CNS

$211 Find Cheap Flights to Cairns

This is the cheapest one-way flight price found by a KAYAK user in the last 72 hours by searching for a flight to Cairns departing on 5/8. Fares are subject to change and may not be available on all flights or dates of travel. Click the price to replicate the search for this deal.
1 adult
1 adult, Economy, 0 bags

KAYAK searches hundreds of travel sites at once for deals on flights to Cairns

 
These are the airlines KAYAK users have selected most often from within our search results for flights to Cairns, as well as popular online travel agencies
These are the airlines KAYAK users have selected most often from within our search results for flights to Cairns, as well as popular online travel agencies
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Everything you should know

Cheapest return fare
$502
Typical prices: $891-$521
Jetstar
Wed 3/6Tue 9/6
CHC - CNS • Direct
Cheapest one-way flight
$211
Typical prices: $202-$259
Jetstar
Wed 5/8
CHC - CNS • Direct
Top airlines
Most flights • 3 per week
Best reviews • 8.0 score
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Insights
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When to book
in advance
Our data shows that travellers who book at least 4 weeks in advance save around 21% compared to booking last minute.
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When to travel
Cheapest • 16% price drop
Most popular
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KAYAK searches hundreds of sites at once to find you the best travel deals.
We hope you love your trip to Cairns!
Flight Deals
Booking Insights
Flight Deals

Cheap Flights to Cairns

 
Here are some of the best deals found on KAYAK recently from the most popular airlines for return flights to Cairns that are departing in the next months. While these flights were available on KAYAK in the last 72 hours, prices and availability are subject to change and deals may expire.
Discover the best prices for you by selecting your travel dates on KAYAK.

Recent return flight deals to Cairns

Wed, 3 Jun - Tue, 9 Jun
Jetstar Logo
06:55 - 10:40
CHC
-
CNS
5h 45mdirect
Jetstar Logo
07:00 - 13:55
CNS
-
CHC
4h 55mdirect
$502Jetstar
Wed, 3 Jun - Tue, 9 Jun
Jetstar Logo
06:55 - 10:40
CHC
-
CNS
5h 45mdirect
Jetstar Logo
07:00 - 13:55
CNS
-
CHC
4h 55mdirect
$539Jetstar
Wed, 3 Jun - Tue, 9 Jun
Jetstar Logo
06:55 - 10:40
CHC
-
CNS
5h 45mdirect
Jetstar Logo
07:00 - 13:55
CNS
-
CHC
4h 55mdirect
$541Jetstar
Mon, 4 May - Thu, 7 May
Jetstar Logo
06:55 - 10:40
CHC
-
CNS
5h 45mdirect
Jetstar Logo
07:00 - 13:55
CNS
-
CHC
4h 55mdirect
$560Jetstar
Wed, 3 Jun - Tue, 9 Jun
Multiple Airlines Logo
15:45 - 08:30
CHC
-
CNS
18h 45m
1 stop
Multiple Airlines Logo
07:00 - 13:55
CNS
-
CHC
4h 55mdirect
$686Multiple Airlines
Wed, 3 Jun - Tue, 9 Jun
Multiple Airlines Logo
17:00 - 10:45
CHC
-
CNS
19h 45m
2 stops
Multiple Airlines Logo
07:00 - 13:55
CNS
-
CHC
4h 55mdirect
$732Multiple Airlines
Sun, 7 Jun - Sun, 14 Jun
Virgin Australia Logo
14:25 - 15:55
ZQN
-
CNS
27h 30m
1 stop
Virgin Australia Logo
19:15 - 13:30
CNS
-
ZQN
16h 15m
1 stop
$936Virgin Australia
Mon, 20 Jul - Sat, 25 Jul
Virgin Australia Logo
16:35 - 23:20
ZQN
-
CNS
8h 45m
1 stop
Virgin Australia Logo
19:15 - 12:20
CNS
-
ZQN
15h 05m
1 stop
$980Virgin Australia
Sun, 21 Jun - Sat, 27 Jun
Qantas Airways Logo
15:40 - 22:45
WLG
-
CNS
9h 05m
1 stop
Qantas Airways Logo
11:20 - 14:40
CNS
-
WLG
25h 20m
1 stop
$1,004Qantas Airways
Tue, 9 Jun - Thu, 11 Jun
Qantas Airways Logo
11:05 - 22:45
HLZ
-
CNS
13h 40m
2 stops
Qantas Airways Logo
17:40 - 10:30
CNS
-
HLZ
38h 50m
2 stops
$1,232Qantas Airways
Booking Insights

KAYAK's insights & trends for flights to Cairns

Get data-powered insights and trends into flights to Cairns to help you find the cheapest flights, the best time to fly and much more.

What is the cheapest flight to Cairns?

These are the best round-trip prices found by users searching on KAYAK in the last 72 hours.

In the last 3 days, the cheapest flight deal to Cairns was found on the route from Christchurch, at $502 return. The most popular connection is from Auckland to Cairns and KAYAK users have found return deals for as low as $747 in the last 3 days.

How much is a flight to Cairns?

The average and cheapest price for all round-trip flights to Cairns from each origin found by users searching on KAYAK in the last month.

A flight to Cairns costs $812 on average. The cheapest price found on KAYAK in the last 2 weeks cost $212 and departed from Christchurch. The most popular routes on KAYAK are Christchurch to Cairns which costs $1,181 on average, and Auckland to Cairns, which costs $1,044 on average.

See prices from:

What is the cheapest day to fly to Cairns?

The average price of all round-trip flights to Cairns clicked on KAYAK for each day over the last 12 months.

Based on KAYAK data, the cheapest day to fly to Cairns is Friday where round-trip tickets can be as cheap as $612. On the other hand, the most expensive day to fly is Saturday, where round-trip prices are $1,053 on average.

What is the cheapest month to fly to Cairns?

To calculate monthly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each month over the last year for flights to Cairns, removes the top 0.1% to account for outliers, and then takes the median of all values for each month.

The cheapest month for flights to Cairns is February, where tickets cost $786 on average for return flights. On the other hand, the most expensive months are December and June, where the average cost of tickets from New Zealand is $1,087 and $1,038 respectively. For one-way flights, the best month to travel is February with an average price of $786.

What is the cheapest time of day to fly to Cairns?

The average price for all round-trip flights to Cairns depending on the time of departure, clicked by users on KAYAK in the last 2 weeks.

The cheapest time of day to fly to Cairns is generally in the morning, when round-trip flights cost $1,022 on average. The most expensive time of day to fly to Cairns is generally in the morning, which is peak travel time and where the average cost of a ticket is $1,022.

What is a good deal for flights to Cairns?

If you’re looking for cheap airfare to Cairns, 25% of our users found tickets to Cairns for the following prices or less: From Christchurch $757 return, from Auckland $1,023 return.

How far in advance should I book a flight to Cairns?

To calculate weekly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each week before departure over the last year for round-trip flights to Cairns, removes the top 0.1% to account for outliers, and then takes the average of all the values for each week.

To get a below average price, you should book around 4 weeks before departure, which saves you about 21% compared to booking last minute. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 16 weeks before departure.

Good to know – Book Cheap Cairns Plane Tickets

Low seasonFebruary
Cheapest flight$211
Best time to beat the crowds (3% less expensive on average)
Most popular time to fly and prices are also 5% lower on average.
Flight from Christchurch to Cairns

When to book flights to Cairns

Are your dates flexible? Find out the best times to travel to Cairns based on our flight data from the last year. Discover the cheapest month and even day to fly.
Estimated return price
KAYAK looks at all historical flight data for each date to provide a predicted price for one-way trips or returns with a duration up to 40 days. The information is for flights to Cairns based on your location. While we try to provide actual minimum prices for each date, some prices are predictions and actual prices may differ.

FAQs - booking Cairns flights

  • What is the cheapest flight to Cairns?

    In the last 3 days, the cheapest flight deal to Cairns was found on the route from Christchurch, at $502 return. The most popular connection is from Auckland to Cairns and KAYAK users have found return deals for as low as $747 in the last 3 days.

  • How far is Cairns Airport from central Cairns?

    You’ll need to travel 4 km to reach the Cairns city centre from Cairns Airport.

  • What is the name of Cairns’s airport?

    When flying to Cairns, you'll arrive at Cairns Airport (CNS). The airport is also known as Cairns or Cairns Intl.

  • How much is a flight to Cairns?

    On average, a flight to Cairns costs $812. The cheapest price found on KAYAK in the last 2 weeks cost $212 and departed from Christchurch Airport.

  • How does KAYAK find such low prices on flights to Cairns?

    KAYAK is a travel search engine. That means we look across the web to find the best prices we can find for our users. With over 2 billion flight queries processed yearly, we are able to display a variety of prices and options on flights to Cairns.

  • How does KAYAK's flight Price Forecast tool help me choose the right time to buy my flight ticket to Cairns?

    KAYAK’s flight Price Forecast tool uses historical data to determine whether the price for a flight to Cairns is likely to change within 7 days, so travellers know whether to wait or book now.

  • What is the Hacker Fare option on flights to Cairns?

    Hacker Fares allow you to combine one-way tickets in order to save you money over a traditional round-trip ticket. You could then fly to Cairns with an airline and back with another airline.

  • What is KAYAK's "flexible dates" feature and why should I care when looking for a flight to Cairns?

    Sometimes travel dates aren't set in stone. If your preferred travel dates have some wiggle room, flexible dates will show you all the options when flying to Cairns up to 3 days before/after your preferred dates. You can then pick the flights that suit you best.

Top tips for finding cheap flights to Cairns

  • Looking for cheap airfare to Cairns? 25% of our users found return tickets to Cairns for the following prices or less: From Christchurch $505, from Auckland $725
  • Enter your preferred departure airport and travel dates into the search form above to unlock the latest Cairns flight deals.

Reviews of the top 4 airlines flying to Cairns

 
See real verified KAYAK customer reviews for airlines flying to Cairns. Airline scores are aggregated from all reviews left by passengers on KAYAK after flying with an airline from New Zealand to Cairns. KAYAK doesn’t show reviews that are older than 5 years. Learn how KAYAK collects reviews.
Need help choosing which airline to fly with to Cairns? KAYAK airline reviews give an overall score for each airline based on loads of factors, including comfort, boarding, in-flight entertainment and more, to make your decision easier. See airline scores according to verified KAYAK customer reviews.
8.0
Air New ZealandOverall score based on 632 reviews
8.2Boarding
8.5Crew
7.9Comfort
7.4Entertainment
7.4Food
Airline reviews

Needed more leg room. Leg rest and entertainment system box took up a lot of space and I'm not tall. Breakfast was good. Poor quality of the entertainment options.

6.0 GoodCraig, Apr 2026
AKL - MEL
Read more Air New Zealand reviews

Needed more leg room. Leg rest and entertainment system box took up a lot of space and I'm not tall. Breakfast was good. Poor quality of the entertainment options.

Boarded on time, smooth flight and "gentle" landing in Palmerston North. Ahead of time due to a tailwind

A better selection of entertainment would have been nice. I found nothing that appealed to me as a middle-aged traveler. The flight attendants were gracious, helpful, and attentive. It also would have been nice to have more bathrooms as the flight was full and the plane was big.

Appreciated the ability to get an earlier flight home after flying in from in from Japan. No problem with boarding or crew service. The limited choice of snacks, compared to previous years. Aircraft seats seem to be getting harder and more uncomfortable all the time. Overall, happy to be home

The Air New Zealand product is terrible, it's as expensive as a Jetstar ticket with add ons but with surely staff and old aircraft.

Wonderful trip. Everyone from checking in to the gate to the flight itself was amazing - kind, helpful, and has a beautiful smile.

This flight was the second leg of a trip that began in Auckland, New Zealand. I was unable to find a way to select seats in advance. The boarding passes we were given in Auckland did not have seat assignments for the second flight. There was no way to check on it until personnel showed up at the gate in Los Angeles, immediately before boarding time. The flight was overbooked by one, and since I was traveling with my sister, we needed two seats. We waited in considerable anxiety for everyone else to board and when one person did not show up, we had to take whatever was left. At least we finally got on the flight although we were the very last to board. We were not able to sit together, of course.

The Premium Economy seats were very comfortable and the food was quite tasty. I did not use the entertainment system, but I was able to charge my phone and tablet with the seatback connection.

The seats are feeling very hard to sit on. All the padding is flat, like sitting on a park bench for over an hour

Nothing better than Air New Zealand. Top scores in every category.

There were no food or entertainment on this short flight. Friendly staff even before getting on the flight. The seats were snug but it was quick flight

Good flight. On time. No problems. Plane was clean. Service was as you would expect. However nothing special, just a good flight.

Very friendly staff. No food service and no entertainment. Only 1hr 20min flight

High fees for excess checked baggage and somehow ridiculous rules for carry on bags.

Flight was late, food and drink an extra charge, my carry on is five rows behind me, and the seats are too narrow. Don’t ask me to be happy about it

I bought flights in August and there wasn’t a flight in the system

Our 6.30am flight was boarded then cancelled to fly at 10.55am . We were flying to Brisbane to attend a funeral at 12 noon an hour away . This means missing the funeral due to unreliability of Virgin . Unimpressed !!

It was with Link Airways and the Saab 340 jet was noisy and little comfort.

They didn’t sent my luggage I got it 24 hours later

Plane was late and they wouldn’t check our bags through to Tokyo

PREMIUM ECONOMY - excellent !Brilliant new plane. Excellent tv catalogue. Good food. Good communication and service from all friend Australian crew. Good communication from captain. Best travel experience in years.

Very good overall. However, your choices of free movies was limited and there was no music Channel???

I couldn't hear all of the announcements. It was nice when they put them on the screen.

This was the worst flight I’ve been on. Getting on the plane where is was 30 degrees outside was hotter on board cabin must’ve been 33 degrees. This is a health hazard. They cannot be doing this to save on fuel. People could die from this!!. Fans and a/c was, off entertainment was off. Poor excuse given. Crew made the excuse that the system didn’t have enough power. They basically were operating on one engine to save on jet fuel till 3 hours later on cruising altitude and they then started the second engine. And finally the cabin was cooled. On a 7hour red eye flight this made it so uncomfortable and impossible to sleep.

My experience was great overall. Tanya was particularly friendly and helpful the entire trip. I was very pleased with her customer service skills. The plane was an older aircraft but the entire way was comfortable with barely any turbulence at all. Qantas should speed up its fleet renovation. Totally recommend using this airline.

Qantas is always subpar beyond comfy chairs for a domestic flight

I liked boarding the plane. The staff were rude, the food was appalling and the chairs the most uncomfortable I have ever experienced

an hour late, then had to disembark on back stairs and take 4 flights up to get to main airport. No warning, and difficulty for those with canes and poor knees.

Well my expórtenle with Qantas it wasn’t that good KLM from Bs Aires was delay Santiago Chile Qantas QF 028 was still in the airport but the crew didn’t opened the door for me soo I lost my fly And I stuck in the airport 13 hrs waiting for next fly by Latam Arline My question is can I have my money back for business class

It was ok, the additional baggage charges were a bit excessive given winter is a time for skiing. To have to pay $600 extra for skis was tantamount to robbery. Airlines should consider sporting goods as baggage. Likewise, they should consider increasing the number of bags allowed on international flights to known ski destinations.

Horrible. The people that get this flights are very sick, dangerous and unhygienic

Great. Seats are a little cramped with only a very small recline. Service was great. Food was fine.

The flights got us to our destination. The seats on the planes were uncomfortable.

The smells on this plane were disgusting. So many sweaty and unhygienic people i couldn't stand it. I dream of being anywhere else in the world when I am on a JetStar flight they suck.

One of the better flights I’ve had w Jetstar. Smooth boarding, early take off, on time landing, very courteous crew, clean plane.

local frequent travellers know that Jetstar’s flights between MEL and LST are turnaround flights so those in the morning tend to run on time and become delayed increasingly through the day. We observed how the staff at check in and boarding try to assist, guide and facilitate travellers - they were courteous, efficient, amiable while enforcing Jetstar’s baggage requirements. They try to speed up boarding by having passengers board from both front and back. We would take Jetstar again.

The issue was a 4 hour delay to takeoff with very sketchy information provided about the available of the flights delay. Passengers were not informed of gate changes and how long the delay might be. It ended with a late night 2 hour drive to our home which was not ideal for elderly people.

Flight was fine with boarding starting a few minutes early. Not a fan of the crew pushing political messaging regarding indigenous naming of Brisbane city… really pushed it like I haven’t heard on Jetstar before.

Improved experience over our last years flight when also we flew local but on an international scheduled flight. The double processing is still unwelcome i.e. by security and then by border force having to produce a licence and boarding pass repeatedly on departure and return. Obviously suits the airline rather than the local traveller. The flight and crew were good though a helper on return was offhand having to push the wheel chair did the bare minimum we felt.

Flight was delayed both directions but once in the air was ok. Boarding out of Melbourne is just a mess.

Travelling to a place near Cairns?

Book flights to Cairns if you plan to visit one of these locations
Palm Cove
Mission Beach
Trinity Beach

Everything you need to know for your flight to Cairns

Information on the airport you'll fly into in Cairns