LA300
This post contains affiliate links. OzBargain might earn commissions when you click through and make purchases. Please see this page for more information.
Picked myself up this bargain ( I consider it a bargain!! even cheaper than the $839 I paid in April this year for this same fare).
CHEAP CHEAP!! I dont ever remember fares this cheap to Los Angeles.
The dates Im travelling are Feb 10 - Feb 16. for a price of $772
Artful Codger has found a MEL-LAX fare for $742 (Jan 22-Feb 8)
Sydney price is dated for a 11 Feb departure and 19 Feb arrival.
Brisbane price valid 09 Feb departure 19 Feb arrival.
Hope others find themselves a deal!
Here are the T&C's directly from AirNZ:
Terms & Conditions:
Sale ends: 11.59pm AEST 3 Oct 2014. Offer applies to return adult and child Economy, Premium Economy and Business class airfares booked from Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Cairns or Gold Coast to Los Angeles on any Air New Zealand operated services via Auckland. Services beyond Los Angeles are on partner airlines. Not all routing options may be available. If you are unable to book a particular routing option, please call our Contact Centre. To obtain the $300 off discount per adult and child, enter the promo code LA300 into the promo code box for travel outbound 1 Nov - 16 Dec, 23 - 31 Dec 2014, 12 Jan - 22 Feb 2015 and return 1 Nov - 31 Dec 2014, 12 Jan - 14 Mar 2015. Promo Code will not apply (or may not provide the full value of the discount) to airfares that are already discounted. Promo code will not apply to multi-stop journeys. Final discount will be shown on the summary page of your booking. Offer valid for new bookings only. For credit or other card payments a fee of AU$30 per person, per return journey applies. Return government and airport charges may vary. A non-refundable service fee of $60 per person, per one way journey applies to Contact Centre bookings. Voluntary rebooking permitted at charge of $60 for reissue. After ticketing, cancellation/change fees may apply. The baggage limit for Economy is 1 piece, Premium Economy 2 pieces and Business 3 pieces, max weight 23kg (50 lbs) per piece however bags can be pre-purchased prior to travel online via Manage Bookings or by phoning the Contact Centre (see rates and terms and conditions), or alternatively for a higher rate at the airport. Applicable fare rules apply. New deals may be released at any time. Offer may be extended. Offer correct as at 22 Sep 2014. Seats are limited and may not be available on all flights. Fares are available until sale ends or until sold out. Customers who purchase fares using Airpoints Dollars™ will be required to pay in cash, the government & airport costs.TTY assistance is available for deaf and hearing impaired via NZ Relay on TTY users phone 133 677 then ask for 13 24 76. Air New Zealand Conditions of Carriage and Air New Zealand Terms & Conditions apply.
If you hire a car for a few days you could see some of the California countryside, which I find more interesting than major cities. I love a US road trip - the fuel is cheap, the country is interesting, and you get to interact with random people wherever you stop, though I usually go in summer when the weather is warmer.
Due to the winter, you can't guarantee seeing Sequoia National Forest - it's very weather dependent at that time of year, and only the lower elevation roads are open. However, you could easily do a loop around LA over 3-5 days, sightseeing in a few random places including:
Bakersfield - home of the world's tallest thermometer (http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/2893)
Tehachapi Wind Farm area (Joe Hockey would freak out about the thousands of wind turbines in this area - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tehachapi_Pass_Wind_Farm)
Tehachapi train loop (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tehachapi_Loop)
Joshua Tree National Park (https://www.flickr.com/photos/JoshuaTreeNP/collections)
You could take in San Diego and Santa Monica as well, depending on how much you want to drive, and how much you'd prefer to hang out with the crowds on Hollywood Blvd.
Public transport is quite cheap, and the subway is handy, but I recommend a car in LA if you want to go shopping if you're staying downtown because the major shopping centres are nowhere near the Chinese Theatre.