Cheap Flights to Australia in 2025

Planning a trip to Australia? Whether you’re coming for a Working Holiday, a road trip adventure, or to visit friends and family, finding a cheap flight is the first (and often most expensive) step.

In this guide, we show you how to find cheap flights to Australia in 2025, which routes to look for, how much you should expect to pay, and how to spot the best deals — including direct flights from Europe to Australia.

How Much Do Flights to Australia Cost in 2025?

Whether you’re travelling from the UK, the US or Canada, flying to Australia is often a journey of between 14,000 and 18,000km, depending on your city of departure / arrival. “Cheap” flights aren’t easy to come by, given the distance to travel to Australia, but you can still find airline tickets at ‘attractive’ rates.

✈️ Prices vary depending on the departure city, season, and airline, but here are the average round-trip prices:

💡 Tip: Flying into Perth is often the cheapest way into Australia from Europe or Asia, especially during off-peak months.

Where to buy airline tickets?

Travel Agencies

Online travel agencies offer many advantages and very competitive rates. Some agencies have even created tickets specifically for Working Holiday Visa makers. In addition to cheaper rates, they offer special flight: ‘Open Tickets’ that give you more flexibility. With these tickets, you can change your dates and your city of departure or return, usually 1 to 2 times, free of charge.

Price Comparison Websites

Flight price comparison websites are a fast, efficient way to find cheap flights, but as there are so many of them on the market, it is not always easy to know where to find the best offers. Even though all of these websites offer flight tickets at attractive prices, be aware that there are differences between them.

The first thing to do is to compare several flight search websites. Some of them might exclude offers from low-cost carrier airlines (e.g. Ryanair, AirAsia). If you are looking for a good price without caring much about comfort or service quality, make sure you visit comparison websites that include low-cost flights.

To sum it up, the best flight comparison websites are the ones that don’t have any affiliation with airlines and list flights from low-cost carrier airlines. These are paid through advertising and not through commission for bookings. Among them, we recommend Skyscanner and Momondo.com. Before making your booking, refresh the page to make sure that no new, cheaper offers have come up in the meantime.

Airline Company Websites

You might think you’ll get a better deal if you book directly through an airline’s website. Unfortunately, this is often not the case.

However, sometimes airlines have exclusive offers that can make their prices very attractive. It is therefore worth checking the prices on an airline’s website before booking your ticket elsewhere. Many airlines and travel agencies offer special deals and discounts to their subscribers. Sign up for newsletters and flight alerts to stay informed about sales and exclusive offers.

You might have heard that websites of airlines and travel agencies use cookies to track your browsing history on their sites. Some companies use this information to increase the price of a flight if you repeatedly check the same one within a few hours or a day. To avoid this problem, you can either decide to use a private browsing mode (incognito mode) during your search and/or delete cookies from your browser.

When to Book Cheap Flights to Australia?

📅 Best months to travel cheap:

• May–June and September–early December = lowest fares + mild weather in most of Australia.
• Avoid December 10 to January 20 = peak season + high prices.

🔎 When to book:

• 2 to 5 months in advance for the best prices.
• Use Google Flights alerts or Skyscanner price alerts to monitor drops.

Best Airlines to Fly to Australia (2025)

When it comes to finding cheap flights to Australia, you have a wide selection of different airlines to choose from. Each person will have their own selection criteria. Some people want to pay the lowest price possible, while others are happy to pay extra for some additional comfort.

Budget Airlines

Low-cost carriers include China Eastern Airlines, Hainan Airlines and Air China, which allow you to travel at competitive rates. By going through price comparison websites, like JetCost for example, you can find flights from Australia to Europe for approximately £800 (if you book early). Scoot / AirAsia X are other ultra low-cost options via Asia.

Popular Choices

Companies such as Qatar Airways, Etihad, Emirates (popular stopover in Dubai), or Singapore Airlines (consistently top-rated for long-haul comfort) are now among the most popular airlines. In addition to offering competitive rates, their equipment and services are of very good quality. Thanks to their great price-quality ratio, they can compete with other more traditional companies.

Traditional airline companies

Companies such as Air France, British Airways, KLM, Cathay Pacific etc. Qantas is Australia’s national airline (direct flights from UK & Singapore). The quality of their service and equipment is decent, although it be a bit outdated. Their rates are similar to Qatar Airways, Etihad, Emirates and Singapore Airlines.

💡 Combine premium airline + low-cost Asian carrier for cheaper multi-leg routes (ex: Paris → Bangkok with Emirates, Bangkok → Sydney with Scoot).

Are There Direct Flights Between Europe and Australia in 2025?

Yes! In 2025, several airlines offer non-stop flights between Europe and Australia:

✅ Direct Europe ↔ Australia routes (2025)

💬 Note: Most direct flights are from London to Perth, with connections to other cities. Expect to pay a bit more for direct flights, but save 5–10 hours in travel time.

Domestic Flights within Australia

Flying is often the fastest and cheapest way to get around Australia, as driving the long distances between cities can take days. The main companies serving the various cities of Australia are Jetstar, Virgin Australia and Qantas.

Where to buy your plane ticket?

Domestic flights are obviously a lot cheaper than long-haul flights. On the other hand, the distances between cities in Australia should not be underestimated – for example, 4000 km separates Sydney and Perth. Flight comparison websites are probably the best way to find the cheapest air tickets. Try sites like Skyscanner, I want that flight, Webjet, or Flight Center.

As with international flights, you can also visit the airline websites to check the prices. Given that only a few companies provide domestic flights in Australia, it is easy to see if promotions are available or not.

Finally, you should know that booking your domestic flights at the same time as your international flight may get you discounted rates.

When to buy your plane ticket?

Some factors influence the price of tickets, such as the seasons, school holidays, etc. For example, when winter arrives, backpackers staying in the South of Australia tend to move towards the north of the country. Thus, at this time of the year, fares to Cairns will probably be higher than air tickets to Melbourne, regardless of distance. If you intend to book during such periods, it is best to do it as soon as possible.

If you want to save money, it’s best to be flexible. Some websites, such as Skyscanner, have tools that let you see the cheapest flights over the course of a whole month. Just click the “Whole Month” search option in the “Depart” box and choose the date with the cheapest offer. If you have more flexibility, you can even search for the cheapest month to travel in the year.

Flights and Plane Tickets from Australia

After a long road trip through Australia during which you’ve discovered many new things and met tons of people, it might be difficult to go straight back to your home country. Why not make the most of being on other side of the world and visit some other countries on the way home? In Australia, you are ‘close’ to Southeast Asia, Bali, Fiji, Vanuatu, New Zealand, New Caledonia, and can fly there for much less than you would pay if you were going from the other side of the world.

As far as airlines are concerned, generally speaking you will find those that operate domestic flights in Australia. Among them, there are the low-cost airlines (Virgin, Bonza & Jetstar), but also local airlines specific to your chosen destination. The big change after travelling from Europe is that this time you can have direct flights, no more stopovers!

Our tips to Save Money on your Flights

Book in Advance

While last-minute deals can sometimes be found, booking your flight well in advance is generally the best way to secure lower prices. Aim to book your tickets 2 to 6 months before your planned departure date

Consider Layovers

Flights with longer layovers can be significantly cheaper than direct flights. If you’re not in a hurry, consider a flight with a stopover. This can also be an opportunity to explore another city on your way to Australia.

Be Flexible with Your Travel Dates

Flight prices can vary significantly depending on the day of the week, time of year, and even time of day. If possible, be flexible with your travel dates and aim for mid-week flights when demand is lower.

Avoid hidden airline fees

Take a close look at fees for luggage, meals, and seats, to avoid hidden airline fees. Some airlines (low-cost carriers in particular) seem to offer great deals on flight tickets at first glance – then in the process of making your booking you discover lots of extra charges for bags, seat reservation and so on.

Since these flights often end up costing more overall, you are sometimes better off buying a ticket that is slightly more expensive, but includes luggage and meals.

Look for special deals

Some websites regularly offer flight tickets at low prices. The only condition is that you need to be flexible. These flight deals are usually set, so you can’t make any changes to the destination or dates. Take it or leave it! If you don’t have a detailed plan for your travels, a special deal could be your best bet. You find them on Airfarewatchdog.com or Holidaypirates.com.

Use Incognito Mode

Clear cookies or use incognito mode to avoid dynamic price increases.

Join a loyalty program

Airline loyalty programs can be a great way to get cheaper flights or free upgrades. No matter how often you fly, they are completely free and you definitely benefit from joining them. Every time you fly, you earn “points”, which you can use with your next reservation. If you decide to join the program of a national airline, find out what alliance it is member of. This way, you earn points for booking flights with any airline belonging to this alliance. There are currently three main alliances in the world: OneWorld, SkyTeam, and Star Alliance. Qatar Airways, for example, is part of the OneWorld alliance. In other words, by joining a loyalty program with an alliance, you travel with the most recognised airlines and you get great deals.

Traveling in the Very Best Conditions

Many airlines will do everything they can to make your trip as pleasant as possible and help the time pass quickly. When it comes to entertainment, seats are equipped with individual TV screens with an increasingly wide selection of movies, TV series, music, games, etc. The seats are usually wider and have a bit more leg room compared to the budget airlines. Extras such as kits with blankets, socks, eye masks etc are also provided for greater comfort. In addition, meals and snacks help to break up the trip.

Pack useful and light

There are also things you can do to make your trip more enjoyable. Bring a travel pillow and earplugs. Don’t forget your headphones, even though most companies will provide them. Make sure you bring your phone charger in your carry-on (plug and USB, as you can plug it in during the flight, as well as during stopovers). Finally, if you have trouble sleeping on planes, try to leave in the evening. Tiredness will eventually take over and the time will pass faster. Also remember to wear comfortable clothes and a jumper, as it is often chilly on flights.

Making the most of your flight

Any problems with your ears or teeth could cause uncomfortable pressure and pain on plane journeys. If you’re worried about this, it’s best to get a check-up before your flight. If you have inner ear issues, anti-pressure caps can be bought in pharmacies and work well. If you have blood circulation problems, consider getting some compression stockings for the flight. If there is a history of phlebitis in your family, you may be prone to pulmonary embolism. It is advised that you consult your doctor before your departure.