$313+ Cheap flights to South Island

This is the cheapest one-way flight price found by a Cheapflights user in the last 72 hours by searching for a flight departing on 9/2. Fares are subject to change and may not be available on all flights or dates of travel.
— CHC
18 Dec — 25 Dec1
1 adult
1 adult, Economy, 0 bags

Flights to South Island in 2025

Find the latest flights to South Island in 2025, with up-to-date prices and availability. In the last 7 days, Cheapflights users made a total of 647,157 searches and data was last updated on 18 November 2025.

Return from

$571

One-way from

$313

Popular in

December

Cheapest in

May

Average price

$648
Air New Zealand
  • Air New Zealand
  • 23/3-31/3
  • 2 total stops
  • 23h 50m total
  • Sydney to Christchurch
Jetstar
  • Jetstar
  • 9/2
  • 1 total stop
  • 16h 00m total
  • Sydney to South Island
Highest demand for flights based on searches. 10% potential increase in price ($73 potential increase over avg. return price).
Cheapest flight prices on average. 3% potential price decrease ($20 potential savings vs. average return price).
Average for return flights in November 2025

Find flight deals to South Island

Enter your travel dates to find the best prices.

Cheapest flights to South Island
Explore the most affordable flight options available to South Island. Find the lowest fares based on data from user searches, with prices last updated on 18 November 2025.

Thu 4/1206:10SYD - CHC
1 stop15h 55mMultiple Airlines
Wed 17/1216:35CHC - SYD
Nonstop3h 30mMultiple Airlines
Deal found 15/11$590
Wed 10/1218:50SYD - CHC
1 stop12h 10mMultiple Airlines
Tue 16/1206:10CHC - SYD
Nonstop3h 40mMultiple Airlines
Deal found 17/11$597
Thu 4/1206:10SYD - DUD
1 stop7h 35mJetstar
Tue 9/1216:45DUD - SYD
1 stop7h 30mJetstar
Deal found 18/11$600
Wed 3/1217:55SYD - CHC
Nonstop3h 10mMultiple Airlines
Tue 16/1218:20CHC - SYD
Nonstop3h 20mMultiple Airlines
Deal found 14/11$603
Wed 3/1217:55SYD - CHC
Nonstop3h 10mAir New Zealand
Wed 17/1206:10CHC - SYD
Nonstop3h 40mAir New Zealand
Deal found 17/11$608
Thu 11/1220:15SYD - CHC
Nonstop3h 10mAir New Zealand
Mon 15/1206:10CHC - SYD
Nonstop3h 40mAir New Zealand
Deal found 15/11$609
Wed 3/1221:45SYD - CHC
1 stop24h 20mMultiple Airlines
Wed 17/1213:45CHC - SYD
Nonstop3h 30mMultiple Airlines
Deal found 15/11$614
Thu 4/1220:15SYD - CHC
Nonstop3h 10mAir New Zealand
Wed 17/1219:15CHC - SYD
1 stop15h 30mAir New Zealand
Deal found 15/11$622
Sat 6/1220:15SYD - ZQN
1 stop11h 35mAir New Zealand
Wed 10/1215:35ZQN - SYD
Nonstop3h 20mAir New Zealand
Deal found 17/11$636
Sat 22/1110:00SYD - ZQN
1 stop6h 35mVirgin Australia
Wed 26/1114:00ZQN - SYD
1 stop6h 40mVirgin Australia
Deal found 15/11$649
Thu 11/1220:15SYD - ZQN
1 stop14h 05mMultiple Airlines
Thu 18/1220:50ZQN - SYD
Nonstop3h 15mMultiple Airlines
Deal found 15/11$651
Thu 11/1220:15SYD - ZQN
1 stop14h 05mAir New Zealand
Thu 18/1207:00ZQN - SYD
1 stop14h 05mAir New Zealand
Deal found 15/11$652

Cheapflights Fare Finder

 
Locate flights to South Island that fit your budget, with regularly updated fares and availability. In the last 7 days, Cheapflights users made a total of 647,157 searches and data was last updated on 18 November 2025.
Use the filters below to find and compare flights to South Island that are best for you.

Fly from

Sydney

Route

Depart

Return

Price

SydneyQueenstown

SYD - ZQN

SYDZQN

Sydney Kingsford Smith

Sat 14/2

15:00-19:55

Nonstop2h 55m

Queenstown Intl

Wed 18/2

20:50-22:05

Nonstop3h 15m

$508

SydneyQueenstown

SYD - ZQN

SYDZQN

Sydney Kingsford Smith

Tue 3/3

15:00-19:55

Nonstop2h 55m

Queenstown Intl

Tue 10/3

20:50-22:05

Nonstop3h 15m

$508

SydneyQueenstown

SYD - ZQN

SYDZQN

Sydney Kingsford Smith

Sun 15/2

06:15-11:10

Nonstop2h 55m

Queenstown Intl

Thu 19/2

13:35-21:10

1 stop9h 35m

$522

SydneyQueenstown

SYD - ZQN

SYDZQN

Sydney Kingsford Smith

Tue 27/1

15:00-19:55

Nonstop2h 55m

Queenstown Intl

Thu 29/1

20:50-22:05

Nonstop3h 15m

$568

SydneyQueenstown

SYD - ZQN

SYDZQN

Sydney Kingsford Smith

Fri 20/3

06:15-11:10

Nonstop2h 55m

Queenstown Intl

Wed 25/3

20:50-22:05

Nonstop3h 15m

$568

SydneyChristchurch

SYD - CHC

SYDCHC

Sydney Kingsford Smith

Tue 10/2

19:15-07:25

1 stop10h 10m

Christchurch

Tue 3/3

06:10-07:50

Nonstop3h 40m

$582

SydneyChristchurch

SYD - CHC

SYDCHC

Sydney Kingsford Smith

Mon 2/3

07:45-21:25

2 stops11h 40m

Christchurch

Tue 10/3

20:10-08:45

1 stop14h 35m

$593

SydneyChristchurch

SYD - CHC

SYDCHC

Sydney Kingsford Smith

Mon 23/3

19:15-07:25

1 stop10h 10m

Christchurch

Mon 6/4

06:35-08:10

Nonstop3h 35m

$593

SydneyChristchurch

SYD - CHC

SYDCHC

Sydney Kingsford Smith

Wed 4/3

13:55-22:10

1 stop6h 15m

Christchurch

Sun 15/3

21:00-08:45

1 stop13h 45m

$599

SydneyDunedin

SYD - DUD

SYDDUD

Sydney Kingsford Smith

Thu 4/12

06:10-15:45

1 stop7h 35m

Dunedin

Tue 9/12

16:45-22:15

1 stop7h 30m

$600

Flights are sorted by cheapest return flights first.

Deals found on 17/11

Showing 1-10 of 60 results
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6

Best time to book a flight to South Island

Have a flexible travel schedule? Discover the best time to fly to South Island with our price prediction graph.
Estimated return price
Rates are based on past data. Find the cheapest month and day to book your flight based on your travel requirements, then search for cheap deals.

Cheapflights Insights

Everything you need to know about your flight to South Island

How long is the flight to South Island?

On average, a flight from Sydney to South Island takes 6 hours 30 minutes. Flights to South Island from other popular cities in Australia will vary in length. Below are a few examples of popular routes and their flight times.

When is the cheapest time to fly to South Island?

Use this chart to determine the cheapest time to fly return from Sydney to South Island. Price data was last updated on 16 December 2024.

Users looking for the lowest fares to South Island should consider flying on Tuesday at midday, when prices are typically cheapest. Budget-minded travellers will want to avoid Friday evenings, when prices are usually at their highest.

Weekly flight availability to South Island

The most flights from Sydney to South Island are scheduled on a Monday (26 on average). You will have fewer flight options on Tuesday, which is when the least amount of flights are scheduled (25 on average).

What are the cheapest airlines that fly to South Island?

The cheapest airlines flying from Sydney to South Island are Jetstar, Virgin Australia and Emirates.

Rainfall in South Island by month

Plan your trip to South Island by taking into account the average rainfall totals by month.

In terms of precipitation, rainfall in South Island ranges from 40.0 - 60.0 mm per month. May is typically the wettest month, when rainfall can reach 60.0 mm. February is typically the driest time to visit South Island when rainfall is around 40.0 mm.

Temperature in South Island by month

Plan your trip to South Island by taking into account the average temperature totals by month.

If weather is an important factor for your trip to South Island, use this chart to help with planning. For those seeking warmer temperatures, January is the ideal time of year to visit, when temperatures reach an average of 17.0 C. Travellers hoping to avoid the cold should look outside of June, when temperatures are typically at their lowest (around 6.0 C).

Reviews of airlines servicing South Island

Get insights into the airlines that provide service to South Island. Read reviews, discover amenities, and learn about the overall travel experience offered by airlines. Use this information to make informed decisions when choosing an airline for your flight to South Island. Reviews last updated 18 November 2025.
Read reviews from past customers who have flown Emirates, Air New Zealand, andVirgin Australia to New Zealand. You can also see how each airline compares in terms of entertainment options, comfort, food, crew/service, and boarding process.

Food

7.9

Entertainment

8.2

Overall

8.1

Boarding

8.1

Crew

8.3

Comfort

8.0

Reviews

1 / 20
10.0
Excellent

Anonymous,June 2025

ATH - EWR

Best flight I taken. Airline stewards were very attentive and creative a very comfortable environment. Food was plentiful, gave a variety for each meal and delicious.

Food

7.9

Entertainment

8.2

Overall

8.1

Boarding

8.1

Crew

8.3

Comfort

8.0

Reviews

1 / 20
10.0
Excellent

Anonymous,June 2025

ATH - EWR

Best flight I taken. Airline stewards were very attentive and creative a very comfortable environment. Food was plentiful, gave a variety for each meal and delicious.

Food

7.9

Entertainment

8.2

Overall

8.1

Boarding

8.1

Crew

8.3

Comfort

8.0

Reviews

1 / 20
10.0
Excellent

Anonymous,June 2025

ATH - EWR

Best flight I taken. Airline stewards were very attentive and creative a very comfortable environment. Food was plentiful, gave a variety for each meal and delicious.

Food

7.9

Entertainment

8.2

Overall

8.1

Boarding

8.1

Crew

8.3

Comfort

8.0

Reviews

1 / 20
10.0
Excellent

Anonymous,June 2025

ATH - EWR

Best flight I taken. Airline stewards were very attentive and creative a very comfortable environment. Food was plentiful, gave a variety for each meal and delicious.

Food

7.9

Entertainment

8.2

Overall

8.1

Boarding

8.1

Crew

8.3

Comfort

8.0

Reviews

1 / 20
10.0
Excellent

Anonymous,June 2025

ATH - EWR

Best flight I taken. Airline stewards were very attentive and creative a very comfortable environment. Food was plentiful, gave a variety for each meal and delicious.

Food

7.9

Entertainment

8.2

Overall

8.1

Boarding

8.1

Crew

8.3

Comfort

8.0

Reviews

1 / 20
10.0
Excellent

Anonymous,June 2025

ATH - EWR

Best flight I taken. Airline stewards were very attentive and creative a very comfortable environment. Food was plentiful, gave a variety for each meal and delicious.

FAQs about flying to South Island

  • Can I find cheaper flights to South Island if I am willing to have stopovers?

    Yes, flights with stopovers are often cheaper than direct flights. Keep an eye out for flight deals to South Island on Cheapflights that require 1 or 2 stops for potential cost savings.

  • What is the best airline to fly to South Island?

    Based on reviews from Cheapflights users, Jetstar is rated the highest out of the airlines that fly to South Island.

  • How much is a return flight to South Island?

    A return flight to South Island will typically cost around $239, however they can be found for as little as $178.

  • Where does the fastest flight to South Island depart from?

    For those looking to save time traveling to South Island, Sydney Kingsford Smith offers the quickest one-way flight (2 hours 55 minutes).

  • Does Christchurch have car hire?

    Yes. Those touching down at Christchurch can take advantage of the car hire services offered upon their arrival.

  • Are there hotels close to Christchurch?

    Yes. Christchurch has hotels nearby for those requiring accommodations. Novotel Christchurch Airport is the closest property to Christchurch (0.0 km away from Christchurch).

See more FAQs

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Why should you use Cheapflights to find cheap flight tickets to South Island?

It’s simple! Cheapflights, which is free to use for everyone, saves millions of users time and money every year by helping them find the cheapest and most suitable flights to South Island.

Can Cheapflights find flights to South Island with no change fees?

Users can book flights with no change fees policies with our dedicated filters. Book flights to South Island flexibly with Cheapflights today.

Can Cheapflights notify me if prices for flights to South Island become cheaper?

Yes, and it’s super simple to set up Price Alerts. Click the bell icon next to the flight deals above and provide your email address. That’s it!

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