So for those of you who don't really care about comfort and want a cheap flight to Europe this is goodie!
Based on the comments below it looks like service for international flights is quite good!
Return flight to Amsterdam or Amsterdam
China Southern Airlines
Travel Period: 6 Feb-14 Nov 2012
Ex Melb $1079
Ex Sydney/Brisbane $1099
Ex Perth $1079
but i think service on southern china is very friendly and professional especially on international travel.
Agreed; the service was pretty good the one time I flew with them. China Southern is rated as a 4-star airline by Skytrax — the same rating as Qantas, Virgin Australia, Etihad, Emirates, BA, JAL, ANA, Thai, Swiss and Lufthansa: http://www.airlinequality.com/Airlines/CZ.htm
Very good to know this! I based my comments on relos who had flown with them domestically!
That's a different story =) Domestic flights are crap even on Cathay
I flew with them last year and the seats were fine. i'm about average size (100kg). no complaints about the flight (plus the ghanzou to paris was operated by air france, which was a bonus).
only thing was my flight had a 5 hour stop ni ghanzou, boring as bat sh*t that airport.
Edit: Sorry, I was mistaken.
do you mean Guangzhou?
Did you need a chinese transit Visa?
". i'm about average size (100kg)."
And I am below average @ 94 atleast before dinner
Don't be mean. He's just average boned.
Before dinner and after toilet, I'm also below avg about 93
didn't realize i had to be so precise, i'm around 94 to 97kg depending on last meal size and last visit to the loo (i was considering average size at 85kg to 110kg).
Xyron - yeah i meant Guangzhou.
sonicentropy - didn't need a transit visa. stayed in the airport for the whole time.
you eat 3kgs a meal? god…
I also want to agree with this, between China Southern and China Eastern, Southern is a far better airline. While I flew with them some years ago I didn't find their service all that different from Cathay Pacific.
I would have no hesitation flying with them in the future.
With China Southern, the older 777-200 planes have smaller seat - 3+4+3 config for economy class while standard is 2+5+2. That was for smaller Southern Chinese people. The new 330-200 planes have standard seat size 2+4+2, which are the same as all other airlines. The good thing is if you pay a little extra for premium economy, 777 actually use business class area to for premium economy. But 330 the premium seats are the same as economy seats with a little extra leg room and an extra tub of yogurt for breakfast.
Just double check which type of plane for a particular flight as they have two flights per day from Sydney to Guangzhou using different types of planes.
extra tub of yogurt!! classic
did i mention its Ski, not chinese yogurt? Feels so homey… They server more Aussie food and drinks than Qantas!!!
Edit: Sorry, I was mistaken.
u do that a lot
I have flew on China Southern Airline a few times in the past and have no complaints besides some disorderly passengers from mainland china. Quite often, the moment the plane is touched down, people just get up and grab their overhead belongings and when one person does it, the rest follow so it can be a chaos while the plane is still rolling on the tarmac!.
I think that's the same on any airline, regardless of country…even domestic flights to MEL are the same!
Yes that happens on every airline, every flight, worldwide. I do have to say that Ryanair is the worst, the boarding process is an out of body experience like no other. They should make it an Olympic sport, it's that competitive.
It'z bizzare, we're rolling along the tarmac and some guy is standing up.
"Your going where exactly?"
agree, china southern air is good, not bad at all
Wow, to get to Amsterdam, you gotta transit Guangzhou, Paris and then Amsterdam.
3 countries for the price of 1! BARGAIN! =P
Weird check this out.
Put sydney to amsterdam = $1140 via Guangzhou and Paris.
Put sydney to paris = $1336 via Guangzhou.
Looks like I am going to paris by booking the amsterdam tickets but not taking the last flight from Paris to Amsterdam :D
Your strategy is known as hidden-city ticketing; such pricing quirks are pretty common, as nonsensical as they might seem: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airline_booking_ploys#Hidden_Ci…
Just be aware that if you're thinking about booking a return ticket, often the rest of your ticket (including return flights) will be cancelled if you don't take the Paris-Amsterdam leg. So you might have to treat Paris as a stopover, and fly to Amsterdam and back again when it's time to return. Also be sure to find out what the final destination of any checked baggage will be; it's likely that it'll be sent straight to Amsterdam and you won't be able to collect it in Paris.
Hidden city ticketing occurs when a passenger disembarks an indirect flight at the connection node. Flight fares are subject to market forces, and therefore do not necessarily correlate to the distance flown. As a result, a flight between point A to point C, with a connection node at point B, might be cheaper than a flight between point A and point B. It is then possible to purchase a flight ticket from point A to point C, disembark at the connection node and discard the remaining coupons.
Using the hidden city tactic is usually possible only for one-way trips, as the airlines often cancel the subsequent parts of the trip once a traveller has disembarked. Also, it requires that the traveler have carry-on luggage only, as any checked baggage items will be unloaded only at the flight's final destination. Exceptions to this requirement are when re-entering a country where luggage must be processed by customs agents or when changing airports or train travel is involved in the flight ticket. This allows for a traveler to reclaim their luggage but before rechecking for their final destination, the traveler can simply leave the airport.
It also says "Stopovers are permitted in Guangzhou and your European gateway city."
so you can actually travel paris and amsterdam? =)
That's an extra saving of 30 EURs from Paris to Amsterdam flying Ryanair. Although China Southern will use KLM Air France between Paris and Amsterdam.
but how can u return from Paris as the return flight would be from Amsterdam->Sydney??!
sydney to amsterdam is 1076 on Zuji (for 14-25 Jun)
1103 for Paris.
Not sure if you can book a long stopover via Zuji website (like fly to Paris 14th, then last leg Paris-Amsterdam 22th, then Amsterdam-Sydney 25th for example) but may be possible via phone.
I don't recommend not flying last leg at all - this may result in loosing your return ticket.
You should be okay "missing" the Paris to Amsterdam flight, however you almost certainly must board the return leg in Amsterdam or they will treat it as a no-show and cancel.
This of course requires getting from Paris to Amsterdam somehow so the above suggestion to try to book a long stopover in Paris makes the most sense overall.
Wikipedia…blocked >.< Damn you SOPA
reload the wikipedia page and press escape before it completely loads. win.
A true ozbargainer :)
China southern has direct flights Guangzhou-Amsterdam on Tue/Thu/Sun (CZ307) and Ams-Guangzhou on mon/wed/fri (CZ308). They have a daily flight Ams-Guangzhou with stop in Beijing. If you're flexible with dates, you don't need to go via paris.
Have anyone got any experience with their Premium Economy Seat? and are there any powerpoints to charge phone or tablets?
I've flown MEL-CAN premium economy, and as above, the seats are the same width, just more legroom. Didn't attempt to find a powerpoint, so can't comment on that.
Umm am I blind? I can't see where it says 'return' looks one way to me :(
The wording is quite poor but if you use the search function, those prices come up as return tix
I find Bestflights deals quite misleading as they always state:
'Please note that all featured "from" prices are based on the lowest priced routing and can differ for each departure and arrival point determined by the taxes and surcharges.'
When you call them to actually get the price advertised (when it doesn,t come up in their site search query) they ask you to specify exact dates of flying. Depending on which dates you give them the prices can come up to over $1000 more than advertised even though you are flying to the exact zones and time periods specified.
Last year I tried to book a trip with a deal to Europe they advertised. The deal was advertised as $1699 with 1 stopover allowed. It was 3 months before I wanted to fly and I was very flexible with dates
The best price they could find for a variety of dates I gave them was $2599.
I ended up going with Korean Airlines where I got a flight for $1700 with a stopover in Seoul and an arrival in Paris and a departure from London :D
Just be careful I'm sure they have a few dates at this price but finding them is usually hugely difficult.
I tend to look on the website and then go to a travel agent with the details. prices are sometimes more cheaper and dates and times are more flexible.
My brother used Bestflights to go to Germany using China Air.
The airline made an unscheduled stop in a different Chinese city to what it was meant to, and all the passengers had to catch a DOMESTIC crappy Chinese airline to get them to another airport.
It was a horrible experience, apparently.
you mean china airlines or air china ? I flew Air China to Frankfurt from Sydney. The flight stopped in Shanghai from memory, you had to get off the flight, clear customs, then re clear security and get back on the same plane that turned into a domestic flight to Beijing.
Very few signs or on ground info.
Yeah, that that sounds similar to what he had to do. And it wasn't listed that it was going to stop in Shanghai on the itinerary.
"china airlines or air china"
Which one of the two is China Southern Airlines?
China Airlines is the flag carrier of Taiwan. Air China is the flag carrier of China. Then in China you also have China Eastern and China Souther - the three largest mainland chinese airlines.
@kctt - They are 3 different airlines
http://airchina.com.au/en/index.html
http://www.china-airlines.com/en/
and
http://www.flychinasouthern.com/ who this deal is with.
Had problems with Best Flights also. They put down Mrs Anthony instead of Mr on the documents after being inserted correctly by myself. Then wanted $200 to change the tickets for their mistake…. didn't pay it and took the chance but never again!
China southern is fine.. service is average.. food is pretty good ..
There is some debate weather you need a china transit visa $60, the embassy website are saying no, but Bestflights are saying yes. Reading some of the reviews I have read about delayed flights with china southern it may be a good idea (extended layover due to missed connections), I am booked on Bne to Paris in march $1150
my friend who was a travel agent up until recently says you'd need a china transit visa.
According to the chinese embassy stopovers under 12 hours (non beijing) you dont need a transit visa, but I have heard from flight center & bestflights you do need one, Maybe you have to change terminals because you do do change to a air france plane. Also do you need a single or double entry visa( for return trip) Double entry visa to china is $120.
Rang up China Southern Booking office in Brisbane 07-38605510 they confirmed if your connecting flight is the same day no transit visa is required.
Each city has a different policy in China.
Beijing for example, under 24 hours you don't need a transit visa if you do not want to leave the airport. You can however, leave the airport to go to the area where the airport hotels are located as long as you can show the ticket for your next sector out of China. The reality is, if you get to this section then you can go where you want and worst case play dumb. China is a fun place for things like that.
Shanghai, assuming you have an Australian passport you can have up to 48 hours.
Here is a blurb that sums this up
★Visa-free transit
1. Visas are not required of aliens who hold air tickets to the final destination and have booked seats on international airliners flying directly through China, and will stay in a transit city for less than 24 hours without leaving the airport.
2. Visas are not required of passport holders of the following countries, who transit through Pudong Airport or Hongqiao Airport of Shanghai, provided they hold valid passports, visas for the onward countries, final destination tickets and have booked seats, and stay in Shanghai for less than 48 hours : Republic of Korea, United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, France, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxemburg, Portugal, Spain, Italy, Austria, Greece, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Iceland.
Just checked Zuji.com.au and they have fares from Melbourne to Amsterdam on selected dates (eg Apr 5) for this special.
Just booked late Aug - Brisbane>Guangzhou (with one night stopover allowed) Guangzhou>Amsterdam.
Return late Oct out of Paris>Guangzhou (no stopover allowed. Only one per trip they said) Guangzhou>Sydney.
All China Southern - $1163 - deposit $165.
Higher airport taxes out of Paris pushed the cost up a little. Not a problem.
Couldn't get back into Brissy so will need an el cheapo flight up from Sydney.
Tks spaceangelz. Had seen it elsewhere yesterday but you pushed me to book.
I was going to book a return flight from Melb - Guangzhou - Shanghai and bestflight only allowed me 1 stopover.. so i enquire with an agent and show them the price and they organise 2 stop over @ guangzhou
How did you guys get these prices? Did you use the bestflights search to get ~$1000 Syd to Amsterdam?
use zuji.com.au and its gives a good layout to compare the dates/prices
Because I'm always stuffing up websearch and getting strange results as mentioned above, I phoned BestFlights and let the lass do all the searches. Took about 10 mins.
I am currently living in Amsterdam, anyone know if I can book these in reverse? Also, are the dates changeable or do you have to lock them in, otherwise paying a ticket change fee?
Also is it possible to extend the stopover in China to a few days? Thanks.
why don't you just search online at their website
Because their website is hideous.
did any one in here has ever seen the price that they advertised on this promotion?
I tried Melb-Paris in mid-July but it's coming back with $1900+?
try zuji.com.au
Zuji works a charm, thanks.
Thanks for the deal… Zuji was much easier to book. When I try to book it and the traveling time just shocks me.
Outbound:
Aircraft: 330 - Economy - 2 stops - Depart Terminal 2 - Total travel time: 32 hrs 50 mins
Inbound:
Aircraft: 737 - Economy - 2 stops - Arrive Terminal 2 - Total travel time: 40 hrs 30 mins
Holy cow! 40 hrs and 30 mins!!!! CRAZY!
I'm still having trouble finding these special fares. I want to go to either Amsterdam or Paris and can't find anything just above $1000. I even had a look at zuji and the best I could find to Amsterdam is $1,550 return. Is anyone able to help me find one for <$1,100 to Amsterdam in late June to July?
You won't find anything for just over $1000. It is the European summer and peak tourist season.
honestly, in my past experience, i never found the fare that they advertised, this is really weird
it sucks that airlines now seem to be charging fares for infants.the syd-amst flight was gonna be 450 bux b4 tax for my 6mnth old ..
Just been looking at hotels near Guangzhou Baiyun Airport for an overnight layover and came across this:
http://www.tripadvisor.com.au/Hotel_Review-g298555-d678359-R…
Reads the reviews and pray your China Southern flight isn't delayed.
Thanks to the original poster and to all the people recommending to book via ZUJI, the latter made it a breeze to find available days for this special.
Perth to Paris return during the European summer for $1083, wow! On an airline that includes luggage and food. I guess AirAsia is getting some stiff competition.
At first I was quite pleased to see that Air France operates the Guangzhou to Paris and return legs. Until I found that China Southern is actually rated much better when it comes to comfortable seats and friendly staff. Let's wait and see. The savings on this flight will pay for a new laptop that I can play with on the slightly lengthy layovers in Guangzhou.
I'd been waiting ages to see a good deal to Europe. Went via rewardscentral.com.au to earn points to book flights with Zuji. Tried joining the China Southern frequent flyer program on their website, but it kept failing to send me a verification code to join up. Tried joining with a partner airline, KLM - kept kicking me back to the home page after filling all my details, then I went to join it at Air france's site and it worked immediately, giving a frequent flyer number. I'm now booked for April (Easter weekend) to go to Paris from Brisbane for $1105 and $885 for my 2yr old. Although Zuji didn't give me an option to enter a frequent flyer number for my toddler, even though I could join her up with her own number at Air france's site. Thanks for posting this. Now I just need to find cheap onward flights to UK and a place to stay at Guangzhou during the international trade show frenzy, of which I'm hoping to attend while in Guangzhou.
Great deal. I just booked flights in late August to late September to Amsterdam for only $1097. This is probably the best time to go as the weather is still good and its just after the peak season (less crowded)
I was going to book through Zuji, but realised there is a 17 hour stop over in Guangzhou - pointless if you can't even leave the airport without a visa (about $200). So I decided to call up the airline and ask if there were any similar flights with shorter stop overs. They found one for the same date which was only a 7 hours stop over! I then got them to email me the details, then called up flight centre and got them to match it (which was the same price anyway).
The benefit of going through a travel agent is that they would be easier to deal with if something goes wrong with the flights, especially while you're in China. I find it a lot easier to deal with a fluent english speaking person. They also make things a lot more clearer and provide an easy to read flight itinerary etc.
i can understand the comfort may be in question. ie possibly smaller seats, but i think service on southern china is very friendly and professional especially on international travel.
and this is a good price… now im stuck on deciding asian via airasia or europe for southern airlines. =(