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$530 Find cheap flights from Chicago to Australia

This is the cheapest one-way flight price found by a KAYAK user in the last 72 hours by searching for a flight from Chicago to Australia departing on 10/8. Fares are subject to change and may not be available on all flights or dates of travel. Click the price to replicate the search for this deal.
1 adult
Fri 12/7
Fri 19/7

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Best Australia Flight Deals

Cheapest return prices found by our users on KAYAK in the last 72 hours

Sydney
Sydney2 stops$1,821
Melbourne
Melbourne2 stops$1,815
Brisbane
Brisbane2 stops$1,872
Perth
Perth3 stops$2,305
Adelaide
Adelaide3 stops$2,219
Coolangatta
Coolangatta2 stops$1,795
Cairns
Cairns2 stops$3,261
Hobart
Hobart2 stops$2,982
Canberra
Canberra2 stops$2,549
Darwin
Darwin2 stops$3,425
Maroochydore
Maroochydore2 stops$4,131
Launceston
Launceston2 stops$2,826
Townsville
Townsville2 stops$2,790

Good to know

Low season

April

High season

December

Cheapest flight

$530
Best time to beat the crowds (8% less expensive on average)
Most popular time to fly (38% more expensive on average)
Flight from Chicago O'Hare Airport to Melbourne

FAQs - booking Australia flights

  • As a U.S. citizen, do I need a visa to travel to Australia?

    Yes, U.S. citizens need to obtain a tourist visa prior to flying to Australia. This visa is an Electronic Travel Authority that can be applied for online with a small fee. The approval process for an ETA can take up to about one day and you can expect to pay around 20 AUD (15 USD) for this service.

  • Are there non-stop flights from Chicago to Australia?

    Currently, there aren’t any available direct flights between Chicago and Australia. However, Air Canada and Qantas both offer routes with just one layover in either Vancouver or Los Angeles. These flights depart from Chicago O’Hare International Airport and arrive at both Sydney Kingsford Smith International Airport (SYD) and Brisbane International Airport (BNE).

  • Which is the best airport to fly into to go to the Great Barrier Reef?

    The Great Barrier Reef in east Australia is the world’s largest coral reef that attracts plenty of divers from all over. The closest international airport to the Great Barrier Reef is the one in Cairns. However, there are more flight options from Chicago to the city of Brisbane. From there, travelers can take a domestic flight to Hamilton Island or a ferry to see the Great Barrier Reef.

  • Is there public transportation from Sydney Kingsford Smith International Airport to the city center?

    Yes, there is public transportation operating from the main Australian airport in Sydney to the city center. Travelers can hop on the AirportLink T8 train that stops at the international terminal and connects with the city loop route. The trip takes under half an hour and you can expect to pay about 20 AUD (15 USD).

  • How does KAYAK find such low prices on flights from Chicago to Australia?

    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 from Chicago to Australia.

  • How does KAYAK's flight Price Forecast tool help me choose the right time to buy my flight ticket from Chicago to Australia?

    KAYAK’s flight Price Forecast tool uses historical data to determine whether the price for a flight to Australia from Chicago is likely to change within 7 days, so travelers know whether to wait or book now.

  • What is the Hacker Fare option on flights from Chicago to Australia?

    Hacker Fares allow you to combine one-way tickets in order to save you money over a traditional return ticket. You could then fly to Australia with an airline and back to Chicago with another airline.

  • What is KAYAK's "flexible dates" feature and why should I care when looking for a flight from Chicago to Australia?

    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 from Chicago up to 3 days before/after your preferred dates. You can then pick the flights that suit you best.

See more FAQs

Top tips for finding cheap flights to Australia

  • Morning departure is around 3% more expensive than an evening flight, on average*.
  • For more options, and generally more affordable airfares, consider booking flights from Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) to the main hub in Australia, Sydney Kingsford Smith International Airport (SYD). From here, you’ll be near Australia’s most iconic site, the Sydney Opera House.
  • Long-haul flights like the one from Chicago to Australia can be stressful. Relax or blow off some steam before boarding your flight out of Chicago O’Hare International Airport. The airport offers a couple amenities, such as a yoga room, as well as a health club with a fitness center and a pool.
  • When traveling to Australia from Chicago, you’ll need to exchange some of your USD into Australian dollars (AUD). You can do this at currency exchange desks at Australia’s main international airports like Sydney Kingsford Smith International Airport (SYD) and Brisbane International Airport (BNE).
  • In Australia, children under the age of seven need to be in an approved child seat restraint in any vehicle. Under the age of four, the child seat must be rear-facing. If you’re planning on renting a car, you can check beforehand to see if the agency provides child seats.
  • If you’re traveling to Australia with a pet or a service animal, there are pet relief areas located throughout the Chicago O’Hare International Airport for your four-legged friend to go to the bathroom before the long flight.
See more tips
*Average of the lowest prices shown in KAYAK’s search results for departures within the next 30 days

Top 3 airlines serving from Chicago to Australia

Need help choosing which airline to fly with from Chicago to Australia? KAYAK airline reviews give an overall score for each airline based on loads of factors, including comfort, boarding, in-flight entertainment and more, to make your decision easier. See airline scores according to verified KAYAK customer reviews.
8.1
Air New ZealandOverall score based on 595 reviews
8.7Crew
7.6Food
7.8Entertainment
8.4Boarding
8.1Comfort
Airline reviews

Can you please process refund. Mum died and dad went to Pakistan to bury her after cancelling flight.

2.0 MediocreAnonymous, May 2024AKL - YVR
Read more about Air New Zealand reviews

Can you please process refund. Mum died and dad went to Pakistan to bury her after cancelling flight.

Short flight so no entertainment, turbulence so no food service - overall flight as expected

All was good, the only thing was it didn't run on time.

Great meal. Best seats ever! They need to teach other airlines how to do that.

The staff and crew on board were excellent. Business class however, was very weird. I thought we would have individual pods, but the way it was set up was unexpected. Not very private and If you wanted to lay down, you had to have an entire bed made up for you by the crew, rather than how Delta one works where you could just lie down whenever you feel like it. It was a 16 hour flight. I chose not to have my bed made, and that turned out to be a good idea because everybody who had their bed made had to wait for the crew to roll up their mattresses. So strange!

Food was not good. We asked for Muslim food and it was weird tasteless type of boiled veges.

United flight from SFO to PDX was cancelled. I will ask for a refund. Had to book on Alaska

The recline on the seat in front of me came back so that I was staring at the top of the man’s head in front of me the whole trip. He refused to bring his seat back up twice every time he was instructed to do so and only relented when he had a tray of good in front of him. And then right back in my lap!!! Horrible man!! I complained to the staff multiple times, but no one would address the issue. Otherwise, it would have been a perfect flight.

There was a snafu with confirming seats at check which left us in limbo for the second leg of our trip. I believe the ANZ app is not well integrated with the systems at the terminal resulting in this disconcerting error.

Carring crew, nice ambiance of the cabin, comfortable beds, good food well served. We liked everything.

Flighty delayed on boarding - then group 1 had to check their carry on bags but groups 3 and beyond could carry bags on - very inconvenient for weekend business trip with no checked baggage. Then delayed on the runway - before take off. No communication from pilot on why or how long. Wifi/Entertainment didn't work for 4+ flight. Upon arrival, attendants announced wrong carousel for baggage claim - everyone was waiting at the wrong place for their checked bags. This was a mess united!

There was no screens on board AND the WiFi didn’t work. My seat was broken and couldn’t recline so I couldn’t even sleep. The flight attendants didn’t offer anything to make it more comfortable. It was such an old cramped plane, when the person in front of me reclined I couldn’t even open my tray table. All the United ads talk about guaranteeing everyone gets a screen!

Standard flight experience, but there is only power at the seat to row 20 on the aircraft, on my initial check in it did not say that was the case

Energetic crew - flight full of swiftied going to Taylor's opening show in Paris! Long lines for bathroom made out kind of suck though

I’ve had a couple flights this week on United that were delayed by an hour or more

Great! The plane was decently sized and comfortable. The staff was nice and there was great in flight entertainment

Last minute gate change nearly caused us to miss our flight. Change was not announced or displayed in the main board at the old gate. Terrible communication. When we landed we had to wait 20 minutes because there was another plane at the assigned gate. Not the crew’s fault, but adding 20 minutes to a 45 minute flight sucked.

Nothing beats ANA customer service on my opinion. Maybe because of their Japanese culture (and food). Arigatō

delay several times and wait extra long to board. no entertainment service because there are problem for some rows. always encounter some delays for the last flight of the day.

Flight delayed for 2 hours due to a part. The plane sat waiting for boarding for a long time and during final preflight inspection the issue was found. Why not do the preflight inspection sooner if you know the plane is being used?

There was a mistake with the first name we only discovered at security. Air canada was unable to correct it to match then passport since it was booked through an agency. The agency could not correct it either since they need at least two hours to do that. We could not fly and lost a bunch of money. Learned my lesson about kayak.

My flight got canceled. Then AC rebooked me to a next day flight. No compensation no apology. It almost messed up my entire trip and schedule. However, all the unexpepected seems routine and ordinary to AC, so customers need to get used to.

The food was horrible the flying attendance hardly made any checks and the seats were very tied ..

I love air Canada. The staff is so helpful and friendly and attentive. I paid for extra room but chose a ser near a person who took up a lot of space which gave me less space than regular economy, I was sad I did that!

I appreciated the flight was on schedule but the crew told us that the flight would be delayed because of an air craft queue to take off. Instead of us arriving at 11.55pm, we were in Toronto at something past 2am which was a massive disadvantage on my part.

For such a long flight they should offer tea or coffee in between two meals.

No seat assignment . Last on board . Though I would not receive any boarding pass

last minute was rebooked. This rebooking made me miss my connection, added a stop in my itinerary without my approval, and had me arriving 10 hours later to my destination...for a delay that was 2 hours. To boot, my final flight from London to Athens booked me in a middle seat, where I originally booked all aisle seats. This was incredibly uncomfortable for a 24 hour journey and made me incredibly upset.

Did not appreciate “hidden fees” to check a bag for international flight and purchase a seat to be next to my spouse. Won’t choose this airline again.

The flight left over 2 hours late and caused me to miss my connecting flight. Consequently, I missed my cruise ship out of Barcelona. The cost associated with this miss was as follows: Airfare to Sicily Italy to get on the ship TWO days late - $232.30 Taxi from Airport to hotel $35 Dinner at hotel $38 Hotel in Barcelona - $208 Taxi from Sicily to hotel $70 Hotel in Sicily - $148 Prorated time missed on cruise $ 1,143

Book cheap flights from Chicago to Australia

Recent return flight deals

20/11Wed
2 stopsAir New Zealand
34h 10mORD-MEL
20/1Mon
2 stopsAir New Zealand
32h 15mMEL-ORD
$1,815
3/11Sun
2 stopsAir New Zealand
32h 10mORD-SYD
12/11Tue
2 stopsAir New Zealand
29h 10mSYD-ORD
$1,821
12/7Fri
2 stops
32h 27mORD-MEL
19/7Fri
2 stops
23h 53mMEL-ORD
$1,898
12/7Fri
3 stops
31h 27mORD-MEL
19/7Fri
3 stops
31h 43mMEL-ORD
$1,902
6/8Tue
1 stopAir Canada
24h 20mORD-BNE
18/8Sun
1 stopAir Canada
19h 21mBNE-ORD
$2,030
4/8Sun
2 stopsAir Canada
42h 45mORD-BNE
11/8Sun
1 stopAir Canada
19h 21mBNE-ORD
$2,036
10/9Tue
1 stopCathay Pacific
25h 40mORD-SYD
16/9Mon
1 stopCathay Pacific
31h 35mSYD-ORD
$2,124
30/8Fri
1 stopCathay Pacific
27h 45mORD-SYD
9/9Mon
1 stopCathay Pacific
31h 35mSYD-ORD
$2,181
28/7Sun
1 stopUnited Airlines
25h 00mORD-BNE
13/8Tue
1 stopUnited Airlines
27h 41mBNE-ORD
$2,296
28/7Sun
1 stopUnited Airlines
21h 00mORD-BNE
13/8Tue
2 stopsUnited Airlines
23h 16mBNE-ORD
$2,304

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Recent one-way flight deals

10/8Sat
2 stops
42h 00mORD-MEL
$530
9/8Fri
2 stops
53h 13mORD-MEL
$539
15/11Fri
3 stopsIberia
69h 10mORD-SYD
$1,339
12/8Mon
2 stopsIberia
33h 10mORD-MEL
$1,545
24/6Mon
1 stopAir Canada
24h 40mORD-SYD
$1,625
16/6Sun
2 stopsAir Canada
31h 15mORD-BNE
$1,834
14/8Wed
1 stopUnited Airlines
44h 00mORD-MEL
$2,330
27/6Thu
2 stopsAir New Zealand
28h 45mORD-BNE
$2,408
16/7Tue
1 stopUnited Airlines
26h 45mORD-MEL
$2,413
16/6Sun
2 stopsAir New Zealand
47h 15mORD-BNE
$7,507

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Last minute flights from Chicago to Australia

Last minute flight, train and bus deals

16/6Sun
multi-stopAir Canada
24h 40mORD-SYD
2/7Tue
multi-stopAir Canada
20h 01mSYD-ORD
$2,305
13/6Thu
multi-stopAir Canada
31h 35mORD-SYD
2/7Tue
multi-stopAir Canada
20h 01mSYD-ORD
$2,371
16/6Sun
multi-stopAir Canada
31h 35mORD-SYD
1/7Mon
multi-stopAir Canada
20h 01mSYD-ORD
$2,386
17/6Mon
multi-stop
31h 22mORD-SYD
24/6Mon
multi-stop
31h 34mSYD-ORD
$2,449
17/6Mon
multi-stop
24h 40mORD-SYD
10/7Wed
multi-stop
31h 46mSYD-ORD
$2,480
17/6Mon
multi-stopAir New Zealand
27h 15mORD-SYD
24/6Mon
multi-stopAir New Zealand
24h 24mSYD-ORD
$3,095
16/6Sun
multi-stopAir New Zealand
26h 45mORD-SYD
18/6Tue
multi-stopAir New Zealand
26h 09mSYD-ORD
$3,357
17/6Mon
multi-stopJapan Airlines
26h 45mORD-SYD
10/7Wed
multi-stopJapan Airlines
40h 05mSYD-ORD
$3,494
17/6Mon
multi-stopQantas Airways
23h 15mORD-SYD
24/6Mon
multi-stopQantas Airways
23h 13mSYD-ORD
$3,611
16/6Sun
multi-stopQantas Airways
21h 40mORD-SYD
18/6Tue
multi-stopQantas Airways
21h 40mSYD-ORD
$3,843

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Flights to Australia

Return flight deals:

Australia - Chicago

Cabin classes: