MKY - CNS

Find Cheap Flights from Mackay to Cairns

1 adult
1 adult, Economy, 0 bags

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 in flight searches from Mackay to Cairns, as well as popular online travel agencies
These are the airlines KAYAK users have selected most often from within our search results in flight searches from Mackay to Cairns, as well as popular online travel agencies
Travellers love KAYAK
41.299.237 searches in the past 7 days on KAYAK

Save 20% or moreCompare multiple travel sites with one search.

Track pricesNot ready to book? Create a price alert for when prices drop.

Free to useThere are no hidden charges or fees.

Filter your dealsChoose cabin class, free Wi-Fi and more.

Everything you should know

Cheapest return fare
Multiple Airlines
Fri 12/12
MKY - CNS • multi-stop
Cheapest one-way flight
Multiple Airlines
Fri 12/12
MKY - CNS • multi-stop
When to travel
November
Cheapest • 14% price drop
May
Most popular
Good to know
Good to know
+1
+1
Good to know
Good to know
+1
Start a new search
KAYAK searches hundreds of sites at once to find you the best travel deals.
We hope you love your trip to Cairns!
Flight Deals
Booking Insights
Flight Deals

Cheap Flights from Mackay to Cairns (MKY-CNS)

 
Here are some of the best deals found on KAYAK recently from the most popular airlines for return flights from Mackay 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 from Mackay to Cairns

Multiple Airlines Logo
MKY
-
CNS
960 kmmulti-stop
Multiple Airlines Logo
CNS
-
MKY
960 kmmulti-stop
Multiple Airlines
Booking Insights

KAYAK's insights & trends for Mackay to Cairns flights

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

What’s the cheapest day of the week to fly from Mackay to Cairns?

The average price of all round-trip flights from Mackay to Cairns clicked on KAYAK for each day over the last 12 months.

When flying from Mackay to Cairns, you should consider leaving on a Saturday and avoid Wednesdays if you are looking for the best rates. For your return to Mackay, you’ll find the best rates on Saturdays and the most expensive ones on Fridays.

What is the cheapest month to fly from Mackay to Cairns?

To calculate monthly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each month over the last year for round-trip flights from Mackay 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 from Mackay to Cairns is November, where tickets cost $446 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are December and August, where the average cost of round-trip tickets is $925 and $550 respectively.

Good to know

Low seasonDecember
Best time to beat the crowds but there is an average 78% increase in price.
Most popular time to fly and prices are also 14% lower on average.

When to book flights from Mackay to Cairns

Are your dates flexible? Find out the best times to travel from Mackay 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. While we try to provide actual minimum prices for each date, some prices are predictions and actual prices may differ.

FAQs for booking flights from Mackay to Cairns

  • Which aircraft models fly most regularly from Mackay to Cairns?

    The De Havilland (Bombardier) DHC-8-400 Dash 8Q is the aircraft model that flies most regularly on the Mackay to Cairns flight route.

  • Which airline alliances offer flights from Mackay to Cairns?

    oneworld is the only airline alliance operating flights between Mackay and Cairns.

  • Which is the best airline for flights from Mackay to Cairns, Virgin Australia or Qantas Airways?

    The two airlines most popular with KAYAK users for flights from Mackay to Cairns are Virgin Australia and Qantas Airways. With an average price for the route of $462 and an overall rating of 7.6, Virgin Australia is the most popular choice. Qantas Airways is also a great choice for the route, with an average price of $720 and an overall rating of 7.5.

  • How does KAYAK find such low prices on flights from Mackay 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 from Mackay to Cairns.

  • How does KAYAK's flight Price Forecast tool help me choose the right time to buy my flight ticket from Mackay to Cairns?

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

  • What is the Hacker Fare option on flights from Mackay to Cairns?

    Hacker Fares allow you to combine one-way tickets in order to save you money over a traditional return ticket. You could then fly to Cairns with an airline and back to Mackay with another airline.

  • What is KAYAK's "flexible dates" feature and why should I care when looking for a flight from Mackay 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 from Mackay up to 3 days before/after your preferred dates. You can then pick the flights that suit you best.

KAYAK’s top tips for finding a cheap flight from Mackay to Cairns

  • Looking for a cheap flight? 25% of our users found flights on this route for $382 or less one-way.

Reviews of the top airlines flying from Mackay to Cairns

 
See real verified KAYAK customer reviews for airlines flying from Mackay to Cairns. Airline scores are aggregated from all reviews left by passengers on KAYAK after flying with an airline. 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 Mackay 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.
7.6
Virgin AustraliaOverall score based on 426 reviews
8.2Crew
6.4Food
7.5Comfort
6.4Entertainment
7.7Boarding
Airline reviews

They didn’t sent my luggage I got it 24 hours later

2.0 MediocreStephen, Dec 2025
PER - SYD
Read more Virgin Australia reviews

They didn’t sent my luggage I got it 24 hours later

Plane was late and they wouldn’t check our bags through to Tokyo

Overall experience was good but what really impressed me the most was the care the flight attendants took of a sick passenger who was sitting in front of me. The flight attendants would come and check on her quite regularly providing her support and comfort. Brilliant service!

Only answered OK and poor as there was no entertainment and I didnt have any food

4.5 hr international flight. We got a glass of water. Ranks up there with Ryan Air, Easy Jet, Spirit and Frontier. Expected better.

Gluten free options less explicit on business class, but great service

Very good… seems the virgin staff particularly in the lounge and in flight exceeded expectations.

I liked everything about the experience but would have liked some free snacks!

Crew was great but flight was delayed almost three hours due to a technical issue and we had to go back to the terminal and wait for another one.

Being told why we delayed three hours and not even given an apology by someone. Not a word. Not my airline of choice ever.

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

Flight was 2.5 hours late leaving. We spent 50 minutes of that sitting on the plane with no explanation. They did reduce the time in the air so we arrived a little less late which was something. The cheese and crackers were okay but the wine was terrible.

Excellent as always, I won't fly to Australia, and back to the US on any other airline. The flight crew is always top notch, and have a way to make one feel extra special. Thank you for your service, I would rate Qantas Airways a 10+.

After already paying for excess luggage prior to flight, i was advised AT check in that i had to pay $816 or forfeit my flight! The lady at the counter was SO rude and had already started offboarding me when i said i would pay it after asking her three times for the exact amount! Have lodged a formal complaint yet heard nothing. Will not ever travel via Qantas again

A few more inches of legroom is all i ask

Business class points redemption - good value for points paid, dubious value if out of your own pocket, domestic class business product okay for this length of flight. The flight left and arrived on time, crew were good, aircraft was a bit old and tired, but still miles ahead of their competitors in Virgin and Jetstar.

Airline running better than post Covid, proper boarding process now implemented, some aircraft feeling a bit old and tired, crew fine, online experience better.

Five hour flight instead of four hours due to westerly headwinds which wasn’t the fault of Qantas !

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.

Everything you need to know for your flight from Mackay to Cairns

Information on your arrival and departure airports