New Year’s Eve in Sydney, hotel downgrade, Ryanair pilots’ strike

Got a question? Our expert, Simon Calder, can help

Start the year with a bang: fireworks erupt over Sydney’s Harbour Bridge and Opera House on 1 January 2019 (AFP/Getty)

Q Six of us want to fly from London to Sydney on 27 December 2019 to be in the city for the New Year’s Eve celebrations. What is the best deals for air tickets, and when is the best time to book?

Nicholas S

A Seeing in the new year in Sydney is one of the great set pieces of travel (along with, I must say, the fireworks on 31 December in Funchal, Madeira). But as it is also the height of summer in Australia’s largest and most-visited city, air fares are correspondingly high. The cost will also be affected by how quickly you need to return. If you can enjoy the luxury of flying back in the middle of January, you will avoid the demand bulge – and, as a consequence, price spike – that happens immediately after the new year.