$97 Find Cheap Flights to Great Barrier Reef – Compare and Save

This is the cheapest one-way flight price found by a KAYAK user in the last 72 hours by searching for a flight from Australia to Great Barrier Reef departing on 7/9. 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.
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Cheap Flights to Great Barrier Reef

Cheapest return prices found by our users on KAYAK in the last 72 hours
Cairns
Cairnsdirect$173
Townsville
Townsvilledirect$226
Hamilton Island
Hamilton Islanddirect$267
Hervey Bay
Hervey Baydirect$184
Bundaberg
Bundabergdirect$313
Gladstone
Gladstonedirect$302
Weipa
Weipa1 stop$890
Cairns
Cairnsdirect$173
Townsville
Townsvilledirect$226
Hamilton Island
Hamilton Islanddirect$267
Hervey Bay
Hervey Baydirect$184
Bundaberg
Bundabergdirect$313
Gladstone
Gladstonedirect$302
Weipa
Weipa1 stop$890

Book Cheap Great Barrier Reef Plane Tickets

 
Here are some of the best deals found on KAYAK recently from the most popular airlines for return flights to Great Barrier Reef 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 Great Barrier Reef

Sat, 5 Sep - Wed, 9 Sep
Jetstar Logo
06:30 - 09:00
BNE
-
CNS
2h 30mdirect
Jetstar Logo
15:35 - 17:45
CNS
-
BNE
2h 10mdirect
$173Jetstar
Thu, 3 Sep - Wed, 9 Sep
Jetstar Logo
06:30 - 09:00
BNE
-
CNS
2h 30mdirect
Jetstar Logo
15:35 - 17:45
CNS
-
BNE
2h 10mdirect
$176Jetstar
Sat, 23 Jan - Mon, 25 Jan
Virgin Australia Logo
06:10 - 08:35
BNE
-
CNS
2h 25mdirect
Virgin Australia Logo
06:00 - 08:20
CNS
-
BNE
2h 20mdirect
$186Virgin Australia
Tue, 12 Jan - Wed, 20 Jan
Virgin Australia Logo
08:35 - 11:00
BNE
-
CNS
2h 25mdirect
Virgin Australia Logo
14:40 - 17:00
CNS
-
BNE
2h 20mdirect
$190Virgin Australia
Wed, 9 Sep - Wed, 16 Sep
Multiple Airlines Logo
18:35 - 21:00
BNE
-
CNS
2h 25mdirect
Multiple Airlines Logo
16:55 - 19:10
CNS
-
BNE
2h 15mdirect
$192Multiple Airlines
Sat, 29 Aug - Wed, 2 Sep
Multiple Airlines Logo
18:35 - 21:00
BNE
-
CNS
2h 25mdirect
Multiple Airlines Logo
16:55 - 19:10
CNS
-
BNE
2h 15mdirect
$193Multiple Airlines
Sat, 12 Sep - Mon, 14 Sep
Qantas Airways Logo
12:30 - 15:00
BNE
-
CNS
2h 30mdirect
Qantas Airways Logo
15:45 - 18:00
CNS
-
BNE
2h 15mdirect
$366Qantas Airways
Sat, 5 Sep - Tue, 8 Sep
Qantas Airways Logo
08:05 - 10:35
BNE
-
CNS
2h 30mdirect
Qantas Airways Logo
11:20 - 13:35
CNS
-
BNE
2h 15mdirect
$387Qantas Airways
Sun, 13 Sep - Fri, 18 Sep
Airnorth Logo
08:05 - 15:30
PER
-
CNS
5h 25m
1 stop
Airnorth Logo
12:50 - 16:55
CNS
-
PER
6h 05m
1 stop
$577Airnorth
Fri, 16 Oct - Fri, 23 Oct
Airnorth Logo
08:05 - 15:30
PER
-
CNS
5h 25m
1 stop
Airnorth Logo
12:50 - 16:55
CNS
-
PER
6h 05m
1 stop
$647Airnorth
Booking Insights

KAYAK's insights & trends for flights to Great Barrier Reef

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

What is the cheapest flight to Great Barrier Reef?

These are the best return prices found by users searching on KAYAK in the last 5 days.

The cheapest ticket to Great Barrier Reef from Australia found in the last 5 days was to Cairns, at $94 return. The most popular route is Adelaide (ADL) to Cairns (CNS) and the cheapest return ticket found on this route in the last 5 days was $94.

How much is a flight to Great Barrier Reef?

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

A flight to Great Barrier Reef costs $359 on average. The cheapest price found on KAYAK in the last 2 weeks was $87 for the route Coolangatta (OOL) to Cairns (CNS). The most popular routes on KAYAK are Brisbane to Cairns which costs $338 on average, and Perth to Cairns, which costs $630 on average.

See prices from:

What is the cheapest month to fly from Australia to Great Barrier Reef?

To calculate monthly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each month over the last year for flights from Australia to Great Barrier Reef, 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 from Australia to Great Barrier Reef is February, when tickets cost $206 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are June and July, when the average cost of round-trip tickets is $269 and $266 respectively.

What is the cheapest time of day to fly to Great Barrier Reef?

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

The cheapest time of day to fly to Great Barrier Reef is generally at night, when retur flights cost $275 on average. Morning departures are around 16% more expensive than evening flights, on average. The most expensive time of day to fly to Great Barrier Reef is generally in the afternoon, which is peak travel time and where the average cost of a ticket is $357.

How far in advance should I book a flight from Australia to Great Barrier Reef?

To calculate weekly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each week before departure over the last year for round-trip flights to Great Barrier Reef, 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 on a flight from Australia to Great Barrier Reef, you should book around 3 weeks before departure, which saves you about 32% compared to booking last-minute. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 4 weeks before departure.

Which is the cheapest airport to fly into in Great Barrier Reef?

Prices will differ depending on the departure airport, but generally, the cheapest airport to fly to in Great Barrier Reef is Cairns Airport (CNS), with an average flight price of $264.

Good to know

Low season

February

Cheapest flight

$97
Best time to beat the crowds (10% less expensive on average)
Most popular time to fly (3% more expensive on average)
Flight from Brisbane to Cairns

Flights to Great Barrier Reef: the best tips from KAYAK users' own experiences

Insights shared by verified travellers who flew to Great Barrier Reef 
TimothyFlew with Jetstar
MEL
-
CNS
June 2026
Pack your own device, noise cancelling head phones, free water and a spine board to protect back from person behind,
AndrewFlew with Virgin Australia
MEL
-
CNS
June 2025
Save up and fly business. Sounds ridiculous,but if you are tall, it would be better.
Verified travelerFlew with Virgin Australia
SYD
-
CNS
Nov 2024
Bring a tablet, ear phones, charging cable and some snacks for when on the flight.
BilalFlew with Virgin Australia
BNE
-
TSV
July 2024
Best to get the first flight in the day to avoid any delay

FAQs - booking Great Barrier Reef flights

  • How does KAYAK find such low prices on flights from Australia to Great Barrier Reef?

    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 from Australia to Great Barrier Reef.

  • How does KAYAK's flight Price Forecast tool help me choose the right time to buy my flight ticket from Australia to Great Barrier Reef?

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

  • What is the Hacker Fare option on flights from Australia to Great Barrier Reef?

    Hacker Fares allow you to combine one-way tickets in order to save you money over a traditional return ticket. You could then fly from Australia to Great Barrier Reef 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 from Australia to Great Barrier Reef?

    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 from Australia to Great Barrier Reef up to 3 days before/after your preferred dates. You can then pick the flights that suit you best.

  • What is the cheapest day to fly to Great Barrier Reef?

    Based on KAYAK data, the cheapest day to fly to Great Barrier Reef is Tuesday when return tickets can be as cheap as $345. On the other hand, the most expensive day to fly is Monday, when return prices are $381 on average.

Top tips for finding cheap flights to Great Barrier Reef

  • Looking for cheap airfare to Great Barrier Reef? 25% of our users found return tickets to Great Barrier Reef for the following prices or less: From Melbourne $420, from Mount Isa $532, from Darwin $622
  • Enter your preferred departure airport and travel dates into the search form above to unlock the latest Great Barrier Reef flight deals.

Reviews of the top 5 airlines flying to Great Barrier Reef

 
See real verified KAYAK customer reviews for airlines flying to Great Barrier Reef. Airline scores are aggregated from all reviews left by passengers on KAYAK after flying with an airline from Australia to Great Barrier Reef. KAYAK doesn’t show reviews that are older than 5 years. Learn how KAYAK collects reviews.
Need help choosing which airline to fly with from Australia to Great Barrier Reef? 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.
9.5
RexOverall score based on 28 reviews
8.0Food
9.2Boarding
9.6Crew
8.7Comfort
7.0Entertainment
Airline reviews

Fantastic staff and plane Only issue was flying out from terminal 2 at Perth nothing was open to get food or drink, we were there 3 hours early with 2 kids and not prepared to not be able to purchase food or drinks. Having self check in and bag drop would be wonderful too, as we had to wait for staff to arrive to check in despite checking in online the day before . Nothing major but would have made a great trip fantastic!

10.0 ExcellentBec, July 2024
PER - ADL
Read more Rex reviews

Fantastic staff and plane Only issue was flying out from terminal 2 at Perth nothing was open to get food or drink, we were there 3 hours early with 2 kids and not prepared to not be able to purchase food or drinks. Having self check in and bag drop would be wonderful too, as we had to wait for staff to arrive to check in despite checking in online the day before . Nothing major but would have made a great trip fantastic!

Enjoyed the comfort of the seats, slight delay to departure time but prompt takeoff and landing.

It asks about entertainment tho it’s not applicable. 10/10 for Rex 👌🏻

Not sure how to answer on the entertainment as there wasn’t any.. Comfort, I wasn’t comfortable as I was on the window side and a morbidly obese man sat in the middle and eased out into my space. I had sciatica so I wasn’t able to move much to get comfortable. Food wise I have a wheat allergy and asked if there was a gluten free option and was given a Byron bay cookie which was lovely tho it wasn’t wheat free. Not to worry. I wasn’t expecting there to be any appropriate snacks for me anyhow. The staff were very generous with the snacks and their concern for the passengers. The staff were amazing tho. Truly amazing ! One of the staff must have noticed my discomfort and helped me out to stand in the back of the plane to stretch which I really appreciated. I would fly with REX again without hesitation. Thank you very much. It was my first flight with you and I look forward to my return flight home on Tuesday. Best wishes to your company 👌🏻

All good, was a one hour flight so no food or entertainment which was expected

Rex is an underrated airline. Its my first time flying them and they were fantastic. the only things that annoyed me about my flight were things other passengers did so it was nothing i or REX could change

Really enjoyed flying with Rex the boarding and booking baggage on was easier than most. I will beat using Rex next time.

On time and a quick flight and staff vert good

Very good it will be my choice of airline while in Australia.

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

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 !!

Virgin has always provided a smooth and comfortable flight. This one was no different. Seats are comfortable. Staff are great. This is my favourite airline.

Virgin changed the flight to an Alliance flight. Smaller plane, tea coffee and water the only refreshments available and not sure what happened to the extra money I paid to sit in a selected seat with extra leg room. This is obviously a regular switch as it happened on our flight there and back. Do not recommend.

Cramped, crowded flight, with no complimentary food except coffee, tea, or water.

Check-in was good and efficient, Boarding was quick and easy. Didn't like the entertainment side of things requiring your phone to connect for a screen, my eyes are bad enough to use my phone more than I already do. Trip was comfortable and baggage claim was good. If coffee and tea were free, then why not a soda or juice as well, its not like its an alcoholic drink.

The flight was delayed by 45 minutes, but boarding, actual flight, and crew were great. However, there was Zero free food and only water, tea, or coffee to drink. Everything else was for sale. No onboard entertainment but it was a short flight.

2 hrs + delay! Times kept changing, Onboard menu was half depleted, Entertainment wifi was N/A Overall very frustrating flight and I never slate Virgin.

I never flew with alliance. Kayak is a joke and none of the flights or times were correct. Won’t ever use kayak again

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.

Flight was canceled. I was not alerted. It was only kayak that alerted me

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.

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.

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

It’s a very long flight and there are so many people on board. Perhaps a warm washcloth now and then to freshen up

The plane was delayed about 3 hours so anything else is immaterial

Good. BUT the Kayak app kept sending me wrong messages saying that there was a Gate change. That same thing is happening today.

I really appreciated the fact that when I checked my bags at the Quantas counter after arriving from an international flight an hour early, the agent noticed I had a very long layover. He then found an earlier flight that allowed me to get to Cairns several hours earlier than I planned. That was amazing because I had already traveled over 20 hours and wasn’t looking forward to such a long layover. It allowed me to see my daughter and grandchildren much earlier (it had been two years since I visited last).

Knees in back from passenger behind, limited seat pockets, no entertainment.

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.

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

Delayed twice. Poor communication and people made to change gates too often.

Excellent help with Wife needing disability access at Brisbane airport

Flight was delayed more than 1.5 hours. Gate changed multiple times

The good thing is that the flight got us from Darwin to Brisbane. However, it would have to be the most uncomfortable flight I have ever taken and if I can possibly avoid flying Jetstar again, I will.

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.

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

Fabulous I have no issues with JetStar great service always use them to fly

Everything you need to know for your flight to Great Barrier Reef

Cabin class types available on flights to Great Barrier Reef

Cabin classes available on flights to Great Barrier Reef. Prices are the lowest found on KAYAK over the last 7 days. Price and availability is not guaranteed.