Airline Tickets to New Zealand: How to Book Smarter, Not Cheaper

There's a good reason why travelers don't choose the cheapest fare when purchasing air tickets to New Zealand. Long-haul travel to New Zealand means long connections and many travel components that need to be planned. Many of these travel elements can be as important as price. You run the risk of saving money on travel, but losing when you purchase an air ticket that forces an awkward overnight layover, has baggage limits that don't allow you to pack the bags you need for a multi-season itinerary, or gives you a non-refundable ticket. The smart way to buy an air ticket to New Zealand is to plan your trip to New Zealand around your air ticket purchase, not the other way around. If you're flexible with your travel dates, New Zealand's weather is particularly unpredictable, and you want to combine multiple travel activities like driving, crossing ferries, and/ or taking domestic flights, then being flexible with your ticket price may be beneficial. Instead of focusing on price, think of ticketing flexibility like change and cancellation fees, multi-city flights that let you visit more than one NZ region, and flexible layover times. Time is a significant part of travel planning and connections are often unavoidable. A minor travel hiccup may affect airport check-in, reservations, and travel plans many hours away from your destination. Leisure travel planning from the beginning is crucial to a smooth and stress-free travel experience. A lower headline fare may seem like the travel bargain of the century, but proceed with caution. Restrictive tickets are often sold at lower prices. The ticket may require a self-transfer between two separate bookings. The travel itinerary may include long connections, have a flight time that leaves a traveler exhausted and forced to collect a rental car or begin the next leg of the travel journey. There are many feedbacks that may seem like inconvenient trade-offs, but may affect the travel experience. Traveling to New Zealand is a big commitment and requires a considerable amount of travel time. Price is important and should be evaluated as the total cost. This means looking at the total amount the traveler owes. This is comprised of the total price of the ticket, baggage and seat selection fees, airport hotel and meals during a layover, and the potential costs to change the travel itinerary. It is still possible that a travel offer seems like a great deal, but it loses value to the overall travel experience. All the advice suggesting “always book the cheapest flight” is terrible advice. It is important to realize that buying a ticket is more than a fare. Part of the travel planning is understanding the conditions of the ticket, which includes understanding the terms of the contract associated with the purchase of the ticket. There is no travel day of the week that offers below market prices. At best, flexibility in dates offers more opportunity to buy travel tickets for below market value. There are a number of reasons that cause fare fluctuations. These include demand, remaining fare inventory, booking class inventory, competition on a given route, and fare rules. Someone who says booking one day results in the best fare is just spreading a comforting myth, not a useful tip. Flexibility with the travel dates can really work and can produce some serious benefits. If you have the flexibility, don't just search for a fare between two given days. Search for a wide variety of departure and return days and see what works out cheapest and offers the best routing. Sometimes this can even mean a fare that is lower and a route that is shorter. For travel to New Zealand, you should really considering being flexible in your dates for international travel. Consider what happens when you land. If your trip hinges on a rental, an activity, a domestic flight, or a meeting with friends, a land-buffer can be more important than shaving a few bucks from the fare. Don't think it is a waste to build some flex time into your travel plans because that can save you from super expensive and annoying last minute changes. Be truthful to yourself and honest with your travel expectations. Travelers can get super flexible with their dates just to book a cheap fare, then discover that an awesome airfare doesn't really matter if the travel dates won't accommodate your plans. New Zealand has vary different conditions around the country based not just on seasonal changes, but changes in the weather, especially if your travel plans are outdoors. Fares that are low because of a particularly bad travel window may actually cost you more in the long run. Pick routes you accept, then find travel dates that work with that route flexibility.

Routing

Routing is where cheap flight tickets quickly become expensive in terms of time, energy and risk. Trade-offs are inevitable when taking long trips. It may be that there are no direct flights from your departure point, and one connection is perfectly fine. It is not the connecting that is an issue, it is the poor connections that one accepts without question.

A good itinerary has three main characteristics: they are on one ticket if possible, there ought to be realistic connection times and they need to get you to New Zealand in a state that supports the first days of the trip. It is worth booking one ticket over many, since in the case that the first flight is delayed, one would have more chance of a good connection than if each ticket was booked independently. The savings that are perceived may quickly disappear if a new ticket has to be booked.

Self-transfers are safe if the traveler has long enough time between flights and knows what they are doing. There are unknowns such as border control and baggage that also need to be dealt with. One should not assume a self-transfer is a good deal. Certainly not if it is a tight self-transfer before a long haul flight to New Zealand, as the consequences extend the length of the trip.

How long is a connection? That is a call based on experience.

Short connections are subject to delays, gate changes, queueing and long walks through terminal Connections that are too long can save money, but are effectively a day wasted on what could be New Zealand. The right compromise comes down to how long you're willing to wait in the connection (or in different airports if your luggage isn't checked through), and whether your tickets are from a single airport. If you want to expend the least amount of effort, somebody with a rigid event would benefit more from larger buffer zones over somebody with an open schedule.

Don't make the mistake of overlooking the arrival airport because one option is cheaper. The best option is based on how far the trip is. If you have to take a long and cheap flight, the savings can be completely wasted because of the time and cost required to fly to a more strategic starting place. Open-jaw tickets are worth looking at for people traveling one way to New Zealand. Because it's a one way trip, using a ticket that has you arriving to one place in New Zealand and leaving from another can be a good way to eliminate all the backtracking you'd otherwise have to do.

Travellers Ignore Fare Rules At Their Own Risk

When potentially buying tickets, do not make the mistake of not checking the fare rules, as you would the price. At the very least, you should know if the ticket is flexible with changes and can be cancelled, how much it would cost to change the ticket and if a difference in fare would affect the cost, whether baggage is included, and if the different segments of your ticket are on different airlines. These things are not important to only cautious travelers. They are the factors that come into play when the real world intrudes on plans. When traveling long distances, flexibility of change is crucial. A schedule can change for any number of reasons like work conflicts, family emergencies, or health concerns. Even if a fare allows change, the traveler may have to pay the difference between the original fare and the fare for the new schedule. This can be a significant amount of money. Remember, “changeable” does not mean “change for free.” Look at the fine print, and be careful about assumptions. Refundability is important to consider as well. In some cases, travelers decide to take the hit of buying a non-refundable ticket if the savings is significant and the travel dates are fixed. The mistake is buying the non-refundable ticket without understanding what that actually means. Simply put, if a travel itinerary stays the same, why take the risk of not being able to recoup the money spent on a ticket? Consider buying travel insurance, but remember it is still a less-than-ideal solution to reading the fine print yourself. When traveling, be careful about advice that says to simply pack light. Packing as lightly as possible is a great idea for most trips. However, this does not apply to trips to New Zealand that include a variety of travel activities within a range of weather conditions that include a hiking trip and a long stay. Compare all rules on baggage weight, dimensions, and potential costs for changing baggage once you arrive on your trip. If you need to get luggage, a fare with luggage included can be the better deal than a bare-bones fare with luggage included as an add-on.

Travel agency websites and fare comparison sites perform a service by offering price information and vacation package options that help travelers understand price trends. However, for international trips, booking directly with the airline allows travelers to get in touch more easily with staff to work out scheduling changes.

I am not saying that travel agents or online travel agencies are always bad. If a reputable agents is booked, they can be very helpful, especially with complicated itineraries. The problem here is accountability, especially with flight delays and cancellations. If an airline cancels a flight, travelers who used an agency to make their booking will have no alternative but to go through that agency and deal with the AGENT and the agency to get a refund. This can significantly slow down the process and create unnecessary stress, especially when travel is already heavily disrupted.

Travel bookings should be researched on comparison sites, but purchasing should be done on the airline's website since the direct pricing is usually very similar. Again, booking through an agency is risky, especially with price differentiators that can be significant. In the end, a good deal that brings little or no real support to travelers is not worth the hassle in the case of disruptive travel.

Separate bookings of individual tickets, are great aren't they? That's why they are also great money savers. Great, unless you have an emergency and have to rearrange your travel plans. In those cases, they become some real hassle.

The first flight being delayed and the second flight being booked with a different airline means the second airline considers you a no-show. Checked baggage will have to be picked up and rechecked. The exact journey dictates the requirements that will have to be met, and they may vary, and there may be additional requirements. These are operational facts and should not be taken lightly. Performing a self-transfer requires a significant time buffer to account for potential delays in baggage collection, changing terminals, and check-in timing. In some instances, it is preferable to include an overnight layover. If the transfer is long and/or if the journey as a whole is particularly important, it is prudent to have extra funds on hand in case a replacement booking needs to be purchased. While it should never be the goal, the aim is to build a travel plan that does not collapse after one typical delay. Defending a tight self-transfer with the argument 'flights are usually on time' is a poor justification. Long-haul travel should be planned for the days travel does not go smoothly. Discipline is required when accruing and using points. Award redemption flights can be extremely punishing on travelers due to connections or travel dates. It is important to consider the entire itinerary and factor in taxes, fees, and other costs that cannot be avoided. Higher loyalty status can generate considerable savings in time and money for disrupted travel in regards to seat selection, lounge access during a long connection, and priority service during travel disruptions. But just because an itinerary has a status benefit does not mean it should be the selected itinerary if it is a suboptimal one. Sensible routing and flexible fare rules are greater benefits than status points or keeping cabin loyalty.

Likewise, if you would not have selected the ticket at all, then don't be fooled into paying more for a ticket just because you would earn more points with it. Rewards should not be the main motivation behind a purchase if it is for a bad itinerary.

Plan the Return Flight Now

A common mistake is to focus on the outbound flight and save the return for later. This is particularly a mistake for New Zealand since most itineraries for New Zealand include many different stops. The return airport should be the last location of the trip. A cheap return from the wrong location can lead to an awkward final day.

The cheapest of the three fare options (round trip, multi-city, and open jaw) should be selected. There is no one best option of the three. Let's say the best option of the three is the open jaw multi-city ticket, then that provides flexibility for travel within New Zealand. A slight increase in price is justified over a bad itinerary since it provides additional flexibility and time.

Always provide some time flexibility for the international departure. Weather, road conditions, changes to domestic flights, disruptions to ferry schedules, and delays can all affect the last day of travel to be a very tight one.

It is an oversimplification to imagine that everything will line up perfectly when purchasing an international ticket.

A Smarter Booking Process

The method to purchase airline tickets to New Zealand is more systematic than obsessive. First, determine the desired travel window based on the type of trip. Second, perform a flexible search to compare itinerary totality instead of just the fare, Third, decide if a return, multi-city, or open-jaw itinerary fits the route best. Fourth, review the buying conditions, including bags, changes, and cancellations. Finally, review the itinerary and booking details thoroughly and keep the itinerary and fare rules for future reference.

Once the ticket is purchased, don’t lose your mind over an obsessive search for price drops. Chasing price drops may become an exhausting obsession, and the drops do not necessarily indicate a poor purchase decision. What matters is whether the booking fulfills the purpose of the trip: correct name, valid documents, the right bags, reasonable connections, and sufficient flexibility.

Airline tickets to New Zealand should be judged on the quality of service they provide, even if a ticket was the best price. The right fare may be the best fare, but only if the connection is secure and the routing is sensible. Travelers will be less stressed and will have a full holiday if they spent freely on tickets with flexible connections aligned with their New Zealand plans.