Australia might have opened its doors to fully vaccinated travelers, but getting there regularly costs $1,500, $2,000 or more. Even using points and miles can be a chore. We've got just the thing.
We uncovered another Delta SkyMiles flash sale, and it might be our favorite one yet. You can fly Delta to Sydney (SYD) for just 80,000 SkyMiles this year and in early 2023. But here's the best part: These aren't just non-stops from the West Coast. You can find these rates from almost every airport nationwide whether you start from Los Angeles (LAX), get a one-stop itinerary from other Delta hubs like Minneapolis-St. Paul (MSP) and Detroit (DTW), or even two-stop journeys from tiny airports like Duluth (DLH) or Fargo (FAR).
Some of the best availability has been snatched up since we sent an award alert for this deal to Thrifty Traveler Premium+ members earlier this week. But you can still find plenty of flights at 80,000 SkyMiles roundtrip … including in January and February 2023, when it's peak summer in Australia!
Delta doesn't advertise its best SkyMiles deals, but we find them! Get award alerts like this one sent to your inbox with Thrifty Traveler Premium+!
All these flights route through Los Angeles on the way over to Sydney. And while it's a long ride, you'll be on Delta's comfortable Airbus A350-900, with more spacious economy seats than you'll find on the United or American jets flying to Australia – plus, the A350 is much better for combatting jet lag thanks to higher moisture in the plane.
At 80,000 SkyMiles round trip, this is actually quite the bargain – especially for Delta, which regularly charges 200,000 SkyMiles or more for these routes. Oh, and there's this: These exact same flights would cost you $2,000 or more. That's a pretty phenomenal use of your SkyMiles. You'll pay about $120 in unavoidable government taxes and fees.
Plus, these are all main cabin fares – no Delta basic economy here. That's great because you get free seat selection as well as a a free checked bag. And most importantly, you can cancel these award fares at any time for free to get your SkyMiles and taxes and fees back. That makes it much easier to book now even if you're on the fence, as you can easily cancel if necessary.
After closing down all international travel for nearly two years, Australia threw its doors back open to Americans and other travelers with proof of full vaccination. It'll get even easier come April 17, when the country plans to ditch its pre-travel testing requirement for entry. As of today, you'll still need a negative COVID-19 test to fly back to the U.S.
There's scattered availability at 80,000 SkyMiles roundtrip from most U.S. cities through the summer … until September, when the floodgates open. From many cities, you can take your pick of almost any date to book a trip at these rates. That includes Australia's peak summer in January and February.
Just look at how easy it is to book a two-week trip to Sydney from Minneapolis this fall. That's unprecedented.
And we're not kidding when we say this is available nationwide. Here's the nonstop flight from Los Angeles to Sydney for 80,000 miles.
Or flights all the way from New York City (JFK) to Sydney, also just 80,000 miles – with quick connections, to boot.
But even smaller regional airports that need two connections to make it to Australia get in on the deal – all for 80,000 SkyMiles roundtrip, too. The good people of Fargo (FAR) love a SkyMiles sale to Sydney.
We find flight deals from 200 U.S. and Canadian airports for our Thrifty Traveler Premium+ members. And almost every single one of them can book these flights to Australia and back for 80,000 SkyMiles. That's pretty incredible.
Thrifty Tip: Make sure to use Delta’s “Price Calendar” feature when searching for award rates to find the best deals.
Availability into Sydney
- Best availability from September 2022 through February 2023, with scattered dates available through summer 2022.
- To book these fares, visit Delta.com and search using “Shop with Miles”
Departure Cities
Aberdeen (ABR) – 80k
Akron (CAK) – 80k
Albany (ALB) – 80k
Albuquerque (ABQ) – 80k
Allentown (ABE) – 80k
Anchorage (ANC) – 80k
Appleton (ATW) – 80k
Asheville (AVL) – 80k
Atlanta (ATL) – 80k
Augusta (AGS) – 80k
Austin (AUS) – 80k
Baltimore (BWI) – 80k
Bemidji (BJI) – 80k
Billings (BIL) – 80k
Birmingham (BHM) – 80k
Bismarck (BIS) – 80k
Bloomington (BMI) – 80k
Boise (BOI) – 80k
Boston (BOS) – 80k
Bozeman (BZN) – 80k
Brainerd (BRD) – 80k
Bristol (TRI) – 80k
Buffalo (BUF) – 80k
Burlington (BTV) – 80k
Calgary (YYC) – 80k
Cedar Rapids (CID) – 80k
Charleston (CHS) – 80k
Charlotte (CLT) – 80k
Charlottesville (CHO) – 80k
Chattanooga (CHA) – 80k
Chicago (MDW) – 80k
Chicago (ORD) – 80k
Cincinnati (CVG) – 80k
Cleveland (CLE) – 80k
Colorado Springs (COS) – 80k
Columbia (CAE) – 80k
Columbus (CMH) – 80k
Columbus (GTR) – 80k
Dallas (DAL) – 80k
Dallas (DFW) – 80k
Dayton (DAY) – 80k
Denver (DEN) – 80k
Des Moines (DSM) – 80k
Destin (VPS) – 80k
Detroit (DTW) – 80k
Dothan (DHN) – 80k
Duluth (DLH) – 80k
El Paso (ELP) – 80k
Erie (ERI) – 80k
Eugene (EUG) – 80k
Evansville (EVV) – 80k
Fargo (FAR) – 80k
Fayetteville (FAY) – 80k
Fayetteville (XNA) – 80k
Ft. Lauderdale (FLL) – 80k
Fort Myers (RSW) – 80k
Fort Wayne (FWA) – 80k
Fresno (FAT) – 80k
Gainesville (GNV) – 80k
Grand Forks (GFK) – 80k
Grand Rapids (GRR) – 80k
Green Bay (GRB) – 80k
Greensboro (GSO) – 80k
Greenville (GSP) – 80k
Gulfport (GPT) – 80k
Harrisburg (MDT) – 80k
Hartford (BDL) – 80k
Hibbing (HIB) – 80k
Houston (HOU) – 80k
Houston (IAH) – 80k
Huntsville (HSV) – 80k
Idaho Falls (IDA) – 80k
Indianapolis (IND) – 80k
International Falls (INL) – 80k
Jackson (JAN) – 80k
Jackson Hole (JAC) – 80k
Jacksonville (JAX) – 80k
Kalamazoo (AZO) – 80k
Kalispell (FCA) – 80k
Kansas City (MCI) – 80k
Key West (EYW) – 80k
Knoxville (TYS) – 80k
La Crosse (LSE) – 80k
Lansing (LAN) – 80k
Las Vegas (LAS) – 80k
Lexington (LEX) – 80k
Little Rock (LIT) – 80k
Los Angeles (LAX) – 80k*
Louisville (SDF) – 80k
Madison (MSN) – 80k
Manchester (MHT) – 80k
Medford (MFR) – 80k
Memphis (MEM) – 80k
Miami (MIA) – 80k
Milwaukee (MKE) – 80k
Minneapolis (MSP) – 80k
Minot (MOT) – 80k
Missoula (MSO) – 80k
Mobile (MOB) – 80k
Moline (MLI) – 80k
Montgomery (MGM) – 80k
Montreal (YUL) – 80k
Myrtle Beach (MYR) – 80k
Nashville (BNA) – 80k
New Orleans (MSY) – 80k
New York (JFK) – 80k
New York (LGA) – 80k
Newark (EWR) – 80k
Norfolk (ORF) – 80k
Oakland (OAK) – 80k
Oklahoma City (OKC) – 80k
Omaha (OMA) – 80k
Ontario (ONT) – 80k
Orlando (MCO) – 80k
Panama City (ECP) – 80k
Pasco (PSC) – 80k
Pensacola (PNS) – 80k
Peoria (PIA) – 80k
Philadelphia (PHL) – 80k
Phoenix (PHX) – 80k
Pittsburgh (PIT) – 80k
Pocatello (PIH) – 80k
Portland (PDX) – 80k
Portland (PWM) – 80k
Providence (PVD) – 80k
Raleigh (RDU) – 80k
Rapid City (RAP) – 80k
Reno (RNO) – 80k
Rhinelander (RHI) – 80k
Richmond (RIC) – 80k
Roanoke (ROA) – 80k
Rochester (ROC) – 80k
Rochester (RST) – 80k
Sacramento (SMF) – 80k
Salt Lake City (SLC) – 80k
San Antonio (SAT) – 80k
San Diego (SAN) – 80k
San Francisco (SFO) – 80k
San Jose (SJC) – 80k
San Juan (SJU) – 80k
Santa Ana (SNA) – 80k
Santa Barbara (SBA) – 80k
Sarasota (SRQ) – 80k
Savannah (SAV) – 80k
Scranton (AVP) – 80k
Seattle (SEA) – 80k
Sioux Falls (FSD) – 80k
South Bend (SBN) – 80k
Spokane (GEG) – 80k
Springfield (SGF) – 80k
St. Louis (STL) – 80k
Syracuse (SYR) – 80k
Tampa (TPA) – 80k
Toronto (YYZ) – 80k
Tucson (TUS) – 80k
Tulsa (TUL) – 80k
Vancouver (YVR) – 80k
Washington, D.C. (DCA) – 80k
Washington, D.C. (IAD) – 80k
Wausau (CWA) – 80k
West Palm Beach (PBI) – 80k
Westchester County (HPN) – 80k
Wichita (ICT) – 80k
Williston (XWA) – 80k
Wilmington (ILM) – 80k
How To Book this Deal
Here’s a quick walkthrough on how to book.
First, head to Delta’s website and do a normal search from your home airport with Delta service – and almost any airport will do. Be sure to click “Shop with Miles.”
Second, choose “Price Calendar” to maximize the dates viewable. You should easily be able to find availability from April through late February 2023 or so, though availability will vary depending on your origin.
Flying from smaller cities might require a bit more flexibility to find dates at these low rates. And you'll have the most choice of dates by starting your search in September 2022 and beyond.
Focus on our winter – aka Australia's summer – for the best trip!
Bottom Line
After nearly two years off limits, a bucket list trip to Australia is back in the cards for 2022 and 2023. What better way to do it than this?
We love this SkyMiles deal for a few reasons. Australia is notoriously tough to book using miles, and yet you've got your pick of the litter of almost any date you want all fall and winter. These flights typically cost $2,000 or more! And yet you can book for 80,000 SkyMiles from almost every airport in the country.
Gf n i are trying to go to Australia in January. I’ve got 143,000 amex points. 17,000 short :(. Which to buy 17,000 points is over $500 at. $0.035
& 75,00 in chase ur.
I’ve got a carnival email offer that ends tomorrow April 2nd. I’m not really seeing a way to do this? I’m pretty frugal & pretty new to travel cc points. Hopefully they have another great sale but the Carnival deal won’t be around.
I’ve seen where some people are getting 90,000 points with amex gold card. Most I’ve been able to see is 75,000.
Any other suggestions?