Business Class from Melbourne (MEL): deals, routes and trip guide
Photo by Denise Jans on Unsplash
Business class from Melbourne (MEL)
Melbourne Tullamarine runs international flights through Terminal 2, Qantas domestic through T1, Virgin Australia through T3 and the low-cost carriers through T4. Four terminals in one building, curfew-free, 23 kilometres northwest of the city.
Everywhere you can fly from Melbourne
Premium carriers from Melbourne
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Where business class from Melbourne is cheapest
Ranked by how far the best fare we've found sits below each route's usual business-class price. Carriers are the ones actually operating each route. Tap any route to search live fares.
| Destination | Typical | Best seen | Saving | Cheapest | Flight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hamilton Island MEL–HTI · ~2.8h | $2,456 | $848seen 5d ago | −66% | Oct |  Virgin Australia |
| Newcastle MEL–NTL · ~1.5h | $1,278 | $520seen 26d ago | −59% | Sep | Virgin Australia |
| Alice Springs MEL–ASP · ~2.7h | $2,348 | $978seen 19d ago | −58% | Oct |  Qantas |
| Cairns MEL–CNS · ~3.3h | $1,930 | $839seen 15d ago | −56% | Oct | Virgin Australia |
| Broome MEL–BME · ~4.2h · the deal | $3,780 | $1,675seen 3d ago | −56% | Oct | Qantas |
| Townsville MEL–TSV · ~2.9h | $1,458 | $718seen 5d ago | −51% | Oct | Qantas |
| Darwin MEL–DRW · ~4.2h | $2,170 | $1,070seen 25d ago | −51% | Oct | Virgin Australia |
| Canberra MEL–CBR · ~1.1h | $958 | $522seen 18d ago | −46% | Sep | Virgin Australia |
| Sunshine Coast MEL–MCY · ~2.2h | $1,181 | $647seen 15d ago | −45% | Nov | Virgin Australia |
| Hobart MEL–HBA · ~1.2h | $776 | $427seen 9d ago | −45% | Oct | Qantas |
| Launceston MEL–LST · ~1.1h | $843 | $468seen 8d ago | −45% | Oct | Virgin Australia |
| Queenstown MEL–ZQN · ~3.1h | $2,068 | $1,154seen 17d ago | −44% | Sep | Virgin Australia |
Showing 12 of 69 destinations tracked from Melbourne. Rows marked live price show the current lowest business fare we found on that route (searched weekly), not a tracked deal.
About Melbourne
Terminal 2 is where the widebodies gather. Singapore Airlines, Qantas, Scoot and Jetstar fly Singapore; Cathay Pacific, Qantas and Hong Kong Airlines take Hong Kong; Japan Airlines flies Tokyo Narita. Emirates serves Dubai, Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi and Qatar Airways Doha. Qantas, United and Delta run Los Angeles, United adds San Francisco, and Air India flies Delhi. Malaysia Airlines, Thai Airways, Vietnam Airlines and Garuda Indonesia fill out Southeast Asia.
The lounges sit mostly in T2: the Qantas First and Business rooms, the Singapore Airlines SilverKris lounge, Emirates, Air New Zealand and an American Express lounge, plus three pay-per-use rooms in Aspire, Marhaba and Plaza Premium. Terminal 1 holds the Qantas domestic lounges, T3 the Virgin Australia lounge and T4 a Rex lounge. A satellite pier off T2 takes A380s through double-decker aerobridges.
Melbourne is curfew-free and open around the clock, so its long-haul departures spread across the day instead of stacking up before a cut-off, and freight moves through the small hours. Europe, Africa and the US east coast are one-stop propositions, usually routed through Singapore, Hong Kong, the Gulf or Los Angeles. A second north-south runway, approved by the federal government in 2024, is due to open in 2031.
The city itself is a grid of laneways, coffee and sport. Australian rules football fills the Melbourne Cricket Ground from March to September, the Australian Open takes over Melbourne Park each January and the Formula 1 race runs at Albert Park each March. Beyond the tram network, the Great Ocean Road, the Yarra Valley wineries and the Phillip Island penguin colony are all day trips.
Best time to visit
March to May for settled autumn light and mild days, and September to November for spring. December to February is hot, with occasional days above 40°C; June to August is cold and grey but the quietest stretch of the year.
Photo by Matthew De Zen on Unsplash
| Melbourne at a glance | |
|---|---|
| Airport | MEL, Melbourne Airport, universally called Tullamarine after the suburb it stands in, on the city's northwestern edge. |
| Terminals | T2 international, T1 Qantas and QantasLink domestic, T3 Virgin Australia, T4 for Jetstar, Rex and Airnorth. All four sit in one connected building, so a terminal change is a walk rather than a shuttle. None has closed. A satellite pier off T2 handles A380s. |
| Distance to centre | 23 km northwest of the central business district, about 30 minutes by road or by SkyBus, longer in the weekday peaks. |
| Airport rail link | There is no train. The SkyBus Melbourne City Express runs from T1, T3 and T4 to Southern Cross Station in about 30 minutes, from 4am to 1am, every 10 minutes at peak and every 15 off-peak; an adult fare is A$25.90 one-way and A$43.40 return. Public Transport Victoria buses also leave from the Terminal 4 ground transport hub. Melbourne Airport Rail is under construction, with the Sunshine works due by 2030 and the airport section by 2033. |
| Taxi / rideshare | Metered taxis from the ranks at T1, T2 and T4 run roughly A$60 to A$75 to the central business district and take 25 to 35 minutes. The meter starts at A$5.10 with A$1.98 a kilometre, plus a A$3.65 airport rank fee, and the Tullamarine Freeway carries a CityLink toll. Rideshare has its own pick-up areas serving every terminal. |
| Timezone | Australian Eastern Standard Time, UTC+10. Daylight saving moves Victoria to UTC+11 from the first Sunday in October to the first Sunday in April. |
| Currency | Australian dollar (AUD). Cards and contactless payment are accepted almost everywhere; a myki card covers the tram, train and bus network, and the central-city tram zone is free to ride. |
| Language | English. Mandarin, Greek, Vietnamese, Italian, Arabic and Cantonese are the most widely spoken other languages at home across the metropolitan area. |
| Best months | March to May for settled autumn light and mild days, and September to November for spring. December to February is hot, with occasional days above 40°C; June to August is cold and grey but the quietest stretch of the year. |
| Entry requirements | Australia grants no visa-free entry: a visa or travel authority must be held before boarding, and there is no visa on arrival for tourists. The short-stay routes are the Electronic Travel Authority (subclass 601), applied for through the official ETA app for a A$20 service charge; the free eVisitor (subclass 651), which covers a published list of European passports; and the Visitor visa (subclass 600). Eligibility and lodgement are set out at immi.homeaffairs.gov.au. |
| Long-haul network | Nonstop from T2: Southeast Asia in 7 to 9 hours (Singapore Airlines, Qantas, Scoot and Jetstar to Singapore; Malaysia Airlines, AirAsia X and Batik Air Malaysia to Kuala Lumpur; Thai Airways and Jetstar to Bangkok; Vietnam Airlines and VietJet Air to Ho Chi Minh City; Garuda Indonesia to Denpasar and Jakarta). North Asia in 9 to 11 hours: Cathay Pacific, Qantas and Hong Kong Airlines to Hong Kong, Japan Airlines to Tokyo Narita, China Eastern and Juneyao Air to Shanghai, China Southern to Guangzhou, Air China to Beijing, China Airlines to Taipei. The Gulf in 14 to 15 hours, Emirates to Dubai, Etihad Airways to Abu Dhabi, Qatar Airways to Doha. North America: Qantas, United and Delta to Los Angeles in about 14 hours 40 minutes, United to San Francisco, and Qantas to Dallas Fort Worth in about 16 hours, the longest flight on the board. Air India flies Delhi in about 13 hours and SriLankan Airlines flies Colombo. Europe, Africa and the US east coast take a stop; Finnair opens Bangkok and Helsinki service on 26 October 2026. |
| Power | Type I flat three-pin sockets, 230 volts at 50 Hz. Hotel bathrooms often carry a 110-volt shaver-only outlet as well. |
Compiled from Melbourne Airport's own terminal, transport, taxi and lounge pages, SkyBus timetables and published fares, Public Transport Victoria, the Victorian metered taxi tariff, the Victorian and federal governments' Melbourne Airport Rail program, Australia's Department of Home Affairs, and published airline timetables.
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Common questions
Which terminal do international flights use at Melbourne Airport?
All scheduled international services use Terminal 2. Terminal 1 is Qantas and QantasLink domestic, Terminal 3 is Virgin Australia, and Terminal 4 handles Jetstar, Rex and Airnorth. The four terminals form one connected building, so moving between them is a walk of a few minutes rather than a shuttle ride.
Is there a train from Melbourne Airport to the city?
No. Melbourne Airport has never had a rail link. The SkyBus Melbourne City Express covers the gap, running from T1, T3 and T4 to Southern Cross Station in about 30 minutes for A$25.90 one-way, from 4am to 1am. Melbourne Airport Rail is being built in stages, with the Sunshine works due by 2030 and the airport section by 2033.
Does Melbourne Airport have a night curfew?
No. Tullamarine is curfew-free and operates 24 hours a day, which is unusual among Australia's big-city airports. Freight aircraft dominate the movements between roughly 2am and 4am. The practical effect for passengers is that long-haul departures and arrivals spread across the clock rather than compressing before a nightly cut-off.
What does Australia require before you fly in?
Every visitor needs a visa or travel authority granted before departure; there is no visa on arrival for tourists. The three short-stay routes are the Electronic Travel Authority (subclass 601), applied for through the official ETA app for a A$20 service charge, the free eVisitor (subclass 651) covering a published list of European passports, and the Visitor visa (subclass 600). Eligibility is set out at immi.homeaffairs.gov.au.
Get Melbourne deal alerts
Melbourne Airport has no train. SkyBus from T1, T3 and T4 reaches Southern Cross Station in about 30 minutes; Melbourne Airport Rail is under construction and the airport section is not due until 2033.
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Photography via Unsplash: Denise Jans, Matthew De Zen, JQ C, Mitchell Luo, Tyson Bennett, Athithan Vignakaran, Wee Ping Khoo, Emmanuel M, Geoff Brooks.