Salt Lake City to Sydney Flights (SLC to SYD): Connections, Flight Time and Arrival Tips

There is no nonstop, so the trip is about the connection

No airline flies nonstop between Salt Lake City and Sydney, and none is likely to, so every itinerary involves at least one stop. The good news is that Salt Lake City is a Delta hub with frequent flights to Los Angeles, and Los Angeles has more Sydney nonstops than any other US airport.

As of recent schedules, Delta flies Los Angeles to Sydney and sells the whole journey as one ticket from SLC. Qantas, United and American also fly Los Angeles to Sydney, and United adds Sydney nonstops from San Francisco and Houston. Qantas and American are partners, so an American ticket from Salt Lake City via Dallas/Fort Worth or Los Angeles may put you on a Qantas aircraft for the long leg.

Other workable routings include Hawaiian via Honolulu, Fiji Airways via Los Angeles or San Francisco and Nadi, Air New Zealand via Los Angeles or San Francisco and Auckland, and Air Canada via Vancouver. These add a second stop or a longer total time, but can be cheaper on some dates and let you break up the journey.

How long the whole trip takes

The great-circle distance from SLC to SYD is roughly 8,100 miles, about 13,000 km. The Salt Lake City to Los Angeles leg takes around two hours in the air, and the Los Angeles to Sydney leg typically takes 14.5 to 15.5 hours. With a reasonable layover, plan on 19 to 23 hours from departure in Salt Lake City to arrival in Sydney.

The return is shorter in the air. Sydney to Los Angeles usually takes 13 to 14 hours with the wind behind you, and you arrive in Los Angeles in the morning of the same calendar day you left, with time to connect home to Salt Lake City by evening.

Going west you cross the International Date Line, so you lose a full day. Leave Salt Lake City on a Monday morning and you land in Sydney on Wednesday morning local time. Count the nights carefully when you book your first hotel.

Departing from Salt Lake City International

SLC has a single modern terminal with two concourses, A and B, linked by an underground walkway and a central plaza. Delta uses most of Concourse A and the connected gates; other airlines use Concourse B. Security is consolidated in one checkpoint, and lines are longest in the early morning when Delta's first wave departs.

The TRAX Green Line light rail runs from downtown Salt Lake City to the airport station outside the terminal in about 20 to 25 minutes, which is the simplest way to arrive without a car. If you drive, the economy lot shuttle adds time, so allow for it on a tight morning departure.

Most Sydney itineraries leave Salt Lake City in the morning or early afternoon so that the Pacific leg departs Los Angeles in the late evening. If your connection in Los Angeles involves changing terminals, remember that LAX is spread out: Delta uses Terminals 2 and 3, while Qantas, Air New Zealand and Fiji Airways use the Tom Bradley International Terminal. There are airside connections, but allow at least two hours.

Arriving at Sydney Kingsford Smith and getting into the city

All international flights use Terminal 1, on the opposite side of the runways from the domestic terminals. Immigration uses SmartGates for US passport holders, which speeds things up, but several US arrivals land within the same morning window, so queues of 30 to 45 minutes are common. You will fill in an Incoming Passenger Card on the plane; declare all food, wooden items and anything from a farm, because Australian biosecurity fines are real.

Getting to the city centre:

• Airport Link train: from the International station under Terminal 1 to Central in about 15 minutes, then on to Town Hall and Circular Quay. Trains run every ten minutes or so through the day. It is the fastest option and the easiest with one bag.
• Taxi or ride-hailing: 20 to 45 minutes to the city depending on traffic, from the ranks and pick-up zones outside arrivals.
• Bus: route 420 links the airport with Mascot and Bondi Junction if you are staying in the eastern suburbs.

If you are connecting to a domestic flight, use the T-Bus transfer or the train one stop to the domestic terminals, and allow at least 90 minutes.

Best time to fly and when to book

Seasons are reversed. Sydney's summer runs December through February, which is also the Australian school holiday period and the busiest, priciest time to fly from the US. Autumn, from March to May, has warm sea temperatures and lighter demand, and spring, from September to November, is dry and mild. Winter, June to August, is cool but rarely cold, and it is usually the cheapest time to fly from Salt Lake City.

Because the Pacific legs are long and seats are limited, book four to six months ahead for December and January travel and for the US summer holidays. For the shoulder seasons, two to three months ahead is usually enough. Watch for the week of the Sydney New Year fireworks and the Easter long weekend, when hotels and flights both tighten.

Entry requirements and documents

US passport holders need an Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) before boarding a flight to Australia. As of recent rules it is applied for through the official Australian ETA app, is linked to your passport and is approved quickly in most cases, but apply before you book anything non-refundable. Your passport should be valid for the duration of your stay, and airlines will not board you without the ETA in the system.

Check the Australian Department of Home Affairs website for the current rules, including any changes to the Incoming Passenger Card process, which has been moving towards a digital version.

Time zones, the date line and jet lag

Sydney is 16 hours ahead of Salt Lake City during the US summer and 18 hours ahead in the US winter, because the two regions switch daylight saving time in opposite directions. In practice it is easier to think of Sydney as 6 to 8 hours behind you, plus one day.

Westbound jet lag on this route is manageable: you arrive in Sydney in the morning after a long overnight flight, and if you can stay awake until a normal bedtime you are mostly adjusted within two days. The return is harder because you land in Los Angeles in the morning after a night that felt short, then fly on to Salt Lake City. Expect three or four days of waking at odd hours.

What travellers on this route get wrong

The most common mistake is counting hotel nights without allowing for the lost day over the date line. The second is booking a tight Los Angeles connection without checking whether the two flights use the same terminal. The third is forgetting the ETA until the airport, when there may be no time left for it to be approved. Each is avoidable with a few minutes of checking before you pay.