Pricey ticket from Sydney

Question: I'm looking to visit my son in Sydney in October or bringing him back to SA for a holiday. On checking ticket costs on SAA/Quantas, it would appear to cost twice as much for a return ticket Sydney/Johannesburg as opposed to Johannesburg/Sydney? Am I calculating correctly? Are there any cheaper flights on other airlines? - Irene Holliday

Answer: You calculations appear to be correct. The cost of tickets on routes is different, depending on your airport of departure. A good example of this is the SA-London route, where travellers from London usually end up paying far more (in Rand value) than we do. Paying for a ticket in a country other than the country of departure can also add to the cost.

I did an Internet check on flights between Johannesburg and Sydney, using the flight dates of October 3 and October 17. The cost on SAA from Jhb-Syd return was R8,915. A return ticket from Syd-Jhb the fare was 2,245 Australian dollars(R13,029 at the exchange rate of R5,8 to AUD.) As this flight is operated by Qantas, I got a quote booking through Qantas and the fare was slightly higher at AUD2381. This is the only direct flight between the two cities. However, you have plenty of options via the Middle East and Asia. You can try Singapore Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Thai International Airways and Cathay Pacific for flights via Asia. Flying via the Middle East, you can try Emirates, Gulf Air and Etihad Airlines.

However, a quick check of Singapore Airlines and Emirates websites did not yield any significant savings. Your best bedt is to get your son to get quotations from a travel agent in Sydney and check for specials advertised in Australia.