Flights to New Zealand: Plan Smarter, Not Cheaper

Flights to New Zealand: Plan Smarter not Cheaper

When booking flights to New Zealand, you can't afford to be lazy. For many people, it's a long and tiring journey that crosses multiple time zones and involves a long layover and multiple connections. Simply booking the most economical flight is a good way to guarantee a long, annoying, and exhausting journey to New Zealand.

A good flight is about the entire journey not about the price. When booking flights to New Zealand you should be looking at the timing of the departure, the number and quality of connection, the design of the airport, baggage restrictions, arrival city, and relevance of a stopover. A small price premium for an itinerary with optimal connections could save you a painful layover in an inconvenient location or protect you from a potential missed connection.

It is reasonable to say that an economical flight is better as long as the itinerary is sensible. The point here is simply that the headline price of the ticket is not the only thing that you pay for.

The Lowest Fare Is Often a False Economy

When flights to New Zealand operate multiple times a day, search engines sort result by the price of the ticket and encourage travelers to think of cost first. This approach may be convenient, but it is ultimately insufficient.

There are a number of things that may increase the overall cost of something that is advertised as the cheapest option. Connection times that are too long may require multiple stops and too many individual tickets. Some tickets may also require a change of airports or have too restrictive a baggage limit. Most of these things are not deal breakers individually, but can easily make a poor itinerary. One connection is generally preferable to several. For a first connection, a flight ticket that costs more, is actually possibly a better deal. Consider that a first flight being delayed reallt could separate the bags and passengers. A ticket with fewer connections also likely has fewer tickets that could be potentially separated. While people justify a long and difficult itinerary to themselves, by saying that it is worth doing for one day, it actually isn't. The effects long haul flights have on concentration, patience, and energy may not show up until reaching the destination. If your first stop on landing in New Zealand is going to be a long drive, multiple connections and flight tickets, an outdoor activity, or any other activity that may be exhausting. A ticket that seems cheap, may actually have a significant cost of time that can not be recovered. It is actually more important to look at how much convenience will cost you, rather than looking at how much the ticket is. Most people won't need to justify why it was cheaper. When choosing a flight to New Zealand, you should consider the entire itinerary. Avoid long and difficult itineraries with multiple connections just to save a bit of money. It is generally not worth it. Auckland is the first port of call for most visitors, making it a good choice for travelers starting a trip in the North Island or using New Zealand as a stopover for other travel. For a trip focused on the South Island, travelers should consider starting in Christchurch. Depending on the season and other travel plans, other overseas flight options may be more convenient. It is often suggested that travelers choose the airport with the lowest fare and book the rest of the trip later. It is not great advice for a country where the two main islands are far apart and a trip that includes many hours of driving may be unavoidable. A domestic flight might actually increase overall travel costs. For travelers who want to spend time in Queenstown, Mt Cook, West Coast, and Canterbury, travel plans arriving in Christchurch should be compared with travel plans arriving in Auckland. The travel plan arriving in Auckland may even be cheaper, but that shouldn't be the deciding factor in choosing one plan over the other. Travelers who want to spend time on the North Island, including Auckland, Rotorua, Wellington, and the Bay of Plenty, may want to arrange travel so that they first arrive in the North Island instead of arriving in New Zealand and traveling to the South Island. Open-jaw domestic flights should be booked separately because these will allow travelers to avoid backing out of New Zealand to take a flight out of a different city. It is more expensive, but for long routes, one purchase may save several days. Better yet, it makes the route feel like a journey instead of a sleep-deprived, looping adventure caused by airline booking policies. Limited time travelers often consider it a worthy expense to avoid the long, returning drive. A single good connection can be better than multiple inexpensive connections. When considering the numerous nonstop flight options, connections out of many departure places are unavoidable. In this case, the connection is the most significant factor. Most of the time, the best connection isn't the shortest possible layover time, but rather enough time to be flexible, in a manageable airport with a single booking. A connection that is only efficient as a result of short time between flights, may not be so efficient after all. A short connection may leave little time for gate runs, security, and international immigration. A connection that is very long may leave you exhausted and uncomfortable. A connection in flight itineraries for New Zealand is an investment in a flexible booking. This is especially the case when the booking includes a domestic flight or flexible booking is less available. A connection that is perfect but relies on a lot of timing to arrive at your cross-continental flight in the same airport is not efficient;

it is rigid. When there is a choice, a single booking itinerary is preferable to multiple booking itineraries to save money. Separate tickets are useful if you want to design flexibility into a trip. For instance, if you booked a flight from point A to B, and then want to spend more than the legally allocated time for a stopover in B, you may wish to buy your tickets to B as separate transactions. Likewise, if a flight from B to C will take several stops, and you want to spend more than the legally allocated time in B, you will probably want to book your flights to C as separate transactions. Separate tickets also mean that if there is a delay in taking a first leg flight, the other airlines are under no obligation to accommodate you. You may have to purchase and recheck your bags, take care of your own transits, and meet the requirements of the transit country.

The counterargument is fair. Separate tickets can sometimes save a lot of money. If the savings are great, the plan can sometimes be justified, assuming there are very long layovers, lots of flexibility, and an understanding of baggage arrangements. It is certainly not a casual shortcut.

Stopovers Should Improve Travel, Not Just Lower Costs

A stopover can make flights to New Zealand a lot better. While the journey is a big enough ask for any traveller, a stopover can mean easier connection and even the chance for a break to re-energize. A stopover can make trips less stressful and more enjoyable when they are intentional.

There is a significant distinction between a planned stopover and an unintentional layover. A planned stopover can redeem tedious travel. An unplanned layover is also, at best, a waste of time and, at worst, a financial loss. A planned stopover can turn an overnight layover into a short holiday. An unplanned layover means an uncomfortable trip.

When traveling through major Asian, North American, or Middle Eastern countries, take the time to look beyond advertised airline prices and connection length. Consider the local time, the departure time of the connecting flight, how the terminals are arranged, and whether you might realistically be able to rest. An afternoon break is nice, but can disrupt your ability to sleep on the following night sector. An airport hotel is an option, but only if the connection time is long enough to justify checking in and checking out. Don't artificially create a connection because it seems more sophisticated. If you are only taking a short trip to New Zealand, the most direct route may still be the best route. The goal is to get to New Zealand quickly and easily to be in the best possible state to enjoy the trip. Timing is important, usually more important than most fare alerts suggest. Fare alerts are helpful because they provide deals direct to your inbox. However, passengers become obsessed with the fares and the day that the deal drops. The focus should be on the dates of your trip and how the fares work with your trip, not on the fares that are the best deals. Getting the best fare on your departure date may become a deal with the rest of your trip, i.e. losing a day at your destination, arriving before your lodging is available, or needing to do an uncomfortable transfer. Think about how your departure time impacts your journey. Arriving in the morning of a long journey may mean a full day before you have the chance to rest. Arriving later allows you to go straight to lodging, eat and rest. Neither arrival scenario is always the best. The right option really depends on if you are staying close to the airport, picking up a car, meeting a tour, or connecting further. Don’t plan on doing anything too demanding straight after landing. New Zealand is known for road trips, hiking, and other travel related activities; however, they are best enjoyed with a rest. Make sure to take the first day slowly, especially if you are planning on driving. An easy first evening is a good way to recover and avoid exhaustion. The timing of travel also plays a role here. Never plan too tight of a connection, and always be aware of Mother Nature, because serious delays are always a possibility when dealing with air travel. That being said, the busy seasons are the best times to travel so luxury travel is not out of reach. Having the Ability to Adjust is Key Not all economy class fares are the same. Before booking flights to New Zealand, check what the fare actually gets you. Baggage allowance, seat selection, cancellation rights, meals, fees, and whether the fare is even changeable are all factors to consider. A low fare can end up costing you more. Baggage is especially important because travel to New Zealand is known for varied activities and unpredictable weather. Passengers need clothing for cities, beaches, warm or cold areas, or regions prone to rain, depending on their itinerary and the season. Being realistic when comparing prices, however, means looking at the baggage policy. Packing as much as you want doesn't mean you should, but it is something to consider when looking at ticket prices. Being realistic applies to seat selection as well. Whenever possible, passengers should take advantage of aisle seating, but on especially long flights, it may be worth the extra money to sit with friends and/or family. Expensive add-ons should still be avoided. Spending money on something practical is always the better option. Keep changes rules in mind as well. Restrictive tickets can be good especially if there is a large price drop and an even larger time commitment involved. But, if things that are needed to complete the trip are not known or reliant on things that cannot be predicted, then a flexible ticket should be used. The cheapest ticket is the one that is used how it was intended to be used. When planning to travel domestically after landing in New Zealand, the biggest mistake travelers make is booking an independent, domestic ticket that is too close to their international arrival. There are many things that happen after landing that may take longer than expected, including delays, baggage collection, border processes and changes to terminals that may take longer than expected, plus the fatigue that may come from traveling for a prolonged period of time. The airline is more likely to assist with the booking of the domestic flight if it is a part of the same booking as the international flight. If it is a booking that is separate consider increasing the tidbit separating the flights or take an overnight break. This may sound cautious, but it is way better than missing a domestic flight and having to book alternative, expensive and stressful, options for the first part of your trip. This same reasoning applies to rental cars, ferries, tours, and accommodation. Try to avoid booking plans that rely completely on a perfect international flight. A well-thought out travel itinerary for New Zealand has flexibility built in. It allows for an appropriate amount of time to clear customs, eat, recharge devices, collect items needed for the trip, and adapt if the journey does not exactly go to plan. Start using the flight comparison sites to see the air routes and some general price ranges and then start making your own judgment. Don't let them do all the work, once you find an itinerary that looks good, check out the times and prices for each leg of the flight and see if they match or are less expensive on the airline's website. If you are able to depart from a range of different airports, do that and look at the best combinations for open jaw tickets. Try different combinations of days if you have the flexibility. However, try to avoid the longer searches for a better price. There is no perfect price, just a price that you will have to live with that meets your priority. The shortlist that you make should include different price ranges. For example, the cheapest possible trip, the simplest route, and the trip with the best times to depart and arrive. Assess how much each of these itineraries costs, and then you can decide if a small upgrade is worth it. That is a much stronger decision process than reflexively selecting the lowest number or assuming that the most expensive option is always the more comfortable choice. A New Standard for Flights to New Zealand There are many intricate factors that contribute to the way you should think about booking your flights to New Zealand. It is tempting to look for the cheapest option. However, it is also important to consider the right arrival city, the optimal number of connections, the time needed to safely connect, conditions and flexibility of the fare, and the plan to account for the long-haul journey and resulting fatigue. The best value is not always the cheapest. A slightly higher priced ticket may be a better value because it eliminates unnecessary connections, avoids 'backtracking' between the various island groups, or allows you to rest before driving. The best value may also be the lowest priced ticket if it has a direct routing, adequate baggage, and a good arrival time. The best way to book your flights should be with the same consideration you would other booking aspects. New Zealand is well worth arriving in good shape. A well booked flight gets the journey off to a good start and booked before you even see the sight outside the terminal.