How much are flights to Australia? Australia is the best place to go on holiday if you live in the UK. It’s very easy to get a visa; if you plan, finding cheap tickets can also be easy. At World Flight Vibes, many Australian travellers are trying to save money. This is clear because many Australian travellers use World Flight Vibes to find other travellers to split the costs of their trips. We thought it would be helpful to give you some tips on how to find the cheapest flights from the UK to Australia. That way, you can save money on your flight and put it towards other parts of your trip.
Flights from the UK to Australia
Flying from London to Australia is one of the most famous routes. Fly to Perth, Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney, Cairns, Darwin, and other places from London, Birmingham, Newcastle, Edinburgh, Manchester, and Glasgow in the UK. It takes at least 20 hours to get to all of them, with stops in Hong Kong, Bangkok, Dubai, or Oman. Australian airline Qantas is starting a new direct service in March 2018 that will cut the time it takes to travel from London Heathrow to Perth by 17 hours.
Best deal on flights from the UK to Australia
London to Sydney is the cheapest way to fly from the UK to Australia so book your Cheap Flights to Australia with us. When everything is equal like when there are no sales or discounts, going to Sydney would be the cheapest option no matter which airport in the UK you leave from. Again, the cheapest way to get to Australia would be to fly out of London, no matter where you land.
The UK’s cheapest places to leave from
If you can’t fly out of London, leaving from Edinburgh or Manchester costs a little more. Most of the time, the cheapest flights from these places cost between £22 and £60 ($26 to $77 USD) more than flights from London. You’ll have to pay £75–£100 ($97–129 USD) more if you fly from Cardiff, Glasgow, Birmingham, Newcastle, or Belfast.
Australia’s least expensive places to arrive
Some of you might not be able to choose which city you fly out of, but you should be able to pick which city you fly to. Like the cities where the flights leave from, the cities where they arrive play a big role in setting the price of your ticket. People from the UK who want to fly to Australia will find Sydney the cheapest place to arrive. You’ll pay about £25 to $50 ($32 to $65 USD) more if you go to Melbourne. A flight to Adelaide or Brisbane will cost an extra $50 to $100, or $65 to $129 USD. Flights to Darwin, Perth, Cairns, or the Gold Coast will cost an extra $100 to $200 or $199 to $208.
Direct flights from the UK to Australia
Australia can only be reached by one straight flight from the UK. Qantas flies from London Heathrow to Perth, Western Australia. The flight goes from Sydney to Melbourne over 17 hours. It stops in Perth so that you can get off the flight. You can book a ride from Perth to Sydney instead if you’d like. The trip will take about 4 hours and 10 minutes.
Flight tickets to Australia
Every territory has an international airport, usually close to the cities. From the UK to Australia, trips can take more than 12 hours, with a stopover in an Asian city. There aren’t any direct trips to Australia yet. British Airways, Qantas, KLM, Cathay Pacific, Etihad Airlines, Emirates, Virgin, and Air France are some airlines that fly from the UK. Many UK flights go to Australia’s best airports, such as Kingsford Smith International Airport (8 km from Sydney), Cairns Airport (great for getting to the Great Barrier Reef and Daintree Rainforest), Adelaide Airport (named Australia’s best airport in 2011), Melbourne Airport (also called Tullamarine), and Perth Airport (11 miles from Perth city).
Best Time to Visit Australia
Australia has different seasons than the UK because it is in the Southern Hemisphere. Visit at the best times based on where you want to go. Autumn, from September to October, is the best time to visit the northern states. This is when it rains the least and gets the hottest. In the winter, it can get very cold in some southern regions.
World Flight Vibes has the cheapest flights to Australia from the UK between the middle of April and the end of June. This is because it is late autumn or early winter in Australia. This is a calmer time between the busy Christmas and school holidays. However, it’s important to note that the southern countries may be very cold during this time, while the northern states will still be nice and warm.
A Look at Australia
Australia is a huge, wealthy, international country with many beautiful plants and animals. Join the 89% of Australians who live on the coast and check out Sydney’s mix of beaches, bars, and shops to get a feel for city life. Finally, there’s Melbourne, known for its arts and cool food. Brisbane is a town that is getting better. Adelaide is silly and fun, Perth shows off the best of the West Coast, and Canberra is much like Washington, D.C., but for politics. Everywhere you look, you’ll find something different that has a touch of Australia’s famously easygoing way of life.
Many people rent cars and drive around the country, stopping to see the Outback. The national parks in Australia are great for people who want to get dirty in camper cars and 4WDs. In Australia’s famous wine country, you can also try as many local treats as you like. Then there’s the wild animals. Australia has snakes, kangaroos, wallabies, wombats, dingoes, and much more. It will make you feel like David Attenborough. It is getting cheaper to fly from the UK to Australia so that more people can visit the country.
Flights that go to Australia
The flight from the UK to Australia is one of the longest ones. More than 10,000 miles separate London Heathrow and Sydney. With at least one stop, it takes more than 21 hours to fly.
You have many options if you want to fly between the UK and Australia. Many companies are competing for your business. However, the cost of flying is still high because the fuel price, supply, and demand are not balanced. It’s more important than ever to pick the right flight now.
Historical Background of the Kangaroo Route
The first flights between the UK and Australia happened in the 1930s. The trip took more than 12 days at that time and included more than 30 stops and overnight hotel stays. Around this time, Qantas Airways came up with the name “Kangaroo Route” to describe the repeated flight “hops” that were like the way Australia’s most famous animal moves.
In the 1970s, new flying technology made it possible for flights to go from England to Australia with only one or two stops, cutting the flight time from 36 hours to 24 hours. Indian flights could make one stop on their way to Perth, Australia. On the other hand, plans to Sydney would usually stop in the Middle East and then South-East Asia.
The first straight commercial flights went from London to Perth, Western Australia, in 2018. This flight from the UK to Australia goes nonstop for just over 17 hours. Even though tests of direct flights between Sydney and London have been done with empty flights, it doesn’t look like these will be running with people on board before 2025.
Direct Flights to Australia
Airline | Flight Duration | Number of Stops |
Qantas | 16 Hours 45 Minutes | 0 |
One-way flights from London Heathrow to Perth, Western Australia, are the fastest and best way to get to Australia, but they aren’t always the cheapest. Qantas, Australia’s national airline, is the only company that offers this straight service right now. In 2018, Qantas started flying directly between the UK and Australia.
This direct trip from the UK to Western Australia is a great way to get there and explore. The flight length might put some people off, but the direct choice is much faster, considering the time it takes to get from one airport to another. Qantas has spent many dollars to improve the cabin experience. This isn’t a bad choice if you can afford to move up to a better cabin class.
You should know that the direct trips only go between London and Perth. However, Qantas hopes to start flying directly between London and Sydney before the end of 2025. If you want to get to Sydney faster, it is still better to go through a different airport instead of Perth because the wait times can be long.
Take a one-stop flight from the Asia to Australia
Airline * | Transit Hub | Number of Stops |
Qantas | Singapore | 1 |
British Airways | Singapore | 1 |
Singapore Airlines | Singapore | 1 |
Cathay Pacific | Hong Kong | 1 |
Thai Airways | Bangkok | 1 |
Malaysian Airlines | Kuala Lumpur | 1 |
Eva Air | Taipei | 1 |
Japan Airlines | Tokyo | 1 |
This route has been the most popular travel route between the UK and Australia for the past 50 years. It’s fast (if you’re passing through) and allows you to stay to break up your trip if you’d like. Most of the time, flights fly through their hub, usually their home country in South-East Asia. You’ll have to switch flights at the hub, but your bags will be taken to your final location if you pass through.
These companies will fly between London and Manchester and several airports in Australia. Singapore is the best place to start your flight to the eastern coast of Australia. This airport is consistently rated as one of the best in the world, so spending time here shouldn’t be too bad. The flight from London to Singapore takes about 14 hours.
Singapore is a good place to stop and break up your trip for a few days. Other good options include Malaysian Airlines (Kuala Lumpur) and Thai Airways (Bangkok). It is possible to fly to Australia through Japan but keep in mind that it will take a lot longer. London to Tokyo is almost 14 hours away, and Tokyo to Sydney is another 9½ hours away. This is neither the cheapest nor the fastest way to get there unless you want to spend time in Japan.
Take a one-stop flight from the Middle East to Australia
Airline | Transit Hub | Number of Stops |
Emirates | Dubai | 1 |
Etihad Airways | Abu Dhabi | 1 |
Qatar Airways | Doha | 1 |
Middle Eastern airlines have grown tremendously over the last couple of decades. They now control the entire business, except for the US market. This could be seen as a good thing since their investment in the flying experience has led to better cabin quality and a better overall customer experience in the aircraft industry.
Emirates is the clear winner because it connects many UK airports to places all over Australia through its hub in Dubai. Since it only takes 7 hours to fly from the UK to Dubai, it would take another 14 hours to fly from Dubai to Sydney. Because Emirates is an associate partner of Qantas, you can choose from several different routes when planning your trip.
Emirates is now up against Etihad and Qatar Airways for trips from the UK to Australia. All these airlines offer the best quality, so the only thing that matters when deciding between them is the time it takes to connect flights or the number of stops you want.
Take a one-stop flight from America to Australia
Airline | Transit Hub | Number of Stops |
American Airlines | Los Angeles | 1 |
United Airlines | Los Angeles or San Francisco | 1 |
Delta Airlines | Los Angeles | 1 |
Air Canada | Vancouver | 1 |
Going through America to get to Australia from the UK or vice versa is an option, but it’s usually only used for trips worldwide. However, some tourists want to stop in the USA or Canada. This route takes a lot longer by flight than the usual Kangaroo Route. Flying from London Heathrow to Los Angeles takes a little more than 10 hours. You will also have to go through customs when you get to the USA, even if you are passing through. Then, you will have to wait for your next link. It takes another 15 hours to fly from Los Angeles to Sydney.
Delta, United, and America all have hubs in Los Angeles from which they can fly straight to other cities. The other places you want to visit may be more important than which American airline you choose. Getting better links to Los Angeles from New York, Denver, or San Francisco is possible if you want to add a stopover. Since there isn’t a single best airline for this route, you should talk to your travel agent about which airline is best for your trip.
You could also use Air New Zealand, which has a Los Angeles hub. But when they fly from the UK to Australia, they will also stop in Auckland, which makes the trip longer.
Take a two-stop flight from the Europe to Australia
Airline * | Transit Hubs | Number of Stops |
KLM | Amsterdam & Singapore | 2 |
Lufthansa | Frankfurt & Singapore | 2 |
Swiss Air | Zurich & Singapore | 2 |
Air France | Paris & Singapore | 2 |
Turkish Airlines | Istanbul & Bangkok | 2 |
It’s not often that people choose to add a stop in Europe on their way from the UK to Australia, but there are still good reasons to do so. Most of the time, it’s because they can fly from an airport, not in London. Many people find it difficult to get around Heathrow Airport when taking domestic short-haul and foreign long-haul flights because they have to switch between terminals. So, when going from a UK regional airport, connecting to a flight in Europe can be easier and faster.
At the moment, there is no direct flight from Europe to Australia. Each airline gets some of its flights from its alliance partners. In other words, you may start your trip with KLM, but Qantas will take you from Singapore to Australia. Alliances let airlines offer fares to Australia, even though a partner will always run the leg between Asia and Australia. This isn’t always wrong, but travellers should know about it when they book, especially if they like the service of a certain flight.
Finding the Best Flights to Australia
Never before has it been so easy to fly to Australia. It is easy to choose because more than 20 airlines have many routes. Alliances between airlines have also made it easier to visit places and stay overnights that were previously hard to fit into an Australia holiday.
However, ticket prices to and from Australia are still high because of rising fuel prices and other costs. Now more than ever, it’s important to pick the best travel time, flight, and route for you.
It is still the high season for going from Australia to the UK in the weeks before Christmas and from the UK to the UK in the weeks after New Year. If money is an issue, you might want to visit somewhere else during this time.
If you want to make the most of your time in Western Australia, you should take a straight flight with Qantas to Perth. You should be ready to spend a lot of time in your seat, so moving to cabin class will make a big difference if you can afford it.
Singapore is the easiest way to get from London to Sydney or Melbourne. However, a stopover in the Middle East with guaranteed sunshine is also a choice. With airline alliances, you can now get a one-way ticket that goes one way and a return ticket that goes the other way. So, think about where you’d like to stop if you need to break up the trip.
Strong ties between the UK and Australia mean flying between the two countries is still common. There may be the same lengths between flights, but more flight options have never been. Talk to one of our World Flight Vibes travel experts to plan your next trip to Australia.