An abundance of promotions and special offers for cheap flights to Australia has made it much more affordable to vacation Down Under. Airfare to Australia, especially for travel in low season - the month of May and August through mid-September - is priced favorably compared to other long-haul destinations like Asia and eastern Europe.
Non-stop flights to Australia depart from Los Angeles and San Francisco. If you live in other parts of the US, you'll have to first fly to California.
In the past few years, flights to Australia have increased as existing airlines added flights and new airlines began service on this route. This is good news for travelers - increased competition brought the prices of flights to Australia down.
When searching for the cheapest flights to Australia, you'll find that airline consolidators usually have the lowest pricing. But, when the airlines are trying to fill the seats on their planes and offer a short-term special promotion, their prices can't be beat. Always check pricing on the airlines that fly to Australia before buying your tickets.
Airlines that fly to Australia:
Qantas
Qantas, the airline of Australia, offers the largest aircraft and the most flights. With daily non-stop flights from Los Angeles and less frequent flights from San Francisco, Qantas flies non-stop to Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne. Qantas offers code-share flights operated by American Airlines from many cities in the United States to connect to the flights from Los Angeles and San Francisco.
Qantas' website frequently features low season flight deals, promotions that include a "free" flight to a city within Australia, and special offers on the Aussie AirPass. If you are an American Airlines Aadvantage member, you can earn mileage points by flying to and within Australia on Qantas.
VAustralia
VAustralia, the newest addition to the Virgin Airlines Group, flies non-stop from Los Angeles to Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney. Connecting flights are available from other US cities on Virgin America and Delta. VAustralia also offers a few flights that depart from San Francisco.
Their planes on the Australia route are new, custom decorated with an Australian theme and feature comfortable seating for the long flight. VAustralia's website keeps up with the special offers Qantas has for cheap flights to Australia, but VAustralia does not offer specials for flight packages that include other destinations within Australia.
Delta Airlines
Delta began flying to Sydney in 2009. Shortly after they began service on this route, Delta entered a code-sharing agreement with the Virgin Airlines Group, VAustralia, for international flights, and its sister airline, VirginBlue, for domestic flights within Australia.
Delta SkyMiles members with Club access can use VirginBlue's luxurious airport lounges when traveling within Australia on VirginBlue or internationally on Delta or VAustralia.
United Airlines
United flies to Sydney from Los Angles and San Francisco, with connections from other cities in the United States. Infrequently United's website will promote specials sales on these flights. United does not fly within Australia.
Other Airlines
Air New Zealand flies from Los Angeles and San Francisco to Australia, but the flights stop in Auckland first. This adds several hours to the total flight time to Australia. Their pricing is very competitive.
Several Asian airlines also offer multi-stop flights to Australia. These flights tend to be much more expensive than the non-stop flights on Qantas, VAustralia, Delta or United.
Flying East
Travelers, for whom airplane comfort and luxury is more important than price and a non-stop long-haul flight, should consider flying east to reach Australia. For the most part, flying east is more expensive - but you can combine a visit to Singapore (Singapore Air has a daily non-stop flight from Newark to Singapore) or Dubai (Emirates offers two daily non-stop flights from JFK and non-stop flights from Houston, Los Angeles and San Francisco) with your vacation in Australia.