I’m off to NZ in September for a years work and was wondering on the best airlines to go with and the price of taking a bike over with me.

Cheers

Been twice on Air NZ via L.A. great airline and very generous with baggage. Stop off in the states to get a new bike on the way 😉

been with Cathay via Hong Kong and Emirates via, Dubai/Singapore/Brisbane.

No issues with either.

Did Birmingham – Dubai – Sydney once. Never again. Almost 15hrs from Dubai to Sydney. Awful, truly awful.
I’d go via LA if went again.

Dare I ask your budget? If you have the cash, I’d look at Cathay or BA business via HK. If Cathay, make sure you’re on one of the newer planes, with the new seat. The old one is horrid. Utterly horrid.

Both Cathay and BA are very good for baggage, IMHO.

ANZ gets very high ratings if you’re in the back of the bus though.

Singapore get a good vote from me. Layovers are either short enough to get straight onto the next plane, or get a nights sleep if you prefer.

Cheapest too for the dates I’ve booked up for my next trip

Air New Zealand now use the same 23kg luggage allowance whether you travel via Asia or US. Last time I took a bike I had to pay extra, but it was a token amount.

I flew with Malaysian a few years back and took my bike box. Hassle free and friendly staff. I paid a small amount for my bike over the phone when booking the flight and never got anymore fees – even when I flew back a year later.

I’d suggest via Singapore with Singapore Airlines (I think you can take an A380 the whole way), the aircraft is another level up In terms of comfort and kit (and I’ve done the Lon/Sing leg in economy many many times). I confess I don’t know their bike policy but the service etc is the best and taking a few days stopover there would be fun.. Whichever route you take (Singapore, Hong Kong, LA, Canada ?) I’d suggest you take a couple of days, you are another in a rush I assume and without a break it’s a hell of a long way. If you’ have the resources you could even do a few days riding in Canada/US on the way over if you take “that way round”

LA (or other US transfers) you have to clear immigration, collect your luggage, check it back in and go back through immigration. No one ever quite figured out why but it’s massive and stressful ball ache in the middle of a journey to the other side of the world, especially when the plane you’re transferring to is parked right next to the one you’re getting off. The flip side is you cross the Pacific so can have a stop off on one of the islands and pluck a ukulele.

http://www.airnewzealand.co.uk/us-entry-and-transit-requirements

Cheers for all the advice.

CaptainFlashheart – Student so not a big budget 🙂

Ah, OK! Understood! From what I hear, ANZ are the best if flying cattle.

Have a bloody marvellous trip! (All mine are for work, so not that much fun!)

So whats the average price for taking a bike?

Another Recommendation for Air NZ.
Used them for my honeymoon last September going out via Hong Kong, a couple of internal flights there, on to the Cook Islands, and back via LA.
Easy check-ins, professional, good attitude, fairly spacious and they were fine with us going a bit overweight on the way back. They were the best value for what we wanted too, and I’d use them again. Didn’t take a bike though, but had fun renting one. If you going with a missus check out their “skycouch” where you get three seats together that fold out to a sort of couch-bed on their long haul.

Bit of a second wildcard, but Japan Airlines were cheapest for me when I went to Oz (via Tokyo) and have some tie ins with Quantas so might be worth a check for price if they do NZ too.
Have a great time, Best country in the world IMO.

Thanks very much i’ll see if anyone has taken a bike 🙂

I fly backwards and forwards with bikes quite often.
Emirates and airnz both best for allowances. Airnz for me every time as get double allowance these days.
For experience airnz as well. That emirates flight between uk and dubai is a killer then you have to change in syd/Mel/bri . I go via honkers to void LA airport which is hell. Also, if you join Airpoints you would get enough for a free internal flight in nz.

Done Singapore airlines with their lovely lounge in Singapore airport. Top tip have fresh socks and pants in your hand luggage as after a lovely shower it’s horrible to put on old ones.

Given the choice I would go Air NZ though. Pretty good for cattle class and nice wine. Air stewards all look like ex rugby players rather than the camp dandies on most other airlines which I guess is why nobody ever hijacks AirNZ.

Have fun.

Air NZ every time, NZ 1 via LAX, although I am gutted to hear they have dropped their luggage allowance. It’s he most efficient way to do it in terms of time as well, and the flight gets to Auckland nice and early in the morning for transfer to internal flight. Home for lunch, matchsticks under eyelids, buckets of coffee, stay up until 10pm, jet lag gone by the next day ! Landing in the afternoon/evening is a disaster

I take a bike every time and it’s never been a problem, but sport is actively encouraged in Kiwiland so no surprised.

Singapore Air every time. Good prices (use the Flight Centre) and they really look after you. Singapore airport is a nice place to kill a few hours as well – take the bus tour through the city if you are stopping over for 4 or more hours.

Can’t comment on bike transport as I hired when I last went (Queenstown, Hamner Springs and Rotorua). Queenstown (DH) and Rotorua (trail) had particularly good hire setups.

wouldn’t go via LA too much hassle, via hong kong with hour stop is best although airport is naff when i went.

Air NZ great leg room good

Need lots of leg room 🙂

Well, I much prefer via LA, it’s a shorter flight for a start and the change at LAX is much more efficient. And Air NZ is just better than any other airline I have tried, in every way. (OK except maybe the film selection but that’s not really a show stopper)

I can heartily recommend Singapore Airlines, but don’t have experience of taking a bike.

If you do take a bike be aware that it has to be scrupulously clean (ie. not a spec of mud on it), to be allowed in to the country.

As a kiwi (might have given that away already…) usually go Air NZ as one stop is all you want in such a long journey…it’s worth paying a bit more to avoid 2 stops…..that just kills.

via LA as mentioned you have to clear customs and you are then held in an isolated “holding pen” with no access to the airport. No need for bag transfers as everything stays on the same plan for next leg to Auckland. There is nothing to do in “the pen” which is essentially a large open room with seating and loos, but there are rudimentary snacks water and coffee, power points, and American day time TV (aaaarggh!). You definitely need a laptop/ipad/kindle/book to num the pain of the 2 hour swop over time, although a fair amount of that is spent with officious American custom staff treating you like criminal cattle.

via Hong Kong you get off the plane to immediately cue for scanner of hand luggage. Don’t bother with duty free alcohol/liquids over 100ml from the UK because you’ll have to ditch it here! Once through this though you have free range of the (fairly dull but sparkly new) airport where you can get a coffee, grab a shower, do some (limited) shopping, then it’s back on board, again with no luggage transfers to worry about as it all stays on the same plane for the next leg to Auckland.

There’s not much in it between the two, but 18 return trips on over the past 14 years, I tend to try and go via HK and grab a shower and my wife loves the foot massage option!…. Other hot tips are get hold of a jetrest travel pillow, and some noise cancelling in ear earphones. Get a seat as far forwards as possible if going cattle class (massively less engine noise), but not up against the bulkhead (baby cot zone!), or near galley or loo’s. And start practicing your kiwi speak! NZ speak….

Whats Hels and kiwifiz said…

I’ve only done it once as I’ve not gone back to the UK since I got here but I went Manc – LAX – AKL and it was as good as it could be. Stopover in LA was ok – got off – queued in a corridor – spoke to a nice immigration lady – waited in the lounge and ate free crisps and used the free interweb – got back on and then got off at 5.30am in Auckland. Stayed awake all day, had a few beers in the evening and woke up feeling fine.

Took a bike and they only charged me 50% of the second bag charge as it was a bike.

And I got to watch loads of rugby on the plane, which was nice.

After doing emigrating to Oz take a look at air freight for the bike (£150) for a bike box at 32kg to Oz.

Makes life easier and takes about 7-10 days

I go the HK way as being one of them constant plane dwellers I can go to the lounge, have a shower and eat as many BBQ pork buns as possible in 2 hours.
Either way the AirNZ flight times are within a couple of hours of each other (HK ever so slightly longer). Of course the other option with AirNZ is go via SF or Vancouver. If you go SF you fly Virgin to SF and AirNZ to Akl. All those flights get in early doors, sort of 5:30am. Time for a proper coffee, wander across to Domestic terminal and then connect if you are not staying in Akl and let’s be honest why would you 😆
If you do fly AirNZ have a look at Wild Racers which is on the TV section just now, I am ALL OVER IT and massively famous 8O. Right well I have had a few texts from people saying they saw it and like an attention wh0re i watched it on the way to Oz on Sunday….Also on AirNZ the premium econ is superb, essentially business service with really good seating (the older HK 777’s have better seats than the new pods imho) and half the price of business. Economy is good, better than most other economies.

Singapore Airlines get my vote.
Bike in box as part of luggage allowance. Get there early as the check in staff have discretion up to 30kg if you are only a few kg over and don’t look too heavy yourself. Put all your heavy junk in your hand luggage and make it look light.
Fly via Singapore and put your swimming gear in your handluggage as there is a roof top pool in the airport which is great after 16 hours in a tin tube. There is a hotel in the airport too that rents en suite rooms with no windows by the hour if you would rather sleep through your transfer wait.
And what timmy said, scrub every last bit of it with a toothbrush. Consider fitting new tyres before you put it in the box. Waiting for an hour in MAF clearance while they clean it for you is not fun after a long haul.
Which bit of Godzone you coming to? Nelson is good if you like mile high descents with a pub at the bottom 🙂

and let’s be honest why would you

I keep asking myself that NZCol! So much good stuff, so far from Auckland! Which is where I got based, by the way. I always get a window seat when I fly to WLG so I can look out at the hills.

Oops. Double post!

Hmm, this is interesting. We’ve flown a few times and always gone with Emirates. Mainly coz they’re the cheapest when you factor in their regular “sales” and 30kg baggage allowance for plebs. The dubai-AKL leg is a nightmare but the A380 certainly helps – best legroom and entertainment I’ve ever had.

We might have to look at airnz more carefully next time.