Check out our new flights deals now and read our handy guide on how to find and book last minute flights to domestic and international destinations. These are tried and tested tips from Skyscanner Australia to enhance your search for new cheap last minute flight deals to destinations such as Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Bali, London and hundreds of others from Jetstar, Virgin Australia, Qantas.
Check out new last minute flight deals
Please note: All prices are subject to availability and may change depending on the airport of origin, as well as the dates selected. Travel restrictions can change at any time. Check the latest rules and restrictions on Smartraveller.gov.au before making holiday plans. Find out whose borders are open with our interactive global map, and sign up to receive email updates when your top destinations reopen. Please check your airline’s flight cancellation, rebooking and refund policies, as well as travel bans and restrictions, before booking a flight.
Standby flights aren’t as cheap as they once were
These days, the best deals for standby flights (and all last minute deals) are found online.
Years ago, you could score yourself a cheap last minute flight deal by just walking up to any airport counter in Australia and asking about standby flights.
These tickets are pretty much a thing of the past though, thanks partly to more sophisticated computer systems, and code sharing agreements that see most flights at capacity. Even if a plane isn’t full, the only way you can generally get on a standby list is if you miss your flight, if you have a full price ticket and you want to get on an earlier flight or if you work for an airline (or are a close relative of someone who does).
Instead of fruitlessly rushing to the airport intent on getting a last minute flight, you can find cheap weekend getaway deals for the next four weekends, last minute flight specials and the top travel deals by downloading Skyscanner’s travel app.
Don’t settle for the first flight bargains you find
While standby tickets are not the same as they used to be, you can still find last minute flight deals in Australia if you keep your eyes and ears open. Try searching for flights on different days. Tuesdays are traditionally when you can find the best deals on flights from Australia, but Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays tend to be cheaper than average days as well.
Monday, Friday and Sunday are more expensive because they’re prime flight days for business travellers, as well as families leaving or returning from a trip away.
Sign up to airline newsletters and follow your favourite airlines on social media. Social media is usually the most immediate way to find out about a flash sale. Follow Skyscanner on Facebook and keep your eyes peeled.
Regularly check Skyscanner’s deals newsletter to find cheap flights from Australia
Checking Skyscanner’s deals can save you 20% (sometimes more!) on last minute flights from Australia. You can check out international and domestic flight deals at the top of this page, and you can sign up for our deals newsletter to get regular updates on amazing deals from your home airport.
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Search for last minute flights to ‘everywhere’
The best way to do this is to use Skyscanner Australia’s ‘flights to everywhere’ destination option. This way you can see which places are cheapest to visit on the dates of your choosing.
Everybody knows that you need to be flexible when you’re looking for cheap flights. But when it comes to last minute flights, there’s more to being flexible than choosing anti-social flight times. It also means being flexible about your destination, and the airport you’re flying from. This way you could find yourself in a gorgeous city that you hadn’t thought about visiting before.
Sign up for alerts for new last minute flight deals
You can also find last minute bargains with Skyscanner Price Alerts. Just choose a destination and date and if the price of flights changes you will automatically be sent an email.
Skyscanner Price Alerts are free and you can change your alerts or unsubscribe at any time.
