Flight Deal: Sydney/Brisbane to LA for $700 return!

The trans-Pacific fare war is heating up with flights from Sydney and Brisbane to Los Angeles for ~$700 return!

While this is a great price, I expect more deals to appear over the next month or so as the five airlines serving the Sydney-LA route (Qantas, Virgin Australia, United, Delta and AA) go head-to-head.

I’m based in Austin, Texas and took advantage of a 555 USD open-jaw ticket from Minneapolis to Sydney returning to Detroit with United Airlines bought last month for travel in September. There were even cheaper flights from LA to Sydney for under 400 USD and to Auckland for 210 USD, so it’s nice to see some specials coming up the other way around (from Australia to the US).

Depart: Sydney or Brisbane

Arrive: Los Angeles

Return: Sydney or Brisbane

Dates: October to November 2016

Stops: None from Sydney, Vancouver from Brisbane

Airline: American Airlines and Air Canada are the cheapest for now, but expect sales from the other airlines soon too

Cost: $696+ return in economy (add ~$100 from Melbourne)

Examples found:

Sydney to LA for $696:

I just got off a flight from Chicago to London Heathrow with AA. They aren’t generally known for the best service standards, so this deal is more for those looking to get to the US for the lowest price possible.

Some would say that Qantas and Virgin Australia lead the pack in customer service on this route, with AA and Delta following, and United at the bottom, although satisfaction with United may improve as they are now flying the 787 Dreamliner between Sydney/Melbourne and Los Angeles/San Francisco.

Brisbane to LA via Vancouver for $705:

Note: Watch those long layovers in Vancouver. More expensive to extend.

Booking link: Go to Zuji to make a booking (you can compare +/- three days)

Airfare deals are typically only available on limited dates. Fares may disappear quickly, so we suggest booking as soon as you are confident in your travel dates.