Heightened sanitation
Daily cleaning, installation of cabin HEPA filters on flights to Ballina
Qantas Airways, Jetstar and Virgin Australia have waived their change and cancellation fees on flights to Ballina Byron. Confirm policies on booking site.
LATAM Airlines and Etihad Airways do not allow booking a middle seat on flights to Ballina Byron.
The cheapest airline ticket to Ballina from Australia in the last 72 hours was $104 one-way, and $104 round-trip on the route from Sydney to Ballina. The most popular route is from Sydney to Ballina and the cheapest ticket found on this route in the last 72 hours was $79 round-trip.
In general from Australia, Emirates, Etihad Airways and Jetstar fly the most to Ballina.
Ballina Airport is 3 kilometres from the centre of Ballina. View on map.
Ballina is served by Ballina Byron Airport, also commonly referred to as Ballina Byron, Ballina Byron Gateway, or simply Ballina Airport. The airport code is BNK.
Northern New South Wales is best explored by car. After your flight to Ballina, you can find numerous rental car companies in the terminal, including Avis, Hertz and Europcar; there are also other rental car services located just outside the airport. Ballina is a popular starting point for those who want to explore the legendary Pacific Coast Drive down to Sydney, and you can find an information centre about this in downtown Ballina.
There are limited public transport options along the Pacific Coast, however you can find shuttle buses to take you the 30 minutes up to Byron Bay. GoByron and Byron easyBus both have kiosks at the airport where you can arrange your tickets. Some hotels in Byron Bay offer airport transfers, so check with your accommodation before making alternative arrangements.
While there are no hotels at Ballina Byron Airport itself, you can find plenty of accommodation options in nearby downtown Ballina, along the Richmond River. The Ballina Heritage Inn and Ramada Hotel and Suites are both situated on the waterfront with views across the river. If you’re looking for a budget option, choose from the Australian Hotel or the Almare Tourist Motel.
If you’re feeling hungry after your flight to Ballina, the airport café is the popular Café Horizon. Here you can find something in the cabinet to grab-and-go, or you can sit down with an Australian flat white and a Ballina burger with fries.
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 to Ballina.
KAYAK’s flight Price Forecast tool uses historical data to determine whether the price for a flight to Ballina is likely to change within 7 days, so travellers know whether to wait or book now.
Hacker Fares allow you to combine one-way tickets in order to save you money over a traditional round-trip ticket. You could then fly to Ballina with an airline and back with another airline.
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 Ballina up to 3 days before/after your preferred dates. You can then pick the flights that suit you best.
Scores according to KAYAK customer reviews
Cons: "Staff only do the minimum they don’t go out of their way to make your experience special, unfortunately if you don’t ask you don’t get"
Pros: "On time. Very efficient staff. More of this please!"
Cons: "Not a lot!"
Pros: "Great crew & nice meals."
Cons: "The touchscreen menu icons does not seem to be working as you have to keep tapping the function tabs so many times. This is wasting a lot of time."
Pros: "Everything, I was upgraded to the upper cabin, crews are wonderfully friendly and warm."
Cons: "First aid kit, in case of sudden nose bleed caused by dry air. Other than that, perfect!"
Pros: "Everything was fine, a bit late taking off but the time was made up"
Pros: "The departure was on time and arrival before time. The comfortable headphone The menu with possibility choose a dish before hand."
Cons: "Passport control in San Francisco took a very long time."
Pros: "It's a pleasant experience"
Pros: "Crew was great."
Cons: "Leg room was just ok."
Pros: "Quality of interior"
Cons: "Food"
Pros: "WiFi on board"
Cons: "Still don't like greasy toasties for breakfast but better than butcher muesli"
Cons: "Food was awful."
Pros: "Could not fault"
Pros: "Nice crew"
Cons: "Delayed by an hour. Gate change to a gate too small to accommodate people. Food was pretty ordinary. Seats very cramped."
Pros: "Overall feel of the flight. The focus in safety"
Cons: "The flight was delayed for 3.5 hours. Limited selection of movied"
Pros: "Personable staff"
Cons: "Delayed 2 hours with little info."
Pros: "Snacks provided were very nice. Flight was shorter than expected."
Cons: "Nothing we didn't like, all was good!"
Pros: "Great flight on the 787 Dreamliner and the crew were fantastic. I wish I could say the same thing for Baggage services. I have a business meeting tomorrow morning and presently they can't even reconcile their own Baggage Receipt number! I expect more when travelling (and paying) for business class."
Cons: "Plane was approx 1 hour late"
Cons: "Lack of food for dinner..they ran out."
Pros: "Pleasant, clean & comfortable"
Cons: "Nothing"
Pros: "Crew member Trevor was funny and the perfect host. Good selection of movies."
Cons: "Seats are super uncomfortable and there is no privacy ... worst Business class facilities I’ve ever experienced. Seriously substandard might as well fly economy or better still use a different airline."
Pros: "Crew members were attentive and helpful."
Cons: "The seat was too narrow for keg space. Especially when I had someone who seated in front who's big n he has to bend his seat far behind"
Pros: "Once we boarded the experience was positive."
Cons: "The flight was late causing me to be late for a meeting"
Pros: "Staff polite and friendly. Entertainment on my ipad with wants content great."
Pros: "New business layout is more comfortable comfortable and private."
Pros: "Really nice hostesses. Professional, friendly, interested in travellers. Very welcome when you're travelling home after a long day."
Cons: "Planes are looking a bit tired."
Pros: "Staff were friendly. Enjoyed getting a meal included in the ticket for everyone."
Cons: "Could be more of a range of movies to watch"
Pros: "Flight was straight forward, left and landed on time"
Cons: "QANTAS cancelled my original 10am flight with a text at 5.20am that morning, this stressed me quite a bit as we were flying to Sydney for a wedding that afternoon"
Cons: "Crew service was disgraceful"
Pros: "Staff and flight was perfect otherwise."
Cons: "Flight delayed out of Melbourne."
Pros: "Individual usb charge port and meal"
Pros: "Looking out the window."
Cons: "Flight changed from an A330 to a B737 perhaps as Resukt if the public holiday"
Cons: "Terrible procedures in Sidney and Los-Angeles with uncertainty, broken schedule , chaos and wasting passengers' time."
Pros: "Comfortable plane. Good entertainment. Very nice chicken salad. Friendly staff."
Cons: "The soggy pies were a bit, well, soggy ... The changeover at Dubai seemed unnecessary. Having to go through security tho get from airside to airside was a bit daft. The crew gave little information on how that changeover was going to happen, and when they did it was just before landing."
Pros: "Friendly crew."
Cons: "Nothing that is unique to Qantas or just flying in general."
Pros: "Everything."
Cons: "I was right by the toilets"
Pros: "Landing with strong winds went well."
Cons: "No seat pillows"
Cons: "Late leaving and still pretending it was going to leave sooner than it did. It boarded 15 mins after the published delayed departure time. Staff wouldn't even call to find out when it would really leave. Lounge closed before the flight was called,"
Cons: "All round excellent"
Pros: "Everything."
Cons: "can not think of any."
Cons: "Only one channel of audio was playing--made listening to Tubular Bells just plain WRONG..."
Pros: "On time , efficient service"
Cons: "Crowded"
Pros: "The crew manager worked tirelessly to move rows of passengers to other seats because the entertainment system didn't work for a bank of passengers on the long haul flight."
Cons: "Our entertainment system didn't work and we had to split up to move seats."
Pros: "Great check in, comfy plane, with arm rests that go fully up, even when the plane is taking off and landing."
Cons: "The lamb meatballs with couscous was the worst tasting thing I've ever eaten on a plane ever."
Pros: "Standard stuff. Nothing particularly worth mentioning. Had worse & had better."
Cons: "Food is disgusting. Like warmed up, over-salted baby food. For a 'premium' airline, I would expect more."
Pros: "Arrived on time"
Cons: "Qantas crew occupied other business class seats and were given preference for meals. When the attendant got to me, there was no selection left. flight attendant got my drink order wrong"
Pros: "cabin staff better"
Cons: "toilets appalling"
Pros: "Upgraded to busienss 5 of us together"
Cons: "Flight was late and Sydney departures chaotic AND CROWDED"
Cons: "Announce the app download well before boarding so that I can get it. I never had a chance"
Cons: "On time."
Cons: "The air pressure in the plane not good causing significant pain I’m my ears"
Pros: "Food was unexpected and good, healthy"
Pros: "First time trying the new inflight Wifi - great!"
Pros: "On time"
Cons: "Nothing"
Pros: "Movie selection was good. Complimentary wine was excellent and plentiful."
Cons: "Seat room was cramped."
Pros: "I arrived home safely!"
Cons: "The hostess ran out of tea and when I asked for a top up she did not come back"
Cons: "No organization in check in process. Staff unfriendly and unhelpful. No control over situation."
Pros: "friendly and polite staff all was good"
Cons: "passengers with large carry on bags fill up overhead lockers by the time you get to your seat they are already full with peoples bags that are nowhere near their seat allocation."
Pros: "On time"
Cons: "Nothing"
Pros: "On time"
Cons: "Nothing"
Cons: "There was an extremely long line at check-in with only a couple of Virgin Australia attendants working. Despite the line (of several hundred people), the staff appeared to have no urgency about moving customers through the check-in process, and at one point two of the the three workers quit working, packed up and left. Replacements arrived five minutes later and took another five to ten minutes to set-up before helping customers - leaving one agent for the overflowing line. Total wait time for check-in alone was over 1 hour."
Cons: "Boarding made half passengers drag their carryon luggage down stairs, then drag them up the plane. Not acceptable! Almost pulled my back out."
Pros: "Nothing"
Cons: "No entertainment no food or drinks"
Cons: "See above"
Pros: "Good Service"
Pros: "Boarding in Sydney was easier than anticipated. Crew were good"
Cons: "Stop off in Darwin? Really? Star Alliance is a bit of a joke-poor coordination between VA and Air NZ. No lounge access given we’re Air NZ elite members"
Pros: "Comfortable seat"
Cons: "Lack of communication - flights to and from Brisbane to Sydney 2/3 hours late in departure."
Pros: "No significant problem"
Pros: "Free wine"
Cons: "The plane was delayed. Why. Not quite sure."
Pros: "The staff was lovely. Flight was on time, smooth and landed a bit early."
Cons: "Not the airline's fault, but the woman sitting next to me was so large that I was squished against the window. And I couldn't fully put my tray down because of her leg size. I feel terrible complaining about it. She did warn me. But it was very uncomfortable. Luckily it was just an hour's flight."
Cons: "The time"
Pros: "Arrived early"
Pros: "Baggage price"
Cons: "Nothing"
Pros: "2 free checked bags when flying domestically is a big plus!"
Pros: "Excellent cabin attendance ratiio to passengers."
Cons: "Seat comfort"
Pros: "everything was great"
Pros: "Very little, again delayed in leaving resulting in arrival quite late"
Cons: "Unknowlingly dropped teeth which went under the seat and Virgin has no means of contacting airport to put mind at rest after flight and phone contact almost impossible as staff unable or unwilling to assist. No phone number in directory, no phones at airport. and in an emergency no way of contact and no one willing to do anything to assist. Food better but still too much rice. Long boring flight with no entertainment in flight. Very Very Disappointing Robert Richardson 0895930984"
Pros: "Empty, friendly staff"
Cons: "Late for my conference"
Pros: "Staff was courteous and genueinely interested in making our flight enjoyable and relaxing."
Pros: "Departure on time"
Cons: "Food"
Pros: "We arrived intact only 3 hours late and we were informed early"
Cons: "Seating far too little leg room. Too close together."
Pros: "Every aspect of the flight."
Pros: "The crew was very friendly and helpful"
Pros: "Excellent crew & service"
Cons: "Boarding started (& almost finished) before boarding time, sounds silly but ended up being a little stressful"
Pros: "Nice that they had a tasty snack with a chocolate biscuit"
Cons: "Alcoholic beverages would be better if"
Pros: "The service of Kayak and Virgin was wonderful. The flight was comfortable and smooth. I usually hate flying but this flight I actually enjoyed in a way. The food was surprisingly good as well. Overall excellent - a tick in all the boxes!"
Pros: "Generally speaking, I like Virgin Australia."
Cons: "The only problem was we were delayed."
Pros: "Comfortable"
Cons: "The snack"
Cons: "Water was the only complimentary drink. And no peanuts or pretzels were included."
Pros: "It was fast and easy to get to my favourite thing in the world."
Pros: "The flight was quick and complimentary wine and softdrinks was a bonus"
Pros: "Quick boarding and exiting. Great experience."
Pros: "Hostess smile everytime"
Cons: "No onboard entertainment Engine noise was too loud. Almost 90db"
Pros: "On time and smooth"
Cons: "nothing specific"
Pros: "cheese and tomato SW"
Cons: "too many yuppies"
Cons: "upon arrival in LA, I was advised that my luggage has been checked in straight to Seattle, but upon reaching Seattle I was advised that the luggage has been misplaced and they would deliver it in the afternoon to my hotel. Upon waiting for over 12 hours and a number of phone calls to both delta and virgin I was advised that my luggage hasn't even left Sydney and they are not sure when they can deliver it. I have now missed an important work meeting that I came over for and have been in the same clothes for 48 hours Without my clothes and my critical blood pressure medication. I am frustrated/disappointed/furious would be an understatement. I have travelled with a number of other airlines, but this was by far the worst experience"
Cons: "Long lines for bag drop"
Pros: "business seats did not reclined ..... if i knew that not buying jetstar"
Cons: "Two hours delayed on the way. Four and a half hours delayed on the return flight. No explanation or apology for either leg."
Cons: "Arrived at SYD after a 17 hour nonstop flight to find connecting Jetstar flight to Ballina was delayed for 41/2 hours!!!"
Cons: "The entire experience"
Pros: "Good seat and small load so could move around"
Cons: "No entertainment and charges for everything."
Cons: "It was discouraging to know after the posted fare and slapped with different pricing of luggage weight, etc."
Pros: "Very good everything"
Cons: "Seats unusually small. Unlikely to fly this airline again"
Pros: "Clean planes."
Cons: "Hidden last minute weight fees on carry ons. In our case an extra $360. This is apparently a common complaint. Terrible scam."
Pros: "Polite staff well organized"
Cons: "My flight was 45 minutes late Absolutely no room when seated"
Cons: "Beware, they charge $15 per kilogram for over weight luggage."
Cons: "Same"
Pros: "I am traveling from the USA and I had heard some bad stories about JetStar but my experience was really good."
Cons: "Delay"
Pros: "The price"
Cons: "The only time we saw the cabin crew was when they were selling something."
Pros: "The plane was relatively new."
Cons: "Boarding was late. Food selection was poor Entertainment choices were slim And obviously charging for luggage and food sucks."
Pros: "I like the Punctuality and the way the plane was loaded- very efficient Plane was very tidy and clean"
Cons: "The menu is mediocre as far as the snacks are concerned. More imagination needed"
Pros: "Aircraft and crew"
Cons: "Over one hour at check in."
Pros: "Very smooth boarding and pleasant on board crew."
Pros: "Jetstar, only because we had a wheelchair request was our experience okay"
Cons: "we felt like just a number otherwise"
Pros: "Relatively spacious seats and new enough aircraft - could have been a good short haul flight."
Cons: "One crew member became unavailable due to personal issue 5mins before boarding. Boarded late then PA system fault held us on the ground, then deplaned and replaned for a 2 1/2 hour late departure. Two delaying problems on one flight indicative of an airline that doesn't have its systems and processes properly sorted out."
Cons: "Q"
Cons: "2h delay"
Pros: "The check-in woman was a gem! Due to Australia's strict carry-on policy - one item, period - I had to repack my luggage, which contained a fragie printer that had been in my carry-on when I could have it AND a computer bag. The Jet Star allowed two checked pieces, and the agent gave me all the time I needed to make the changes. She then marked the bag fragile, and sent me to the oversize/fragile bay with it. It arrived in PNG rattled, but working normally.The woman was a peach!"
Pros: "Everyone was very polite, to compensate for ripping us off on the cost of our luggage... By the kilo!"
Cons: "No info when we purchased the ticket on Kayak that this airline does not charge by the bag, but by the kilo. No chance to buy kilos when we bought the ticket. Got ripped off at the airport. This airline is is for backpackers, NOT for the international traveler"
Pros: "The crew was amazing."
Cons: "Nothing."
Pros: "All was good from boarding to exiting"
Pros: "Plane ride smooth and the service for every part of trip was great. This exceeded my expectations."
Pros: "We were on our way from syd to bali and just before we reached ocean we turned around and headed back toward Melbourne. As upset as we were about that situation they were extremely accommodating. They said the Landon strip in Bali had broke so we couldn't land. They Bieber, gave us free coffee, tea and juices and gave us all free onboard entertainment. When we got to Melbourne they had set up free shuttle server and out us all up in a very very nice suite and gave us a voucher for breakfast which was more than enough! Then on our way back to bali they again gave us all free onboard entertainment. Very nice! Loved it!"
Cons: "Didn't like that they took so long to tell us about the problems on the landing strip. I thought we were being hijacked!"
Cons: "departing late (again)"
Pros: "That they took care of an issue when the warning came on for the pilot."
Cons: "The ~2 hr delay due to an engineer needing to drive from the Gold Coast to sign the paperwork."
Pros: "plenty of room nice staff"
Pros: "Nothing."
Cons: "I could have sworn I submitted a request for a checked bag, but apparently it didn't register or I forgot online. Anyway when explaining this to the ticketing agent, she didn't seem to care and charged me $95 for a one 18kg bag!!!! That was $20 more than my entire flight cost. How the hell can a company charge that for a checked bag. Never again will I fly this and I will personally make sure they lose thousands through bad press. Don't screw the little guys.... We are your customers."
Pros: "It was good. Nothing extra. It was efficient. We arrived safely on time."
Pros: "Cost"
Cons: "Seats were extremeley uncomfortable, crew was rude and spoke down to the customers and even yelled at them!"
Pros: "JetStar is an ala carte airline. So don't expect extras. That said, they are very capable, speedy and cost effective."
Pros: "Very friendly check in and welcoming staff"
Cons: "All food and drink had to be purchased"
Cons: "No leg room at all..."
Pros: "Low fares!"
Cons: "Given the low fare it was fine, Very limited choices on entertainment package."
Pros: "One of us was not feeling well and crew member noticed and provided help. They needed more staff at check in"
Pros: "Got me there safe"
Cons: "The seats are horrible."
Cons: "i was offered a refund, but I'm still waiting for this to be confirmed."
Pros: "Was onetime and landed early."
Pros: "Planes are new and nice!"
Cons: "Seat had a lump in it"
Pros: "Both metatarsal flights were comfortable and smooth. I purchased better seats for just $25, since the flights were so long. The airplanes are brand new and very modern."
Pros: "Check in was a snap at the Kiosk. Legroom on the plane was good."
Cons: "I wasn't allowed on board with my just purchased coffee."
Pros: "I'm still trying to get carry on luggage. they weighed it in Honolulu and said it was fine but the stewardess in Sydney said she could tell it was too heavy by just picking it up. Still don't have it"
Pros: "check in was smooth and effortless, did the online checkin and luggage drop off at the counter"
Cons: "service was hit and miss, one fa asked us to wait to pick up the finished food while she was not doing anything, while the other fa was very thoughtful and asked us if we would want to have the rubbing collected. a bumpy landing experience, maybe it was controlled by a rookie first officer rather than the captain from the decending part. 2 passengers were ill and required assistance after landing."
Pros: "Good service"
Cons: "Uncomfortable busines class seats"
Airlines flying to Ballina have enacted additional safety measures and adjusted policies to better accommodate travellers. Policies vary by airline.
Heightened sanitation
Daily cleaning, installation of cabin HEPA filters on flights to Ballina
Mandatory masks
Masks required on board, masks provided on flights to Ballina
Social distancing seating
Middle seats unavailable to book on flights to Ballina
Pre-flight testing
Testing for antibodies, testing for symptoms for flights to Ballina
Flexible cancellations
Waiving of change fees. Search flexible flights to Ballina