Flights To Fancy

Travelling the world in luxury for less a week at a time

Airline & Airport Lounge Reviews Archives - Flights to Fancy

5J40 – A Cebu Pacific Cheap Flight From Sydney To Manila SYD-MNL

Cebu Pacific 5J40 - Cheap Flight From Sydney to Manila

As much as I loved our fabulous experience flying first class on Emirates A380, I simply can’t afford to splurge on luxury air travel every time we fly. For our first trip to the Philippines, we chose Cebu Pacific because they offered a really cheap flight from Sydney to Manila and money talks. Sure the Cebu Pacific baggage allowance was minimal, the Cebu Pacific inflight entertainment was non-existent and I had to wrangle with an initially unhelpful Cebu Pacific customer service agent but did the savings outweigh the compromises? Read on to find out exactly what it’s like on flight 5J40 …

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Vietjet Air A320 Domestic Economy: VJ511 HAN-DAD & More

Flights To Fancy: Vietjet Air A320 Domestic Economy

*** Updated November 2019 ***

I’m all about luxury for less and one of the ways I save money to splurge on the finer things in life is to use all my tricks to book bargain flights. I’ve taken four flights on Vietjet Air, all of which were under three hours. Given the short distance, we were not overly concerned about comfort and cost was the driving factor. We considered multiple budget Vietnam airlines and chose Vietjet Air every time. Our Vietjet domestic flights were mostly trouble free and you won’t believe how cheap they were! Read on for all the details …

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How To Get Cut Price Airline Perks With Optiontown

Flights To Fancy: How To Get Cut Price Airline Perks With Optiontown - Plane Window Sunset

As I am typing this I am sitting at Ho Chi Minh City’s Tan Son Nhat airport onboard Vietnam Airlines flight VN773 bound for Sydney. I don’t often write my posts on the go, but I really wanted to capture how I felt ‘in the moment’ before my memory became jaded. Why? Because I’m more that just a little bit pleased with myself that I took a chance and registered for an Optiontown empty seat option all those months ago. I have to admit I was skeptical that it would actually come off, but here I am stretched out across 3 seats in my ‘economy class flat bed’ with a grin a mile wide on my face. The Hubs is doing the same in the row in front and we can hardly believe that we have six seats all to ourselves! If you want to enjoy your next flight with a little more room for a fraction of the cost, read on for all the details …

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Jetstar A320 Domestic Economy JQ745 SYD-LST

Flights To Fancy: Jetstar A320 Economy Class Review JQ745 SYD-LST - Plane Window Landing Launceston Tasmania

Airlines have been getting a bad rap lately. Unless you have been living under a rock, you will have heard all about United’s woes. First we had teenage girls denied boarding in what I have dubbed ‘leggingsgate’ and the latest scandal where a paying customer was forcible removed from an overbooked flight drew worldwide condemnation. Low Cost Carriers (LCC’s) get a bad rap at the best of times and Jetstar has had it’s own fair share of PR mishaps, like when they refused an arthritic child the use of a pillow on the way home from Bali. Or when they denied this family boarding in Hamilton Island. Or when they ejected two families returning to Adelaide for refusing to take their assigned seats. Slamming Jetstar is almost a national sport in Australia. Some genius even set up a website dedicated to gathering whinges from aggrieved passengers. So are Jetstar really that bad? In my experience, no. I’ve flown them countless times and while I have certainly experienced a few niggles, the bottom line is that the cost keeps drawing me back. On our Tasmanian road trip we took advantage of one of Jetstar’s free return flight specials and we lived to tell the tale. If you have never flown Jetstar and are wondering what to expect, read on for all the details …

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Emirates A380 International Business EK418 SYD-AKL

Fash Packing: Emirates A380 Business Class Review - Bar

I love luxury travel but I begrudge paying top dollar for it. This blog is dedicated to experiencing the champagne lifestyle on a beer budget and using your frequent flier points wisely is one of the best money saving hacks there is. That’s exactly what we did for our recent trip to New Zealand. We blew a heap of points to fly across the Tasman on Emirates A380 Business Class for nix. Was it worth it? Read on for all the details …

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Emirates Lounge Sydney International Airport

Fash Packing: Emirates Lounge Sydney International Airport Review - Lounge Chairs

Anyone who has flown out of Sydney International Airport in the last year or so will know major works are on the go. I fly in and out of SYD International (T1) every eight weeks or so and each time I visit it’s different. Just when I think I have it figured out, they go and change it on me again. Airports are normally chaotic at the best of times, but all this construction just adds to the drama. I usually fly in the cheap seats and end up in killing time in Maccas (McDonalds for the non-Aussies!) so I was thrilled to have lounge access en route to our week long road trip around New Zealand’s stunning North Island. I’m no stranger to an airport lounge and I had high expectations that the Emirates Lounge Sydney International Airport would be a cut above the rest. So did it live up to my expectations? Read on for all the details …

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Emirates A380 First Class Review: Mind Blown AKL-SYD

Fash Packing by SFH: Emirates A380 First Class Review EK419 Auckland to Sydney - Emirtaes A380

My first time flying Emirates A380 first class was amazing! In today’s age of readily available cheap flights the experience of flying itself has lost it’s shine. The exclusivity and glamour of yesteryear has been replaced by cramped cabins, perfunctory service, shrinking baggage allowances and an ever dwindling list of inclusions. I remember fondly a trip to the UK aged 8 when I was more excited about the journey than the destination. Hundreds of flights (and reviews) later, I don’t feel that same thrill when boarding a plane. It’s almost as mundane as taking the bus and a necessary evil to be endured to get me to where I want to be. This was not the case on my last flight on Emirate Airlines first class. I was looking forward to this flight in a way that I haven’t since I was eight years old. I booked an Emirates A380 first class suite and I couldn’t wait! It’s not lack of desire that has kept me from the pointy end of the plane until now, it’s lack of funds. My bank balance (or lack thereof!) forces me to chose between travelling more comfortably and more frequently. More frequently usually wins and while I have lots of tips for scoring bargain flights, the only thing better than a bargain flight is a free one! Knowing I would never spend the dollars required to experience Emirates first class cabin, I dropped a bunch of frequent flyer points and rekindled my joy of flying. My Emirates A380 first class review will blow your mind. Read on for all the details …

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Emirates Lounge Auckland International Airport

Fash Packing by SFH: Emirates A380 First Class Review - Auckland International Airport Emirates Lounge - Passport

To end our road trip through New Zealand’s North Island in style we chose to fly home first class on Emirates flagship A380. This was my first time flying first class and to say I was looking forward to it was an understatement. One of the bonuses of travelling Emirates first class is that passengers are afforded lounge access. I’ve been in a lounge or two over the years and have found they vary dramatically across the globe. So did we enjoy the Auckland International Airport Emirates Lounge? You bet we did! Read on for all the details …

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