020·7962·9933
Given the need to change flights due to the Covid-19 situation your staff were first class and we were able to return safely all on time.
Quick response to my concerns over covid19. Flights rearranged efficiently. Thank you for your excellent service throughout.
Change of flights to Edinburgh instead of Copenhagen was really appreciated - thank you
With all the travel problems caused by the Coronavirus epidemic, and cancellation of my return flight by Qantas, Roray saved the day by getting me a seat on an earlier return flight.
Josh and Stella were outstanding during this hard time and got me home safe.
Marco and Troy are the team that dealt with my booking. They were both very helpful and couldn't do enough for an oldie like me
Great flights. Malaysian are excellent.
All I can say is this disaster has caused so many problems for people like us going to visit our family in Australia. But being told that we can be flown home on the 1st June is a bonus
Elizabeth did our original booking and she was brilliant. We regularly use DialAFlight and have recommended you often
Kylie checked day before leaving Sydney that all OK with coronavirus issues.
I would just like to thank Harriet for going above and beyond her duty to make things in this difficult time less stressful - even emailing me to make sure my dad got home safely which he did but only because she managed to get him on an earlier flight. I will be using you guys from now on as in my opinion you are a step above anyone else
I can’t thank you enough for the speed and the work you put in to get me back from Australia earlier this week when I was notified that my original flight with Emirates was cancelled.
Kieran was brilliant with how he went the extra mile
Excellent, always use and recommend
Due to the coronavirus situation flight times changed. I cannot thank or praise DialAFlight enough for their calls of reassurance and updated information. Well done.
DialAFlight provided an excellent service for my recent trip both in booking the trip initially and then in making adjustments as airlines started to close down operations. Importantly they were there to give good advice when it looked like I would be stuck in Australia. The 24 hr helpline was brilliant and very reassuring under difficult circumstances. I was recommended to use DialAFlight and in turn I will now thoroughly do the same to all my contacts. Thanks to all the excellent staff working at this difficult time.
Had to phone out of hours twice from Australia to re-arrange flight home and they were brilliant. Had it not been for them we would have been stuck in Australia due to flights being cancelled due to lockdown. Thank you DialAFlight for raising your game when needed.
Many people could not contact their agents and were having to buy new flights home. We were lucky. Many thanks
Gavin went beyond his duties and thank you for getting us home. Qatar were excellent too.
As the impact of the Coronavirus started to take its toll worldwide, Stephen contacted me to offer an earlier or later departure window from Australia. I was on a family visit and his speedy intervention was much appreciated.
Absolutely excellent in every way. Thank you so much for getting our son home safe and well at last minute. You are a brilliant team
Was very pleased when l had to see if l could get an earlier flight back to London because a connecting flight was cancelled. I was impressed that my call was answered quickly and at 5.30 am by a very polite lady.
The booking process was easy and thorough. Leo saved the day when KLM cancelled our return flight. We travel frequently to Australia but have always booked directly with the airline (8 times with Etihad or Emirates). In future, we will only use DialAFlight.
Thanks to Mason who got me home from Oz
Got us home from Oz after flight cancelled
Our return flight from Sydney to Singapore was cancelled due to Covid 19. Joey worked hard to contact Singapore Airlines and make sure we got home safely. Thank you.
No problems whatsoever - as always brilliant service and answers to any questions in a polite and professional manner
Francis was excellent and we were so lucky to get a flight home for my sister. He went out of his way to help. Can't thank him enough.
We had to cut our holiday short due to Australia shutting its borders. Rang Finn to sort out a new flight home and he went above and beyond and got us home a day before shutdown. Can't thank him enough for all he has done.
In these difficult coronavirus times the DAF staff were excellent. We needed to change our return plans. They answered the phone very, very quickly and efficiently and offered us alternative flights home. I can’t thank you enough as travelling with your company took all the stress out of a very difficult situation. Can’t rate your staff and company high enough
It's a sun-drenched morning at the East Perth Terminal and the Indian Pacific train gleams brightly beyond the cool shadows of the station. Two dozen stainless-steel carriages stretch along the boomerang-shaped platform.
Our coaches, dating from the late 1960s and early 1970s, were built in New South Wales by Commonwealth Engineering, which received a licence for the sleek, bullet-like design from Budd, a metal-fabricating company in Philadelphia.
I know this because John Brinkley, one of three train managers on the 1,860ft-long Indian Pacific (it travels from the Indian Ocean to the Pacific Ocean), is on hand to answer any questions. He also points guests towards their carriage for our 2,700-mile journey.
We are departing Perth on a Sunday at 11.55am, and are due to arrive in Sydney on Wednesday at 11.07am.
I'm travelling in gold class for two nights (sleeper cabins and a lounge with free drinks, plus free meals in a smart dining carriage) followed by a night in red (reclining seats and a cafe where you have to pay). There's also platinum class - comfortable cabins with double beds, a swanky dining carriage, and a free cocktail bar. Brinkley tells me the train hit a camel on the way from Sydney to Perth a couple of days ago. 'There was damage to the loco - we had to repair an air pipe. We blow animal whistles and the horn, but it still happens. Kangaroos keep out of the way generally. Kangaroos are pretty smart.'
Sculptures in the Outback desert
We roll out of Perth and into the parched countryside with gum trees, shrubs and orange-tinged soil. After dumping my bag in my cabin, I go to the gold-class lounge to meet my fellow travellers. Many are sitting in burgundy leather armchairs and banquettes drinking Crown lager and glasses of Australian wine, while conversations range from Chinese investment in Hunter Valley coal mines to the quality of the train's gin (deemed top-notch).
It's a jolly train. Meals are substantial: three courses, served in booths separated by frosted-glass partitions.
We stop at Kalgoorlie (population: 31,000) at 10.45pm. Coaches take us past darkened sights including a vast working mine; gold was discovered here in 1893. The town has a frontier feel. A guide points out a Woolworths that has the biggest takings in Australia (gold miners have plenty of cash to spend).
I sleep well, to the rhythm of the tracks, and wake to see copper-gold light illuminating wispy clouds above gum trees and dried-out river beds.By mid-morning, the Indian Pacific draws to a halt at Cook (population: four) and I spot a sign saying: 'If you're crook, come to Cook, Queen City of the Nullarbor.' Crook, of course, is slang for 'ill' in Australia, while the Nullarbor Plain is a region that boasts a wild and rugged landscape. A 297-mile section of track running through it is the world's longest straight stretch. Cook is an outpost of rundown buildings. However, it's a good place to stretch our legs.
As far as the eye can see: wandering across vast salt flats in the Nullarbor Plain
Early next morning we pull into Adelaide, and passengers join coach tours of the South Australian city. We are taken to Mount Lofty, though it's shrouded in cloud. We see the Adelaide Oval, where there's a statue of cricket legend Sir Don Bradman.
Back at Adelaide Parklands Terminal I buy a battery-powered beer-bottle cooler that makes train sounds when lifted.
Now I have to switch to red class, towards the front of the train. It comprises 48 seats that look as though they belong in a plane's business-class, but filled with backpackers and retirees.
Our duty manager recommends the breakfasts that he personally cooks. 'I've had phone calls from Gordon Ramsay and Jamie Oliver saying, "I've heard about your breakfasts". I reply, "No, I can't come to work for you. I want the twenty bucks an hour Great Southern Rail is paying me".' Not far out of Adelaide, I glimpse my first and only kangaroos, far in the distance. I also spot an eagle high above.
That evening we reach Broken Hill, a lead and zinc mining town, and I make my way to the Palace Hotel. The venue featured in the 1994 film The Adventures Of Priscilla, Queen Of The Desert, about the unlikely subject of drag queens in the Outback.
I discover a reception area with bright murals, stuffed birds and cabinets displaying leopard-print high heels. On the wall is an advert for the Broken Heel Festival. Its motto? 'Life in the Outback is never a drag.' Back on the train, we clatter through the night and wake to see cows munching grass in the foothills of the Blue Mountains. I eat our carriage manager's Gordon Ramsay-quality breakfast and sit back as we snake into Sydney's Grand Central station. We're a mere 13 minutes late - not bad when you've just covered 2,700 miles.
Amazingly, it is simple old-fashioned service that sets us apart from other travel firms. And yes, we really do answer the phone within 5 seconds!
Check out the reviews on Trustpilot and the word ‘service’ appears again and again. And you’ll find many reviews from customers saying they wasted hours trying to plan a holiday themselves before calling us - often on the advice of a friend - only to find we could offer numerous options not available online, which also saved them money.
Our team of 300 travel managers has been arranging tailor-made holidays for almost 40 years and we believe no one does it better. Judge for yourself.
Not quite what you're looking for? We can easily customise an offer to suit your exact requirements
Airport Lounges from £25
Once you’re through security leave the crowds, kids and chaos behind you with a visit to one of our comfortable airport lounges.
All offer complimentary food, drinks, wifi and newspapers with some also including Fastrack through security. Prices from £25.
Use our speedy private transfer service to avoid the stress of finding your way out of the airport terminal and looking for a taxi or bus on arrival.
With our meet and greet service, our driver will meet you in the arrivals hall. They will monitor flight arrival times giving you peace of mind that someone will be waiting for you with a name board even if your flight is late.
They will then assist you with your luggage and organise a private transfer directly to your hotel - there’s no waiting around for other passengers for shared transfers!
So no queues, no delays and less stress.
Let us extend the personalised service of your booking into your holiday with great prices on business class flights ready to add a touch of class to your trip.
Take the stress out of travelling with a host of wonderful perks on offer from priority check-in and premium lounge access to chauffeur service and fine in-flight dining, plus the supreme comfort of a fully-reclining seat.
Call us to see how much you could save on Business Class flights.
All customers can take advantage of exclusive premium rates we’ve negotiated for our portfolio of business clients. We’ll maintain your preferred airline loyalty programmes and you’ll have 24/7 support wherever you are in the world.
