CNS

$118 Find Cheap Flights from Melbourne 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 from Melbourne to Cairns departing on 17/11. 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

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 Melbourne 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 Melbourne to Cairns, as well as popular online travel agencies
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Flight Deals

Cheap Flights from Melbourne to Cairns

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

Sun, 12 Oct - Mon, 13 Oct
Jetstar Logo
20:45 - 23:05MEL-CNS
3h 20mdirect
Jetstar Logo
10:00 - 14:30CNS-MEL
3h 30mdirect
$229Jetstar
Find Deal
Sun, 5 Oct - Sat, 11 Oct
Jetstar Logo
20:45 - 23:05MEL-CNS
3h 20mdirect
Jetstar Logo
20:30 - 00:55CNS-MEL
3h 25mdirect
$232Jetstar
Find Deal
Mon, 6 Oct - Thu, 16 Oct
Jetstar Logo
20:45 - 23:05MEL-CNS
3h 20mdirect
Jetstar Logo
20:30 - 00:55CNS-MEL
3h 25mdirect
$234Jetstar
Find Deal
Tue, 7 Oct - Tue, 14 Oct
Jetstar Logo
20:45 - 23:05MEL-CNS
3h 20mdirect
Jetstar Logo
20:30 - 00:55CNS-MEL
3h 25mdirect
$235Jetstar
Find Deal
Wed, 8 Oct - Sun, 12 Oct
Jetstar Logo
20:45 - 23:05MEL-CNS
3h 20mdirect
Jetstar Logo
20:30 - 00:55CNS-MEL
3h 25mdirect
$237Jetstar
Find Deal
Sat, 11 Oct - Sun, 12 Oct
Jetstar Logo
20:45 - 23:05MEL-CNS
3h 20mdirect
Jetstar Logo
20:30 - 00:55CNS-MEL
3h 25mdirect
$238Jetstar
Find Deal
Tue, 7 Oct - Mon, 13 Oct
Jetstar Logo
20:45 - 23:05MEL-CNS
3h 20mdirect
Jetstar Logo
10:00 - 14:30CNS-MEL
3h 30mdirect
$240Jetstar
Find Deal
Sat, 4 Oct - Sat, 18 Oct
Jetstar Logo
19:45 - 23:05MEL-CNS
3h 20mdirect
Jetstar Logo
20:30 - 00:55CNS-MEL
3h 25mdirect
$243Jetstar
Find Deal
Sat, 25 Oct - Mon, 27 Oct
 Logo
20:45 - 23:05MEL-CNS
3h 20mdirect
 Logo
23:55 - 04:20CNS-MEL
3h 25mdirect
Wed, 29 Oct - Tue, 11 Nov
Virgin Australia Logo
21:25 - 23:55MEL-CNS
3h 30mdirect
Virgin Australia Logo
23:55 - 04:20CNS-MEL
3h 25mdirect
$317Virgin Australia
Find Deal

Everything you should know

Top airlines
Jetstar
Cheapest • from $229 (return)
Virgin Australia
Best reviews • 7.5 score
Airline reviews
Airline reviews
+1
+1
Airline reviews
Airline reviews
+1
Top routes
MEL-CNS
Cheapest
MEL-CNS
Most popular
Insights
Insights
Insights
Insights
When to book
5 weeks
in advance
Our data shows that travellers who book at least 5 weeks in advance save around 30% compared to booking last minute.
Insights
Insights
Insights
Insights
Cheapest return fare
$229
Overall average: $374
Jetstar
Sun 12/10Mon 13/10
MEL - CNS • Direct
Cheapest one-way flight
$118
Typical prices: $176-299
Jetstar
Mon 17/11
MEL - CNS • Direct
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!
Booking Insights

KAYAK's insights & trends for Melbourne to Cairns flights

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

What is the cheapest Melbourne to Cairns flight route?

Data is based on round-trip flight searches on KAYAK over the past month.

The cheapest return flight from Melbourne to Cairns costs $181 on the route between Melbourne Airport (MEL) and Cairns (CNS). It is also the most popular route.

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

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

If your flying dates are flexible, you should consider flying to Cairns on a Tuesday, as we generally find the cheapest rates on that day for this route. On the other hand, Sunday is the most expensive day to fly from Melbourne to Cairns. For your return ticket, we recommend flying on a Friday and avoiding Tuesdays for the best deals.

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

To calculate monthly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each month over the last year for round-trip flights from Melbourne 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 Melbourne to Cairns is March, where tickets cost $246 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are July and September, where the average cost of round-trip tickets is $437 and $437 respectively.

How far in advance should I book a flight from Melbourne to Cairns?

To calculate weekly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each week before departure over the last year for round-trip flights from Melbourne 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 on the flight from Melbourne to Cairns, you should book around 5 weeks before departure, which saves you about 30% compared to booking last minute. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 23 weeks before departure.

Good to know

Cheapest flight$118
Flight from Melbourne Airport (Tullamarine) to Cairns

When to book flights from Melbourne to Cairns

Are your dates flexible? Find out the best times to travel from Melbourne 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 Melbourne to Cairns

  • What is the cheapest flight from Melbourne to Cairns?

    In the last 3 days, the lowest price for a flight from Melbourne to Cairns was $78 for a one-way ticket and $152 for a return.

  • Which airports will I be using when flying from Melbourne to Cairns?

    Melbourne is served by 2 major airports and there is only 1 main airport in Cairns. You will leave Melbourne from one of these airports: Melbourne Avalon or Melbourne. You will be arriving at Cairns.

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

    We unfortunately don’t have that data for this specific route.

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

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

    KAYAK’s flight Price Forecast tool uses historical data to determine whether the price for a flight to Cairns from Melbourne 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 Melbourne 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 Melbourne with another airline.

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

Prefer to fly direct from Melbourne to Cairns?

 
Direct data is based off flight results for the next 60 days. Find direct flights from all airlines flying direct from Melbourne to Cairns.
Find which airlines fly direct from Melbourne to Cairns Airport, which days they fly and book direct flights.

Direct departures

Melbourne to Cairns

Monday

Jetstar, Qantas Airways, Virgin Australia

Jetstar, Qantas Airways, +1 more

Tuesday

Jetstar, Qantas Airways, Virgin Australia

Jetstar, Qantas Airways, +1 more

Wednesday

Jetstar, Qantas Airways, Virgin Australia

Jetstar, Qantas Airways, +1 more

Thursday

Jetstar, Qantas Airways, Virgin Australia

Jetstar, Qantas Airways, +1 more

Friday

Jetstar, Qantas Airways, Virgin Australia

Jetstar, Qantas Airways, +1 more

Saturday

Jetstar, Qantas Airways, Virgin Australia

Jetstar, Qantas Airways, +1 more

Sunday

Jetstar, Qantas Airways, Virgin Australia

Jetstar, Qantas Airways, +1 more

See more direct flights

Direct returns

Cairns to Melbourne

Monday

Jetstar, Qantas Airways, Virgin Australia

Jetstar, Qantas Airways, +1 more

Tuesday

Jetstar, Qantas Airways, Virgin Australia

Jetstar, Qantas Airways, +1 more

Wednesday

Jetstar, Qantas Airways, Virgin Australia

Jetstar, Qantas Airways, +1 more

Thursday

Jetstar, Qantas Airways, Virgin Australia

Jetstar, Qantas Airways, +1 more

Friday

Jetstar, Qantas Airways, Virgin Australia

Jetstar, Qantas Airways, +1 more

Saturday

Jetstar, Qantas Airways, Virgin Australia

Jetstar, Qantas Airways, +1 more

Sunday

Jetstar, Qantas Airways, Virgin Australia

Jetstar, Qantas Airways, +1 more

See more direct flights

Reviews of the top 3 airlines flying from Melbourne to Cairns

 
See real verified KAYAK customer reviews for airlines flying from Melbourne 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 Melbourne 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.
7.5
Virgin AustraliaOverall score based on 416 reviews
6.4Entertainment
6.4Food
7.5Comfort
8.2Crew
7.7Boarding
Airline reviews

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!

10.0 ExcellentManish, Aug 2025MEL - SYD
Read more Virgin Australia reviews

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.

Checked Baggage line up was long but moved quickly, rest of the process, boarding, crew was excellent

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.

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.

We were upgraded and after just a short delay in attending to a safety check we were on our way. Would definately fly Qantas International on their Dreamliner again.

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.

Traditional economy class. Not a full flight so spare seats. Food and drinks were good

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.

Late leaving and desintuon board showed ‘gate closed’ when they hadn’t even commenced boarding!

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.

no announcement about why we where delayed which is very poor

It was better than I expected. Thought $5 for a small cup of tea was a bit much!

Overall good trip I find seats a bit hard. We were waiting on board for about an hour for 2 passengers with some document issue. This main our arrival late for our pickup person.

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.

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.

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

Other airlines flying from Melbourne to Cairns

Flights from the other most popular airlines that fly from Melbourne to Cairns according to KAYAK users. Prices are the lowest found on KAYAK over the last 7 days. Price and availability are not guaranteed.

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