Expedia Flights can be a time-saving tool when you want to analyze departure options for routes, times, airlines, and fares. Expedia is not the fastest way to get the “best deal” as they may show low fares at the top. New Zealand is a long way away so the best flight is often the one that minimizes time and disruption while providing the flexibility and baggage you need.
The point is, treat Expedia flights as a sensible comparison site, not as the lowest fare click to book site. A cheap itinerary that has two long layovers and a rigid ticket with no checked bag may be more expensive in extra stress time and lost vacation than a slightly higher fare that has a better itinerary. This is especially relevant for New Zealand where a lot of travelers have long, multiple leg flights with limited routing and a planned tight onward travel itinerary.
Why Expedia Flights Work Well for New Zealand Trip Planning
New Zealand is a destination where flight planning should not be an afterthought. A traveler may be flying into Auckland to start a North Island tour, and then flying into Christchurch to start a trip around the South Island, or flying into Wellington for a city-focused trip.
The arrival airport can make or break a holiday. It factors into where you pick up your rental, driving routes, the number of internal flights you’ll need, and even how much you’ll spend driving back to pick up a rental at the same airport.
Expedia Flights simplifies the hunt. Instead of searching each individual flight path, you can see many routes at once. Each traveler knows which carriers and routes of flights tend to be fastest, at least in terms of travel time. Expedia Flights is great when multiple travelers try booking the same flights, which usually means a headache in terms of availability. The tool of widest search can help you decide to traverse the more complicated paths if the trade off means taking a better itinerary.
The more you search, the more it can help you realize that it’s worth the added travel time and connections to forego a poorly optimized itinerary. You can save yourself a bad surprise if the itinerary makes you book an overnight stay at the airport. Expedia Flights shines most when helping travelers plan trips that may go on for weeks. It helps travelers strike the balance between booking a poorly planned trip and a depleted savings account.
The biggest mistake is assuming all of the best deals can be found on the site with the lowest fares.
A fare is more than just a number. It encompasses a myriad of conditions that potential customers should be aware of before committing to a booking. Conditions include the length of time it takes to complete the journey, whether the planned airport transfers are practical, what happens if the traveler has to adapt their travel plans once they book their tickets, etc.
A lower fare may seem like a good deal, but it may include a long layover, an overnight flight, and inflexible fare rules. That fare would be a good deal for a traveler that is flexible and has a carry-on bag. That fare would be a bad deal for families and travelers that have bulky items (e.g. large backpacks) and travelers that are planning to conduct a self-drive holiday. That fare would also be a bad deal for all travelers that plan to connect to a flight within New Zealand.
Let’s say there are two similarly priced itineraries, and they have opposing attributes. One itinerary is cheaper, but you have to make a long layover, you will arrive quite late, and the other itinerary will get you to your destination in a more reasonable time, and you will arrive early enough to get your rental car and get to your accommodations. If you were to go on a New Zealand trip that had a short timeframe, you would spend money on the more expensive itinerary. A holiday day is not free, just because it does not cost money on your airfare receipt.
Traditional advice fails in this area. “Always book the cheapest flight” sounds very frugal, but it does not consider the “real” cost. A traveler ends up incurring the “real” cost if they have to stay in an airport hotel because they arrived too late to get a rental car and drive to their accommodations, or they arrived too late and missed the activity they were looking forward to.
Expedia Flights can show you great deals on flights, but you have to see if those deals work within the context of your whole trip.
Establish a Good New Zealand Airport Strategy
Decide on your New Zealand itinerary before you start searching. Auckland is a common international airport for the North Island. Christchurch is a good spot for a South Island trip. Wellington is a good airport for the lower North Island and for itineraries with city time and onward travel. The airport you find first does not determine your route, but rather the logic of your travel.
Flexibility is important when you are booking flight tickets for an open jaw strategy (travel beginning in one city and ending in another). You need to see how the flow of a road trip can be reduced with minimal back and forth rather than returning to the city you originally traveled to. For example, fly into one gateway and leave from another if your trip crosses both islands.
Expedia Flights makes it easy to search flights as it allows you to be flexible with your airport combination, rather than treating a flight to one city as a complete trip. Keep the logic of your road trip in mind when deciding rather than just the fares. A dirt-cheap return flight to the same city may not save you money in the end if it means you have to take an unnecessary flight to get to your destination.
Don't overthink your airport strategy just to save a few dollars with no real benefit .
An open jaw itinerary is convenient. However, it need not always be the case. If the departure airport is hard to reach or the price difference is worth it, taking a more conventional return flight routing is better. The recommendable thing to do in this situation is to consider both scenarios. Review both itineraries against the total trip.
Long Layovers Aren’t Always Cheaper
When booking long haul flights to New Zealand, one should be wary of layover times. Although short layovers might look optimized, the best paper allows for the worst case scenario. It may take time for folks to recover after a long flight and adjust for time zone changes, gate changes, long walks, baggage transfers, multiple security checks, etc.
An excessively long layover may turn the travel day into an endurance test. It should be worth it if the saving is significant, and if the traveler intends on visiting the connecting city. However, it should be a conscious decision rather than an accidental consequence of an unintentional search order.
When using Expedia Flights, be sure to check the total journey time, and the duration for each segment. If it is a connecting flight, check the flight listing. It is possible for an itinerary that has a connection to be booked, but in reality, it could entail multiple connections in a single day. Multiple connections are economical, but they also have a higher risk of fatigue and a higher chance of baggage being lost.
While some folks claim that the itinerary with the least connections should be used, this isn’t always the right choice.
It is oversimplified to say that shorter connections are better. Joint ventures for which travel requires a considerable long-haul flight are frequently more stressful with an overly tight connection. For the most part, a balanced connection is best—long enough to be practical, short enough to not take up the entire day.
Read Fare Conditions Before You Pay
Expedia Flights does a good job showing potential fares, but it is the fare conditions that determine the responsible booking decision. Before you pay, review baggage allowances, change rules, cancellation policies, seat selection and anything else that pertains to your booking. These details are not small print. These may increase or even eliminate the fare you had budgeted.
In New Zealand, baggage may be as important as the fare. Travelers may be taking a longer trip. They may have sports equipment or other gear that takes up a lot of space. A fare that seems to be the best deal may not include enough checked luggage. When luggage is added to the fare, the difference may not even be a deal.
The flexibility to change dates may also be important. There may be many reasons travel dates need to change. It may be company or family related, or it may be due to delays or changes in personal plans. A fare that looks to be a good deal may not have the flexibility of travel dates and be the best fare. It may not be as travel dates you have booked are not refundable and changes may cause a lot of trouble.
Telling travelers to pay a little more for flexibility is too broad of an answer.
Whether flexible fares are worth it depends on price and how much you’ll have to pay to cancel or change travel plans. The correct rule is to be disciplined. Once you choose the lower fare, you need to understand the risk you’re taking. You’ll need to understand the trade-off later.
Building your flight around the entirety of your holiday really matters, and that’s something Expedia doesn’t seem to understand. You should really consider the length of time, the route, and the important dates of your holiday. First you should consider what other bookings you have. For example, if you’re taking a cruise or have booked a domestic flight or have a boring guided hike, you should really try to pick an international flight that leaves some wiggle room. Don’t leave it booked super tight, or you’ll either have to take avoidable risk or book it super confident.
For self-drive travel, the time you arrive makes a big difference along with your airport choice. It’s not a relaxing start to a New Zealand holiday if you land and then sleep least have a stressful drive. It’s always better to allow some rest or start the holiday the right way with nice and easy travel days.
Don’t book international flights thinking the connection to a domestic flight is seamless just because they’re booked together. Pay attention to timing and how the flights are booked. And be aware of your responsibilities if baggage is booked separately because you might have to take more responsibility to get the first flight on time.
That doesn’t mean separate tickets are always bad. There are sometimes better prices or more convenient options. It just means there is more risk involved.
How to Search Expedia Flights More Intelligently
Expedia Flights searches require iterative thought. Perform an obvious search, and then consider reasonable alternatives. Search for dates that are a bit more flexible. Consider alternative airports in New Zealand for arrival and departure. Also consider return versus multi-city and open-jaw tickets as these may be better in terms of cost and/or convenience.
After you click the first search result, you need to think about what you are actually getting. Consider the total travel time and the number of connections and total travel time. What is the total cost if everything goes wrong? If the total cost is low, connections may be short and you could even miss your next booking. Also, you may end up with hefty baggage fees.
It is also advisable to maintain focus during the booking process. A lot of tools for booking enable comparisons to a fault. Searchers become obsessed with perfect deals, but they don’t actually exist. It is usually best to settle on an option that is practical, economical, and sensible.
When Booking Direct May Still Be Worth Considering
Using Expedia Flights is not a reason to never consider booking directly with the airline.
To understand the market, start with utilizing Expedia Flights. Compare the final itinerary, conditions, and total costs with the airline. This is not being unfaithful to the booking platform, this is simply being rational.
There are legitimate reasons to book directly with the airline, but this is often not the case, unless direct interactions, personal loyalty, specific service, and disruptions are major concerns. Expedia Flights may be the more convenient option if the terms are acceptable, the itinerary works, and the overall booking experience is better, compared to the competition.
The main difference is comparison vs. commitment. Expedia Flights is great for comparison of routes to New Zealand. The final commitment should only be made after reviewing all of the airlines, all of the included flights, the journey rules, and the conditions.
A Better Standard for New Zealand Airfare Value
The lowest price for an Expedia Flights booking does not always translate to the best deal for your New Zealand vacation. Flexible travel dates with short layover times often win over the most flexible ticket in the end.
Shopping for the lowest price airfare is not the only consideration.
Vacations to New Zealand can be expensive. That's because most trips involve a lot of travel time and meticulously planned routes. One wrong first day can mean losing a lot of time or money on an irretrievable experience. Saving a couple bucks on a flight is not a real deal unless the rest of the vacation is compromised.
The best way to get the vacation you want at the price you need is to go with the itinerary that will give you the time and flexibility you traveled for, not the itinerary that will cost you the least. Expedia Flights makes it easy to search and compare prices and get the vacation you want at the price you need.
This vacation to New Zealand really is the most affordable vacation you can get when you use Expedia Flights. The price you get with them is the best price you will get anywhere.
