Heightened sanitation
Daily cleaning, installation of cabin HEPA filters on flights from Traverse City to Australia
Entry restrictions
Australia has restricted the entry of all travelers, with the exception of Australian nationals and permanent residents and their immediate family members, New Zealand nationals residing in Australia, diplomats accredited to Australia and residing in Australia and their immediate family members, and airline crew.
Australia has enacted temporary travel restrictions for flights to Melbourne due to a recent increase in COVID-19 cases.
Entry requirements
Travelers who are not Australian citizens and returning permanent residents and their immediate family members need to apply for an exemption to enter Australia.
Quarantine requirements
All international travelers are required to quarantine for 14 days at the first point of entry, unless they're granted an exemption upon request. Quarantines take place in state-designated facilities and fees depend on the state, ranging from $2500 for one adult in the Northern Territory to $3000 for one adult in New South Wales. International flights are currently being diverted away from Victoria. Airline crew are subject to self-isolation until their next scheduled flight.
For more information on quarantine rules in the Australian states, check the following websites:
New South Wales,
The Northern Territory,
Western Australia.
Transiting rules
Foreign nationals may transit through Australia if the connecting flight is within 72 hours of the arriving flight. They must either have a transit visa or be nationals of a visa-exempt country.
Transit passengers don’t need to apply for an exemption to travel restrictions if they are booked to depart on a connecting flight from the same airport within 72 hours and they are not going to leave the airport. Travelers who plan to leave the airport before boarding their connecting flight or who will be at the airport for longer than 72 hours need to apply for a travel exemption here and will be subject to quarantine until their departing flight. Travelers from New Zealand and Pacific Islanders may not need a travel exemption. More information on transiting Australia is available here.
All other info
Travelers planning to travel across Australian state borders should note that some Australian states also have domestic travel restrictions, border restrictions, and quarantine requirements in place. In the case of onward travel within Australia, travelers are advised to check in advance with their travel/accommodation provider.
There are currently 1,888 active cases of COVID-19 diagnosed in AU and 909 deaths as of Jan 20 2021
Please see our Coronavirus (COVID-19) Travel Restrictions page for more information on restrictions worldwide.
KAYAK is a travel search engine. That means we look across the web to find the best prices we can find for our users. With over 2 billion flight queries processed yearly, we are able to display a variety of prices and options on flights to Australia.
KAYAK’s flight Price Forecast tool uses historical data to determine whether the price for a flight to Australia is likely to change within 7 days, so travelers know whether to wait or book now.
Hacker Fares allow you to combine one-way tickets in order to save you money over a traditional round-trip ticket. You could then fly to Australia with an airline and back with another airline.
Sometimes travel dates aren't set in stone. If your preferred travel dates have some wiggle room, flexible dates will show you all the options when flying to Australia up to 3 days before/after your preferred dates. You can then pick the flights that suit you best.
Scores according to KAYAK customer reviews
Pros: "The cre was really nice and very attentive."
Cons: "The flight left the gate an hour late without giving us any explanation, I missed my connecting flight. The airline did offer a hotel to stay in, but no other apology or explanation was given to about 15 of us who missed a connecting flight."
Pros: "Amazing crew. Very attentive to passengers and genuinely nice."
Pros: "The crew was v good"
Cons: "The seats and boarding staff"
Cons: "Again very impressed with Qatar Airways service on the board"
Cons: "Catering load was poorly estimated. They'd run out of my first choice of brunch despite being in the first row (apparently pancakes are "really popular with the kids" but they don't load extra to account for this). Also ran out of my main choice."
Pros: "Great service with very friendly crew who pamper you all through the flight. Delicious food served at the time you like. Also, the Q Suite design is very comfortable, private & flexible."
Cons: "Flight was delayed 18 minutes & disembarking was not direct but via bus."
Cons: "Lights did not work, so diner was guessing whats was in the tray"
Pros: "Excellent-18 hour flight but Qatar really looks after you. Crew amazing and food is pretty good."
Cons: "The visa check personnel were the most discourteous airline staff I have ever encountered."
Cons: "Just had a hard time finding flight attendants. Every time I went to the back of the plane, half a dozen of them were sitting around and chatting it up. Felt guilty for asking for water. Not the service that I expected from Qatar Airways. All 4 flights were a struggle to get proper service."
Pros: "On line flight experience"
Cons: "The food has to improve especially they have to provide fresh food"
Pros: "Attentive crew. Good selection of meals excellent wines"
Pros: "Everything"
Cons: "Nothing"
Pros: "The entertainment was reasonable, I enjoyed the festive choices."
Cons: "Screaming babies, obese people sat next to me, water rationing, not a pleasant experience. Arrived sleep deprived and dehydrated. I have much better experiencs on a visit to Australia - this was my third time this year!"
Pros: "The food was good. Supposed to be Halaal (Kosher) for the Muslim population who have dietary restrictions. The economy cabin was comfortable enough. The cabin crew was friendly and helpful. We had a very short connecting time (1 hour) at Doha. They put a ground staff to receive all the ten passengers who needed to make that connection."
Cons: "The check-in person could have easily been a little less difficult with the slight over weight of the carry-on luggage."
Pros: "Everything"
Cons: "Nothing"
Pros: "Nice touches like the giddy bag of toiletries and air freshener in the bathroom. I appreciated the multiple food offers"
Cons: "I would like more healthy food sides likes vegetables. There were a lot of carbs"
Pros: "The airplane seats in economy were comfortable for the very long flights I took with Qatar Airlines. The seats had enough room between the back of the other seat. The seat reclined to a comfortable position. The seat back provided a built in head rest. The TV's in the seats were the largest I have ever seen on a flight in economy. The staff were helpful and great. The food and drinks provided were decent!"
Pros: "process quick and efficient"
Cons: "average seats"
Pros: "Fantastic flight...Qatar’s QSuites are fantastic, very comfortable, Amazon my service from the crew, fantastic entertainment options, and with the privacy of the suite ...very close to first class...in fact it is better than the first products (from a seat perspective) of many other airlines such as United, Delta, Virgin, BA, etc."
Cons: "I wish there were more vegetarian options on the menu"
Pros: "Best host staff"
Cons: "Bad app don’t trust"
Pros: "Nothing"
Cons: "Theyt cancelled my trip"
Pros: "Entertainment was good. Food was good, I got the Hindu vegetarian. Also service from Nagpur to Doha is very convenient."
Cons: "It was mostly a good experience."
Pros: "Good food. Great staff and service"
Cons: "I wish there was more seating room and unusually long waiting time for toilets."
Pros: "The crew! Had a very bubbly and friend mostly Filipina crew that were extremely friendly and helpful. Having a nice smile certainly helps with the long flight duration!"
Cons: "Food food food"
Pros: "Arrival and departure is on time treatment is excellent very courteous For all category of passenger"
Cons: "South Indian food may. Made available"
Pros: "Once staff were aware that my child was sick one staff member in particular regularly checked on the well being of my child."
Cons: "Crew only helpful when pushed to help. My child was sick and the cabin crew tried to give me food. I said that my child had just vomited but there was no offer to help me clear it up they just continued serving food to other passengers. I had to search for someone to help me to clear up and then I felt as though I was an inconvenience. I then had to look for someone to bring food for myself and other child. My other child is 1yr and 11 months and I was told they were only allowed baby food not a child meal. Although there were a few spare seats on the plane I was squashed into a full row with a 3 yr old and one year old on my lap. I appreciate that there may not have been any bassinet seats left but would have been helpful not to be on a full row as a single adult travelling with two small children. No offers for assistance with bags."
Pros: "The staff are outstanding! Friendly, helpful and accommodating."
Cons: "Poor choice of movies. Their 'world' movies should have subtitles"
Pros: "Hospitality"
Cons: "Food"
Pros: "Okay"
Cons: "Okay"
Pros: "I liked the food, the crew, and the team at the airport was nice and professional. There was a air host by the name of Zaid or Zain and he was from Bombay. Really nice person and very easy to talk to."
Pros: "On board crew are excellent."
Cons: "Ground staff requires training specifically on communication related to boarding. Travelers were confused as to what zone is boarding at a given time as there were no announcements. Pathetic boarding process."
Pros: "Comfort and cleanliness."
Pros: "Flawless boarding, service, food and arrived 30 minutes early."
Cons: "Nothing"
Pros: "service"
Cons: "asian vegetable meal was uninspired"
Pros: "Service, friendliness of that staff"
Cons: "Other passengers used my carry-on baggage space and my carry on was placed far from me."
Cons: "Kayak/priceline re-booked my flight for my sister and I from SAA to BA, but failed to completely reissue us tickets. When we checked in for the flight, we had no ticket for the first leg of the flight, but we had tickets for the remaining flights. We immediately called to fix this problem, but due to slow customer service, we weren't issued tickets in time and the flight left without us. We missed all remaining connecting flights and were forced to buy New tickets. Now we have to work with kayak/priceline to get all my money back due to their error. We came back a day later than expected and missed going back to work."
Cons: "Kayak/priceline re-booked my flight for my sister and I from SAA to BA, but failed to completely reissue us tickets. When we checked in for the flight, we had no ticket for the first leg of the flight, but we had tickets for the remaining flights. We immediately called to fix this problem, but due to slow customer service, we weren't issued tickets in time and the flight left without us. We missed all remaining connecting flights and were forced to buy New tickets. Now we have to work with kayak/priceline to get all my money back due to their error. We came back a day later than expected and missed going back to work."
Cons: "Greedy airline! Qatar Airway is a hyper money hungry scammer who catches customers to rip money off from and creates a super tedious and painful experience for customers to ensure their private gains!!! Qatar Airway was delayed for more than an hour at the first departing airport! NO APOLOGIES OR MUCH EXPLANATION OF ANY KIND!! This is just how mindful and courteous they are. It sets the base tone of what this airline is made of. Then at the connecting airport, they closed the gate minutes before the departing time claiming the gate closes 20 minutes before the departing time, knowing they are leaving customers behind who has checked in and just haven’t arrived at the gate yet. And I arrived the gate minutes before the departure time. They can’t wait?! If so, why is it ok for them to delay for an hour without any explanation not to mention apology? Sure there are RULES. But remember what kind of airlines will have tons of rules that will guarantee you to fail?! Almost always the most shady, scammy and money hungry airlines who use ridiculous or ad hoc made RULES to set pitfalls for customers and ensure their profit gains by doing so!! Remember those European cheap airlines?!! They have tons of rules. You are set to fail even you have a smaller bags than some passengers who passed the gate without penalty. You are just unlucky – they set eyes to catch opportunities to rip you off whenever they can and whenever they are in the mood to be able to come up with lame excuses. With normal airlines, you realize your luggage which has been slightly overweight or over sized will be able to pass through without incurring any penalties. So any saying of rules are lame excuses and are shitty airlines’ lame excuses. The thing is good airlines will delay their flight a few minutes to wait for the passenger. If this is considered too needy of a requirement, then what happens next will shock you and reaffirm you how wrongful and shady this airline is. After missing the flight despite you arrived before the departing time, you have to purchase a full price ticket in order to fly again. As I declined to fly with them again since the ticket is too pricey and repurchased a ticket with another airline, they came up with an excuse that in order to release my luggage, they have to reissue a new flight ticket: so I have to pay both a luggage release fee and a flight ticket fee!!! What a gold digger Qatar Airway is haha. Luckily as I protested, they eventually didn’t make me to pay for a new flight ticket fee except a luggage release fee (really?). The sales office quoted a price of $250 to the luggage office. Then it took me a few minutes to get to the sales office. Strange thing happened, despite I mentioned the communication they are aware of, they are trying to find some “RULES” again to validate that I have to pay for an air ticket. I emphasized that is not the case. As I get irritated, guess what they did? They managed to come up with another excuse that in or"
Cons: "The food could be better."
Pros: "1. Comfortable. 2. Good crew 3. On time 4. No hiccups."
Cons: "1. Not having wi-fi (major) 2. No news channels in in-flight entertainment 3. No snacks"
Pros: "The crew was great, trully world class service"
Pros: "Very friendly crew and efficient check-in service. Food was lovely."
Cons: "Multiple problems with onboard entertainment re-setting itself."
Pros: "I travel from Sydney to Europe (UK and Greece) regularly. My experience with Qatar airways was fantastic: I highly recommend it. First of all, the travelling hours are a bit shorter (compared to travelling via Singapore or Hong Kong) probably because of the geography of the cities/connections and the corresponding flight times between Athens-Doha-Sydney. The aircraft was exceptional (I believe it was Airbus A380). It was a double-deck, wide-body and four-engine jet airliner. Cabin and economy class seats were very comfortable and more spacious compared to other aircraft. There was minimal turbulence, which is partially due to the type of aircraft: at least this is my understanding. The aircraft also had wi-fi (complimentary for the first 15 min) and one was allowed to use the mobile phone during the flight (except during take off and landing times). The flight attendants were absolutely amazing. Also, the crew was very understanding and friendly with children. Food was also excellent and in good portions. Overall there was high tech aircraft, excellent service and no delays. I will choose it again in the future."
Cons: "On the downside, I had a problem with my entertainment device during the whole flight: there was no sound, so I was not really able to watch any movies/TV.. The flight attendants tried to sort it out, but it was not possible. They kindly brought complimentary magazines and drinks/snacks, however it would have been much preferable if I could watch a movie or if free wi-fi was offered for the whole flight, as compensation.. My understanding is that this was not an option, due to problems providing free password..."
Pros: "it makes my trip wonderful. Thanks quatar airlines and kayak"
Cons: "The seats don't recline very far and on the a380 the window is a very long way from the seat making it impossible to lean against. - so difficult to get a reasonable test. The food was not great. Perhaps not qatar's fault(?) but we bought duty free alcohol in Brussels and took as carry on then after a layover in Doha we were advised Australian regulations prohibited us from taking it on board for the final leg - even though it was still sealed in the duty free bag. We were forced to check it protected only by some lightweight clothing and a thin back pack we had been using as cabin luggage. Fortunately it made it undamaged - but it would be better if we had been informed of this at Brussels."
Cons: "I am hard of hearing. It would be appreciated it you would offer more movies with English subtitles."
Pros: "Not a lot -14 hrs in cattle class is no fun."
Cons: "Toilet out of order from beginning of very long flight. Food ordinary. Doha airport transfer awful."
Airlines flying from Traverse City to Australia have enacted additional safety measures and adjusted policies to better accommodate travelers. Policies vary by airline.
Heightened sanitation
Daily cleaning, installation of cabin HEPA filters on flights from Traverse City to Australia
Mandatory masks
Masks required on board, masks provided on flights from Traverse City to Australia
Social distancing seating
Middle seats unavailable to book on flights from Traverse City to Australia
Pre-flight testing
Testing for antibodies, testing for symptoms for flights from Traverse City to Australia
Flexible cancellations
Waiving of change fees. Search flexible flights from Traverse City to Australia