I'm used to doing domestic flights - I think I have booked and paid for thirty over the past few years for four different people.

But - my blood pressure went up just a little bit and I had to get on Skype to a friend overseas for support when I braved the Internet to look at Sydney to Rome.

Has anyone over here done this at all?

Will I have to get on the 'phone or worse, drive down to the Mall and perch up on a kitchen stool at Flight Centre? I always feel six year old doing that.

Hi Leslie,

If you have a truly, truly simple and uncomplicated trip plan (i.e. in and out of the same place) you could look at www.bestflights.com.au or www.jetabroad.com.au. They both have specials and take on-line bookings.

Personally, I like to go to my faithful, creative travel agent who has an over-view of the whole airline company thing and can make various suggestions for price, connections and itineraries which "fit". He/she suggests airlines other than Singapore and Malaysian Airlines (they seem to be the popular choice these days!) which are often cheaper and take me to places other than Singapore and KL as stopovers.
I get print outs of the exact itineraries of various companies/flights/standover times etc and then can take them home, study the situation and decide in my own time. I know who my money is going to, get receipts etc and have the feeling of security of dealing with someone face to face.

Next year we are travelling Qantas to Hong Kong and then connecting to Swiss Air for Zurich and on to Geneva, giving us the chance to go to somewhere different - and it's cheaper than Singapore or Malaysian. My agent spent a long time making sure we got exactly what suited us best and we are really happy with the outcome.

I think the cheapest flight around (if price is what you're basing choice on and it's always a factor for us!), then ask about the Finnair flights to Europe via Asia and Helsinki for AUD$1,500 plus taxes of about AUD$280. Apparently, the connection from Narita (Tokyo)is very good with good new planes but the connections through Bangkok and Singapore are on old war horses!

I wouldn't go and perch on one of those Flight Centre stools if you paid me. Not only do I feel very conspicuous but I hate the supermarket, mass market approach. If I'm going to spend my kids' inheritance on flights from Australia to Europe I want to do it with a modicum of style - and that's not Flight Centre!!!

I always do cheap flights, train/bus travel and accommodation in Europe on the web after doing massive amounts of research (I love it every moment of the hunt!) but with car rental and international flights I stick with my agent as added security.
Without the back up of a travel agent you're on your own in matters where the bucks are BIG!

Get in the car and go find a great travel agent - it'll be worth the effort.

Valda (best of luck!)

I'm with Valda! I love all the research related to a trip & am confident to make most arrangements myself, but for international flights from Aus I like the security & backup of a good local travel agent. Ask around your area, perhaps visit a couple of agents & sound them out. (Ours was initially recommended by a Trafalgar rep at a travel fair!) If they don't listen to you & want to take over completely - they're not the one you need. It amy take a few visits, but I think it's worth it in the long run.

Good luck!

We travelled Melbourne, LA, New York with Qantas / American Airlines in May. Then Aer Lingus from New York to Dublin, to Paris. Paris to London BA, then back onto Qantas from London to Melbourne. My flight was FF and we booked my flight first and Flight Centre booked my husbands flights to match. We had studied the different alliance flights and could ask Qantas FF customer service staff about them. It took a few calls before someone was willing to look further than Qantas flights.
My husband travels for business a lot and he has found a travel agent in Flight Centre he likes and who finds the best fares. He has even followed her from Melbourne to Bendigo - all done on the phone. She made sure that we had seats together even though she hadn't booked my fare.
We would have booked my FF flights on the internet but the website couldn't do the multiple flights around the world.

Ok, I had the oddest time today. I went in to Harvey World Travel to speak to someone in person and now that it is all over, and I have calmed down - it was a hoot.

I should have checked for a hidden camera. Maybe it will end up on youtube.

She wasn't really too keen to see us. Perhaps I should have worn the tiara instead of the blue jeans. She wasn't keen to offer us a seat.

She started the conversation by telling us abruptly, twice, in case I was slow, that she couldn't give us a written quote, only a verbal one. When I looked surprized she explained that she did a lot of work for a written quote, then people went upstairs and got a cheaper quote with them.

Then it got worse. She wasn't happy about getting up off her chair and getting Alessandro a brochure on Dubai. She couldn't get me any domestic flights from Canberra to Sydney without making quite a fuss about it. She tried to have me land in Dubai at 11.35 at night, and sit there for ten or twelve hours. That's all there is - she said.

We couldn't be told how much the taxes for the Emirates flight were, she assured me twice that she simply didn't know. It would be a few hundred dollars. And in case I hadn't heard her before - she couldn't give me a written quote.

There were no prices for the overnight in Dubai either, they didn't exist in the brochure - she said. Funny, Alessandro turned the page and there they were. While he was excitedly looking at them, I looked at her. She picked up a phamphlet on Surfers Paradise up at the Gold Coast and started studying it.

She hurried us away in the end as a customer was due back and she hadn't done the work yet for him.

Oh dear!

So I came home, got a cup of tea, picked up the phone and called Flight Centre. They of the high bar stools, in the centre of the mall. Hello, I'm Laura, said my sweet as pie and very helpful new travel agent. Yes, how ARE you? Oh, Italy - how exciting for you? Do you speak any Italian? Do you have some relatives there.

Yes, I can get you connecting flights, no problem. Dubai? Yes, I just stayed there. Can I have your email address to do you a quote? I'll do it after work tonight. No, it's no trouble....

Such a nice, helpful person! Her name is Laura. She works at Flight Centre at the Tuggeranong Hyperdome mall.

She gives service with a jolly big smile. She made my afternoon. I feel better now.

I always use an agency for overseas and prefer to fly with Singapore Airlines.

For domestic flights, I use the internet and try my FF points first.

Elly

Hi Leslie

I lived in Canberra for over 10 years until recently and have used (and continue to do so actually!) a fantastic travel agent. STA travel (yes I thought it was just for students too) in Garema Place. Michelle Pilloni is excellent and I couldn't recommend her highly enough.

We usually went the Qantas/BA option from
Australia although tried to avoid it but it was generally the cheapest especially if we flew in and out of different cities. My husband has flown JAL with stopover in Japan which is good.