Cheap flights from London to Queenstown

Look first at the weeks either side of the low point: February and May both appear in the fare calendar, and either can serve when March dates don't line up. March itself is the cheapest month to fly, in the calm after the New Zealand summer. December and January pile Christmas, New Year and the height of the southern summer together, so planes fill and fares climb. Midweek departures tend to undercut weekend ones, and if your dates are tied to school holidays in the United Kingdom, lock them in early.

None of the ten names on this route is a low-cost carrier, so a base fare normally includes checked baggage, meals and an assigned seat; where extras creep in is advance seat selection, extra baggage weight and fully flexible conditions. Everyone connects somewhere: Etihad Airways and Qatar Airways through the Gulf, Singapore Airlines, Royal Brunei, Air India, China Eastern Airlines and China Southern Airlines across Asia, Air Canada the long way round via North America, and Qantas with Air New Zealand by way of Australasia. Journey length swings with the layover, so compare whole itineraries rather than the headline fare.

Getting into town is the gentle end of a long journey: Frankton airport sits a short drive from the centre of Queenstown, on the shore of Lake Wakatipu, and shuttles, taxis and hire cars meet arrivals through the day. The terminal is compact and can bunch up when several flights land at once, so leave slack before anything fixed on your first evening. In the New Zealand winter, weigh the roads as much as the flights — ice around the lake and on the surrounding hills makes a shared shuttle the calmer choice for many travellers.

Currency

NZD (NZ$)

Power sockets

Type I · 230 V

Language

Māori, New Zealand Sign Language, English

Emergency number

111

Calling code

+64

Internet domain

.nz

Population of Queenstown

29 k (2023)

Time zone

UTC+13:45 (Pacific/Chatham)

Country facts: Wikidata

• Pick your London airport first — City, Gatwick, Heathrow, Luton and Stansted all appear on this route, and the first leg sets the tone for a long day.
• Check that checked baggage is included on every segment, as the hop inside New Zealand can follow different rules from the long-haul legs.
• Check passport validity and New Zealand's entry rules, including any electronic travel authorisation, before you pay.
• On separate tickets, leave a generous gap before the flight into Frankton — nothing rebooks you automatically if an earlier leg slips.
• Compare the priced months before fixing dates: March sits lowest, December and January highest.