CNS

Find Cheap Flights to Cairns

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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

Recommended return deals departing in the coming months from the most popular airlines that fly to Cairns.
Discover the best prices and deals for you by selecting your travel dates.
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

Flights to Cairns - Travel Insights & Trends

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 753. On the other hand, the most expensive day to fly is Saturday, where round-trip prices are R31 904 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 R17 841 on average for return flights. On the other hand, the most expensive months are December and September, where the average cost of tickets from South Africa is R30 362 and R27 130 respectively. For one-way flights, the best month to travel is February with an average price of R17 841.

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 R22 587 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 R29 194.

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 23 weeks before departure.

Good to know

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

  • Book at least 3 weeks before departure in order to get a below-average price.
  • High season is considered to be June, July and August. The cheapest month to fly from South Africa is February.
  • 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, +28 more

ANA, Air Canada, +29 more

Tuesday

ANA, Air Canada, Air France, +29 more

ANA, Air Canada, +30 more

Wednesday

ANA, Air Canada, Air France, +29 more

ANA, Air Canada, +30 more

Thursday

ANA, Air Canada, Air France, +29 more

ANA, Air Canada, +30 more

Friday

ANA, Air Canada, Air France, +29 more

ANA, Air Canada, +30 more

Saturday

ANA, Air Canada, Air France, +28 more

ANA, Air Canada, +29 more

Sunday

ANA, Air Canada, Air France, +29 more

ANA, Air Canada, +30 more

See more direct flights

Direct returns

Cairns to South Africa

Monday

ANA, Air Canada, Air France, +28 more

ANA, Air Canada, +29 more

Tuesday

ANA, Air Canada, Air France, +29 more

ANA, Air Canada, +30 more

Wednesday

ANA, Air Canada, Air France, +29 more

ANA, Air Canada, +30 more

Thursday

ANA, Air Canada, Air France, +29 more

ANA, Air Canada, +30 more

Friday

ANA, Air Canada, Air France, +29 more

ANA, Air Canada, +30 more

Saturday

ANA, Air Canada, Air France, +28 more

ANA, Air Canada, +29 more

Sunday

ANA, Air Canada, Air France, +29 more

ANA, Air Canada, +30 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
EmiratesOverall score based on 3279 reviews
8,0Comfort
8,1Boarding
8,3Crew
8,2Entertainment
7,9Food
Airline reviews

Overall was a good experience and this particular flight the crew were great too at least in business class. It’s not always the case with flydubai. Few things would make me think twice in the future on this route. 1. The arrival into T3 might sound good but it is a real pain as it takes almost 30 mins to get to terminal on the bus as the aircraft still park at T2. The bag takes even longer . If they just let us off at T2, I’d be home within 30 mins of walking off the plane. Instead it takes 1.5 hours. 2. Due to the timing, the very tiny lounge in Penang is so crowded because half the lounge is closed for Qatar crew. Hardly anywhere to sit. 3. Flydubai app and site has a long way to go and using it is very unpleasant.

6,0 GoodWoei, Feb 2025PEN - DXB
Read more Emirates reviews

Overall was a good experience and this particular flight the crew were great too at least in business class. It’s not always the case with flydubai. Few things would make me think twice in the future on this route. 1. The arrival into T3 might sound good but it is a real pain as it takes almost 30 mins to get to terminal on the bus as the aircraft still park at T2. The bag takes even longer . If they just let us off at T2, I’d be home within 30 mins of walking off the plane. Instead it takes 1.5 hours. 2. Due to the timing, the very tiny lounge in Penang is so crowded because half the lounge is closed for Qatar crew. Hardly anywhere to sit. 3. Flydubai app and site has a long way to go and using it is very unpleasant.

The boarding process was smooth and the stewardesses were nice. Some delays with drinks at the end of the flight, but no issues.

Thay crew was so nice.Air hostess il ham was so nice.my mom was little scray with airplan turbulence she help us alot.

Charged for internet that never really worked. The food selection was just ok.

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

My favorite airline when traveling to the UAE. Great food and great service.

Usually Emirates is my go to Airline on this flight: 1) All the crew seemed very inexperienced 2) Meal service for 7 hour flight was very slow - slowest I have ever experienced. 3) ONE flight attendant in economy serviced everyone on the left aisle in 2 cabins - thats 6 passengers per row (half the row) and over 30 rows of passengers. The others were no where to be seen. Thats pouring drinks and serving trays and offering options of meal and drinks for 180 passengers. by herself. In most flights it's 2 attendants per cart servicing one section. 4) Meal was not served till 3.5 hours later for some passengers at the back. 5) As a result only one meal was served even though the menu explicitly said 2. 6) Everyone was thirsty and starving 7) There were 2 loud crashes at the back galley 8) One passenger was out cold due to the sleeping tablets he had taken. The Flight attendants in their inexperience chose to try wake him up and create a situation where passengers were panicking and the passenger finally woke up and was annoyed. 9) They chose to wake up every sleeping passenger to feed them rather than move past the sleeping passengers. Do they know how hard it is to actually sleep on a plane?

The crew were friendly, dressed professionally and helpful when needed. The food was good to very good. The seats were comfortable and entertainment selections were excellent.   For that long of a flight Athens to Newark Economy is a little tight and the space became uncomfortable about mid-way. Next time I would try and get a Premium Economy seat. Especially for the return flight when one can be less enthused and tired. On the way to a vacation enthusiasm can outweigh discomfort.

On the DXB to IAD flight, missed the snack between the meals again...

Good food and staff. Flights were delayed making catching the connecting one tough with no time to stretch in between

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.

Delayed 1hour due to storm still didn't get window seat for third flight despite paying £240 extra to book them

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

Flight from SFO did not include entertainment as it was not working the entire duration of the flight. Was informed that there would be a $350 voucher for the inconvenience. Uncertain how the voucher will be provided.

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.

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.

The crew have great customer service but their economy seating isn’t the most comfortable for a 220lbs+ guy and the food wasn’t bad, but wasn’t exceptional, either.

My groups frequent flyer star allianceUnited airline miles was not accepted. The Singapore premium economy bag had to be requested, it was very lacking- no toothbrush. I paid more than double than economy but could only use the bathrooms sharing with economy which was hardly available and had to wait in line. Is the 2X $ worth it just for a larger seat???? It is questionable. Seats were not that comfortable. My husband’s seat had white stains on it- had to wipe it down. Our headphones did not have covers on it. Food- way too much.

Fantastic patience when one of the passengers behind me was an absolute horrible, horrible person and the girls just kept smiling and doing their job with patience and kindness. Well, done to the crew.

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

I disliked the fact that they forced people to put up their seats during meal service

Headphone jacks worked poorly, seat recline was broken. Planes were rundown.

Book Cheap Cairns Plane Tickets

Return flight deals

multi-stopMultiple Airlines
18885 kmJNB-CNS
multi-stopMultiple Airlines
18885 kmCNS-JNB
multi-stopMultiple Airlines
19398 kmCPT-CNS
multi-stopMultiple Airlines
19398 kmCNS-CPT

Search by stops

One-way flight deals

multi-stopMultiple Airlines
18885 kmJNB-CNS
multi-stopMultiple Airlines
19398 kmCPT-CNS

Search by stops

Everything you need to know for your flight to Cairns

Information on the airport you'll fly into in Cairns

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