Australia Travel Guide
Airfare to Australia
Search for cheap airfare to Australia and book a flight to Australia
Australia is enormous – and even though most of the country might not be populated, it is still a huge expanse of land that is impossible to really get to know in one visit. What that means is that you will need several trips to see the country – which means more travel, yay! Airfare to Australia can certainly be costly, but with a little bit of research you should be able to save money on your flight to Australia.
Quick search flights to Sydney (SYD), Melbourne (MEL) and Brisbane (BNE):
Did you know that LA to Sydney is the shortest USA to Australia route? Get more tips on flying to Australia.
For most of the world’s population, traveling to Australia takes a long time – so you want to make the most of your visit to the country. The best way to do that is to not spend a fortune on your airfare to Australia, leaving you more money to spend on your vacation. Between the tips provided here and the great deals you can find with our airfare search engine on this page you will be able to come up with cheap airfare to Australia.
Have a great time in Australia, and if you need more information to plan your visit Down Under, there are traveler’s stories about Australia you can read as well as keeping tabs on daily life in Australia on this Australia Travel Guide.
Search for cheap airfare to Sydney and book a flight to Australia
By far the busiest airport in all of Australia, the Sydney International Airport (code: SYD) is where most visitors to the country will first land. It’s officially known as Kingsford Smith International Airport, after Charles Edward Kingsford Smith, who was the first Australian to fly across the Pacific from the United States, but it’s more commonly just called Sydney Airport by locals.
Flights to Sydney Airport tend to be expensive from outside Australia, but at least you can reach the city from nearly every corner of the globe. There are nonstop flights available from within Asia, North America, and of course New Zealand, but with just one change of plane you can reach Sydney Airport from just about anywhere. If your ultimate destination is Melbourne you should check fares directly into that city. They are often a bit more expensive, but flights into Melbourne Airport directly are usually worth it anyway.
You can fly on Qantas and several other airlines from many North American cities, but you’ll nearly always have to change planes in Los Angeles for the 15-hour flight to Sydney Airport. The good news is that prices tend to be only a little higher out of any other city than they are if you start in Los Angeles.
Qantas flies from London Heathrow and Frankfurt to Sydney International Airport, but you have to stop somewhere in Asia on the way. You’ll usually switch planes in Hong Kong, Bangkok, or Singapore, and this stop should be quite refreshing since the flight from London itself is over 12 hours and there are about 7 or 8 more hours until you get to Sydney. You can also get cheap airfares on some Middle Eastern airlines, which stop in the UAE.
You can reach Sydney International Airport nonstop from most large cities in Asia, but the largest ones usually offer the cheapest airfare. This means Hong Kong, Singapore, Bangkok, and Kuala Lumpur are the best bets if you are looking to reach Sydney by inventing your own connection. Flights from Bali and Jakarta are usually very reasonable, and particularly Bali because there is so much competition on that route.
Obviously Auckland is the major airport for connections to Sydney International Airport, but you can also fly in from Christchurch directly as well, so there’s usually no need to change islands to get to Australia, although in some cases the Auckland flights will be cheap enough to make that worthwhile anyway.
Search for cheap airfare to Australia and book a flight to Australia
Australia’s second busiest airport, Melbourne Airport (code: MEL) has a full range of international flights, but not nearly as many as to Sydney, especially from more distant cities. You can often get cheap airfares into Melbourne Airport, but if the fare seems on the high side you should check into flights into Sydney International Airport and then consider flying on one of the cheap and frequent commuter flights between the two cities.
Melbourne Airport is also known locally as Tullamarine Airport, and simply as “Tulla”. There are 3 other smaller airports in Melbourne, so if you are flying from within the country it’s important to know which you are destined for because a couple of them are quite far out. If you are coming in internationally you’ll be flying into the main Melbourne Airport, so there’s really no chance of confusion.
Qantas, American, United, Air New Zealand, and Cathay Pacific all fly from North America to Melbourne, but don’t expect to find any low fares. There isn’t enough competition on this long-haul route so prices are often shockingly high. You can begin your flight from nearly any large city in North America, but you’ll almost certainly have to switch planes in Los Angeles (or sometimes San Francisco) for the 15-hour flight to Melbourne Airport. Fortunately prices from other North American cities are usually not much higher than from Los Angeles itself.
You can reach Melbourne Airport from major European cities with only one stop, and obviously from every other European city with just one extra stop. British Airways, Air France, and Lufthansa all fly into Melbourne Airport and they stop off in Hong Kong, Singapore, or occasionally Bangkok. Even if the flight were non-stop it would take over 20 hours so the one stop is usually welcome.
You can get a flight directly into Melbourne Airport from most major Asian cities, but the best prices tend to be from Hong Kong, Singapore, Bangkok, and Kuala Lumpur. You can also fly from Bali with frequent service since this is a major holiday destination for Australians. From other major Asian cities there are nonstop flights, but cheap airfare could be more difficult to get.
Auckland is the major hub in New Zealand and usually has the cheapest airfare into Melbourne Airport, but you can also fly in from Christchurch, Wellington, and Queenstown, although some services are seasonal.
Catching an international flight to the Brisbane Airport (code: BNE) is a lot less common than flights to Sydney or Melbourne even, but there are definitely a few to choose from depending on your country of departure. Even so, the possibilities are on the small side given the fact that Brisbane is the third largest city in all of Australia. Your best bet is generally to fly into Sydney or Melbourne and get a budget domestic flight to Brisbane.
The Brisbane Airport is located to the north of Brisbane, just a short 15 minute drive to the Central Business District (CBD), which can end up being a bit longer if during high traffic times. Once you arrive, there are several ways to reach the city, including buses, taxis and even Airtrain. Airtrain offers direct train to the CBD every 15 minutes during peak hours, and even a direct ride to the Gold Coast.
With the Brisbane Airport being a less popular destination, the flights to this airport are probably going to cost a bit more since there are less options. Most of the time, you will find that getting a flight to Sydney (or Melbourne) and then choosing a flight on a budget airline to Brisbane will suffice.
However, if you are not looking to transfer planes another time, looking for flights in the off-peak time of the year (Australian winter) and off-peak days of the week (mid-week) can result in lower prices. The Australian winter occurs in June, July and August, but even though the term “winter” is used, it should not put someone off from traveling to the land down under. There’s just as much sun to go around, and it is actually the best time to get to some of the more tropical locations in the country.
The Perth Airport (code: PER) is an important one for Australia since it connects the opposite side of the country with important points in Asia, South Africa and the Middle East. Beyond this, cheap flights to Perth can be arranged from almost every other part of Australia, making it the most important hub in Western Australia, as well as the fourth busiest airport in the country.
Flights to Perth aren’t as common from outside the country as to the eastern part of Australia, but they can come in handy if you are traveling in from certain parts of the world. The Perth Airport is located just about 12 kilometers outside of the Perth CBD, and it acts as a hub for Qantas and Skywest.
Flights from North America
Flights to Perth from North America do not occur on a direct route. There will generally be a stopover in Sydney, Melbourne or New Zealand, at which point it is possible to look into budget airlines to finish the journey. You may want to search for cheap flights to Sydney or cheap flights to Melbourne when coming from North America.
Flights from Asia
A number of Asian cities, such as Bangkok, Singapore, Tokyo, Bali and Hong Kong, have direct flights to Perth. You can catch a flight from these locations using Thai Air, Malaysia Airlines, Singapore Airlines, Air Asia and Tiger Airways.
Flights from Middle East
You can get direct flights from Dubai by catching a ride with Emirates. Dubai appears to be the only Middle East hub with direct flights to Perth.
Flights from Africa
South African Airlines offers direct flights to Perth from Johannesburg. Johannesburg acts as the only African hub with direct flights to Perth.
Flights from New Zealand
Flights run to Perth on Air New Zealand. If looking for a direct flight to Perth, you will need to start your journey in Auckland.
The Cairns Airport (code: CNS) is the 7th busiest airport in Australia, and it is located in the north of Queensland, just 7 kilometers outside of the Cairns city center. A number of shuttles are available on arrival to get you to where you need to go. It runs both domestic and international flights, and it sees a huge draw from tourists looking to experience the Great Barrier Reef and the Daintree Rainforest.
Long distance international flights to Cairns are not available, so when looking for cheap flights to Australia when you ultimate destination is Cairns, you will need to first look for cheap flights to Melbourne or Sydney first. Otherwise, you can get a connecting flight in New Zealand and various parts of Asia to name a few of the alternative options.
Flights from North America and Europe
There are no direct flights from these continents to Cairns since it is a small airport that is not seen as a major hub in the South Pacific. If you would like to make your immediate destination in Australia as that of Cairns, then I suggest looking at the following airlines below and booking flights that connect to their Asia or New Zealand hubs. Otherwise, there are a number of budget airlines that fly to Cairns that you can choose from once you are in the country.
Flights from Asia
There are cheap flights to Cairns from many Asian hubs, such as Singapore, Tokyo, Osaka, Hong Kong, Guam and Port Moresby. The airlines of interest for these flights are QantasLink, Air Niugini, Airlines PNG, Cathay Pacific, Continental Micronesia and JetStar.
Flights from New Zealand
Direct flights to Cairns arrive from Auckland, New Zealand. The airlines of interest for these flights are Air New Zealand, Pacific Blue and United Airlines.
Darwin International Airport is a vital airport in Australia’s Top End, connecting Australia with countries in Asia as well as other parts of the country. It is the main hub in the Northern Territory, yet still only the 10th busiest in Australia.
The Darwin International Airport (code: DRW) is located about 13 kilometers outside of the city center to the north. For those looking for budget flights to or from Asia, it might be an option to find a cheap flight to Darwin and then search for a budget flight to your final destination. It also adds the possibility for a stopover in this unique part of Australia, given you’re willing to bear the tropical heat to do so.
Flights from North America
There are no direct flights from North America to Darwin. If you are wanting to find a cheap flight to Darwin, you will need to first find a cheap flight to Sydney, or a different hub in Asia.
Flights from Asia
Cheap flights to Darwin can be accessed via many Asian cities, such as Singapore, Bali, Ho Chi Minh, Dili and Manila. The airlines of particular interest here will be Qantas, AirNorth, JetStar, Virgin Blue, Skywest and Tiger Airways.
Direct flights from overseas to Darwin are limited simply because it is a less popular tourist location, and a smaller population in general. The Top End is not known for having the most livable conditions, meaning fewer people live there, work there and travel there as compared to Sydney and Melbourne for example.