with a one-way air from LAX to Sydney. Last April, people on my roll call had found a great flight and price on Hawaiian Air so I booked it. We have one stop in Honolulu. My sister and BIL booked Princess air and imagine my surprise when their cost was $1k less (for Business Class) and they have a direct flight from LAX to Sydney with no stops.

 

So, the bottom line is to do your research and make the choice that's best for you. Don't just arbitrarily dismiss Princess air but consider it in your calculations.

 

As for stopping in Fiji, etc. along the way, we're going to most of those places on our 31 days back to LA and we're going to be gone five weeks as it is so staying an extra day or two somewhere doesn't appeal to me. Perhaps to others.