I was looking for the best deal for 2 adults and 2 children (both
under 12) to fly from Canberra, Australia to San Francisco, California
in October of this year, ideally around the 18th or 20th of October.

I only need a one way ticket as we have other travel arrangements once they arrive.

I assumed that both of your children are at least 3 years old for
these searches.  If one was under three they can often ride on your
lap and don't need their own seat.

If you must fly from Canberra it will be more than flying from Sydney.


First your options from Canberra:

Travelocity.com  $977.10 per ticket = $3908.40
Qantas Airways 
Departs Oct. 18th at 12:10pm


Expedia.com  $1337 per ticket = $5348 Total
Qantas Airways 
Departs Oct. 18th at 11:35am



Options from Sydney:

travelocity.com  $894.30 per ticket = $3577.20 Total
Air New Zealand  
Dept. Oct. 18th at 2:40pm

Expedia.com $949 per ticket = $3798 Total
Air New Zealand  
Dept. Oct. 18th at 2:40pm

I cannot post links to the exact fair because you cannot link to a
search result.  Going to any of these websites and first selecting
that you want a one-way ticket and then enter your travel plans will
bring up these results.

Keep in mind that fairs change on a weekly, if not daily basis.  I did
look at more than a dozen other sites including the sites for the
airlines listed above and the "Air New Zealand" website had decent
prices if you would feel better going strait to the airline for the
tickets.

http://www.airnewzealand.com.au/default.htm

It did not seem to matter if it was the 18th, 19th or 20th as far as
price was concerned.  As long as you don't wait 'til the weekend to
fly you should get the same prices as listed above.

I have bought quite a few airline tickets in the last few years and
love searching air-fares.  I do even when I know I'm not going
anywhere.

Here are some sites that I found helpful when I was learning about how
airfares work.

http://airfare.michaelbluejay.com/

http://away.com/features/guide-to-inexpensive-airfare-1.html

If you have any further questions please let me know.  I will continue
to work with you if needed to get you the best possible fair.

Thanks!

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Clarification of Answer by gregaw-ga on 30 Jun 2006 08:39 PDT

Wanted to let you know that I did search round-trip tickets because
sometimes they are cheaper, but they were about $150 more per ticket.

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Request for Answer Clarification by chettacrowley-ga on 30 Jun 2006 13:36 PDT

Thank you this is great

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Clarification of Answer by gregaw-ga on 13 Jul 2006 05:56 PDT

I'm glad that you are pleased!