CNS

R20 233 Find Cheap Flights to Cairns

This is the cheapest return flight price found by a KAYAK user in the last 72 hours by searching for a flight to Cairns departing on 5/6. 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, 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 for flights to Cairns
These are the airlines KAYAK users have selected most often from within our search results for flights to Cairns
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Everything you should know

Cheapest return fare
R20 233
Typical prices: R23 147-R18 587
Qatar Airways
Fri 5/6Fri 12/6
JNB - CNS • 2 stops
When to travel
Cheapest • 23% price drop
Most popular
Good to know
Good to know
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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 to Cairns

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

Fri, Jun 5 - Fri, Jun 12
Qatar Airways Logo
19:50 - 23:20
JNB
-
CNS
43h 30m
2 stops
Qatar Airways Logo
13:40 - 10:30
CNS
-
JNB
52h 50m
2 stops
R20 233Qatar Airways
Fri, Jun 5 - Fri, Jun 12
Multiple Airlines Logo
12:40 - 9:45
JNB
-
CNS
37h 05m
3 stops
Multiple Airlines Logo
19:00 - 4:00
CNS
-
JNB
41h 00m
2 stops
R23 131Multiple Airlines
Fri, Jun 5 - Fri, Jun 12
Singapore Airlines Logo
20:25 - 17:00
JNB
-
CNS
36h 35m
1 stop
Singapore Airlines Logo
18:15 - 6:10
CNS
-
JNB
19h 55m
1 stop
R23 657Singapore Airlines
Fri, Jun 5 - Fri, Jun 12
Emirates Logo
19:10 - 16:15
JNB
-
CNS
61h 05m
2 stops
Emirates Logo
6:00 - 20:35
CNS
-
JNB
46h 35m
2 stops
R25 979Emirates
Thu, Jun 4 - Thu, Jun 11
Emirates Logo
19:10 - 9:30
JNB
-
CNS
54h 20m
2 stops
Emirates Logo
12:55 - 16:15
CNS
-
JNB
35h 20m
2 stops
R25 995Emirates
Wed, Jun 3 - Wed, Jun 10
Emirates Logo
22:20 - 22:45
JNB
-
CNS
40h 25m
2 stops
Emirates Logo
6:00 - 5:30
CNS
-
JNB
55h 30m
2 stops
R26 209Emirates
Fri, Jun 5 - Fri, Jun 12
Singapore Airlines Logo
20:25 - 11:10
JNB
-
CNS
30h 45m
2 stops
Singapore Airlines Logo
18:15 - 19:20
CNS
-
JNB
33h 05m
1 stop
R26 325Singapore Airlines
Fri, Jun 5 - Fri, Jun 12
Qantas Airways Logo
22:30 - 18:10
JNB
-
CNS
35h 40m
2 stops
Qantas Airways Logo
14:00 - 16:25
CNS
-
JNB
34h 25m
1 stop
R26 456Qantas Airways
Fri, Jun 5 - Fri, Jun 12
Multiple Airlines Logo
20:25 - 17:00
JNB
-
CNS
36h 35m
1 stop
Multiple Airlines Logo
19:10 - 16:25
CNS
-
JNB
29h 15m
1 stop
R34 721Multiple Airlines
Fri, Jun 5 - Fri, Jun 12
Multiple Airlines Logo
22:30 - 12:55
JNB
-
CNS
30h 25m
3 stops
Multiple Airlines Logo
6:45 - 13:05
CNS
-
JNB
38h 20m
3 stops
R308 584Multiple Airlines
Booking Insights

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 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 October, where tickets cost R13 813 on average for return flights. On the other hand, the most expensive months are September and December, where the average cost of tickets from South Africa is R23 378 and R23 015 respectively. For one-way flights, the best month to travel is October with an average price of R13 813.

Good to know – Book Cheap Cairns Plane Tickets

Low seasonMarch
Cheapest flightR20 233
Best time to beat the crowds (27% less expensive on average)
Most popular time to fly (3% more expensive on average)
Flight from Johannesburg 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 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. 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

  • 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?

    There is only 1 airport in Cairns, called Cairns Airport (CNS). It can also be referred to as Cairns or Cairns Intl.

  • 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.

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.

Reviews of the top 3 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 South Africa 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.
8,2
Singapore AirlinesOverall score based on 1502 reviews
8,0Comfort
8,0Entertainment
8,3Boarding
8,6Crew
7,8Food
Airline reviews

I had ordered vegetarian food. What I was presented was extremely dissatisfying and not up to the mark. I pretty much did not eat entire 19 hours. For.an airline voted as best in business, it was extremely disappointing. Seats were not comfortable to sleep. Entertainment system didn’t have much choice. WiFi didn’t work for more than half the time. Cabin crew were also difficult to understand. A bit of diversity like Emirates crew would go a long way.

2,0 MediocreGhansham, Apr 2026
EWR - SIN
Read more Singapore Airlines reviews

I had ordered vegetarian food. What I was presented was extremely dissatisfying and not up to the mark. I pretty much did not eat entire 19 hours. For.an airline voted as best in business, it was extremely disappointing. Seats were not comfortable to sleep. Entertainment system didn’t have much choice. WiFi didn’t work for more than half the time. Cabin crew were also difficult to understand. A bit of diversity like Emirates crew would go a long way.

A little more room from the reclining seat in the front of me.

I loved the full Taylor Swift selection but felt that the other selections were limited, didn’t span the popular music eras nor a wide enough range of music genres. BUT the seat and bed were GREAT (it was wide, long enough, had great storage, firm enough to uphold body postural comfort). Outstanding crew and really great food - gourmet innovative dim sum breakfast so different from the boring standard fare offered by many other business class products.

They ran out of the second choice of food was stuck with fish

I felt that the whole experience went very smoothly. The aircraft was extremely clean and tidy on boarding. The cabin crew were beautifully turned out very, very efficient and were a credit to Singapore Airlines who are now my favourite carrier.

Excellent crew service. Professional, courteous. Service with a smile. Good food Very decent flight experience

I find it was a bit hot before take off. If there is a way to improve the airflow it would be great

Excellent service. I pre-ordered gluten intolerant meal and they handle it with care. They served me my meal before other people's to avoid crossed contamination. Thank you 🙏

No frills airline with minimal leg room and no entertainment

The consistency with Singapore Airlines is fantastic. Crew are always brilliant and food delicious in business class

PREMIUM ECONOMY - excellent !Brilliant new plane. Excellent tv catalogue. Good food. Good communication and service from all friend Australian crew. Good communication from captain. Best travel experience in years.

Very good overall. However, your choices of free movies was limited and there was no music Channel???

I couldn't hear all of the announcements. It was nice when they put them on the screen.

This was the worst flight I’ve been on. Getting on the plane where is was 30 degrees outside was hotter on board cabin must’ve been 33 degrees. This is a health hazard. They cannot be doing this to save on fuel. People could die from this!!. Fans and a/c was, off entertainment was off. Poor excuse given. Crew made the excuse that the system didn’t have enough power. They basically were operating on one engine to save on jet fuel till 3 hours later on cruising altitude and they then started the second engine. And finally the cabin was cooled. On a 7hour red eye flight this made it so uncomfortable and impossible to sleep.

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.

Qantas is always subpar beyond comfy chairs for a domestic flight

I liked boarding the plane. The staff were rude, the food was appalling and the chairs the most uncomfortable I have ever experienced

an hour late, then had to disembark on back stairs and take 4 flights up to get to main airport. No warning, and difficulty for those with canes and poor knees.

Well my expórtenle with Qantas it wasn’t that good KLM from Bs Aires was delay Santiago Chile Qantas QF 028 was still in the airport but the crew didn’t opened the door for me soo I lost my fly And I stuck in the airport 13 hrs waiting for next fly by Latam Arline My question is can I have my money back for business class

It was ok, the additional baggage charges were a bit excessive given winter is a time for skiing. To have to pay $600 extra for skis was tantamount to robbery. Airlines should consider sporting goods as baggage. Likewise, they should consider increasing the number of bags allowed on international flights to known ski destinations.

Impressive as always. It is the airline of my choice, The dessert on the 2nd flight DOH-IAH was somewhat dry (the cake with cream etc) Check-in and boarding experience was fantastic, with the exception of CCU airport where chk-in staff refused to help with aisle seats stating the flight was full and accommodations were beyond him. Once I boarded there were plenty of available aisles. I was disappointed that this could not be done by self during online chk-in nor at the airport. Nothing more to add. Overall a good experience, TY QTR

The boarding process was awful-the computers were down and there was no way to check in. Took extremely long, very chaotic and no guarantee our bags were even getting on the plane. I was also delayed and took away from any time i had to catch a connecting flight.

The boarding experience did not follow the Zones that were listed on the boarding passes. This was a two-level aircraft with many passengers. Because zones were not called out by the airline staff, there was simply a mob trying to board and it was not a pleasant experience.

The seat cushions are absolutely lacking, not sure if they know the passengers are traveling for 14 hours straight, but the padding made our back and butt ache like crazy. The entertainment console had its own problems, either the headphone jack wasn't working or the power outlet via usb or ac outlet was not working. Not to mention the seat handles were not adjustable in some planes in the middle or on the aisle. Qatar may be operating a very old fleet of planes to make as much profit as possible, but passengers may not be following them for long, should this treatment of its customers continue. Qatar, wake up and do it right by your customers, or they may not be your customers anymore.

It was very good. It was a long flight and being a tight with little leg room.

no qatar did noting wrong Kayak messed up my whole vacation . Went early to check in at The Cairo, Egypt airport to find our I had not tickets to board , Kayak and/or Affirm never sent the money for my flight that I paid for and booked. So I had no flight at 12am in a foreign country and I had to scramble and find anther very costly other option just so that could fly home. Fucken horrible experience.

Lobster starter in business class was not good, tough, served cold, and without butter. Movie selection was missing latest releases, did not offer older classic, high quality movies

Crew and food was good, ok leg room if you don’t have a big box under the seat. And the seats are so narrow (I’m only 70kg), will consider an alternate airline next time

Paid $10 for wifi for full flight duration and the wifi wasn’t available after initial 2 hours

Awesome hospitality, awesome staff, awesome food & awesome travel time. Thanks

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