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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Flights 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

Multiple Airlines Logo
JNB-CNS
18885 kmmulti-stop
Multiple Airlines Logo
CNS-JNB
18885 kmmulti-stop
Multiple Airlines
Find Deal
Multiple Airlines Logo
CPT-CNS
19398 kmmulti-stop
Multiple Airlines Logo
CNS-CPT
19398 kmmulti-stop
Multiple Airlines
Find Deal
Useful Info

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 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 383 on average for return flights. On the other hand, the most expensive months are December and October, where the average cost of tickets from South Africa is R29 676 and R24 279 respectively. For one-way flights, the best month to travel is February with an average price of R17 383.

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 3 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 seasonJanuary
High seasonOctober
Best time to beat the crowds but there is an average 11% increase in price.
Most popular time to fly (2% 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.

  • What is the cheapest day to fly to Cairns?

    Based on KAYAK data, the cheapest day to fly to Cairns is Tuesday where round-trip tickets can be as cheap as R21 261. On the other hand, the most expensive day to fly is Saturday, where round-trip prices are R31 183 on average.

  • 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.

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

    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.

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 China, +28 more

ANA, Air Canada, +29 more

Tuesday

ANA, Air Canada, Air China, +25 more

ANA, Air Canada, +26 more

Wednesday

ANA, Air Canada, Air France, +28 more

ANA, Air Canada, +29 more

Thursday

ANA, Air Canada, Air China, +26 more

ANA, Air Canada, +27 more

Friday

ANA, Air Canada, Air France, +28 more

ANA, Air Canada, +29 more

Saturday

ANA, Air Canada, Air China, +25 more

ANA, Air Canada, +26 more

Sunday

ANA, Air Canada, Air India, +26 more

ANA, Air Canada, +27 more

See more direct flights

Direct returns

Cairns to South Africa

Monday

ANA, Air Canada, Air China, +28 more

ANA, Air Canada, +29 more

Tuesday

ANA, Air Canada, Air China, +25 more

ANA, Air Canada, +26 more

Wednesday

ANA, Air Canada, Air France, +28 more

ANA, Air Canada, +29 more

Thursday

ANA, Air Canada, Air China, +26 more

ANA, Air Canada, +27 more

Friday

ANA, Air Canada, Air France, +28 more

ANA, Air Canada, +29 more

Saturday

ANA, Air Canada, Air China, +25 more

ANA, Air Canada, +26 more

Sunday

ANA, Air Canada, Air India, +26 more

ANA, Air Canada, +27 more

See more direct flights
See more direct flights

Top 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 1294 reviews
8,2Boarding
8,6Crew
8,0Entertainment
7,9Comfort
7,7Food
Airline reviews

Good service and food. For buying items on flight should be preordered as they don’t keep much stock on board.

10,0 ExcellentSailesh, Apr 2025SIN - AMD
Read more Singapore Airlines reviews

Good service and food. For buying items on flight should be preordered as they don’t keep much stock on board.

Very good flight from Boarding to landing -efficient and comfortable with decent entertainment options

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.

Loved the airline with the exception of their carry on limitations. They enforce a strict 7 kilo limit for carry on baggage which is ridiculous. We traveled from SFO to SIN with carry on with no difficulty yet when we checked in Delhi they forced us to check the carry on bags. The weight of our carry on bags were 11 and 12 kilos and while they exceeded the limitations set by Singapore Airlines they were well under weight limitations set by may other carriers. Interestingly my wife and I were each allowed two 22 KG bags to check in addition to the 7 kg carry on for a total weight of 102 KG's. Our total weight with the one bag we planned to check and our two carry ons was 46 kgs.

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.

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.

It was an average flight. I would have expected more from this airline. Food, seats, service, etc was just average. I just give them some extra points for offering free WiFi on board with just a Krisflyer account.

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.

Delayed QF59 flight once again, Qantas doesn't fail in maintaining there delayed departures and arrivals. USB points do not work nor do the power point sockets on the plane, Qantas staff admitted that on the flight. Don't expect to your charge devices. Saving grace, was the ice cream. Bottom line, if you expect to fly to HND and make it on time avoid Qantas and if you're interested in ice cream - visit 7/11.

Pretty excellent. I don’t know what the pilot could have done better with the bumping ( there was a storm) nor what happened to my ears coming down into bendigo. It doesn’t happen coming down into Sydney just the return flight. I wonder why?

Loved the staff. The economy seats could have been bigger.

Airport and crew experience was excellent. We had to queue for the runway - no one’s fault, but it did mean we were 30 minutes late leaving

Overall good experience with flight and airport wheelchair staff. Also got Indian food in the flights

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.

Travelling to a place near Cairns?

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Everything you need to know for your flight to Cairns

Information on the airport you'll fly into in Cairns

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