Return flights to South America from Sydney

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Dougo

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Hi

I'm planning a trip to South America in late December / early January 2011 and plan to be away at least a month. I want to fly into Buenos Aires, tho' I don't mind if I stop over at Santiago as I can go to other sites on the west coast of the continent from there.

Does anyone have any idea of whether or not airfares are likely to go on sale soon? I must admit I haven't taken a lot of notice about airfares to this part of the world before. I'd prefer Qantas if possible.

I also understand that there is a Pacific Circle (?) fare that could get me to Sth America as well as airpasses once I'm there. I'd appreciate some advice about those too if you can help.

Thanks
 
Hi

I'm planning a trip to South America in late December / early January 2011 and plan to be away at least a month. I want to fly into Buenos Aires, tho' I don't mind if I stop over at Santiago as I can go to other sites on the west coast of the continent from there.

Does anyone have any idea of whether or not airfares are likely to go on sale soon? I must admit I haven't taken a lot of notice about airfares to this part of the world before. I'd prefer Qantas if possible.

I also understand that there is a Pacific Circle (?) fare that could get me to Sth America as well as airpasses once I'm there. I'd appreciate some advice about those too if you can help.

Thanks

It's high season, so you won't find a "cheap" fare. Not sure if you'll find a sale soon, but I expect Christmas/New Year fares would be excluded from that based on previous experience on that route - it's always busy and booked out a fair way in advance. Depending on where you want to go in South America, the best bet is to buy a LAN airpass. Fairly straight forward (must fly from Oz on a OW carrier, which you'll be doing - minimum 3 internal sectors in SA) - you'll need to contact Qantas/LAN (or a travel agent) to arrange it though as you can't buy them online.
 
depending on how successful you are in finding a really cheap fare SYD-AKL, you may find that two tickets (with AKL-SCL-EZE a separate ticket) would save you some $$.

Happy wandering


Fred
 
Thanks for your responses so far. I know travel around Christmas time always takes a skyward price hike, but I can live in hope - lol.

I was talking to a person from a large agency based in WA this morning and she indicated that I should look for some sale fares to Sth America in a few weeks time. I had no idea if that would be wasting my time and therefore any of the cheaper seats disappearing in the meantime, or whether she had some reasonably accurate information, hence my post to the flight gurus !!

Thanks Fred for the suggestion about looking for travel from NZ, hadn;t thought of that. I did think of Tahiti to Santiago but is seems like it would take about 3 flights from Tahiti to EZE if I went that route....I'd rather be on the ground exploring than seeing the inside of a plane !!

Speaking of planes, I read on a thread that the SC for Qantas flights to EZE (or maybe it was SCL) was around the 500 mark - did I read that wrong???
 
Thanks for your responses so far. I know travel around Christmas time always takes a skyward price hike, but I can live in hope - lol.

I was talking to a person from a large agency based in WA this morning and she indicated that I should look for some sale fares to Sth America in a few weeks time. I had no idea if that would be wasting my time and therefore any of the cheaper seats disappearing in the meantime, or whether she had some reasonably accurate information, hence my post to the flight gurus !!

Thanks Fred for the suggestion about looking for travel from NZ, hadn;t thought of that. I did think of Tahiti to Santiago but is seems like it would take about 3 flights from Tahiti to EZE if I went that route....I'd rather be on the ground exploring than seeing the inside of a plane !!

Speaking of planes, I read on a thread that the SC for Qantas flights to EZE (or maybe it was SCL) was around the 500 mark - did I read that wrong???

Well the Travel Expo is on this weekend in Perth at the convention centre, and they usually run some flight specials as part of that, so you never know. I'm planning to wander along for an hour tomorrow to check it out.

Tahiti-Santiago means a stop at Easter Island on the way on LAN. Definitely worth the layover for a few days if your schedule allows for it! Amazing place!
 
Thanks for your help DrA.

We'd love to go to Easter Island but have plans for Galapagos too as well as Machu Pichu, Iguazu Falls so I'm not sure that our budget will stretch a whole lot further....as much we we'd like it to.
 
The SYD-AKL-Santiago-EZE run is a very long trip, I have to say. I think it took me around 22 hours on one occasion (with a layover in Santiago). The direct SYD-EZE flights on QF are not only much quicker, but much easier from which to recover (as well as effectively giving you an extra day in saved travel time).

You're no doubt aware of the new entry fee to Argentina for Australians? This is apparently per entry (i.e. no multiple entry allowance), and at over $100, things like the day trip from Buenos Aires to Colonia in Uruguay would not be worth it.

I think flights into Iguazú tend to be internal Argentine flights (LAN Argentina is preferable to Aerolineas), and on the Brazilian side, flights into Fos de Iguassu (e.g. TAM) tend to connect into the Brazilian domestic market. At least, this was the case 12 months ago.

I would definitely recommend staying on the Argentine side, and can recommend a great hotel in Puerto Iguazú (PM me if you want details / pics of Iguazú).
 
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You're no doubt aware of the new entry fee to Argentina for Australians? This is apparently per entry (i.e. no multiple entry allowance), and at over $100, things like the day trip from Buenos Aires to Colonia in Uruguay would not be worth it.

I think flights into Iguazú tend to be internal Argentine flights (LAN Argentina is preferable to Aerolineas), and on the Brazilian side, flights into Fos de Iguassu (e.g. TAM) tend to connect into the Brazilian domestic market. At least, this was the case 12 months ago.

I would definitely recommend staying on the Argentine side, and can recommend a great hotel in Puerto Iguazú (PM me if you want details / pics of Iguazú).

Yes I was aware of the new entry fee to Argentina but I wasn't aware that it was per entry, so that changes things a bit - luckily our itinerary is only a rough draft at the moment so it can easily be changed to accommodate this, otherwise we'd be up for a $300 each !!!

Yes, I'd definitely like to have any recommendations you have and take a look at your photos too.


And Fred, I just did a check of prices from Auckland to SCL rtn and also to Auckland to EZE rtn and they work out at about $AUD 2,600 and $AUD2,900 pp respectively including taxes for departure date 27th Dec 10 and retn on 28 Jan 2011. Just got to find a cheap rtn flight to Auckland !

Thanks for the help everyone.
 
Thanks for your help DrA.

We'd love to go to Easter Island but have plans for Galapagos too as well as Machu Pichu, Iguazu Falls so I'm not sure that our budget will stretch a whole lot further....as much we we'd like it to.

I did the Galapagos and Machu Picchu (hiked the Inca Trail) thing last year. Most amazing trip of my life - particularly the Galapagos. It's so untouched and unspoiled and the wildlife is just jawdropping. You'll love it :)

Easter Island is actually relatively cheap - once you get there - it's the flights that kill the budget because LAN is the only carrier on that route and charge accordingly. There's lots of mum and dad type b&b's for about $20 a night though. And you can get around the island on your own without a guide. It's pretty small, and you can hire a bicycle or even walk to most places. Worth a look if you can manage it, but if not, the Galapagos and MP will definitely make up for it!
 
Thanks for that infor DrA - very interesting and useful info.

I'll keep trying various routes and carriers to see what I can come up with.
 
You're no doubt aware of the new entry fee to Argentina for Australians? This is apparently per entry (i.e. no multiple entry allowance), and at over $100, things like the day trip from Buenos Aires to Colonia in Uruguay would not be worth it.

.

The entry fee is only collected at EZE at present. Day trips to Colonia will not be affected.
 
Thanks Auriga

who knows?? By the time we get there it may have changed again...just gotta go with the flow....
 
I booked a return airfare from CBR to EZE for around $1500 last november for travel in April-May this year.

The international component was around $1369 i think. This was also on Qantas, which is fine, but Aerolineas Argentinas seems to offer the cheapest fares generally followed by LAN and then Qantas. If you do fly on LAN or Qantas you can book a South America Airpass. For my flights in Argentina though, the ticket was no cheaper, but i can make changes for free to the flight sectors i've booked or change the flight sectors and use the credit etc.

As also stated the reciprocal fee of $100 is only payable at EZE. Unfortunately for Australians our choices of International arrival points are limited to EZE and SCL which both chrage the reciprocal fee. Apparently the way the americans avoid it now is to fly straight to Mendoza or cross via land.
 
Your alternative is fly via LAX then on LA or MX to Peru or MEX then choose another entry point (or some other combo, eg. DL or AA elsewhere into Sth America.)

Much further, but can probably manage it for near the same price.

There is no way i would voluntarily fly on Aerolineas Argentinas.....
 
Your alternative is fly via LAX then on LA or MX to Peru or MEX then choose another entry point (or some other combo, eg. DL or AA elsewhere into Sth America.)

Much further, but can probably manage it for near the same price.

There is no way i would voluntarily fly on Aerolineas Argentinas.....

Agreed, thats why i'm flying Qantas and LAN Argentina internally :) I got the Qantas fare at Aerolineas prices though :)
 
Bah! Typed out a whole essay and it didn't submit! :confused:
Don't you hate it when that happens????


Anyways, I've been to Sth America a couple times in the last 2 years with another trip coming up in Mar/Apr. As a whole the continent is pretty cheap but then I can only really speak for Easter Is, Peru and Argentina.

Easter Is is amazing but yes only LAN services the place (from Tahiti and Santiago). I did this as part of a OW Circle Pacific fare but as there is no OW service from AKL-ppt (Tahiti) I had to make my own way there; ended up flying via Cook Islands using Air Rarotonga and Air Tahiti Nui!

LIM was the second "stop" on the continent under OW Circle Pacific rules; never really got out to see the city though, just used as connection point to Cusco. Your options there are TACA or LAN Peru. I knew about the OW Sth America Airpass but neglected to organise this before the arrival ticketing deadline. Didn't really end up out of pocket as there were some reasonably cheap domestic fares; flew LIM-CUZ-JUL//CUZ-LIM. MP is amazing just like the 9d hike to get there. If you are that way inclined and want to avoid the masses on the Inca Trail send me a PM and I'll pass on the details.

Argentina was done as a separate trip flying LAN on SYD-AKL-SCL-EZE-FTE vv. The flights to EZE take anywhere from 22 - over-30hrs depending on your connection in SCL. I'll be going back in Mar/Apr using the direct services of QF. Cheapest fares to get there have been around $1200-1300 mark but they've since long gone (since early Dec last yr). That's not to say these won't come back but chances are next to nothing. Yields across the board have improved markedly and all airlines have been steadily increasing their fares. The other option is to look at LAN ex-AKL; when I was looking at these you still ended up in front of a straight Aust-Sth America after factoring the flights to/from NZ.

Given the dates you are looking at though, it is the height of the peak season so economy fares are going to be at a premium. If your budget allows you may want to consider "upgrading" to a premium economy (on QF) or even business (on LAN); LAN business is being priced <$5k, very reasonable considering the flight times to Sth America vs Nth America are similar and business to Nth America is much more. Incidentally the LAN business product is very good with fully flat skybed seats.

Good luck and enjoy!
 
Low season in Argentina starts in March and ends in September so this is when you are going to find the cheapest flights. There is a short period in July when prices go up again due to the winter holidays.

Have fun!
 
FWIW, I have used (and recommend) this alternate route for those that want something more adventurous. It is almost a RTW trip though so you will need some time.

Fly Malaysian Airlines the entire way from SYD-KUL-JNB-CPT-EZE

You can break your journey in Kuala Lumpur, Johannesburg and Cape Town. I've done this routing as a personal wine tour - which means you get to visit Stellanbosch and Mendoza on the same trip. Great value, good airline - earns Velocity points the whole way.

NB. The whole journey flys just twice per week and I think you'd need to leave Sydney (or Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth) on a Tuesday or a Saturday.

Probably costs you an extra $1000 dollars when compared to the LAN/QF options, but I feel it is good value nonetheless.
 
If you are planning to visit other cities make sure you consider an airpass first. You'll pay a lot less for your flights. Check this before you buy your flight to Buenos Aires since the airpasses are only available when you arrive to South America with a certain airline.

You can read more about how to find a cheap flight to Buenos Aires at www.cheapflightbuenosaires.com. The site also has useful info on what regional air passes are available and how they work.

Cheap Flight to Buenos Aires
 
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Thanks so much for all of your responses - they have been great references for me when I've been scouring the net looking for deals. I have been busy since my last post and have trawled through the net looking for fares and trying to get some good prices on tours etc as well as flights.

Over the past week, I’ve more or less finalised our itinerary. We’re now going to fly SYD – SCL rtn with LAN but booked through Qantas departing 9th Dec ’10 and returning 26th Jan ‘11. This was a cheaper option that booking with LAN because the peak season in December for LAN starts before the QF high season. We have tickets held for us with QF flying via AUK for $2848 pp including taxes – LAN was just over $3K.

We’ve booked a tour for Machu Picchu and have an extra day at either end of that tour before flying to Quito where we’ll fly out for an 8 day Galapagos Island cruise. The cruise was 25% off and included flights from Quito to the Galapagos (Baltras I think) as well as a night pre and post cruise in Quito. From Quito we fly to Iguazu Falls and will probably have 3 nights there before heading to Buenos Aires for about 6 nights prior to our Antarctica cruise.

We looked at internal flights and the Air Pass, but it was cheaper by a couple of hundred dollars to book the published fare – go figure? As for sale fares, well they may be forthcoming but they may not, it’s hard to say so we’ll go ahead and pay for the flights as these flights (SYDN-SCL) are cheaper by about $400-500 than those we found about 2 weeks ago.

So all up, I think we did well. Thanks everyone for your input, we really appreciated it.
 
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