CNS

Find Cheap Flights to Cairns

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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
These are the airlines KAYAK users have selected most often from within our search results for flights to Cairns
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Cheap Flight Deals 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.

Recent return flight deals to Cairns

KAYAK's recommended return flight deals from the most popular airlines that fly to Cairns.
Discover the best prices for you by selecting your travel dates on KAYAK.
Choose your dates
JNB-CNS
18885 kmmulti-stop
CNS-JNB
18885 kmmulti-stop
Multiple Airlines
Find Deal
CPT-CNS
19398 kmmulti-stop
CNS-CPT
19398 kmmulti-stop
Multiple Airlines
Find Deal

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 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 Tuesday where round-trip tickets can be as cheap as R21 440. On the other hand, the most expensive day to fly is Saturday, where round-trip prices are R31 445 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 May, where tickets cost R16 783 on average for return flights. On the other hand, the most expensive months are December and August, where the average cost of tickets from South Africa is R30 162 and R25 812 respectively. For one-way flights, the best month to travel is May with an average price of R16 783.

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 afternoon, when round-trip flights cost R1 223 on average. The most expensive time of day to fly to Cairns is generally at night, which is peak travel time and where the average cost of a ticket is R1 581.

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 8 weeks before departure. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 15 weeks before departure.

Good to know – Book Cheap Cairns Plane Tickets

Low season

November

High season

December
Best time to beat the crowds (6% less expensive on average)
Most popular time to fly (17% more expensive on average)

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

  • How far is Cairns Airport from central Cairns?

    Central Cairns is 4 km away from Cairns Airport.

  • What is the name of Cairns’s airport?

    There is only 1 airport in Cairns, called Cairns Airport (CNS). It can also be referred to as Cairns or Cairns Intl.

  • 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.

See more FAQs

Top tips for finding cheap flights to Cairns

  • Enter your preferred departure airport and travel dates into the search form above to unlock the latest Cairns flight deals.

Prefer to fly direct to Cairns?

Find which airlines fly direct to Cairns Airport, which days they fly and book direct flights.

Direct departures

South Africa to Cairns

Monday

ANA, Air Canada, Air France, +26 more

ANA, Air Canada, +27 more

Tuesday

ANA, Air Canada, Air China, +27 more

ANA, Air Canada, +28 more

Wednesday

ANA, Air Canada, Air France, +27 more

ANA, Air Canada, +28 more

Thursday

ANA, Air Canada, Air France, +27 more

ANA, Air Canada, +28 more

Friday

ANA, Air Canada, Air France, +27 more

ANA, Air Canada, +28 more

Saturday

ANA, Air Canada, Air China, +26 more

ANA, Air Canada, +27 more

Sunday

ANA, Air Canada, Air France, +27 more

ANA, Air Canada, +28 more

See more direct flights

Direct returns

Cairns to South Africa

Monday

ANA, Air Canada, Air France, +26 more

ANA, Air Canada, +27 more

Tuesday

ANA, Air Canada, Air China, +27 more

ANA, Air Canada, +28 more

Wednesday

ANA, Air Canada, Air France, +27 more

ANA, Air Canada, +28 more

Thursday

ANA, Air Canada, Air France, +27 more

ANA, Air Canada, +28 more

Friday

ANA, Air Canada, Air France, +27 more

ANA, Air Canada, +28 more

Saturday

ANA, Air Canada, Air China, +26 more

ANA, Air Canada, +27 more

Sunday

ANA, Air Canada, Air France, +27 more

ANA, Air Canada, +28 more

See more direct flights
See more direct flights

Top 3 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 South Africa 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.
8,1
Singapore AirlinesOverall score based on 1283 reviews
8,0Entertainment
7,9Comfort
8,6Crew
8,2Boarding
7,7Food
Airline reviews

Excelent service and plenty of food and drinks during the flight. Flight crew very attentive to our needs. Leg room between rows are very disappointing.

8,0 ExcellentPierre, Mar 2025SIN - MLE
Read more Singapore Airlines reviews

Excelent service and plenty of food and drinks during the flight. Flight crew very attentive to our needs. Leg room between rows are very disappointing.

Construction at PDX resulting in very lung walk from the rental car to the gate. SFO, extremely long walk between terminals to get to connecting Singapore airlines flight. My smart watch recorded a total of 3 miles.

So happy I flew with Singapore Airlines. The customer service is top notch. I am terrified of flying and the staff made me feel so at ease. Will only fly Singapore internationally moving forward.

It was very good experience on board to Sydney with SQ.

Everything was great keep up the good work 😁, can't ask for more.

Check in was easy through self-check-in kiosks just like domestic flights. Staff onboard were fantastic. Some "book the cook" good options weren't great, others really good. Entertainment options a bit limited to what I've experienced on Qantas. Overall a good flight though, especially for the price.

I very much liked and appreciated the service on board. The seating arrangement in Business feels uncomfortable. It's not made for tall people, in any case.

Great airline. Excellent service, good food & lots of TV movies/shows to choose from.

Really enjoyed the flight. Our flight attendant on the way back SIN-LAX was exceptional I didn’t get her name but she was so kind and went above and beyond to make sure I was comfortable. I had a bit of a panic attack and she checked on me a few times to make sure I was ok. Really appreciated her attention and service. Thank u

Overall, very good. The food was better than expected with the exception of the pork and potatoes dinner at the end of the flight. My family all selected that dish and did not set it. I tried a bite also and it was honestly terrible. Also, it would be helpful to know when the snacks in the back of the plane are available.

Food no so good. Extra charge to much for front seats cost me £163 then other people sat near me for nothing 🤬

The best ever, friendly and attentive cabin crew, amazing captains who utilised their expertise for less turbulence, just overall amazing

First time and very memorable, the finest flying experience ive ever had

Boarding for business class passengers can be improved. Also, when debarking the aircraft, Economy passengers are let off first due the way the configuration of the cabin upstairs.

Ove the A380 planes. Comfortable seats. Served great Indian food and Masala Chai!

no problem with Emirates it was the underpricer subcontractor Who was ridiculous

It was great, a little more leg room would have been better particularly since we were in premium economy

The service on board was excellent, the flight wasn’t overbooked and we departed and arrived on time.

Flight was pathetic, felt like a old plane was modified and brought in service. Didnt like the aircraft at all. Crew and services were good.but aircraft totally dissappointment.

On this flight, about the last 2 hours the captain kept the cabin too hot. It appeared like the ac was off.

I liked the service, the menu, and the comfort of the seats! Even tho we were seated by the bathrooms, the reclining seats and movie selection was very good, my husband and I didn’t mind at all

Very good as always, stand out airline. The passengers whom choose to stuff baggage that otherwise should be checked-in is a real bother but that's not the airlines doing. A real frustration that passengers just don't want to check-in luggage. This is a pet hate unfortunately.

It’s a two prop flight so I had problems with my ears on re- entering ! But otherwise fine

I love flying with Qantas. There was no onscreen entertaining on this flight, and only a snack provided (not a meal) but still better than Jetstar or Virgin (in my opinion) so still happy.

The food was terrible. And the flight attendants were very rude. One flight attendant wouldn’t help a passenger lift their carry-on. Another flight attendant wouldn’t give a man an extra blanket. And they walked by not even looking at the passengers to see if they needed a glass of water.

Wheelchair assistance to move through the terminals and to/from the plane door was excellent. No vegan snack on the flight, only something with salami and cheese in it.

I have flown Qantas multiple times in the past it seemed this flight the plane had less seat room or the seats were way less comfortable than before. Everything else was about the same. Thanks

The old Plane had not been cleaned properly in a long time.

I got upgraded from economy to business, and the experience was outstanding

Boarding was over 3 hrs late and we didn’t land until almost 1:30am

Travelling to a place near Cairns?

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

Everything you need to know for your flight to Cairns

Information on the airport you'll fly into in Cairns

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