Domestic flights in Australia

Domestic flights in Australia are usually the quickest option to cover the long distances. No wonder that Melbourne to Sydney to Melbourne is one of the highest frequented routes globally. Hopping on a plane for one and a half hours is often times the better option than sitting in a car or a train you some 10ish  hours.

Airlines for inner Australian flights

Qantas  – The Premium Service Provider
Qantas is unbeaten when it comes to safety.  Qantas offers the best service on domestic flights.  Of course, this comes at a  price.

Qantas Link – The Outback Carrier
Qantas Link services smaller and remote airports’airfields

Jetstar  The budget-airline of Qantas
With Jetstar you pay for the service you use

Virgin Australia  The stylish budget-airline
Also a budget-airline but good for people who travel with a surfboard

REX The Outback-Express
REX also mainly connects to smaller remote airfields

Tiger Airlines  Sometimes too cheap
Tiger is by far the cheapest operator in the Australian market. The parent company is Singapore Airline but Tiger doesn’t have the best reputation when it comes to reliability and service. In  2005 the ABC ‘awarded’ TigerAirways the title ‘Worst Domestic Airline ‘ for the third time in a row. But there is hope for everyone on a budget. Tiger announced a collaboration with the ‘premium budget airline’ Scoot.  Time will tell if this collaboration will improve Tigers services and reputation. Til that point we recommend flying Tiger to people with sufficient flexibility in their schedule.

What to consider flying domestically in Australia?

Timezones
First of all, you should think of Australia different time zones.
Australia has on its entire territory not less than 13 time zones.
So especially if it is about connecting flights you want to make sure you got the time right.

Budget Airlines
If you fly with a budget airline you certainly have to read and understand the fine print. Budget-Airlines are making their money with the sale of additional services and with also with fines. So ‘carry-on only’ means carry on only. Be prepared that the size of your carry-on bag is checked and the actual weight is checked too. Also to consider is the leg-space on a five-hour flight from Sydney to Perth, especially when your legs are a little longer. So be prepared to squeeze and don’t expect any freebies.  So if you usually don’t pack light and you do enjoy a movie and a meal on your flight you may consider booking a little more premium.

The other airport
Some budget airlines are flying to smaller, more remote airports. Melbourne Avalon instead of Melbourne Tullamarine is one example. In this case, you will pay more for the commute to and from the airport and it will cost you additional time. Not recommended if you head there for an international connecting flight.

In general, you shouldn’t just look for the price of a flight.
So if you take the cheapest flight which is likely the last flight of the day you have a higher risk not making it that day when the fight is canceled.

How to find cheap domestic flights in Australia?

These two websites are good to search for and compare flights:  Webjet.com.au and  Skyscanner.com.au
If you like to save another few dollars you then book with the airlines directly through their websites.

Check also our list of Airlines flying into  Australia