$186 Find Cheap Flights from New Zealand 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 30/7. 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 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 from New Zealand to Cairns

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

Mon, 14 Jul - Sun, 20 Jul
Jetstar Logo
07:05 - 10:40CHC-CNS
5h 35mdirect
Jetstar Logo
22:55 - 05:50CNS-CHC
4h 55mdirect
$401Jetstar
Find Deal
Wed, 23 Jul - Thu, 31 Jul
Jetstar Logo
07:05 - 10:40CHC-CNS
5h 35mdirect
Jetstar Logo
22:55 - 05:50CNS-CHC
4h 55mdirect
$465Jetstar
Find Deal
Tue, 15 Jul - Tue, 22 Jul
Jetstar Logo
07:00 - 18:45AKL-CNS
13h 45m1 stop
Jetstar Logo
22:55 - 09:50CNS-AKL
8h 55m1 stop
$580Jetstar
Find Deal
Tue, 22 Jul - Sat, 26 Jul
 Logo
19:50 - 10:40AKL-CNS
16h 50m1 stop
 Logo
16:55 - 04:30CNS-AKL
9h 35m1 stop
Thu, 24 Jul - Sat, 26 Jul
 Logo
19:50 - 10:40AKL-CNS
16h 50m1 stop
 Logo
16:55 - 04:30CNS-AKL
9h 35m1 stop
Tue, 15 Jul - Tue, 22 Jul
Air New Zealand Logo
07:10 - 10:45AKL-CNS
5h 35mdirect
Air New Zealand Logo
11:55 - 18:35CNS-AKL
4h 40mdirect
$746Air New Zealand
Find Deal
Tue, 22 Jul - Mon, 28 Jul
Air New Zealand Logo
07:10 - 10:45AKL-CNS
5h 35mdirect
Air New Zealand Logo
11:55 - 18:35CNS-AKL
4h 40mdirect
$748Air New Zealand
Find Deal
Wed, 27 Aug - Mon, 1 Sep
Fiji Airways Logo
14:10 - 11:40AKL-CNS
23h 30m1 stop
Fiji Airways Logo
12:40 - 12:40CNS-AKL
22h 00m1 stop
$918Fiji Airways
Find Deal
Tue, 26 Aug - Wed, 3 Sep
Emirates Logo
06:15 - 22:50AKL-CNS
18h 35m1 stop
Emirates Logo
14:25 - 23:55CNS-AKL
7h 30m1 stop
$943Emirates
Find Deal
Mon, 21 Jul - Sat, 26 Jul
Emirates Logo
06:15 - 22:50AKL-CNS
18h 35m1 stop
Emirates Logo
06:00 - 23:55CNS-AKL
15h 55m1 stop
$944Emirates
Find Deal
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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 flight to Cairns?

These are the best round-trip prices found by users searching on KAYAK in the last 72 hours.

In the last 3 days, the cheapest flight deal to Cairns was found on the route from Christchurch, at $614 return. The most popular connection is from Auckland to Cairns and KAYAK users have found return deals for as low as $580 in the last 3 days.

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 $685 on average for return flights. On the other hand, the most expensive months are December and October, where the average cost of tickets from New Zealand is $1,044 and $935 respectively. For one-way flights, the best month to travel is February with an average price of $685.

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 23 weeks before departure.

Good to know

Low seasonFebruary
High seasonJune
Cheapest flight$186
Best time to beat the crowds (13% less expensive on average)
Most popular time to fly (1% more expensive on average)
Flight from Christchurch to Cairns

FAQs - booking Cairns flights

  • What is the cheapest flight to Cairns?

    In the last 3 days, the cheapest flight deal to Cairns was found on the route from Christchurch, at $614 return. The most popular connection is from Auckland to Cairns and KAYAK users have found return deals for as low as $580 in the last 3 days.

  • 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?

    Cairns is served by Cairns Airport, also commonly referred to as Cairns or Cairns Intl. The airport code is CNS.

  • How much is a flight to Cairns?

    On average, a flight to Cairns costs $422. The cheapest price found on KAYAK in the last 2 weeks cost $147 and departed from Christchurch Airport.

  • What is the cheapest day to fly to Cairns?

    Based on KAYAK data, the cheapest day to fly to Cairns is Wednesday where round-trip tickets can be as cheap as $666. On the other hand, the most expensive day to fly is Sunday, where round-trip prices are $989 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 $480 on average. The most expensive time of day to fly to Cairns is generally in the morning, which is peak travel time and where the average cost of a ticket is $724.

  • How many direct flights to Cairns are there each week?

    Each week there are around 470 direct flights from within New Zealand to Cairns. The most common day for departures is Tuesday, with 16% of flights taking off on this day.

Top tips for finding cheap flights to Cairns

  • Looking for cheap airfare to Cairns? 25% of our users found return tickets to Cairns for the following prices or less: From Christchurch $180
  • Enter your preferred departure airport and travel dates into the search form above to unlock the latest Cairns flight deals.

Top airline flying from New Zealand 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 New Zealand 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.
6.6
JetstarOverall score based on 449 reviews
5.7Food
6.8Boarding
6.4Comfort
5.1Entertainment
7.3Crew
Airline reviews

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

2.0 MediocreRichard, May 2025BNE - KIX
Read more Jetstar reviews

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.

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

Flight was as expected - we got what we paid for which was a base fare

Travelling to a place near Cairns?

Book flights to Cairns if you plan to visit one of these locations
Mission Beach
Trinity Beach

Everything you need to know for your flight to Cairns

Information on the airport you'll fly into in Cairns

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