Latest Qantas Sale Has Its Pluses - and Some Minuses

Qantas is offering another one of its super-cheap specials to Australia. With just $878, you can get an economy-class round-trip seat from Los Angeles to Sydney, Melbourne or Cairns. The special is good for travel through Aug. 21; throw in another $20 per round trip, and you can get the deal on travel from Oct. 20 to Nov. 18. You just have to book by Aug. 17, which gives you six days. Here's what you need to know:

Book your connecting flight through Qantas
Unless you live in Los Angeles, you'll need at least one connecting domestic flight. If you book on your own and something causes a delay in your Qantas flight back home, Qantas can and will leave you hanging out to dry. On the other hand, they'll help you out if you've booked all your flights through Qantas. com. Book through them to minimize the risk of a hectic return trip, missed flights and stress.

Go for the August dates
This is a perfect season for visiting Australia. It's the drier season, which means a reduced chance of a nasty encounter with a salt-water crocodile. The weather is cooler, and it's also a good season for festivals (I highly recommend the QBE Riverfire event in Brisbane on Sept. 4). Temperatures in the Northern Territory will be tolerable, and that's the best place to see awesome wildlife.

Qantas is a pretty fine airline
Aussies have turned Qantas-bashing into the country's #4 spectator sport right behind cricket, rugby and footy. But Americans will love it since we're used to our domestic carriers. The international service has free meals, snacks and drinks along with on-demand entertainment in all classes. The domestic flights also have free meals, even on relatively short flights (I had a hot breakfast on a hop from Darwin to Cairns). The cabin crews on every leg I've flown have been uniformly friendly, practically to the point of exuberant.

Carefully read the Frequent Flier details
International trips make me salivate at the thought of a huge chunk of frequent flier miles. Americans probably don't have Qantas frequent flier accounts, so most of us will try to funnel them into a partner airline. How much you'll get will depend on your preferred airline, so check the rules carefully. Since these are economy-class seats on special, you might get as little as half the miles you're flying if your preferred airline isn't a oneworld alliance member.

Check the competition
Air New Zealand seldom allows Qantas to scoop up the bargain-hunters without a fight, so see if it has a similar special. Air New Zealand might also suit your frequent flier programs better. Then there's V Australia and its brand-new fleet of Boeing 777-300ER aircraft - word is that this airline has great service, very comfortable cabins in all classes and an aggressive push to snag customers. I haven't tried it yet, but many people in the know have said good things. It's part of the Virgin family of airlines, so expect slick, hip and just a bit quirky. United Airlines is also flying to Australia and might be worth a look; I was recently impressed by their domestic service, but I'd need a really awesome deal and favorable schedule to pick them over the known quality of Qantas or Air New Zealand, or the reputation of V Australia. Then there's Delta Airlines - I cannot in any good conscience recommend Delta at this point.

Beware codeshare confusion
More than a few times, I've overheard desperate travelers wondering where their plane is. "Aha," I always think, "someone doesn't know about codeshares." In essence, codeshares allow airlines to "share" planes. For instance, you might book a flight to Sydney through the U.S. Airways website that's actually operated by United Airlines. This can cause all sorts of confusion for unwary travelers. Double and triple-check your tickets so you show up at the right gate and terminal. Sometimes, this gets really confusing with different airline identification and flight numbers: For example, Americans Airlines Flight 7364 is actually Qantas Flight 12 - yep, a real, live 747-400 with a red kangaroo on the tail (despite having the word "American" in it, American Airlines does actually not fly the iconic and very American 747).