Australia is likely near the top of many travelers' bucket lists, but those long 14-hour flights to get there aren't exactly budget-friendly.
When most travelers fire up a search for flights to Australia, they punch in Sydney (SYD) or even Melbourne (MEL) as their destination – and they're going to pay for it. You're likely to see roundtrip flight prices in the quadruple digits to those cities, but that's not the case everywhere. If you're looking to book an affordable trip to Australia, right now, flying into Brisbane (BNE) is the key.
Brisbane has been the epicenter of cheap flights to the land down under lately after American, Delta, and United all launched nonstop service to the coastal city about 550 miles north of Sydney. Since the announcement of these routes, we've seen some stellar flight deals to BNE with flights from just $816 roundtrip, from 34,000 Delta SkyMiles roundtrip, or Delta One Suites business class flights from 123,000 SkyMiles each way, too!
There are so many reasons to want to visit Brisbane and nearby, famed Gold Coast, not the least of which is how cheap it is to fly there. But even if you've got your sights set on Sydney, Melbourne, or elsewhere in Australia, you'd be wise to start and end your trip in Brisbane next year. Here's why.
Why Brisbane?
The reason why the airlines are targeting Brisbane is simple: The Queensland government is offering huge incentives for the airlines to fly there. And thanks to those incentives, American, Delta, and United can offer significantly discounted fares and still make enough money to keep the routes profitable.
According to the Government of Queensland, more than $200 million in incentives have been added to the Attracting Aviation Investment Fund for Brisbane. The government wants to add more seat capacity flying in and out of Brisbane (and fill those planes full of freight and cargo, too.)
Who wins in this scenario? Everybody! Travelers like us get discounted airfare and easier-to-book points and miles rates thanks to all the new seats flying to Brisbane and back. The airlines get to operate new routes without high fares and without the risk of it failing. And the government of Queensland gets some extra, renewed tourism interest in the city of Brisbane and can try to establish nonstop connectivity to and from the U.S. before the city hosts the 2032 Olympics, too.
That win-win-win scenario has attracted the following Brisbane (BNE) routes since this program started in 2022:
- Vancouver (YVR) on Air Canada
- San Francisco (SFO) on United
- Los Angeles (LAX) on Delta
- Dallas (DFW) on American
Those are just the North American routes, too. The fund has prompted airlines like Qatar Airways, Emirates, Qantas, Air New Zealand, EVA Air, Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific, and many more to launch new and expanded service, too.
The end result is a ton of new capacity into BNE. According to data from Cirium, an aviation analytics company, in the month of January – peak season in Australia – 107 nonstop flights will operate from the U.S. to Brisbane in 2025. In 2022, that number was zero.
And what happens when airports get inundated with more capacity? Flight prices get a lot more attractive for travelers like you and me!
If you're thinking of taking advantage of this new trend in flight prices to Australia, you'd be wise to book soon.
With all this new capacity, propped up by government subsidies that aren't going to last forever, the airlines have to find a way to make these routes work on their own. If airlines start cutting flights, fares will have to go up. What does that mean for travelers right now? Strike while the iron's hot and while the government subsidies are keeping fares low.
How Much Can You Save?
Brisbane does not have to be your final destination, but it's still smart to book your roundtrip flights in and out of Brisbane for your 2025 trip to Australia.
Let's say you want to visit Australia for spring break next year. When you look at flight prices to Sydney (SYD) from Chicago (ORD), for example, you're facing some steep fares.
Search for flights to Melbourne (MEL), and it's even worse…
Now, let's try Brisbane (BNE).
That's more like it! Clocking in at $817 roundtrip, you're saving nearly $400 if not more by flying to Brisbane. And once you're in Australia, you have many more (and cheaper) options to fly to cities like Sydney (SYD) and Melbourne (MEL).
Just look at this Google Flights Explore search for flights from BNE to the rest of the country. (Note: I filtered this search to include a carry-on bag and for only nonstop flights.)
Even when added to the cost of your roundtrip Brisbane flights, these roundtrip fares for mid-March are significantly cheaper than the alternative. As always, though, you should do the math from your home airport to ensure you're getting the best deal.
It's likely cheaper to book your Australia flights this way, but it's also going to give you an opportunity to stopover in Brisbane on the way to or from (or both) your final destination, too.
Cheap Flights to Brisbane (in Economy or Biz Class)
Just how good have the flight deals been to Brisbane (BNE) lately? I'm so glad you asked.
We showed you in the example above, but this Chicago to Brisbane roundtrip fare was so fun that we'll show you again.
I said the fare was “fun” not “exceptional” because Chicago isn't alone with these steeply discounted fares down under. Even some Delta hubs got in on these low fares, including Atlanta (ATL).
These two fares were part of back-to-back Brisbane (BNE) flight deals we sent to our Thrifty Traveler Premium members that targeted hub cities all over the country. This first one was a boon for flyers in American hubs, for example.
And soon after that, Delta hubs got in on the action, too.
Best of all: Most of these fares were main cabin – meaning you could pick your seat, bring a free checked bag, and retain the ability to change or cancel your fare for a voucher if you need to.
Anything under $900 roundtrip to Australia is a steal, but there's a still a better way to book cheap flights to Brisbane: Using your points and miles.
We sent this deal to our Thrifty Traveler Premium members with Delta SkyMiles, giving them a first shot at some insanely cheap Delta flights to BNE next year.
Most of these fares were in the 60,000 to 80,000-mile range, which is still a steal for roundtrip fares to Australia. If you booked from Los Angeles (LAX), though, you could get it for 40,000 SkyMiles roundtrip, or just 34,000 roundtrip if you have a Delta SkyMiles credit card with the TakeOff 15 benefit.
Things got even better for SkyMiles members as Delta slashed prices for its Delta One business class cabin, too.
Delta typically charges rates closer to 400,000 SkyMiles each way for these flights, so fares were a phenomenal deal for our Thrifty Traveler Premium subscribers who booked it. Plus, they were part of a broader trend of SkyMiles business class deals we've seen lately.
And just like the other SkyMiles deal to Brisbane, it touched dozens and dozens of Delta airports all over the U.S. for 175,000-SkyMile rates.
Bottom Line
If you want to fly to Australia next year, you should look for flights to Brisbane – even if it's not your final destination.
With a massive surge in capacity into Brisbane thanks to some government subsidies, Brisbane flights are way cheaper than other Australian cities right now. But these low fares may not last forever, so don't wait to take advantage.
