• expired

Flights from Rome/Frankfurt/Amsterdam to Sydney ~$800 Return with China Southern (Incl. Christmas/NYE Dates)

630

Booked a flight yesterday from Rome to Sydney (Dec 13 - Jan 09) for $780 return. There were plenty of other cheap dates, however I don't know how many other routes are this price (so far have also noticed Frankfurt and Amsterdam having cheap flights). Sorry for the scarce details, but I just thought this price was worth posting for any Ozbargainers in Europe wanting to visit their families for Christmas on the cheap.

Flights between Rome and Wuhan are on the new Boeing 787, while the Guangzhou to Sydney leg is on the A380. China Southern is known to be the better of the Chinese airlines, and at this price you can't really complain.
Tip: When booking on the A380, you can reserve seats for no extra cost in the upper deck of economy, a vast improvement over the 350+ seats of economy on the lower deck (third class Titanic style).

Additionally, if your layover in Guangzhou is over 8 hours, they will transfer you to a free hotel with the 72 hour transit visa (hotel quality varies depending on availability and membership level).
http://www.csair.com/en/czadscale/2014/20141205/20141128_0.h…

I booked a flight with a 22 hour stopover in Guangzhou so I had a decent chance to see the city.

From the reviews I've read and other research, it looks like they've improved in recent years:
- Introduced 787 and A380
- No longer using outdated A330-200 on long haul flights, now using new A330-300 or the two newer planes mentioned above (you can check which planes you will be taking before booking on their website).
- 787, A380 and A330-300 (most likely planes you would take for long-hail flights) all have in flight entertainment (this was not the case a few years ago with the older A330-200).

Some reviews:
http://www.airlinequality.com/airline-reviews/china-southern…
http://www.productreview.com.au/p/china-southern-airlines.ht…
https://www.tripadvisor.com.au/Airline_Review-d8729051-Revie…

Related Stores

China Southern Airline
China Southern Airline

closed Comments

    • +8

      The next cheapest flight around that time period is around $1400. You're saying you wouldn't save $600 to fly China Southern? This is Ozbargain dude, people would drive halfway across a city to price-match at Officeworks and save $5.

      From the reviews I've read and other research, it looks like they've really improved in recent years:
      - Introduced 787 and A380
      - No longer using outdated A330-200 on long haul flights, now using new A330-300 or the two newer planes mentioned above (you can check which planes you will be taking before booking on their website).
      - 787, A380 and A330-300 (most likely planes you would take for long-hail flights) all have in flight entertainment (this was not the case a few years ago with the older A330-200).

      Trying seeing some reviews yourself before passing judgement on an airline you've probably never flown before (nor have I, so I will be commenting back here in December I guess!)

      http://www.airlinequality.com/airline-reviews/china-southern…
      http://www.productreview.com.au/p/china-southern-airlines.ht…
      https://www.tripadvisor.com.au/Airline_Review-d8729051-Revie…

      • +2

        "Seeing some of the reviews"

        You're having a laugh mate.

        http://www.productreview.com.au/p/china-southern-airlines.ht…

        Remove any reviews from single review people. Or remove any reviews unconnected to a Facebook account. Then look at the real stats. They come up as one of the worst. There is no way they're so far ahead of SQ, QF, EK, EY etc etc. even BA is heaps better, and I rate them one of the worst.

        If anything the reviews speak to shame the airline that they need to buy so many positive reviews. I didn't think they'd be able to fool anyone, looks like I was wrong.

        I've flown them a few times due to their being no choice. They suck. You're right about some of the hard product (planes) being ok. But the meals are terrible and so are the staff, vastly poorer than any other airlines I've flown. Get an old plane, they do fly plenty of them, and they're kept in horrible condition. As many mention, it's often the cultural "differences" with the other PAX that really make the flights horrible. Stinky feet, yelling, dry humping me in a mad rush to get wherever….

      • They're not too bad, I've flown with them. Their food is actually quite good for an airline!

        Would certainly use them again.

      • I've flown with them from SYD to NBI this year, can't complain about anything. Food is ok, I got hungry and asked for another meal and they brought it for me. Drinks selection was ok, a bit basic but not bad. Flight crew were ok, they were very friendly with us and would play with our young son too. Baby meals are reasonable too. I'd fly with them again.

  • +2

    Ive read heard bad things about flying with China Southern from comments on ozbargain. hey could be wrong though so don't take my word on that

    • Read comment above ^ I think they have made some improvements recently in service and their fleet. I will be able to report back first hand after December.

    • +15

      First hand account here, on the basis of having flown with them multiple times due to the mrs living in Canada.

      Never had a problem with the flight or the service, although the meals can be touch and go, especially with people who are fussy about what they eat.
      There seem to be a "chinese cuisine" option or a "continental western" option but you'll never know until it comes in because they only ask for the meat you'd like.
      Would you like the pork or fish? lol.

      I find the problem to be with pretty much 80% of the other passengers on the plane, due to …. "cultural differences" (that's probably a polite way of saying it I guess.)
      I do notice though that they give the airline staff just as much problem as me due to their inability to understand "personal space," and "social etiquette."

      Just as examples, we're talking going to retrieve your luggage overhead/toilets DURING takeoff/landing (man the effing plane level was over 20deg,) even when the staff are telling you not to do it, stinky feet flopped everywhere first chance they get, the rest rooms generally being super wet like someone tried to use the water to shower (thank god it's water and nothing else,) and generally DGAF about the people sitting next to you.

      But, if you get along with the staff, once they discern you're not one of their cultural derros, then they go out of their way to help/serve you.

      The only other problem would be the slight language barrier but once you get past that it's not a problem.

      P.S. On an international flight with 8 or more hours stopover in Guangzhou you get a free hotel with a meal. Can't complain there, coz you can at least shower and sleep for a few hours.

      • +3

        lol we flew scoot to hangzhou earlier this year and the singaporean flight attendants had to practically scream at some passengers in a polite manner. omigosh! so rude it makes me embarrass to be chinese.. i.e tour groups taking forever to sit down and playing musical chairs whilst flight is still boarding. I don't know how they manage to bring so much carry ons! some people with a cabin luggage and 5 plastic bags! lol

        it's not the airline but the ppl. thankfully from sg to hangzhou was only a short flight. long haul from europe..i don't know.

        • +1

          I don't know how they manage to bring so much carry ons! some people with a cabin luggage and 5 plastic bags! lol

          This is the fault of the airline staff. They don't want to hold a tough line and tell them no at the gate or even before at checkin. Would be a huge fight telling them they can't take all that stuff onboard, but they've gotta do it.

      • +2

        Totally agree, the airline is fine, service is fine, it's the fellow passengers that are hard to put up with. I feel so sorry for the flight attentandts, they get abused all the time. Experienced it first hand too. The monitor where I sat was broken, and the flight attendant arranged us to sit somewhere else, only it was taken by a guy who quickly lie down on 4 unassigned seats and refused to move back to his own seat when the flight attendant asked him to, in the end the flight attendant gave us the seats where they usually rest, it's where they usually close the curtain. And lol about stinky feet flopped everywhere first chance they get, so true. They talk loud, the toilets gets dirty and stinky very fast, they refuse to turn off mobile phones. Long haul flights are torturing when your fellow passengers are like that

        • I know people are calling this out and saying that comments like this are racist and what not but I've also flown China Southern and agree with the behaviour of the passengers. If you like listening to a plane full of people loudly hocking up spit into spew bags for a whole flight then China Southern is for you.

          The missus vowed never to fly with them again though more so than me when she woke up to a message on the PA about some turbulence which was lost in translation… "Sorry we are experiencing problems with the plane…" She honestly thought we were going to die until I calmed her down.

          They also left one of our bags behind in China and we had to wait for it for 2 days when we got home. It showed up though and it was undamaged at least.

        • @FaceOfMutiny:

          Nup, I don't think the comments are racist, as I believe alot of people know that this doesn't apply to all Chinese.
          If anything those people are the real racist, as if they understood the culture, they would know that this is mainly symptomatic of Chinese villagers rather that than Chinese city folk.

          Anyways, funnily enough in my…. let's just say over 6 trips there, I have never gotten the planeful of "loud snorting of booger to hocking spit."
          Maybe the one or two but nothing noticable, like Singapore in the 80's (so much so they fine ppl for spitting on the street then…)

      • The above opinions are from a certain breed of person called "SOCIAL JUSTICE WARRIORS". Social justice warriors who want to get angry and provide "armchair justice," always looking for a reason to fight online, usually in the guise of someone to sees someone who looks at others different, has a different culture and maybe acts differently in social situations. This makes the SJW say that the person is so confused and afraid that they feel they must hate on whatever is associated with in this case, the assumption that it is Chinese things, person is not chinese themselves, because somehow, somewhere in their brains, they are providing the outrage that social justice deserves.
        They are also known as the mirror image to the loud rednecks and racists and are best avoided due to their inability to debate and use the same tactics as them.

        FIFY.

  • +4

    I've had my 1 flight with China Southern. Never again…

    • +7

      details please

      • +1

        Does a pair of smelly feet creeping up behind you along the arm rest count? :)

        I haven't flew with them personally. Only from countless from mate's once off experience with them. (yes, once and that's about it).

        • Or a 2 year old who sat on her grandma's lap (the kid has no seat! believe it or not the airline allowed that to happen !!!) and not behaving, kicking and screaming right next to you for the whole flight from Brisbane to Guangzhou, would that count ? I tried it once, never again !!!!

        • +1

          @sistermay:
          This is actually standard procedure.. Children under 2 (infants) are often allowed to travel free or cheaply in bassinets or on their parent's lap. The bad behaviour of the child is a parenting thing and doesn't reflect on the airline quality at all. I have had horror children on Cathay Pacific, QANTAS, Oman Air, you name it, it's just bad luck.

          From the QANTAS website for example:

          "All infants booked online are booked without a seat and must travel either in the lap of the adult travelling with them or be placed in the bassinet if available when permitted during flight."

          http://www.qantas.com/travel/airlines/travelling-with-childr…

        • @Gozzhogger:

          Well then not sure if they are the only airline who allows this as a STANDARD.

          Good to know that, making it certain that I won't use this airline again.

        • @sistermay:
          Standard procedure for many airlines, including our national carrier QANTAS - as mentioned above.

      • +2

        On a long haul red eye flight I was unfortunate enough to sit among a group of people who'd obviously known each other. While I was trying to get some shuteye (eye mask + noise cancelling headphones) this guy decided that he would stand right next to my aisle seat and put his hands on my seat back to talk, directly over my head, to the people in front and behind me.

        He was apologetic when I politely asked him in Chinese to stop and 10 mins later he was at it again.

        That was my first and last China Southern experience.

        • +2

          The fart bombs come in handy in this situation

        • @easternculture: There would've been collateral damage as my wife was sitting next to me :/

        • Yeah, of course it is obvious that people who "know each other" don't fly airlines other than China Southern

  • +3

    anyone taking a transit through Guangzhou in winter should be prepared, last time my friend did the airport was freezing cold inside and few of his fellow travellers almost hugging the LCD screen to keep themselves from frozen.

    • If you think winter in Guangzhou is cold maybe you should visit Beijing in winter!

      • +1

        Winter in GZ is worse because weather is humid and most places there are no heating.

        • then try Shanghai. More humid than Guangzhou and colder!

        • @mrgeckoz:

          Are the houses heated in Shanghai? If not the. Its worse.

          I used to live in Guangzhou for 15 years and we used to wear the outside clothes while we were inside :D

          Then again summers were hot and humid and that was some type of hell as well, its like exercising while doing nothing, clothes always sweatnwet sticked on your skin. I remember going out to buy new shirts during my lunch breaks :P

        • @datafellows: nope not heated.😂

      • It was if your final destination was some warm tropical beach and you only wore shorts and t-shirts thinking you'd never need to leave the airport transit zone.

    • +1

      Guangzhou airport is the worst I've ever seen.

      There's a reason why this flight is so cheap. Sounds like hell.

      • Yeah, the airport itself is very good and zillion times better than the old GZ airport, but the services after you check in are not good at all. Aweful cup of coffee $10+… You have McDonalds, but its not in the checked in area :(

        Then again Sydney airport as a facility is dreadful, but the services are awesome :)

  • For the dates you specified it's coming up as over $2000. Am I missing something?

    • +3

      Rome -> Sydney -> Rome
      It's possible you set the starting airport as Sydney

      • Ah you're right. I see.

      • Sorry. Slightly confused, if I select a return flight from Rome then won't the trip begin with Rome -> Sydney?? I wouldn't be able to hop onto that flight given I start in Sydney.

        • yeah, I'm in the same boat. I can't work out how to look at setting up the flight from aus to there and back at this cheap price

  • +20

    Flights from Rome to Sydney

    You should forward this deal to George Pell… One less excuse…

  • Updated post, seems as if there are a few cheap flights also from Frankfurt and Amsterdam, could be other departure cities for those interested in looking for them.

  • +1

    China Southern isn't that bad.
    No signs of loud Chinese mainlanders, total and complete peace (from my experience in 2014). Even if there was, I'd brave it to save a couple hundred bucks.
    Food was not bad either. I'd say it's a great deal.

    • Probably because it's China southern (Guangzhou based) not Air China (Beijing based). And China Eastern is Shanghai based FYI.

      • I had a layover in Beijing! :-)

        • There is a song called one night in Beijing :-]

    • -3

      Oh look another "Chinese are loud / poop on the streets" racist. And where are you from? Your ethnicity / race must be so soft and sensitive and quiet.

      • I found way more public urination in San Fransisco than in Beijing. At least in China there are public toilets!

        Mind you, the spitting is annoying.

        • -1

          Yeah drunk kids in the US piss EVERYWHERE. Russian drunks shit on the street in Russia after big parties. I've never seen any Chinese man, woman or child piss or shit. Period.

      • I'm Vietnamese and we are far from soft, sensitive and quiet :) I don't know about pissing anywhere impulsively, but I've come across a few rude people on my travels. Let's just say I was physically knocked out in a line once with no apology, no nothing.

  • i searched the same dates and cities as you but the cost is showing as $2000?

    • the issue seems to be that you need to start your journey in europe and your destination needs to be Australia. How is that useful?

      • +1

        Because over 500 million people live in Europe?

        • post on european forum?

      • +1

        Because there may be Ozbargain expats in Europe looking to come home for Christmas?

        • +1

          Exactly :) as an Ozbargainer living overseas, I would've appreciated someone posting this deal as I've been looking for cheap Christmas flights for around 2 months now.

  • +1

    Great deal, great price! I'd be perfectly happy to fly with this airline to Europe. My wife travels to China fairly regularly and often has to use China Southern as they are the only airline to fly to certain destinations. She doesn't have the best things to say about the airline (last flew with them with a few months ago). If possible she would even try flying Hong Kong with Qantas and then local airline for a short flight. Depends how much you care or just want to get to your destination cheaply :)

  • +1

    That's such a great price that it would actually make me think again about my 2014 resolution, which was to never, ever, EVER fly China Southern Airways again (and we're not that fussy.. we even travelled Air Lao). The story above about passengers wandering around during take-off made me smile.. our particular bane was people reclining their seats as far back as they would go, while we were still taxiing along the runway (!!!), and then leaving them there for the entire flight, ignoring entreaties to at least let us have our meal. It happened to us both ways. The first time we complained, but to no avail; the second time we just said nothing and made our solemn vow. But, then again, $800 is $800….

    • How is Air Lao?

      We are looking at getting from Laos to KUL next year… Looking at options as airasia is too dear the dates we need.

      • +1

        Our experience with Air Lao must have been fifteen years ago, so I am not the one to ask. However, I recall we spent a good deal of the flight remarking on how unexpectedly GOOD it was, especially since we had been warned that no Air Lao plane had ever been seen again after take-off. I can definitely tell you our Air Lao flight was light years ahead of China Southern, which was Air Lousy.

    • I stopped that reclining seat problem by kicking their seat forward by "accident" multiple times and any time I woke up, just for safety.

      I have no problems getting savage on a savage. #beastmodeon =P

      • Yes, I actually tried that once, but I realised it wasn't making me feel any better, so I stopped. The steward to whom I complained offered me a simple solution… To simply put MY seat back as far as it would go, and so reclaim the lost space. But I wouldn't do that, either… I really think that planes shouldn't even HAVE seats that recline that far back. Anyway, nowadays, when I see the news about what is happening to the Philippines in the South China Sea, I smile and say, "these people were practising their technique on me, back in 2014. I was such a pushover, why wouldn't they now try it on the Philippines?"

  • What's up with the title? In mobile view…

  • +1

    These are Europe > Australia > Back to Europe flights right? So you have to live in Europe?

    I've flown China Southern before, it was fine. Guangzhou was a decent stopover too.

    Can't see anything jumping out in the offers from Australia to Europe myself with this, but I haven't looked exhaustively.

  • +1

    I booked a flight with a 22 hour stopover in Guangzhou so I had a decent chance to see the city.

    You… don't want to see Guangzhou. The air is orange, the airport is smack in the middle of the industrial zone, and transport is a nightmare. Get in, get out, try to stay inside. The planes however are surprisingly spacious, and the food is good most of the time, I'd recommend China Southern even though the layovers are shit.

  • This really should be the official airline of this website!

  • +2

    Cant understand this is upvoted so much even whwn no deals FROM Australina cities
    jv is spot on

  • +4

    I flew to Amsterdam with China Southern 2 years ago. China to Europe leg was KLM codes share. Flights were good , food okay attendents friendlyno problems with other humans.

    We got a free stopover hotel both ways. This was some special type of hell, you are handed over in a group of 20 or 30 to to some nazi who heards you kilometers and kilometers (literally) through the airport the onto buses which take forever to some huge gaudy hotel.This takes an hour or 2. Then you are given a room they were huge but the beds are like boards and the s bend wasnt working on the shower so sewage fumes filled the room. we blocked the drain with wet towels and left the sliding door to the balcony open and survived. They had great room instructions mainly telling you you would be charged for any stuff you took for the room and giving prices for each item. The pricelist included the matteress and the aircon unit so obviously they have had problems with people raiding the minibar and bringing a trolley and taking the aircon unit as well. I stand in awe.

    In Csair defense the stopover was free and they had obviously contracted out the service.

  • You kidding me, China Southern is great, the service, the plane, entertainment and food was top notch, I used them from brisbane to guangzhou last month. Food, service and the plane was much better than the Singapore Airlines flight I had to Singapore and Qantas to Hong Kong. I don't know what the negative publicity is about. Blows my mind. Note: This is flights from Brisbane perspective. Flights from Sydney usually get the better planes, so Singapore Airlines and Qantas would blow China Southern out of the water if you are from Sydney

    • -2

      Go search "Chinese" in the search bar and pretty much every post has smart alecs fitting in a stereotype of how Chinese products suck and some borderline (or not so much) racist comments.

      • +1

        Racial Bias exist unfortunately, you can't change human nature. That's life. Personally, I choose to ignore it and judge the quality of the product regardless of where it is from.

        • +3

          You are lucky. I flew them once with my mum and I am Asian and all the negative remarks about the Chinese passengers using this airline is no exaggerations, it is not racist by merely stating their experience and the facts !

    • +1

      I am one of China Southern's many detractors on Ozbargain, but I think that nearly all of us would say….there's nothing wrong with the planes. So we are not arguing with your assessment of "the plane, the entertainment, and the food". Well, maybe I DO disagree with you about the food… They told me I HAD to have the choice that I had rejected, because that's all there was. But the planes are new, the TV channels are fine, and the poor stewards don't have a chance to keep any sort of order, because virtually ALL their countrymen are older than they are, so they kowtow every time. If you had a pleasant experience with them, that's great….but quit while you're ahead.

  • +1

    If I understand this deal correctly, it is good for people coming to Australia from Europe and not the other way around. Is there a OzBargain professional trick I am missing?

  • Sorry if this was brought up before, but is there any credit card fee/international transaction fee if booked via China southern site? And do flight centre still able to waive the credit card fee? It's been a couple of years since I last used them.

    ps. most of the complains above seems to be about other passengers, not the airline itself.

    • +1

      Nope no fees, I used my AMEX card too. Not sure about Flight Centre though sorry.
      If you're looking for a cheaper third party reseller, some of the prices are a little cheaper through Skyscanner and the websites they provide there, however for the sake of $40-50 I prefer to book directly through the airline if there are any issues down the track.

      • Thanks, that's good to know.

  • -3

    Wow. Mods here deleted my comments calling out bigots as "inflammatory".

    Yet people who say things like "Chinese are dirty and piss on the streets" are not and are upvoted instead?

    • I'm Chinese, from Hong Kong. To be fair, there were a number of incidences that have been reported in Hong Kong with videos of Mainland Chinese p**sing on the street, spitting at people and there was even one where a Chinese lady sh*te in a garden bed outside a shopping centre.

      There has been a big push in China in public education and awareness about politeness, how to behave in public and how to behave in foreign countries due to a string of highly embarrassing incidences and hopefully this will improve behaviours in the future.

      • SJWs btfo.

  • I've flown China Eastern economy to Shanghai return and had a fabulous flight.

    The aircraft was modern, clean, on time with excellent food.

    Staff were excellent.

    And no problems with other passengers at all.

    I would fly with China Eastern again and would also fly Air China and China Southern.

    Also flew domestically in China and totally satisfied with all the above standards of service.

    The budget carrier, Spring Airlines, was excellent in terms of servie and price from Shanghai to Seoul.

Login or Join to leave a comment