I'm looking at booking flights from the 28th of June till the 27th of July to go from Sydney to Frankfurt and I wouldn't mind staying somewhere for a day or two, wherever the stopover is.
The best I have been able to find so far is around ~$1700.
Last time I paid $1099 for the flight including a stopover in Bali, while I don't think I'll get that price again, something halfway in between would be nice!
Any ideas Ozbargainers?
Bali? o-o
I haven't heard of an airline that flies to Frankfurt from a Bali hub…?
Vietnam Airlines is $1450< with similar dates.
Indonesian airlines (Garuda, Lion, etc.) were banned from flying to Europe since 2007 due to safety concerns and didn't start again until 2010. Garuda fly Jakarta-Amsterdam via Dubai but that's about it for flights between Indonesia and Europe.
*Abu Dhabi (Dubai is no longer the transit hub for GA due to its partnership with Etihad)
It surprised me when OP said he flew SYD-DPS-FRA, as no airline has a hub at DPS AND flies to FRA. I don't think GA ever offered the route either - they did use to fly to FRA, but not DPS-FRA.
Saw $1367 on Vietnam Airlines for 27/6 - 23/7. Pretty good price. Should be able to add a stopover in Vietnam for just a little extra.
Catch a cheapie from Bali to Singapore (air asia, silk or scoot comes to mind) and then an economy to Frankfurt.
You'll get better deals out of a bigger hub - but give yourself plenty of connection time in case of delays to the first flight. Travel insurance wont cover a "no show" if you miss the 2nd flight.
A cheaper alternative might be Singapore to London via Frankfurt (as a stopover so you collect your bags) and dont bother getting on the FF-LON sector.
Check Kayak or ifly.net.au and use multi-city mode.
Once you find the flights you're happy with - print it out and take it to a travel agent (same day) to book, then if anything goes wrong during the trip they are still obligated to sort it out for you until you reach your final destination - a sort of travel insurance. Grab their business card and 24hr number.
Thanks guys, but just to clarify, it doesn't have to be Bali for a stopover, anywhere is fine. And if the stopover is a fair bit more expensive, I'm happy to forego it.
How do I see whether a flight is via Frankfurt? I tried adding that on Kayak, and the only flights that were Heathrow via Franfurt were about $1900.
I don't understand? In your first post, you said you wanted to fly from SYD to FRA, but now you're looking at flights via FRA? :S
If you want to go anywhere via FRA, then you'd have to fly Lufthansa (who don't fly to Australia, so you'd have to get to one of their destinations via a partner airline). There are a couple of fifth freedom routes via FRA, but none of them are helpful.
If you are referring to MITM's post, that is, if you just fly SIN-FRA and then get off, and ignore the FRA to LON leg, your whole ticket will be cancelled by the airline, so you'd have to buy a brand new ticket for your return.
Okay, thanks for the info, I'll definitely give that a miss then!
Some special one-way longhaul deals allow a stop-off in Europe (usually to connect with the regional onward flight).
For example Singapore to London, with a stopover in Frankfurt.
These deals would be more readily available from a hub such as Singapore.
Being a one-way ticket, missing the oneward sector to London has nil effect.
Many European airlines wouldd allow a stopover in Frankfurt.
The return is another search.
You could also try www.Flightfox for alternatives from experts.
If Bali isnt set in concrete, why not Thailand or even Singapore for your few days stopover.
I'm sorry, but I don't understand why you think SIN-FRA-LHR is a 'readily available' route. Only one airline flies that route, and that's (as previously stated)… Lufthansa. So I don't get your comment about 'many European airlines allowing stopover in Frankfurt' either. They don't. The only airline that offers this, is again…Lufthansa.
Travelling from SIN-FRA then missing FRA-LHR isn't 'nil effect,' either. Even if you booked a multi-destination - departing from MUC for your return for example, if it's under the one booking, the entire itinerary is cancelled. The only exception is if they're point to point airlines, or if you book with a completely different PNR.
Found on KAYAK (booking site Bravofly)$341 total
Saudi Airlines
Depart
Sat, 28 Jun SIN to FRA – 1 stop 28h 15m
This flight leaves on Saturday (28 Jun) and arrives on Sunday (29 Jun).
Saudia – Flights 839 8h 05m
Take-off Sat 17:00 SIN Singapore, Singapore
Landing Sat 20:05 RUH Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Economy | Boeing 777-200 (Wide-body Jet) | 8h 05m
Change planes
RUH Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
13h 30m
Saudia – Flights 179 6h 40m
Take-off Sun 9:35 RUH Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Landing Sun 15:15 FRA Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Spend a night in Saudi Arabia? You will probably need a visa for that if you are travelling on an Australian passport.
"Saudi Arabia is one of the most difficult places in the world to visit."
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/saudi-arabia/practical-informati…
From tripadvisor:
You DO NOT need a transit visa if staying for less than 18 hours layover in Riyadh, or any other Saudi City
Unconfirmed - Seek confirmation from Saudi website.
From KAYAK (booking site Expedia)
Phuket to Singapore (Lands 4 hours prior to Saudi Airlines departure)
Jetstar Asia: $59
Depart
Sat, 28 Jun HKT to SIN – non-stop 1h 55m
Jetstar Asia – Flights 534 1h 55m
Take-off Sat 9:45 HKT Phuket, Thailand
Landing Sat 12:40 SIN Singapore, Singapore
Airbus A320-100/200 (Narrow-body Jet) | 1h 55m
From KAYAK (booking site SCOOT) $469
Depart
Fri, 27 Jun SYD to SIN – non-stop 8h 10m
Scoot – Flights 1 8h 10m
Take-off Fri 12:50 SYD Sydney, NSW, Australia
Landing Fri 19:00 SIN Singapore, Singapore
Economy | Boeing 777-200 (Wide-body Jet) | 8h 10m | 4 seats remain
$469 Syd-Sin
$341 Sin-Fra
$810 Total Approx
+
1 night accom Singapore
1 night accom Riyadh
Hmm, I have to say that $341 fare is amazing, congratulations. However with the leg to SIN it comes up to $810 one way, which is not that much less than half his original price to beat of $1710. I did a search on Adioso for SYD-FRA return 1 month and there is an Air Vietnam fare for $1464.
http://adioso.com/au/sydney-au-to-frankfurt-de-june-28-for-a…
I have to say that I wouldn't look forward to spending 13.5 hours on a layover in RUH.
I'm not sure if it's the best idea to be trying to leapfrog across airlines when travelling to Europe. The problem is:
(1) Budget airlines - luggage issues
(2) Delays - If you don't make your connection, you are in trouble, especially if you have:
(3) Separate bookings/multiple airlines - so the one airline is not responsible to carry you though all the way, which means that if you miss your flight at whatever destination you're supposed to transit, you are (a) stuck and need to pay for a new ticket (b) are at the mercy of the airline.
(4) Luggage - some partner airlines allow interline baggage, but if you book with multiple airlines, you will have to get off the plane, wait for you bags, then re-check in, which might be an issue due to
(5)Visas - refer to above.
(6) Multiple transits - multiplies (2)-(6) by 2.
But I mean, if a couple of hundred outweighs all these factors, then by all means leapfrog, but I'm not sure if anyone is willing to add that much stress to the start/end of a holiday/travel.
I tend to agree with this. A single booking/ticket on a full service airline(meals + luggage) like Vietnam Airlines for $1300-$1400 sounds pretty attractive. Vietnam would make a good stopover too.
You could hold out for sales on Air Asia/Scoot/others and possibly get a better deal but I wouldn't be disappointed with the Vietnam option.
Agreed
Stop over in Dubai perhaps with Emirates? It's more direct than the Bali route.