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Find cheap flights from Chicago to Australia from $659

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 11/4. 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
Sun 28/4
Sun 5/5

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Best Australia Flight Deals

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

Sydney
Sydney1 stop$1,492
Melbourne
Melbourne2 stops$1,779
Brisbane
Brisbane1 stop$1,859
Perth
Perth1 stop$1,837
Adelaide
Adelaide2 stops$1,984
Coolangatta
Coolangatta2 stops$2,617
Cairns
Cairns2 stops$2,579
Canberra
Canberra3 stops$2,705
Darwin
Darwin2 stops$3,587
Maroochydore
Maroochydore2 stops$2,098
Townsville
Townsville2 stops$2,314
Mackay
Mackay3 stops$3,268
Broome
Broome2 stops$2,931

Good to know

Low season

April

High season

December

Cheapest flight

$659
Best time to beat the crowds (8% less expensive on average)
Most popular time to fly (35% more expensive on average)
Flight from Chicago O'Hare Airport to Sydney

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 4% 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 KAYAK reviews.
8.2
Air New ZealandOverall score based on 685 reviews
79entertainment
88crew
83overall
84boarding
81comfort
76food
Airline reviews

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!

Read more about Air New Zealand

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.

Flight was canceled due to technical issue shortly before the check-in counters opened. Passengers were rebooked on a flight three days later. Request to be accommodated on Air Tahiti Nui could not be processed. Customer service sorted out the refund after calling and being put on hold for almost an hour.

The pilot tried to make up for lost time due to delays that were out of her control. She communicated the issues openly and clearly and made every effort to do what she could to alleviate issues.

The only thing that was less than excellent was the food server at dinner. (I had the chicken.) It wasn't that it was poorly heated or in difficult-to-open containers; it was just that it had a very peculiar taste. And I use that to describe not just the main course but the dessert as well. Very odd flavours for what seemed to be a mainstream item. I did like that the airline offered us a free glass of wine. The breakfast omelette wasn't bad, although it was quite bland.

Pros: "I would have liked for them to refund my ticket even though I asked them to. They ignored my request and I didn't get to go on to the plane but I still paid for it."
Cons: "A refunded plane ticket or voucher would have been better."
Pros: "The food we were served was of excellent quality which is so unusual when it comes to airline meals, crew and service was great as well. Obviously Air NewZealand have a far better understanding of what there customer base require compared to their competitors"
Cons: "Could not fault anything"

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?

The flight experience was very good! Especially the United Club!

I was not able to buy food in the flight. They refer to include your Credit card in the APP, and if you are not from USA (i have a credit card form Canada) it is not possible

Aircraft has better leg room than any of United's larger planes. We had requested mobility assistance for this and related flights. United's response to all was superb.

The flight from Ottawa to Chicago took a lot longer due to DC in Ottawa. We got to Chicago and went to our gate to catch our flight. We only had nine minutes I found that very stressful.

Good boarding. Crew started quick with drinks and food. They came around several times for trash which I really liked. Other than turbulence due to storms in the area, flight was great.

my seat got changed twice after checking on then boarding it had been given to a family so by the time they found a seat for me no overhead storage left. i ended up losing my Sony Headphones case because i could even access underthe seat in front of my when deplaning.

All good, useful to have the united app from check in to boarding

All planes flying to Mexico City are very old. Seats don’t even have power outlets.

The control panel for the seat back screen did not work at all after takeoff.

There is no food or entertainment on these short flights. Again the wheelchair situation in Denver is nasty. They are short staffed due to cut backs and layoffs and this impacts on travel comfort and ease.

My flying experience with Air Canada was good but the wheelchair situation wasn't good at all and if would be good to make sure that they have the appropriate services available for your traveling passengers.

There was no food or entertainment on this flight. Great flight crew though

All of our flights got delayed. Fll-Montreal delayed due to technical issues. We got transferred to a Fll-Toronto flight, in Toronto flight got delayed 5 hours causing us to miss our connection to Amman. We are now arriving to Amman 24hours later

Flew in Business Class. The new AC lounge at SFO is one of the best I’ve been to with a spacious design and an open air deck. Flight itself was on-time and as expected overall.

In flight wifi that I paid for was very slow and at times didn't work at all.

It has space for legs. Comfortable seats Punctual Some snacks should be served

Air Canada staff needs to be trained in hospitality. Most flight attendants are with attitude. Air Canada needs to carry additional food on board especially vegetarian plates as this category of travellers are on the rise. This is necessary for long distance flights. Blankets are cheap. Seats are not designed well Lower back portion should be thicker. Everytime thr passenger at the back of me took stuff or put stuff in the pocket of the seat in front of them which is my seat, I could feel them pushing or hitting on my chair.

Flight delayed two and a half hours from Toronto to Calgary Philadelphia to Toronto we were listed as standbys !!! Very concerning

Flight delayed at the last moment Hill next day and havé to drag at Hotel at our cost and bec day was again delayed 4 Times because no crée and no pilot

Book cheap flights from Chicago to Australia

Recent return flight deals

11/9Wed
1 stopQantas Airways
25h 05mORD-SYD
16/9Mon
1 stopQantas Airways
23h 27mSYD-ORD
$1,492
26/6Wed
1 stopQantas Airways
31h 15mORD-SYD
14/7Sun
1 stopQantas Airways
23h 23mSYD-ORD
$1,500
13/4Sat
2 stops
27h 10mORD-SYD
24/4Wed
2 stops
31h 48mSYD-ORD
$1,560
13/4Sat
2 stops
27h 10mORD-SYD
24/4Wed
3 stops
34h 19mSYD-ORD
$1,591
27/6Thu
2 stopsAir New Zealand
27h 40mORD-MEL
28/8Wed
2 stopsAir New Zealand
25h 45mMEL-ORD
$1,831
28/8Wed
2 stopsAir New Zealand
27h 00mORD-MEL
12/10Sat
2 stopsAir New Zealand
24h 20mMEL-ORD
$1,834
13/5Mon
2 stopsAir Canada
29h 25mORD-SYD
29/5Wed
2 stopsAir Canada
25h 56mSYD-ORD
$2,242
14/5Tue
2 stopsAir Canada
29h 25mORD-SYD
29/5Wed
2 stopsAir Canada
25h 56mSYD-ORD
$2,243
24/4Wed
1 stopUnited Airlines
31h 40mORD-MEL
1/5Wed
1 stopUnited Airlines
24h 25mMEL-ORD
$2,423
24/4Wed
2 stopsUnited Airlines
24h 11mORD-MEL
1/5Wed
1 stopUnited Airlines
21h 14mMEL-ORD
$2,430

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Recent one-way flight deals

11/4Thu
3 stops
53h 13mORD-SYD
$659
22/6Sat
3 stops
49h 40mMDW-SYD
$743
2/4Tue
2 stopsAir New Zealand
26h 50mORD-MEL
$1,105
7/5Tue
2 stopsAir New Zealand
27h 30mORD-MEL
$1,134
2/4Tue
1 stopCathay Pacific
28h 10mORD-MEL
$1,391
14/4Sun
1 stopCathay Pacific
27h 45mORD-SYD
$1,485
8/5Wed
1 stopAir Canada
24h 40mORD-SYD
$1,667
22/6Sat
1 stopAir Canada
24h 40mORD-SYD
$1,781
28/7Sun
1 stopUnited Airlines
22h 45mORD-MEL
$1,943
7/7Sun
1 stopUnited Airlines
23h 55mORD-MEL
$2,211

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Last minute flights from Chicago to Australia

Last minute flight, train and bus deals

2/4Tue
multi-stopCathay Pacific
25h 40mORD-SYD
17/4Wed
multi-stopCathay Pacific
45h 50mSYD-ORD
$1,819
30/3Sat
multi-stopCathay Pacific
26h 05mORD-SYD
17/4Wed
multi-stopCathay Pacific
39h 20mSYD-ORD
$1,895
2/4Tue
multi-stopAir New Zealand
34h 00mORD-MEL
9/4Tue
multi-stopAir New Zealand
36h 14mMEL-ORD
$1,998
2/4Tue
multi-stop
28h 10mORD-MEL
9/4Tue
multi-stop
40h 53mMEL-ORD
$2,314
2/4Tue
multi-stop
54h 34mORD-SYD
18/4Thu
multi-stop
31h 35mSYD-ORD
$2,334
31/3Sun
multi-stopQatar Airways
30h 30mORD-SYD
16/4Tue
multi-stopQatar Airways
40h 00mSYD-ORD
$2,507
31/3Sun
multi-stopQatar Airways
30h 30mORD-SYD
2/4Tue
multi-stopQatar Airways
56h 45mSYD-ORD
$2,669
30/3Sat
multi-stopAir New Zealand
26h 30mORD-SYD
16/4Tue
multi-stopAir New Zealand
24h 02mSYD-ORD
$2,729
31/3Sun
multi-stopUnited Airlines
23h 55mORD-SYD
8/4Mon
multi-stopUnited Airlines
24h 02mSYD-ORD
$4,392
1/4Mon
multi-stopUnited Airlines
21h 40mORD-SYD
13/4Sat
multi-stopUnited Airlines
19h 21mSYD-ORD
$4,468

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Flights to Australia

Return flight deals:

Australia - Chicago

Cabin classes: