- Discover lesser-known carriers that offer affordable flights from Australia to Europe.
- These airlines help you save money on your journey without compromising too much comfort and quality.
- Diverse flight paths and convenient connections can offer exciting new stopover options.
There are quite a few well-travelled flight paths to Europe for Australians, such as Cathay through Hong Kong, Emirates via Dubai, and Qantas through Singapore. But if you’re in the mood to shake things up and make some hearty savings along the way, there are overlooked alternatives into Europe. Here are a few of our favourites.
Garuda Airlines to Amsterdam via Jakarta
The under-rated Garuda Airlines flies from Sydney and Melbourne to Amsterdam via Jakarta and offers great value for money along the way, providing a superior experience at a fraction of the cost compared to some of Australia’s major carriers. Flights from both Australian cities to Jakarta are daylight services using Airbus widebodies with a business class cabin. From October 29, the start of the IATA summer season, the Monday flight from Sydney and Thursday flight from Melbourne will connect to the B777-operated overnight flight to Amsterdam.
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Saturday and Monday departures from Amsterdam get you into Jakarta around lunchtime the following day. Unfortunately, that will require a 36-hour layover if you want to continue onto Melbourne on Garuda. However, picking up the Monday flight out of Amsterdam would see you safely onto the Tuesday evening Garuda departure out of Jakarta for Sydney, arriving the following morning. You could then make the domestic connection through to Melbourne (or elsewhere if needed).
Juneyao Airlines to Brussels via Shanghai
Shanghai-based Juneyao Airlines is returning to Sydney and Melbourne Airports this summer. Come mid-December Juneyao B787-9 daylight flights will operate from both cities to Shanghai Pudong, with frequencies varying between thrice-weekly to daily over the Australian summer. In Shanghai, you can connect through to Brussels, with that departure currently scheduled for just after midnight. Juneyao also flies to Manchester and Helsinki from Shanghai.
Coming back, the flight from Brussels lands in Shanghai around six in the morning, with connections to Sydney and Melbourne leaving around five that afternoon. That connection time may or may not take your fancy but it does give you the best part of a day to explore Shanghai. Juneyao is a Star Alliance member airline which means it offers competitive pricing on flights into Europe and has a decent business-class product with lie-flat seats to boot.
LATAM Airlines to Madrid via Santiago
In another direction entirely, LATAM flies from Sydney and Melbourne to Santiagio, with flights four times per week over the upcoming summer from both Australian cities. LATAM’s business class product on its Australian flights isn’t flash, featuring a 2-2-2 layout, and other well-publicised inflight quirks but does offer a comfortable journey without the premium price tag. The airline’s fast track to South America and a nifty connection to Madrid make it a budget-friendly choice for travellers looking to explore.
Here’s how it works: The ex-Australia flights land in Santiago just before lunch and the daily LATAM departure to Madrid leaves around six in the evening – so a six-hour buffer. The Madrid flights, while also operated by a B787-9, have a decent 1-2-1 business class product. On the return leg, the midnight departure from Madrid gets you into Santiago mid-afternoon, with the Australian flights departing just after midnight that evening – a little bit of a layover but the new(ish) LATAM Santiago lounge is arguably the best lounge in South America and a fine place to while away some time.
Air Mauritius to Paris via Port Louis
Perth locals have the most exotic route into Europe, with a three times per week (lunchtime on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays) Air Mauritius flights shooting you across to Port Louis and onwards to Paris later that evening, arriving in time for breakfast the following morning. Air Mauritius puts on an A330 between Perth and Port Louis (eight hours) and an A350 between Port Louis and Paris (11 hours). Both types offer 1-2-1 business class cabins (although the more modern seat on the A350 is better) and allow travellers comfort alongside significant savings compared to more traditional routes.
The return trip to Perth involves a sixteen-hour daytime layover, which depending on your opinion of Mauritius, can be a good or bad thing. The ten o’clock evening departure from Port Louis deposits you back into Perth around nine the following morning.
Air India to Europe via Delhi
Finally, Air India gets a shout-out – not because it’s a great airline (it’s not) but because it also offers an interesting way to Europe. The airline flies daily from Sydney to New Delhi, daily from Melbourne to New Delhi, and thrice weekly from Melbourne to Mumbai. From Delhi, ten European airports are at your fingertips while the airline also connects Mumbai with London Heathrow and Gatwick.
Here’s the thing about Air India. The CEO is in the process of cleaning it up (literally, financially, and operationally). In five years time, it will probably be okay. Right now, it’s very hit-and-miss. That said, not every Air India flight is going to be a horror story – some will likely be perfectly fine.
Despite its challenges, Air India remains a member of the illustrious Star Alliance. For departures from Australia, it is one of the easiest airlines to redeem seats on for flights to Europe, including in business class, making theirs some of the most competitive fares for flights to Europe from Australia, especially when redeeming frequent flyer points.
So, if you are prepared to chance it, you may have a very good business class flight with a nice New Delhi stopover. On the other hand, you may spend the entire flight wondering what caused the stains in the carpet and where the flight attendants are. Still, chancing it… that’s what makes travelling interesting.
