Getting There From Australia & New Zealand
No direct scheduled flights are operated to Ireland from Australia or New Zealand; all require a transfer in London. British Airways, Aer Lingus and British Midland team up with a number of carriers to offer add-on fares to Dublin, Belfast, Cork, Shannon and Sligo. If you're on a budget it can work out cheaper to buy a low cost fare to London via Asia and either an add-on fare to Ireland with Aer Lingus or British Midland before you leave or pickup a bargain airfare to Ireland in London. Some flights via Asia involve a night's free overnight stop - often a needed break on long-haul flights - in the carrier's home city, with accommodation, meals and transfers included in the ticket price. For most major airlines, regular return fares are seasonally adjusted - low season is from mid-January to the end of February and October to November; high season is mid-May to August and December to January, with the remainder of the year classed as "shoulder" season. Tickets purchased direct from the airlines tend to be expensive; travel agents generally offer much better deals, and have the latest information on limited special offers and stopovers. The best discounts are offered by companies such as Flight Centres, STA and Trailfinders ; these can also help with visas, travel insurance and tours. You might also want to have a look on the Internet ; www.travel.com.au offers discounted fares online, as does www.sydneytravel.com . Buying a flight to London is a worthwhile option, if you pick up one of the cheap deals offered by some carriers in low season, for example, A$1400 from Australia with Garuda, Royal Brunei and Sri Lankan Airlines. The add-on fare to destinations in Ireland is around A$180/NZ$210 . If you're planning to visit Ireland as part of a wider world trip, then Round-the-World tickets offer greater flexibility and are better value than a straightforward return flight. For example, prices for a RTW ticket from Sydney or Auckland to Singapore or Bangkok, London, side trip to Dublin or Belfast, New York, Los Angeles, Auckland and back to Sydney start at around A$2399/NZ$2899; a ticket from Sydney to Auckland, Santiago, Rio, London, side trip to Dublin or Belfast, Paris, Bangkok, Singapore and back to Sydney starts at A$2499/NZ$2999.
Your Tip for Ireland
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