Question re flights from US to NZ

[Hagabel]

I will be flying with my family (hubby and kids, 3 and 5) from DC to NZ later this yr for vacation to activate our PR. Any thoughts on the best airline and the best route to take, bearing in mind we have 2 young kids with us?
Yes, we will be going cattle class!
I flew to NZ 2 yrs ago and went via Korea(free flight with airmiles) and do not plan on redoing that route again! I flew Korean Airlines and whilst they were very good I know the kids would not eat any of the food offered.

[SueDonim]

I believe you have to fly from LAX or SFO in US, but don't forget Vancouver. I flew US Air

I think you will find lots of fans of Air NZ on the forum here. They have updated their planes in the last few years and have excellent service. Had an excellent bit of lamb. Who'da thunk it?

I flew Air NZ from YVR to AKL in November (business class) and was wowed by their service. Flew back on Singapore via Tokyo to LAX due to schedule conflict and have to admit I like Air NZ every bit as much as Singapore Air (which is saying a lot).

But if your kids won't eat Korean, I doubt they would like Japanese either.

Air NZ had a great sale from LAX last month, so are worth checking to see if they have anything running now.

[James 1077]

Air NZ are one of the world's best airlines nowadays so I would recommend them heartily!

My advice would be to not fly any US airline as far as possible - unfortunately you don't have much choice from DC other than to get across to LAX / SFO and then Air NZ from there!

[Millieandme]

I just heard from my sister-in-law in Houston that Continental is planning direct flights to Auckland so that might be another option. Although I do second James in that I have found Air NZ to be great and would pick them first if I could.

[auskiwi]

We are flying SFO to AKL (via LAX) in Aug and paid about $780 return on Air NZ...

[globetrecker]

We are flying SFO to AKL (via LAX) in Aug and paid about $780 return on Air NZ...

Wow! When did you purchase your tickets (and what website)??

[Manks]

We flew Air NZ from LAX for our recce last year, admittedly at the pointy end. It was fabulous. I can't comment on economy/coach as haven't sampled it yet (apart from domestic NZ - different again) but they get a great write up on the forum, and elsewhere in the industry to be fair.

I too would avoid any US airlines beyond domestic flights! With young kids you probably don't want to connect through Asia either - direct from the West Coast will work best. Therefore the other option is Qantas direct from LAX to AKL - although they tend to be a little bit more expensive than Air NZ.

[SueDonim]

I definitely would choose Air NZ over Qantas. My experience with Qantas has been ok, but not too different from a domestic US carrier.

[atuffchick]

Air New Zealand! Air New Zealand! Air New Zealand! Air New Zealand!

With a layover in LA (cheaper the San Fran). We got great tickets from Philly to Auckland for this coming flight and in the past I got a FANTASTIC ticket from Boston...

[auskiwi]

Globetrecker: We subscribe to the Air NZ website and they send us links periodically advertising special deals. Here is the link to their current $798 deal from SFO...bear in mind I am talking US$....Sale ends today apparently!

http://www.airnewzealand.com/new-zealand-on-sale