Cheap flights from London to Melbourne

November is the cheapest month on this route, so if your dates can move, start there and work outwards. Prices are shown for every month of the year, which helps because the two cities sit in opposite seasons: you are flying out of a London autumn or winter into a Melbourne spring or summer, and the Christmas and New Year weeks plus the Australian summer school holidays push fares up on both ends. Midweek departures and midweek returns usually cost less than weekend ones, and Easter and the British school breaks are the other periods to avoid if you are paying your own way. Booking a few months ahead gives you more connecting options to pick from.

The airlines listed for this route are Hainan Airlines, Beijing Capital Airlines, China Eastern Airlines, Shenzhen Airlines, China Southern Airlines and Air China, alongside Royal Brunei, Qatar Airways, Air India and Etihad Airways. None of them fly non-stop between London and Melbourne — each connects through its own hub, so the number of stops and the length of the layover are what separate them. These are full-service carriers rather than budget airlines, but what is included still varies by fare: check the checked baggage allowance, whether seats are assigned, and whether all legs sit on one ticket before you compare the totals.

Melbourne is served by Tullamarine, and it sits outside the city rather than beside it, so treat the transfer into town as part of the journey and not an afterthought. After you land you clear Australian immigration and customs, collect your bags, then choose between the airport bus, a taxi or a rideshare for the run into the centre. Because the trip east crosses so many time zones, check the arrival date on your booking carefully — the day you land may not be the day you left London, and a late-evening departure from Heathrow or Gatwick can put you into a Melbourne morning.

Currency

AUD (A$)

Power sockets

Type I · 230 V

Language

English

Emergency number

000

Calling code

+61

Internet domain

.au

Population of Melbourne

5.4 M (2024)

Time zone

UTC+11 (Australia/Melbourne)

Country facts: Wikidata

• Check which London airport your fare leaves from, since Heathrow, Gatwick, Luton, Stansted and London City are not interchangeable when a connection follows.
• Confirm the baggage allowance on every leg, because a long connecting itinerary can mix fare types.
• Keep the whole journey on one ticket where you can, so a missed connection is the airline's problem rather than yours.
• Sort your Australian visa or electronic travel authority before you pay, since it is checked at check-in.
• Compare November against your fixed dates on the price calendar before you commit.