Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
11 Getting There
BY PLANE
Australia is a long, long haul from any-
where except New Zealand. Sydney is a
nearly 15-hour nonstop flight from Los
Angeles, longer if you come via Hon-
olulu. From the east coast, add 5
1
⁄
2
hours. If you're coming from the States
via Auckland, add transit time in New
Zealand plus another 3 hours for the
Auckland-Sydney leg. If you are com-
ing from the United Kingdom, brace
yourself for a flight of more or less 12
hours from London to Asia; then pos-
sibly a long day in transit, because
flights to Australia have a habit of arriv-
ing in Asia early in the morning and
departing around midnight; and finally
the 8- to 9-hour flight to Australia.
Sydney, Cairns, Melbourne, Bris-
bane, Adelaide, Darwin, and Perth are
all international gateways, but most
airlines fly only into Sydney, and a few
fly to Melbourne and Brisbane.
THE MAJOR CARRIERS
Here are toll-free reservations numbers
and websites for the major interna-
tional airlines serving Australia. The
“13” prefix in Australia means that the
number is charged at the cost of a local
call from anywhere in the country.
CARRIERS FLYING FROM
NORTH AMERICA
•
Air Canada
(
&
888/247-2262
in
the U.S. and Canada, 02/9286
8900 in Sydney, or 1300/655 757
from elsewhere in Australia; www.
aircanada.ca)
•
Air New Zealand
(
&
800/262-
1234
in the U.S., 310/615-1111
in the Los Angeles area, or 13 24
76 in Australia; in Canada: 800/
663-5494 for English, 800/799-
5494 for French, or 604/606-
0150 in Vancouver; www.airnew
zealand.com)
•
Qantas
(
&
800/227-4500
in the
U.S. and Canada or 13 13 13 in
Australia; www.qantas.com.au)
•
United Airlines
(
&
800/538-
2929
in the U.S. and Canada or
13 17 77 in Australia; www.ual.
com or www.united.ca)
CARRIERS FLYING FROM
THE UNITED KINGDOM
•
British Airways
(
&
0845/773
3377
in the U.K., 1800/626 747
in Ireland, or 1300/767 177 in
Australia; www.britishairways.com.
•
Cathay Pacific
(
&
020/8834
8888
in the U.K. or 13 17 47
in Australia; www.cathaypacific.
com/uk)
•
Malaysia Airlines
(
&
0870/607
9090
in the U.K. and Ireland or
13 26 27 in Australia; www.
malaysiaairlines.com.my or www.
malaysiaairlineseurope.com)
•
Qantas
(
&
0845/774 7767
in
the U.K. or 13 13 13 in Australia;
www.qantas.com.au)
•
Singapore Airlines
(
&
0870/608
8886
in the U.K. or 13 10 11 in
Australia; www.singaporeair.com/
uk)
•
Thai Airways International
(
&
0870/6060 911
in the U.K.
or 1300/651 960 in Australia;
www.thaiair.com)
GETTING THROUGH
THE AIRPORT
With the federalization of airport
security, security procedures at U.S.
airports are more stable and consistent
than ever. Generally, you'll be fine if
you arrive at the airport
1 hour
before
a domestic flight and
2 hours
before
an international flight; if you show up
late, tell an airline employee and you'll
probably be whisked to the front of
the line.
Bring a
current, government-
issued photo ID
such as a driver's
license or passport, and if you've got
an E-ticket, print out the
official con-
firmation page;
you'll need to show
your confirmation at the security
