Flights Melbourne → Sydney
MEL → SYD
Route overview
The flight route connects Melbourne, whose airport opened in 1964, with Sydney. Serving one of the world's busiest airports by passenger traffic, which sees over 28 million passengers annually, this route is operated using a diverse fleet including Boeing 737s, Boeing 767-300s, Boeing 787-8s, Airbus A320s and A321s, Airbus A330-200s, Boeing 777s, and Embraer 190 aircraft.
Your rights on this US flight (DOT)
US flights have no statutory cash compensation for delays. Under the US DOT rules, if your flight is cancelled or significantly changed and you decline rebooking, you're owed an automatic refund of the unused ticket. The tarmac-delay limit is 3 hours (domestic) / 4 hours (international). Amenities for controllable delays depend on each airline's contract of carriage.
US flight refund rules & checker →General information, not legal advice.
The Melbourne (MEL) → Sydney (SYD) route is operated by American Airlines, United Airlines. FlightGuard's average computed risk is 11.2/100 (low), updated in real time from weather, ATC delays, strikes, NOTAMs, fuel and flight history. At Sydney the average ATFM delay is 2.0 minutes (main cause: atfm). Departing from Melbourne the average ATFM delay is 2.0 minutes.
Heading to Sydney: what to expect in this direction
Flying from Melbourne (MEL) to Sydney (SYD) heads north-east for about 706 km, a flight time of roughly 1h 18m.
Air-traffic congestion: departing Melbourne the average ATFM delay is 2.0 min (atfm); arriving into Sydney it is 2.0 min (atfm).
Route facts
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Airline punctuality on this route
| Airline | On-time | Average delay | Cancellations |
|---|---|---|---|
| United Airlines (UA) | 74% | 10 min | 6.9% |
| American Airlines (AA) | 74% | 16 min | 3.0% |
Airlines operating MEL-SYD
Airports
Frequently asked questions about MEL-SYD
Route-specific punctuality data isn't available yet. Check your flight on FlightGuard for a real-time analysis.
The cancellation rate varies by airline and season. Check your flight risk for an up-to-date estimate.
The route is operated by 2 airlines: American Airlines, United Airlines.
Enter your flight number on FlightGuard for a real-time analysis based on 9 factors: weather at Sydney, ATC delays, strikes, NOTAMs, fuel, airline punctuality and recent trends.
US flights have no statutory cash compensation for delays. Under US DOT rules, if the airline cancels or significantly changes your flight and you decline rebooking, you're owed an automatic refund of the unused ticket. The tarmac-delay limit is 3 hours (domestic) / 4 hours (international). Meals or hotels for controllable delays depend on each airline's contract of carriage.
