Cheap flights to
Australia

Our favorite time to book flights is within what we call the Goldilocks Window, the time period not too far away from your departure date but not too close. This just-right window is when we’ve seen the best deals. It’s about 1-3 months before a domestic flight and 2-8 months before an international flight. One simple way to think about it is to book international flights in the opposite season of when you hope to travel.

So, if you want to visit Australia during January, which is summer and high season there, start looking for flights from the US in July. While airfare prices fluctuate, during the month of departure, they consistently rise. We see jumps happen, especially at the 21-, 14-, and 7-day marks before departure dates. If you can, book before then to avoid overpaying for flights.

One of our favorite tricks we’ve developed over the years is what we call the Greek Islands Trick. This is where you get as close as you can to your final destination, then find a cheap internal flight or alternate mode of transit for your final leg. It works well for the Greek Islands but can be used just about anywhere.

If you’re hoping to visit Cairns, for example, look for flights to Sydney or Melbourne instead. From there, you can book a domestic flight, which is often cheaper than booking to Cairns from the US.

There are only a few flights from the US to Australia, so those cities often have some of the best deals. If you live within driving distance of LA, San Francisco, or Dallas, even if it’s not your closest airport, it could be worth the trip. If you live in Austin, for example, check for flights out of Dallas. But even if you live farther away from one of these cities, it could be worth checking domestic flight prices.

If the flight from Chicago to Australia is way out of your price range, look for flights out of one of the cities with direct flights (e.g. San Francsico or LA to Australia). If that flight is significantly cheaper, it could be worth booking a $250 domestic flight to get to the international gateway. There are more logistics, but you could save hundreds of dollars.

If you have flexible travel dates, look for flights during shoulder season. That’s the period between high and low season, when ideally you can take advantage of some of the high season’s good weather without the crowds. That’s from March-May and September-November in most of Australia. Thanksgiving is a hidden cheap week because most US travelers fly domestically.

Off-season is even a better time to save on flights and hotels. If you’re visiting Australia for reasons other than the beach, there’s no reason not to travel during the off-season, from June to August.

If you do plan to travel during Australia’s summer, and the US winter, there are still ways to save. Try to fly on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays, which are usually the cheapest days to fly. Fridays and Sundays are, unsurprisingly, the most expensive.

We know that tracking flights takes a lot of work. And it can be so frustrating if you miss a fare drop! Luckily, there are tools to make sure that doesn’t happen. Set a fare alert for your Australia dates, and simply wait for an email telling you prices have dropped into your price range or by a significant amount. If you’re flexible on dates or departure airports, set alerts for each. Or, sign up for Going, and we’ll monitor all flights from your home airport and let you know when we find the best deals. We recommend doing this before the Goldilocks Window we talked about earlier. That way you’ll get those deals as they come up.

Australia is very far from the US and, therefore, not the easiest place to reach. If you live near San Francisco, Los Angeles, Honolulu, or Dallas, you’re in luck and can get there more easily. If you live elsewhere in the US, you’ll have to make a connection, likely in one of those cities or in Vancouver or a number of cities in Asia.