Australia is a long way from almost everywhere. The flights are long, the distances are enormous, and airfares can be eye-watering if you don’t know what you’re doing. But here’s the thing: cheap flights to Australia absolutely exist. I’ve found them repeatedly, for myself and for other travellers, and the strategies that work are consistent and learnable.
This isn’t a guide to flying somewhere uncomfortable for the sake of saving money. It’s a guide to getting a genuinely good deal on a quality long-haul flight — so you can spend the money you save on the incredible experiences waiting for you in Australia. And once you check the cost of travelling Australia, you’ll see exactly why saving on flights pays dividends.
📋 TL;DR — the quick version
- ✅ Book 3–6 months ahead for the best combination of price and seat availability.
- 🗓️ best places to visit in Australia in January and September are the cheapest months to fly to Australia from most regions.
- 🔔 Set fare alerts on Google Flights and Skyscanner — fares can drop hundreds of dollars suddenly.
- 🌍 Consider routing — flying via different hubs can produce dramatically different fares on the same airline.
- 💳 Use frequent flyer points — redemptions on this route are among the best value in the points world.
- 🛫 Fly midweek — Tuesday and Wednesday departures are almost always cheaper.
- 🔄 Book one-ways separately — sometimes two separate tickets beat a round-trip.
📅 The best times to find cheap flights to Australia
Seasonality is the single biggest driver of airfare pricing, and understanding it is the foundation of finding cheap flights. Cheapest periods: February and March are consistently the cheapest months to fly to Australia from Europe and North America. The Australian summer is winding down, the Christmas rush is over, and airlines are filling seats. September is also a strong month for deals — the northern hemisphere summer is over and Australian spring travel hasn’t peaked yet.
Most expensive periods: December, January, July and August are peak demand periods. Christmas and New Year see Australian expats returning home and northern hemisphere holiday travellers heading south simultaneously. July coincides with Australian school holidays. Avoid these periods if price is a priority. Shoulder season sweet spots: Late March to April and October to early November offer a good balance of reasonable prices and excellent weather across most of Australia — a sweet spot that’s worth targeting.
👉 Book Sydney’s best experiences once you arrive on GetYourGuide →
🔎 How to search for cheap flights effectively
Google Flights is your primary tool. The price calendar view (select “Flexible dates” when searching) shows you the cheapest days to fly in a colour-coded grid. This single feature can save you hundreds of dollars by revealing which specific days have the best fares. Use it every time you search for Australia flights.
Skyscanner’s “Everywhere” search is brilliant if you’re flexible about which Australian city you arrive in. Search from your departure city to “Everywhere” and sort by price — you’ll see if Brisbane, Perth or Adelaide is significantly cheaper to fly into than Sydney on your specific dates. Perth in particular is often cheaper from European cities due to fewer competing routes.
ITA Matrix (matrix.itasoftware.com) is the most powerful fare search engine available. It’s what travel agents use and it surfaces routing combinations that consumer-facing tools sometimes miss. It doesn’t allow booking directly, but once you’ve found the fare, you can book it via the airline or a third-party site.
Set fare alerts on both Google Flights and Skyscanner. Fares to Australia move significantly — a $200 price drop overnight is common. Having alerts set means you’ll know immediately when a deal appears, giving you the ability to book before it disappears.
✈️ Which airlines offer the cheapest fares to Australia?
From Europe, the cheapest fares are typically offered by Emirates via Dubai — consistently competitive economy fares from dozens of European cities, with regular sales particularly in January. Qatar Airways via Doha is also a strong price performer with a very good economy product for the money. Etihad Airways via Abu Dhabi is often slightly cheaper than Emirates for similar routing. Turkish Airlines via Istanbul is frequently the price leader from European cities, with a decent economy product and excellent food.
From North America, the cheapest fares are typically with Qantas during sale events (particularly January-February each year), Air New Zealand via Auckland during their regular sale events, and United Airlines, which has been running competitive transpacific fares in recent years.
💳 Using frequent flyer points: the game changer
For many travellers, the smartest approach to cheap flights to Australia isn’t finding a cheap cash fare — it’s using frequent flyer points, which can unlock business class flights at what amounts to economy pricing.
Qantas Frequent Flyer Classic Rewards: Sydney to London in business class for around 90,000 points one way is exceptional value when business class fares retail for £2,000-£3,000. Points can be earned through the Qantas credit card, partner airlines and shopping portals.
Singapore KrisFlyer miles: Business class from London to Sydney typically costs 90,000-96,000 miles return — excellent value considering the quality of the product. KrisFlyer miles can be transferred from Amex Membership Rewards at a 1:1 ratio.
Avios (British Airways): Good for Qantas codeshare flights, particularly in economy. Zone-based pricing means some routes offer very competitive redemptions, especially for short-haul connections.
Earning points faster: Credit card sign-up bonuses are the quickest way to accumulate a significant balance. In many markets, a single sign-up bonus on a travel credit card can be enough for a one-way business class flight to Australia. Research the best travel credit cards in your country for the most valuable earning opportunities.
👉 Book Melbourne’s best experiences on GetYourGuide →
🛫 Smart booking tactics that save money
Book one-ways separately. On some routes, booking outbound and return as separate one-way tickets is cheaper than a round-trip on the same airline. This also allows you to mix airlines — the cheapest outbound carrier might not be the cheapest for the return, and flexibility here can save hundreds of dollars.
Check nearby departure airports. If you’re in a city with multiple airports, or close to a major hub, check whether repositioning to a nearby airport offers significantly cheaper fares. The difference can sometimes justify a cheap domestic flights in Australia or train journey to reach the better-priced airport.
Clear your browser cookies or search in incognito mode. Whether or not fare searches use cookies to display higher prices is debated, but searching in an incognito window costs nothing and some travellers report seeing lower fares. It takes 10 seconds and is worth doing as standard practice.
Consider open-jaw bookings. Flying into Sydney and out of Perth (or vice versa) costs minimal extra but lets you see much more of Australia without backtracking. This is particularly smart for first-time visitors who want to explore multiple cities. Check our 2 weeks in Australia itinerary for routing ideas that work well with open-jaw flights.
🏆 The bottom line on cheap Australia flights
The combination of smart timing, fare alerts, flexible dating and occasional use of frequent flyer points will produce flights to Australia at prices that make the journey genuinely affordable. The key habits are: set alerts early, be flexible on dates by even 2-3 days, and seriously consider using points for at least one direction of the trip.
Australia is worth any amount of effort in booking. Once you’re there, check out the best time to visit Australia and our guide to the best cities in Australia to visit to make the most of every day once you land.
👉 Book the best Cairns experiences before you go on GetYourGuide →
