Australia is open to international travelers
Australia reopened its borders on February 21, 2022. In July, the last travel restrictions have been lifted — overseas arrivals no longer have to prove they have been vaccinated. A negative pre-departure test is no longer required. However, masks are still mandatory on planes flying to Australia.
Most passport holders need the right visa to come to Australia.
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Tips, tricks & hacks
for flying to Australia
Prearrange your Australian Tourist Visa
Passport holders from most countries need a visa to come to Australia, even if they are just visiting the country for a shorter holiday. You might even need a visa to transition through Australia to another destination. The visa must be obtained before traveling to Australia. You can do this electronically (an ETA) via the Australian Government website, or your travel agent can arrange this for you.
Know your time zone
Australia has multiple time zones. Some of them are half-hour and quarter-hour time zones. There are three primary time zones in Australia, which change to five when DST (Daylight Savings Time - not all states and territories observe DST) kicks in during the warmer months of the year (October – April). Make sure you know your time zone when checking flights and airport transfer times.
Airports in Australia
Australia has more than 600 airports, including all the international, domestic, and private airports – Sydney SYD, Brisbane BNE, Melbourne MEL, Perth PER, Adelaide ADL, and Cairns CNS, among others.
As in any country, airports with the largest volume of flights are located near major cities – about 10 to 20 kilometers from the city center – with public transport and airport shuttle service available. These are hubs for major Australian airlines, with large passenger terminals, first class lounges, shops, and restaurants.
Sydney from
Brisbane from
Melbourne from
Flights from United States to Australia (airports nearby Ashburn)
- Check flight schedules and ticket prices in October 2022 for flights to Australia from nearby airports in your area.
- Once in Australia, there are frequent flights between the major cities via local carriers such as Qantas, Virgin Australia, Jetstar, Rex Airlines, and Bonza.
- Popular destinations near Australia can be easily reached with regional low-cost airlines by the likes of AirAsia, Cebu Pacific, Jetstar, Scoot, and VietJet Air.
Here are some examples of the real-time economy class airfares from United States to Australia in October 2022. All prices are for one-way flights.
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Tips, tricks & hacks
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Avoid currency exchange kiosks at airports
Airports are infamous for making an exuberant amount of money from their currency exchanges due to the extremely high margins, and Australian airports are no exception. Airport kiosks usually charge higher fees which are sometimes hidden within the poorer exchange rates they offer – their business is based on charging extra for being a convenient, last-minute option.
Plan ahead and exchange some money for Australian dollar at home.
Avoid Australia's public holidays
Prices skyrocket during holidays in Australia – adjust your travel dates to avoid expensive tickets. Cheap flights to Australia are non-existent during popular “red days” such as Australia Day (26 January), Anzac Day (25 April), Christmas and Boxing Day (25-26 December).
Hotel and apartment rates in popular holiday spots like the Gold Coast, the Sunshine Coast, and Cairns in Queensland soar during the Australian school vacations: April (Easter school holidays), July (Winter school holidays), September/October and December (Summer school holidays).
Stopover options for traveling to Australia
Direct flights to Australia can be expensive. So if you’re looking at a long-haul trip with at least one connection, rather than simply transiting an airport, why not take an opportunity and plan a longer stopover? It won’t only break up your journey but will become a legitimate part of your vacation.
When booking flight tickets, many airlines include a stopover en route to your final destination. Those flights are usually cheaper than non-stop flights, and they can be a great way of seeing more than one place on your trip. You can often add it at no additional cost, just by looking for multi-city flights with longer layovers.
Check flight prices and other details for these great stopover options when traveling to Australia:
Flights to Australia fromUnited States and Canada
- Most flying routes from North America to Australia are over the Pacific, even if the departure airport is on the east coast. Travel times for these routes vary between 10 to 24 hours depending on the point of departure, length of layover, etc.
- For long-haul flights choosing a reputable airline is crucial. Comfortable seats, inflight entertainment, food and drinks, and just the general atmosphere of the flight can make a big difference to the trip. For flights from the United States or Canada to Australia, we recommend legacy carriers such as ANA, EVA Air, Emirates, Cathay Pacific, Delta Air Lines, Japan Airlines, Korean Air, Malaysia Airlines, Singapore Airlines, and Qantas.
- There are no direct flights from the United States or Canada to Australia. However, most main hubs in SE Asia have direct flights to Australia, as do some larger airports in the Middle East – your journey will have at least one stop.Direct flights are just 10 hours long if you are departing from Honolulu
HNL. The popular route from West Coast (Los AngelesLAX, San FranciscoSFO, VancouverYVR) to SydneySYDtakes around 16 hours. When opting for a non-stop flight, American travelers can only choose from a limited range of flight operators: Qantas, Virgin Australia, United Airlines, and Hawaiian Airlines. - When flying to Australia you have plenty of convenient layover or stopover options. Flights with one or more stops depart from most major North American airports, including Atlanta
ATL, DallasDFW, DenverDEN, ChicagoORD, Los AngelesLAX, Las VegasDFW, MiamiMIA, SeattleSEA, HoustonIAH, New YorkJFK, and San FranciscoSFOin the United States and TorontoYYZ, VancouverYVR, CalgaryLAS, and MontrealYULin Canada. Your chosen airline will most likely dictate which airport you transit through – among the best stopovers are Bali, Bangkok, Fiji and Pacific Islands, Hong Kong, Seoul, Singapore, Taipei, and Tokyo.
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Tips, tricks & hacks
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Find the best economy seats
Contrary to the popular view, not all economy seats on a plane are created equal. Some seats have slight advantages over others. It all depends on the aircraft, so we recommend visiting the SeatGuru website, where you will see a detailed seat map after entering your flight number. Hover over individual seats to compare quality and check other travelers’ reviews.
Check different departure airports
Consider neighboring cities when choosing the departure airport – especially look for larger cities with airports that serve as hubs for multiple airlines.
For example, if you live in West Europe, check prices for flights departing from Paris, London, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Rome, or Vienna. In 9 out of 10 cases, the cheapest flight will depart from one of these hubs, and it may be €500 less or more than your first choice. Yes, you may have to fly a few hundred kilometers to this hub, but low-cost airlines like EasyJet, RyanAir, or WizzAir will happily take you there for €50 - €100.
Use a similar tactic if you depart from the US or another region. It’s one of the best ways to save hundreds on trips.
Airlines of Australia
There are three main airlines in Australia that handle most of the international air traffic to Down Under. The national carrier Qantas is the largest, and apart from domestic routes it also flies to nearly 30 international destinations. Jetstar, a subsidiary of Qantas, is a low-cost carrier with no-frills fares from United States (Honolulu), Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, and Thailand among others. Virgin Australia offers both budget-friendly Economy seats and Business Class seats for more demanding travelers, and you can use it to fly to Australia from United States (Lost Angeles), Hong Kong, Indonesia, New Zealand, South Africa, Thailand, and the UAE.
The plane is also the fastest and most economical solution to move between the Australian states and territories — New South Wales, Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, or Western Australia. There are several smaller carriers that mainly focus on local routes within the country. Rex Airlines allows venturing into rural Australia — Wagga Wagga, Mount Isa, Mildura, Monkey Mia or Port Augusta. Airnorth is a smaller carrier that focuses mostly on the northern part of the country, Alliance Airlines operates fly-in fly-out (FIFO) air charter services, and Bonza is the new ultra-low-cost airline that started operations in 2022.
Flights to Australia from Europe
- There are no direct flights from Europe to Australia. There is only a handful of direct flights from Europe to Australia, and they are operated by Qantas. These non-stop flights are just under 17 hours: from London
LHRand RomeFCOto PerthPER. - To break the trip and stretch your legs, consider transit through popular Asian airport hubs, extending your total journey time by 1–3 hours. A 1-day stopover in Bangkok, Bali, Delhi, Dubai, and Singapore will be a great option to reduce your jet lag at the final destination and do some extra sightseeing.
- The best chance for a cheaper flight is when you are flexible about the departure point. Especially look for larger cities with airports that serve as hubs for multiple airlines: London
LHRand ManchesterMANin the United Kingdom; FrankfurtFRA, MunichMUCand BerlinBERin Germany; ParisCDGand NiceNCEin France; MunichMUCand BerlinBERin Germany; AmsterdamAMSin the Netherlands; MadridMADin Spain; StockholmARNin Sweden; ZurichZRHin Switzerland; BrusselsBRUin Belgium; OsloOSLin Norway; WarsawWAWin Poland; and DublinDUBin Ireland.
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Two+ flights on a single ticket
Fly on a single ticket if your itinerary involves two or more flights with the same airline. Typically, any connecting itinerary booked as a single ticket conforms with whatever connecting times apply. At big hub airports, the airlines try to ensure that their flight gates are close to each other. Also, a single ticket usually allows for checking baggage from origin to destination, including transfers.
Fly early in the morning
Early morning flights (6 am or earlier) are usually cheaper than other day schedules. It's because of lower demand – most people are not willing to go to the airport so early. Use it to your advantage.
Moreover, airports are also less crowded, and there tend to be fewer delays if you fly early in the morning. Due to increasing air traffic, delays get worse throughout the day - starting around 8-10 am and reaching a peak at 4-6 pm.
Air Traveler Club.How to book a superdeal to Australia?
Every superdeal you receive from Air Traveler Club includes a link you can use to book a flight. It always directs you to the website that offers the lowest price. Sometimes it’s an airline website; in other cases, Google Flights or a similar flight booking platform.
This video explains how to use Google Flights to book a plane ticket.
Flights from Asia
- Asia is probably the best continent for short-haul and mid-haul flying. The sheer scale of this most populous region on Earth is reflected in the type of aircraft operating many short-haul flights: intra-Asia flyers benefit from comfortable, wide-bodied aircraft by the likes of Boeing 777, 787 or Airbus A350, A330, and A380.
- When flying within Asia, you’ll often use regional airlines. The budget carriers offer tens of weekly flights to Australia with relatively comfortable flight experience and the cheapest fares – check the prices from AirAsia, Cebu Pacific, Jetstar, Scoot, and VietJet Air.
- For more comfort and top-notch customer service, consider flying with recognized full-service airlines such as Air New Zealand, ANA, Asiana, EVA Air, Emirates, Cathay Pacific, Japan Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Singapore Airlines, Qantas, and Virgin Australia.
- Mentioned airlines operate direct or 1-stop flights from primary Asian hubs such as Bangkok
BKKin Thailand, SingaporeSIN, BaliDPSin Indonesia, Hong KongHKG, SeoulICNin South Korea, TokyoHNDin Japan, DubaiDXBin UAE, Kuala LumpurKULin Malaysia, HanoiHANand Ho Chi Minh CitySGNin Vietnam, Phnom PenhPNHin Cambodia, DelhiDELin India, BeijingPEKin China, TaipeiTPEin Taiwan, ManilaMNLin the Philippines), DohaDOHin Qatar, IstanbulISTin Turkey, and others.
Flight prices can vary considerably. Here are some real-time examples:
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Why is it so cold on planes?
The airplane interior is usually kept cold to prevent hypoxia – a medical condition that may occur when the body tissue does not receive enough oxygen (high cabin pressure can trigger this reaction). Since body temperatures vary, airlines keep the temperature on the low side just to be safe; they would rather keep the cabin too cold for some passengers than have even one passenger faint.
Some budget carriers don’t provide free blankets or charge an extra fee if you want one. So be prepared: dress in several layers of clothing, wear a hoodie, and pack an extra pair of cozy fuzzy socks in your carry-on to keep yourself warm on the flight.
Tight airport connection?
Always check the airport terminals if you have a connecting flight with a different airline or separate point-to-point tickets. Make sure you have enough time to transfer between these terminals so you don’t miss your next flight.
If your airport connection is tight (1-hour layover or less), pick a set near the front of the plane. It can shave 5–10 minutes off your deplaning time, especially on larger planes. Some airlines place their "hot seats" there and charge extra fees, but it still may be worth it.
When flying domestically, try not to book the last flight out of your connecting airport. In case of a cancellation, the airline will put you on its next flight, but it will require an overnight stay and arrival a day later.
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