Question re flights from US to NZ

[Ana&Steve]

For the domestic you could try fly.com to see the cheapest flights...I like
Southwest but I don't think they have a DC/LA flight.

[TJH]

Air NZ is one of the best long haul carriers I have been on. Exceptional service on the ground and in air that is hard to beat. I have flown Korean Air long-haul as well, and while they were also better than US domestic, they were nothing compared to Air NZ. The Economy Class on the LAX to Auckland flight is better than most US domestic First Class flights.

[Hagabel]

Thank you for the replies guys. I have gathered Air New Zealand!!
Did you guys book domestic flights separately from the international or together? I am getting horrible layovers in LAX in between flights of 4-6 hrs!

[SueDonim]

I think layovers are a necessary evil. Plus 1) you want to allow for your domestic flight to be late, 2) international check-in takes longer, and 3) the longer your layover, the less likely your bags don't make it.

3) is not fail-safe though. Mine got lost on transfer from US Air to Air NZ at YVR despite a 5 hour layover.

I booked straight through so I wouldn't have to re-check bags (and as I used Star Alliance miles....)

[TJH]

I have usually broke the flights up into 2 days and spent the night in LA. You can get 4-star hotels near the airport thru priceline.com for less than $85. It makes the jet lag in NZ a lot better than going straight thru.

[bluesky]

I'd always recommend including the domestic leg on the same booking as the international one. That way it's the airlines responsibility if you miss the international flight. If you do it on seperate bookings and miss your flight, you're screwed.

The downside could possibly be cost, as it tends to knock out the budget carriers, but often they are no cheaper anyway, they just give the impression of cheapness through poor service. It's probably better to book through an agent or by calling the airline through, because for some reason online booking systems seem to really struggle with connecting flights, and charge you ludicrous fares.

[James 1077]

You should always try and book the flights together. If you are "through ticketed" then you are the airline's responsibility from the start of your first flight. So any delays, cancellations etc don't need to worry you. If you book a domestic flight and then an international and the domestic is cancelled so you miss the international then you will have to pay for a whole new international flight!

[Hagabel]

Wow, didn't know that. Ok thanks. Will book together.
My older son (almost 6) has been looking at world map we have up on the wall and already knows where England (we are both from there) and America are and now can point out New Zealand.."far far away" as he says it.
Just about sums it up.
Thanks a lot.

[TJH]

Make sure you check to see if booking a ticket together is cost effective. When we made out initial move, it was about $350 USD cheaper per person to buy a ticket directly from Air NZ from LAX to Auckland and a seperate US domestic to LAX ticket thru an internet discount site than it was to book the ticket all at once.

We spent a portion of that savings on staying a day/night in LA and getting a good night sleep in a good hotel and allowing for any baggage and flight delays (if they occured we had over a day and half of time to make the Auckland flight) before making the Auckland flight.

In the end, even with the stop in LA, we still saved a lot of money. Of course this was highly dependent on the time of year of our flights, discounts Air NZ was offering, and our original start point of travel.

Bottom line, is check all of your options as you might be able to save a ton of money with a stop in LA - especially if you have more people in your travel party.