Sydney to Italy, home from Spain, on Turkish Airlines
This is an open-jaw ticket: you fly into one city and home from another, so you don't have to double back to Rome at the end. Turkish flies Sydney to Istanbul with a stop in Singapore, then on to Rome. Out, it leaves Sydney at 9:35pm on a Tuesday and lands in Rome at 1:50pm the next day, 26 hours in all.
Coming home is slower. You leave Barcelona in the evening, spend about 15 hours in Istanbul overnight, and land in Sydney two days later. Tap a row to open that search.
| To | Return | Dates | Airline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rome in, Barcelona home | $1,151Cheapest | 2 Feb to 16 FebTurkish Airlines · A plain Sydney to Barcelona return on the same dates is $1,137 | Turkish AirlinesA plain Sydney to Barcelona return on the same dates is $1,137 |
| Rome in, Barcelona home | $1,151Cheapest | 9 Feb to 23 FebTurkish Airlines · Same flights, a week later | Turkish AirlinesSame flights, a week later |
| Milan in, Rome home | $1,193 | 2 Feb to 16 FebTurkish Airlines · Into Milan Malpensa, home from Rome. About 15 hours in Istanbul on the way home | Turkish AirlinesInto Milan Malpensa, home from Rome. About 15 hours in Istanbul on the way home |
We only found these fares on Tuesdays. Leaving Sydney on Wednesday 3 February, the cheapest open-jaw was $1,381. Some February dates show Air China or China Eastern $20 to $40 cheaper, but with 7 to 18 hours in Beijing or Shanghai each way.
Is it actually a deal?
It's good value more than a sale. Google Flights calls $1,137 for a Sydney to Barcelona return low, about $192 under the usual price. For Rome it calls $1,193 typical, and says similar trips usually cost $1,150 to $1,700. The open-jaw costs about the same as either, so you get two cities for the price of one.
Qatar Airways on the same dates was about $1,520 to $1,550 for a plain return.
The catches
- A long night in Istanbul on the way home. The cheap fares all wait about 15 hours there. A faster flight home cost $1,767 or more. If you want to leave the airport, check Turkey's entry rules for your passport first.
- Two stops each way. The Sydney flight stops in Singapore on the way to Istanbul.
- This is Turkish's cheapest fare, Ecofly. It includes one checked bag. Changes cost a fee and there are no refunds.
- Getting from Italy to Spain is up to you. A short flight works, or the overnight ferry from Civitavecchia, near Rome, to Barcelona.
- It's a Sydney fare. From Melbourne, the cheapest open-jaw on the same dates was Etihad at $1,398.
From Adelaide and Brisbane
Turkish doesn't fly from Adelaide or Brisbane, and the best one-ticket fares from there were Qatar: $1,802 from Adelaide and $1,514 from Brisbane, the Brisbane one with about 20 hours in Doha each way. A Jetstar return to Sydney was $255 from Adelaide and $179 from Brisbane, without a checked bag.
So flying to Sydney first and buying the Turkish fare separately saves about $396 from Adelaide and $184 from Brisbane. Read the warning below before you do it.
Stay home or fly to Sydney first?
- From Adelaide: $1,802 on one ticket, or $1,151 from Sydney plus about $255 for a return flight there = $1,406. You'd save about $396 (checked 29 September 2026).
- From Brisbane: $1,514 on one ticket, or $1,151 from Sydney plus about $179 for a return flight there = $1,330. You'd save about $184 (checked 29 September 2026).
The catch: these are two separate tickets. If the domestic flight is late and you miss the long-haul one, the airline doesn't have to help you. Fly in the day before, and check whether the domestic fare includes a bag.
Prices are economy return for 1 adult in AUD, checked 29 September 2026. Fares change often and can sell out, so check the final price before you book.
Share photo: Chris Koerner on Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)
