CNS

$380 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 9/6. 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

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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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Cheap Flights to Cairns

 
Here are some of the best deals found on KAYAK recently from the most popular airlines for round-trip 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 round-trip flight deals to Cairns

Thu, Aug 14 - Thu, Aug 21
Fiji Airways Logo
10:50 pm - 11:40 amDFW-CNS
21h 50m1 stop
Fiji Airways Logo
12:40 pm - 4:30 pmCNS-DFW
18h 50m1 stop
$933Fiji Airways
Find Deal
Wed, Aug 27 - Wed, Sep 3
 Logo
10:50 am - 4:25 amLAX-CNS
24h 35m1 stop
 Logo
5:45 am - 5:00 amCNS-LAX
40h 15m2 stops
Mon, Sep 15 - Tue, Sep 30
Qantas Airways Logo
9:35 pm - 11:05 amLAX-CNS
20h 30m1 stop
Qantas Airways Logo
6:00 am - 4:40 pmCNS-LAX
27h 40m1 stop
$1,040Qantas Airways
Find Deal
Wed, Sep 17 - Tue, Sep 30
Qantas Airways Logo
11:10 pm - 12:55 pmLAX-CNS
20h 45m1 stop
Qantas Airways Logo
3:35 pm - 4:40 pmCNS-LAX
18h 05m1 stop
$1,047Qantas Airways
Find Deal
Tue, Sep 16 - Tue, Sep 30
American Airlines Logo
5:40 pm - 12:55 pmLAX-CNS
26h 15m2 stops
American Airlines Logo
2:25 pm - 4:40 pmCNS-LAX
19h 15m1 stop
$1,069American Airlines
Find Deal
Sat, Sep 6 - Tue, Sep 16
Air Canada Logo
6:39 pm - 3:55 pmSFO-CNS
28h 16m2 stops
Air Canada Logo
6:00 am - 3:03 pmCNS-SFO
26h 03m2 stops
$1,148Air Canada
Find Deal
Sat, Sep 6 - Thu, Sep 11
Air Canada Logo
7:15 pm - 3:55 pmSEA-CNS
27h 40m2 stops
Air Canada Logo
6:00 am - 9:21 amCNS-SEA
20h 21m2 stops
$1,148Air Canada
Find Deal
Mon, Sep 15 - Wed, Oct 1
United Airlines Logo
4:20 pm - 7:45 pmLAX-CNS
34h 25m2 stops
United Airlines Logo
6:00 am - 10:35 amCNS-LAX
21h 35m2 stops
$1,270United Airlines
Find Deal
Mon, Sep 15 - Sat, Sep 27
United Airlines Logo
8:20 pm - 7:45 pmLAX-CNS
30h 25m2 stops
United Airlines Logo
6:00 am - 6:05 amCNS-LAX
41h 05m2 stops
$1,287United Airlines
Find Deal
Mon, Sep 22 - Thu, Oct 23
American Airlines Logo
9:35 pm - 1:45 pmLAX-CNS
23h 10m1 stop
American Airlines Logo
12:40 pm - 2:25 pmCNS-LAX
18h 45m1 stop
$1,288American Airlines
Find Deal

Expert advice for your flight to Cairns

 
Snippets provided in this section are AI-generated based on a summarization of KAYAK-commissioned articles. The articles are presented as-is, for general informational purposes only, and may not be up-to-date. The opinions contained in the articles are original to the author and reflect their authentic experience, which may vary significantly from the experience of others.
KAYAK teamed up with top travel experts to share the best tips for your journey.
Airlines
Qantas Airways

Qantas Business Class offers lie-flat seats with a 23-inch width on A380s and 787s.


Qantas Premium Economy seats are 22 inches wide with a 38-inch pitch.

Fiji Airways

Fiji Airways offers lie-flat seats in Business Class on A350 and A330 aircraft.


Economy Class seats have 31” to 32” pitch; Bula Space offers up to 34” pitch.

United Airlines

United Polaris offers lie-flat seats with aisle access on long-haul flights.


Economy Plus seats provide up to six inches more legroom than standard economy.

Air Canada

Air Canada Signature Class features lie-flat seats with direct aisle access.


Premium Economy offers extra recline and legroom but narrower seats than Business Class.

Read more about Air Canadaby Stefanie Waldek
Our travel experts
Bill Fink

Bill Fink

Expert on Qantas Airways

Bill Fink

Bill Fink

Bill is an award-winning travel writer with extensive credits covering airlines and the aviation industry for publications including AARP, AFAR, The Points Guy and Yahoo. Based in Portland, Oregon, Bill has traveled to more than 75 countries - and been late for his flight in most of them. He once achieved top-level frequent flier status for all of American, Delta and United Airlines during a single year.

Read more
Scott Laird

Scott Laird

Expert on Fiji Airways

Scott Laird

Scott Laird

Originally from Anchorage, Alaska, Scott is a frequent contributor to Fodor’s Travel Guide, Conde Nast Traveler, TravelAge West, and TravelPulse. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Organizational Management from Alaska Pacific University and a Master of Science in Airline Management from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, and has worked in the airline and hotel industries and as a travel consultant.

Read more
Stefanie Waldek

Stefanie Waldek

Expert on United Airlines and Air Canada

Stefanie Waldek

Stefanie Waldek

Stefanie Waldek is a freelance space, travel, and design writer based in Saratoga Springs, NY. Her words have appeared in Space.com, Travel + Leisure, Condé Nast Traveler, Architectural Digest, and House Beautiful, among other publications. An expert in aviation and expedition cruising, Stefanie is frequently up in the air or on the sea, likely en route to Antarctica or the Arctic.

Read more
Useful Info

KAYAK's insights & trends for flights to Cairns

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

How long is the flight to Cairns?

The duration of your flight to Cairns depends on your departure and arrival airports. Obviously, any flights that include a layover will also be longer. The most popular routes to Cairns on KAYAK are from Los Angeles, which takes 18h 45m, San Francisco, which takes 18h 45m, New York, which takes 28h 01m, and Boston, which takes 29h 05m.


Good to know - Book Cheap Cairns Plane Tickets

Low seasonFebruary
High seasonJune
Cheapest flight$380
Best time to beat the crowds with an average 13% drop in price.
Most popular time to fly and prices are also 23% lower on average.
Flight from Los Angeles 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 round-trip price
KAYAK looks at all historical flight data for each date to provide a predicted price for one-way trips or round-trips 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

  • Does Cairns Airport have a lounge?

    Yes, it does. Regardless of the travel class you are in, you can access any airport lounge provided you pay at the door, get annual membership privileges or purchase a day pass. There are three lounges at the Airport. Qantas Club lounge is on the second floor, and it provides beverages, family zones, and workstations with apple computers. Reef lounge is located at the Airside next to Gate 2, providing beverages, newspapers, telephones, and flight information monitors. Virgin Australia Lounge is located on Domestic Departures Level 1, offering beverages, meals, a TV lounge, and workstations.

  • Are there facilities for the disabled in Cairns Airport?

    Passengers with disabilities will find hearing loops at the airport. There are also lifts to help persons with disabilities navigate the airport. At the car parking area, there is a designated spot for persons with disabilities. Airlines provide additional assistance, so be sure to contact your airline before the flight.

  • Which kind of services are available at the airport?

    Popular banks operate ATMs all over the airport for travelers that need cash. Visitors will find Travelex currency exchange shops and duty-free shopping at the International Terminals and Lounges. Food vendors are available on both the landside and airside. Terminal 2 Departures also has a pharmacy where you can get over-the-counter medication.

  • Does Cairns International Airport have an airport shower?

    Showers are available at the Qantas, Reef, and Virgin Australia lounges. If you access any of these lounges through pay-per-use, single visit passes or lounge membership, there is no additional charge to use a shower.

  • How far is Cairns Airport from central Cairns?

    The city center of Cairns is 3 miles from Cairns Airport.

  • What is the name of Cairns’s airport?

    All flights to Cairns land at Cairns Airport. The airport code is CNS,and 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 Thursday where round-trip tickets can be as cheap as $925. On the other hand, the most expensive day to fly is Wednesday, where round-trip prices are $1,231 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 travelers 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 evening, when round-trip flights cost $1,741 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 $1,761.

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.
  • Most public means of transport do not offer direct rides from Cairns International Airport (CNS) to Cairns city center. Shuttle rides, however, give rides to Palm Cove. From Palm Cove, travelers can walk over to Williams Esplanade and take the 110 bus to the city of Cairns. However, taxi rides and car rental services can easily get you direct transfers to Cairns.
  • Cairns International Airport has destinations in 32 cities and five countries. 12 airlines fly via the airport with direct flights to Japan, Indonesia, South East Asia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, and Singapore. Jetstar Airways, Star Alliance, and Oneworld are the most popular airlines with direct flights.
  • Passengers traveling with babies will find baby care facilities at Cairns Airport. Both airports have parents' rooms in the washrooms where travelers can feed and change their babies' privately before and after their flight.
  • If you need help with your luggage, there are baggage trolleys available for free at the airport. There are also self-service baggage lockers available just right next to T2 Car Park service Kiosk for short-term storage. Storage rates vary depending on the size of the locker, and fees are normally charged hourly. The self-service system only accepts cash payments for small cash bills under $20 and coins, so if you need baggage storage, ensure you have loose change.
  • Travelers that need business areas can conduct their business in one of Cairns Airports Lounges. If you are an economy class traveler, you can access the lounges through pay at the door, paying the membership, or purchase a day pass. Virgin Australia Lounge is equipped with business facilities, Wi-Fi, and fax for visitors who wish to conduct business meetings.

Reviews of the top 5 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 the United States 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
Fiji AirwaysOverall score based on 201 reviews
8.0Comfort
7.5Entertainment
7.5Food
8.1Boarding
8.5Crew
Airline reviews

They will look to squeeze every penny they can out of you!! Pick your seat$$...bring luggage$$$$... if they could charge you for the air on the plane they would!!

4.0 OkayChristopher, Jun 2025NAN - SYD
Read more Fiji Airways reviews

They will look to squeeze every penny they can out of you!! Pick your seat$$...bring luggage$$$$... if they could charge you for the air on the plane they would!!

.very good and as I needed wheelchair assistance all staff excellent.. only suggestion is get rid of those plastic chairs hard to ride in and staff have trouble compared to others. Everything else very good experience. Will use Fiji Air again.

In-flight entertainment options could use a refresh, Consider a tie-up with Spotify for more current music and with IMDB or other service for newer selections/movie ratings.

See previous comments. Didn’t take this flight because my other flight was so delayed. Ending up on two other flights as a result and was more than a day late.

6 hour delay and they didnt try to make up any time during an over 10 hour flight

Very good; seat made ready for bed after meal, a plus since one airline covered the seat at the start.

Entertainment was not good. Seems like liquor should’ve been advertised only beer and wine was even though I saw others getting liquor didn’t realize I could. And the food to me could’ve been a little bit.

Food choices perhaps not the best. Only offered beer and wine, when it appeared other liquor was available. Entertainment wasn’t so good.

They charged me over a $1000 dollars to bring two surfboard bags as check baggage. Inappropriate and I would avoid flying sgain

The experience on Fiji Airways was absolutely amazing. Streamlined. All staff was amazing. Pleasant. Friendly. Extremely helpful.

The wifi was out. Otherwise it was great flight. Richard, as CSM, was excellent.

Was bumped to a later flight because of inefficiency on part of the airline.

The Emerits/Qantas flight was cancelled to Wellington. We need a refund. Had to buy another airline ticket. How do we get the refund. Still not in Wellington.

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 was delayed instead of departing at 9:20pm, we departed at 11pm… putting us in Columbus after 2am! It was awful. Had I known about the delay, I could have spent some time in the United Lounge… I was starving because I started my journey in Budapest… so I was exhausted and hungry. Plus I had to make new arrangements to be picked up at the airport in Columbus, instead of midnight it was 2:30 am after getting luggage and out of airport. Not feasible. I would have just stayed in Chicago for the night and gotten a morning flight.

Not a great experience. We paid for the upgrade for premium economy seats and seated ourselves in very comfortable seats. Someone came along with the same seat on their boarding pass. The aircraft had been changed and as a result we were booted out and sent further back to small uncomfortable seats. After complaining we were moved to emergency row seats, which gave us more leg room but the seats don’t recline. For people in our 70’s we found having to sit upright from California to NJ very uncomfortable. Not sure why they chose to move senior citizens instead of the two people that were allowed to take the more comfortable seats. Not happy.

I liked the choice of lemon ginger tea. I think stewardesses can be more considerate of older people needs.

The food should improve! And The flight should leave on time and not make the traveler wait.

It was great, I’m very grateful for the pilots and crew flight attendants for everything.

Everything was great. Only thing that could’ve made it better was buy on board options for hot food, but the snacks were decent. The flight attendants were great. I had no complaints. I was able to make it to my destination safely

A little bit more leg room in premium economy. I am 6’4”.

Overall it was good. I missed my connection but I was put on another flight.

The attendant were friendly. I suggest you have a medical attendant on board every flight so that in case someone is sick , he/she will help them.

The woman gate agent in Phoenix was none too sympathetic about my check-in process as I am relatively new with using apps. I almost did not get on because she said I did not check-in. I thought I had via Kayak where I purchased a very expensive ticket. Lesson learned but to be told I may not get on as a matter of factly was difficult to hear.

I was forcefully re-routed to another destination and was delayed a total of 8hours. I have still not received my bags, no one is taking responsibility. The agents at the airport lied to me that I will get to my destination same time as my previous flight where I was forcefully re-routed from.

Flight was delayed by 1.5hrs. Once inside, people had their small handbags on the storage. The crew (male guy) was not helpful in making some space in the storage. Instead, he asked few bags to be checked-in and it was not a great experience. No attempt to help but just followed the things with a straight face. People had their literally small bags and he wouldnt not move from one storage to another even if there was space and would not let us do i as well. Once flight was on, they ran out of Orange juice, really running out of orange juice when the temp were 32.degrees outside. didnt made the sense. Onasking for a extra snack, he made a face as if he was giving me out of his pocket. if the flight was delayed, there could have an attempt to provide something extra incase people did asked.

Our flight was canceled at the last minute. Someone on the flight said the exact same thing happened to her the day before. I will say they helped us book a flight on another airline so that we could still make our vacation with little delay.

United had no (zero) record of our flight. It took over an hour of us standing in line with surly employee while others waited to get resolved. I have never experienced such poor service and poor empathy.

We had a very long delay. First the inbound flight took a while, then maintenance, they “fixed it” to then do boarding and leave the gate, and waste a lot of time to have to go back to the gate and eventually deplane. Had to wait for a new aircraft, wait for a gate, and do the whole thing again. Instead of leaving at 9:50am we left until past 1. I could’ve not woken up at 5am, or spend some more time with my family if they gave more grace period of time between flights to give some time in case of any issues. But they have to make all and every dollar possible

Aircraft had technical issues. After 3 hours of trying to resolve, flight was cancelled. Was booked on a flight leaving 12 hours after intended departure. Now on 4 flights instead of 2 and a day late to my destination.

Abandoned me in hallway in a wheelchair… which I asked for because I sprained my back. After waiting in the hallway, I decided to walk the rest of the way since someone respecting me up.. My experience with the united was totally the opposite. Wheelchair access, propped swift and save me a lot of grief. Air Canada totally disorganized.

I am very tall. All airline seats are a bit uncomfortable.

Bad experience boarding and flight got delayed didn’t make it to my next flight

The food on the trip Toronto to Athens could be better: the chicken didn’t taste good.

15kg allowance is outrageous. Change of time a few days before departure and more than 2 hours of delay in the end. The worse we’ve taken so far in Oceania.

They added the weight of my back to the carryon luggage and charged me NZ$75 for being over 7 kg.

stuck in the aircraft for over three hours due to engineering work, significantly delayed and made a lot of passengers missed the connecting transport, no mention any compensation

Very quiet plane!! One of the quietest planes we have been on.

Jetsatar refused to take my foldable stroller in the plane, despite following all the rules on dimensions and packaging. Similar thing happened on our previous fight. However, at that instance, they offered to check in the stroller. At this fight, the staff was rude, trying to rush us to board the flight. They made excuses that the stroller was not allowed and even offer to leave it behind and ship it back at our own cost. Fortunately, we had someone else attending. Since the flight was about to take off, they left it behind and send it back to us on the next available flight.

Overall, it was good. The only concern was that I couldn't charge my phone because the USB port didn't work after we took off. One of the crew members tried to restart it but never came back to me with an update.

Comfortable seats, boarding was easy and staff were very nice.

Flight was fine but a domestic flight was called by Jetstar international. This meant going through immigration and custom scanning twice. Long queues were experienced which were frustrating. We were using a wheelchair and exit at Perth needed a scissor lift as no air bridge provided. No fast lane at Perth for wheelchair. The staff were helpful but this system is poor.

The crew were great. The seat was older than an old Holden with a big metal bar sticking right into my back. The passenger next to me complained that hers was the same. The pre purchase system for food was disappointing as the pie/quiche took 20 mins to warm up, arrived too hot and with no utensils. It was one of the most uncomfortable flights I've ever been on.

Not very good, no food and not drink ( caffe or tea). Never ever fly with jet star.

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