You can apply for an Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) online thru the Dept of Immigration: <a href="http://www.eta.immi.gov.au" target="_blank">http://www.eta.immi.gov.au</A>. It costs AUD 20 and will be issued immediately; when you checkin for your flight the airline's passport reader is linked to the government's database.

I don't believe they are free under any circumstance. My airline can issue them thru the CRS but there is a charge of EUR 15 for it.

Regarding flights I took QF from LAX to SYD last September. They offer an afternoon departure (1pm) a few days per week that tends to be less crowded since more people prefer the late evening departures. I flew midweek and we had only 80 pax in Y on a 747-400, and arrived into SYD the following night at 8pm. No lines, right into a taxi, and at the hotel by 8:45pm for a good night's sleep.

UA has only 2 flights to SYD (LAX and SFO) and they always seem full! Plus, my company has a ZED agreement with QF so it was $84 each way vs. ID90 on UA of over $200 one way (both before taxes).

Plus, in addition to 2 or 3 SYD flights, QF has service from Brisbane and Melbourne, and direct flights thru Auckland. There's a HNL flight too if you want to stop off there (but flights between LAX and HNL are tough). BNE might work out for a better return if you're up in Queensland. Was going to try that one myself but opted to fly from CNS back down to SYD for more wide-open flights the day I flew out.

Another little thing...if you don't sleep on planes (like me) I prefer QF since you have your own tv with choice of movies at the seat unlike UA.

Two more airline options people don't always consider: Air Canada and Hawaiian Air both serve SYD from HNL (the AC flight is a stopover enroute from Vancouver, but you can fly just the HNL-SYD leg).

I spent a few days in SYD, then flew to Alice Springs, then Ayers Rock, then Cairns, then home via SYD. To give you an idea of distance all the domestic flights were 3 hours (except Alice to the Rock; about 45 mins). I did all the trips on QF ZED tickets and made all the flights I wanted. Their staff were generally very pleasant toward non-revs (a bit less so at SYD, but that's expected). There are QF offices in each city where you can inquire about latest availability and a dedicated non-rev line within Australia to call for listings, etc.

For hotels you might want to check out Accor Hotels (www.accorhotels.com) since they have good deals for airline staff. They are pretty well represented in Oz and we found some good deals. The Sofitel in Sydney was a special treat - 75% off rack rate and the place had just finished a total refurbishment. Even then it was a splurge but worth it. If you go to Ayers Rock the only game in town is Ayers Rock Resort (in fact they ARE the town...). Rates are high but email their reservations centre to inquire about 50% off rates at their properties for airline staff (www.ayersrockresort.com.au).