Aussie expat families face eye-watering cost of going home for Christmas
With many Aussie expats having European heritage - British being the most common - heading 'home' to celebrate Christmas is an annual tradition.
And while flight prices are always higher for the festive season, this year, with the ongoing war in the Middle East, the costs faced by families are eye-watering.
Though you can fly to Europe without stopping in the Middle East from Australia, these will become the most popular routes for travellers.
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Qantas flights - which usually go via Perth or Singapore are set to be sought after because they're among the fastest. Getty
"While we can't predict the future, we would hope that conditions have stabilised and started to normalise well before the Christmas period and that the Middle Eastern carriers have been able to restore capacity to Australia," Flight Centre global leisure CEO James Kavanagh tells Nine.com.au.
"This will have a significant and positive impact on pricing."
If you're on the fence about booking now or waiting it out, we've done some of the legwork for you and looked at how much it will cost to take the family to Europe for Christmas booking now.
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How much will it cost to fly to Europe for Christmas?
We've checked prices on various airline websites for travel dates December 19 to January 2, which are weekends and set to be popular times to go.
Our search was for two adults and two children - ages of a child vary depending on the airline, but are usually aged two to 11.
Qantas flights, which go via Perth or Singapore, are set to be sought after because they're among the fastest.
But brace yourself for the cost.
Flying with Qantas is a popular option but the costs are extremely high. Getty
Flying on QF1 and returning on QF2 - journeys of around 24 hours with a little less on the return - comes in at $18,375.
Singapore Airlines totals $15,776, flying with short layovers via Singapore. If you opt to fly out of the new Sydney Airport, WSI, that price drops only slightly to $14,272.
Cathay Pacific, which flies via Hong Kong to Europe will cost a family of four a hefty $17,748 on a typical route.
READ MORE: How to travel to Europe without going through the Middle East
Chinese carriers the cheapest option to fly to Europe
Chinese airlines are also flying from Australia via China and usually have lower prices.
Though they have pulled some aircraft from the country, there are still many flight options available later in the year and they're likely set to attract Aussies looking for a more affordable route.
China Eastern can get you from Sydney to London Gatwick for $3246 per adult.
Child prices are not shown but pay 75 per cent of that for a kid aged two to 11. That makes a total of $11,810.
You can shave a few hundred dollars off if you do a longer layover - but watch out you're not stuck somewhere for 12 hours.
Another Chinese airline, China Southern, flies via Guangzhou and is coming in at $10,338 for a typical family.
Flying via China could save you thousands of dollars. Getty
Can you fly via the Middle East?
Those willing to risk flying Emirates via Dubai can expect to pay $13,521 return to London for a typical family.
However, if the 'do not travel' warning from Smartraveller isn't lifted by December, then any travel insurance would be invalid.
"War and armed conflict are standard exclusions in most travel insurance policies worldwide, as the scale and unpredictability of these events make them extremely difficult to price," a spokesperson from Insurance Council of Australia tells Nine.com.au.
There's also the serious worry about getting stuck if missiles are again launched at the UAE and affect flights.
The cost to go with Qatar via Doha is $14,008. On Etihad, a basic fare via Abu Dhabi is $12,710, with bags extra.
By comparison, our editor was able to fly her family of three to Germany in December 2025 with Qatar Airways via Doha for $6500 (the total would be between $7500-$8000 if you added another child).
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Emirates have flights available but a 'do not travel' warning remains. Getty
Does adding more stopovers help?
If you're willing to get really creative, Skyscanner has concocted a mammoth three-stopover option including Virgin Australia and China Eastern flights out and Scoot and Ryanair return, for $2343 each per adult.
However, few fliers would likely want to face that long journey, which totals 42 hours with layovers on the return.
Low-cost airline Scoot, which flies from Sydney to Vienna via Singapore is another option to get to Europe.
For a family, including bags, the cost is $15,392.
Plus you'd need another flight to get to London.
Nine/Graphic: Polly Hanning
How much are flights for Euro Summer?
Meanwhile the traditional Euro summer on Qantas is set to also be pricey - though nothing compared with Christmas.
Qantas return flights for August to London come in at around $3300.
China Eastern gets that down to $2836.
The cheapest options around at the moment are via Vietnam Airlines from $1959, or from Brisbane with Japan Airlines from $2441.
There are still options if you were planning a Euro Summer. Getty
Should you book now or wait?
James Kavanagh says with airfares, the best advice is almost always to book flights as soon as you can.
"This is particularly the case if you're planning on travelling during a busy period, like the Christmas school holidays," he tells Nine.com.au.
"There is very little chance of securing a last-minute Christmas bargain at a time when most people are talking off, so don't leave anything to chance.
"Travel agents can, however, get creative to help customers drive their holiday budgets further. You might, for example, be able to access a cheaper fare by flying from the next Western Sydney airport, rather than from Sydney International."
Flying from the new Western Sydney International Airport may save you some money. Brett Boardman
It comes after Qantas announced it has slashed domestic flying capacity by five per cent in response to increasing fuel costs triggered by the war in the Middle East.
However, it's increasing flights to Europe, including to Paris and Rome. And for now, the Perth-London route is stopping in Singapore so it can fly more passengers.
The airline says it has increased fares.
Virgin Australia has joined Qantas in cutting flights and hiking ticket prices as skyrocketing fuel prices hit local airlines.
Virgin will cut its domestic flight capacity by one per cent in the three months until June 30.
