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FlightsFrom Melbourne

To Cairns

Cheap Flights from Melbourne to Cairns

Browse current best options from Melbourne. Become a member to unlock all deals and get alerts when new deals appear.

Deals from

Melbourne

RatePunk searches hundreds of travel sites at once for deals on flights to Cairns

Prices updated 24 days ago

486,190 searches this week

171 airlines compared

80%+ AI score for best value

Fares are subject to change and may not be available for all dates. (Data last updated May 29, 2026.)

Today’s best flight deals from Melbourne to Cairns

Explore current cheapest deals departing from Melbourne to Cairns

August 12 - August 18

Cheapest
Best

MEL - Cairns

$267

$139

Round trip

September 4 - September 11

MEL - Cairns

$395

$140

Round trip

July 18 - July 26

MEL - Cairns

$267

$141

Round trip

July 15 - July 29

Best

MEL - Cairns

$248

$141

Round trip

July 16 - July 26

Best

MEL - Cairns

$258

$141

Round trip

July 21 - July 30

Best

MEL - Cairns

$257

$141

Round trip

July 25 - July 26

MEL - Cairns

$274

$141

Round trip

July 26 - July 28

MEL - Cairns

$275

$141

Round trip

July 14 - July 28

Best
Earliest

MEL - Cairns

$248

$141

Round trip

August 14 - August 23

Best

MEL - Cairns

$263

$141

Round trip

Unlock all 500+ flight deals to Cairns and get alerts when great deals appear

Route Intelligence — 486,190 Searches this Week

Insights for flights from Melbourne to Cairns

Fares for flights from Melbourne to Cairns typically range from $177–$485, with a median of $332. Right now, fares are above the typical level, with approximately 33% of recent fares classified as a good price. New deals appear almost daily for this route, suggesting frequent opportunities to find cheap flights from Melbourne to Cairns.
When planning your trip, the cheapest time to fly from Melbourne to Cairns is often in October, with a median fare of $92. November also presents a more affordable option, with a median fare of $139, followed by April at $172.
A typical journey from Melbourne to Cairns takes approximately 6h 55m, including connections. This duration accounts for the fact that a meaningful share of itineraries are non-stop, while the rest connect once.
The route from Melbourne to Cairns covers a distance of 2314 km, classifying it as a medium-haul flight. This means you can expect a journey that is longer than a short domestic hop but not as extensive as an international long-haul trip.

How much is a round trip from Melbourne to Cairns

Regular price: $214 - $484

Prices are currently below the regular range for flights from Melbourne to Cairns.

The regular price range for flights from Melbourne to Cairns is between $214 and $484. The current lowest deal is $139 with Jetstar, for travel from Aug 12-Aug 18.

now $139

Low $214

High $484

The cheapest time to fly from Melbourne to Cairns

The cheapest month to fly from Melbourne to Cairns is October, with a median price of $92. The most expensive month is December, with a median price of $457. Prices are generally lower from January to November.

October

Cheapest

Flights from $92

December

Most Expensive

Flights from $457

Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Direct flights from Melbourne to Cairns

Airline logo

Jetstar

Last-minute flights going from Melbourne to Cairns

Tue, Jul 14

⌛ Last-Minute

MEL - Cairns

Jetstar

Melbourne (MEL) - Cairns (CNS)

Jetstar

$248

$141

One-way

Wed, Jul 15

⌛ Last-Minute

MEL - Cairns

Jetstar

Melbourne (MEL) - Cairns (CNS)

Jetstar

$248

$141

One-way

Thu, Jul 16

⌛ Last-Minute

MEL - Cairns

Jetstar

Melbourne (MEL) - Cairns (CNS)

Jetstar

$258

$141

One-way

Thu, Jul 16

⌛ Last-Minute

MEL - Cairns

Jetstar

Melbourne (MEL) - Cairns (CNS)

Jetstar

$248

$142

One-way

Sat, Jul 18

⌛ Last-Minute

MEL - Cairns

Jetstar

Melbourne (MEL) - Cairns (CNS)

Jetstar

$267

$141

One-way

Sat, Jul 18

⌛ Last-Minute

MEL - Cairns

Jetstar

Melbourne (MEL) - Cairns (CNS)

Jetstar

$250

$143

One-way

Biggest price drops on these dates for flights from Melbourne to Cairns

4 nights

Sep 8 - Sep 12

$414  →  $141

66%

2 nights

Sep 7 - Sep 9

$414  →  $141

66%

3 nights

Sep 5 - Sep 8

$411  →  $141

66%

2 nights

Sep 5 - Sep 7

$411  →  $141

66%

Popular Airports to fly from Melbourne to Cairns

Melbourne - Cairns route insights

💸 Price insights

Recent fares are above the typical level.

Recent fares for Melbourne to Cairns are above the typical level, with 33% good prices historically.

📅 Best time to fly

October is historically the cheapest month to fly.

Historically, the cheapest months to fly from Melbourne to Cairns are October ($92), November ($139), and April ($172).

⏱️ Flight duration

Flights are typically 6h 55m long.

The typical flight duration from Melbourne to Cairns is 6 hours and 55 minutes, covering 2314 km.

✈️ Airlines & availability

Direct flights are available on Jetstar.

Jetstar offers direct flights. 51.3% of all deals are for direct flights.

🏆 Airline highlight

Jetstar offers direct flights from Melbourne to Cairns.

Jetstar has offered direct flights from Melbourne to Cairns in recent deals.

🎯 Booking tip

Deals appear frequently for this route.

New flight deals from Melbourne to Cairns appear frequently, with more than 1 deal per day.

Melbourne main airports to depart from

Melbourne (MEL)

Cheapest

Melbourne Airport is a primary departure point for flights to Cairns, offering a range of options.

📍 ~20 km from Melbourne city center (reachable by car or bus)

💸 Flights from ~$139

Avalon (AVV)

Avalon Airport provides an alternative departure option for flights from Melbourne to Cairns.

📍 ~50 km from Melbourne city center (reachable by car or bus)

💸 Flights from ~$261

Cairns main airports to arrive at

Cairns (CNS)

Cheapest

Cairns Airport is ideal for direct access to Cairns and the surrounding Queensland region from Melbourne.

📍 ~5 km from city center (reachable by car)

💸 Flights from ~$139

Airports nearby Cairns used as alternative

Townsville (TSV)

Cheapest

Townsville Airport can be a useful alternative arrival airport with frequent commercial services.

📍 ~350 km from Cairns (reachable by car or rail).

💸 Flights from ~$141

Whitsunday Coast (PPP)

Whitsunday Coast Airport is a major gateway for the Whitsunday region with reliable jet services.

📍 ~500 km from Cairns (reachable by car).

💸 Flights from ~$240

Mackay (MKY)

Mackay Airport is an established regional hub with multiple daily flights to Brisbane.

📍 ~650 km from Cairns (reachable by car).

💸 Flights from ~$281

Great Barrier Reef (HTI)

Great Barrier Reef Airport is an alternative for travelers planning to visit the reef region.

📍 ~550 km from Cairns (requires ferry transfer from mainland).

💸 Flights from ~$239

Mount Isa (ISA)

Mount Isa Airport serves as a primary connection point for Western Queensland.

📍 ~900 km from Cairns (reachable by car).

💸 Flights from ~$575

Business & First Class Flight Deals to Cairns

Discover luxury on the budget with premium cabin class on flights from Melbourne to Cairns.

Elite

Best Elite deals to Cairns

Exclusive daily First Class, Business Class, and Premium Economy flight deals, refreshed every 24 hours.

From MEL

Elite

Oct 23

Cairns, Australia

69% AI deal score

$962

$768

Save $194

From MEL

Elite

Oct 21

Cairns, Australia

68% AI deal score

$919

$768

Save $151

From MEL

Elite

Oct 23

Cairns, Australia

68% AI deal score

$914

$768

Save $146

From MEL

Elite

Oct 18

Cairns, Australia

68% AI deal score

$918

$768

Save $150

From MEL

Elite

Oct 20

Cairns, Australia

68% AI deal score

$919

$768

Save $151

From MEL

Elite

Oct 18

Cairns, Australia

68% AI deal score

$919

$768

Save $151

From MEL

Elite

Oct 23

Cairns, Australia

68% AI deal score

$900

$768

Save $132

From MEL

Elite

Oct 21

Cairns, Australia

68% AI deal score

$918

$768

Save $150

From MEL

Elite

Oct 20

Cairns, Australia

68% AI deal score

$918

$768

Save $150

From MEL

Elite

Oct 18

Cairns, Australia

67% AI deal score

$886

$768

Save $118

From MEL

Elite

Oct 23

Cairns, Australia

67% AI deal score

$868

$768

Save $100

From MEL

Elite

Oct 18

Cairns, Australia

67% AI deal score

$885

$768

Save $117

From MEL

Elite

Oct 13

Cairns, Australia

67% AI deal score

$901

$768

Save $133

From MEL

Elite

Oct 21

Cairns, Australia

67% AI deal score

$886

$768

Save $118

From MEL

Elite

Oct 13

Cairns, Australia

67% AI deal score

$874

$768

Save $106

From MEL

Elite

Oct 09

Cairns, Australia

67% AI deal score

$881

$768

Save $113

From MEL

Elite

Oct 23

Cairns, Australia

67% AI deal score

$881

$768

Save $113

From MEL

Elite

Oct 20

Cairns, Australia

67% AI deal score

$886

$768

Save $118

From MEL

Elite

Oct 21

Cairns, Australia

67% AI deal score

$886

$768

Save $118

From MEL

Elite

Oct 23

Cairns, Australia

67% AI deal score

$870

$768

Save $102

From MEL

Elite

Oct 09

Cairns, Australia

67% AI deal score

$889

$768

Save $121

From MEL

Elite

Oct 21

Cairns, Australia

67% AI deal score

$886

$768

Save $118

From MEL

Elite

Oct 13

Cairns, Australia

67% AI deal score

$892

$768

Save $124

From MEL

Elite

Oct 13

Cairns, Australia

67% AI deal score

$874

$768

Save $106

From MEL

Elite

Oct 20

Cairns, Australia

67% AI deal score

$889

$768

Save $121

From MEL

Elite

Oct 18

Cairns, Australia

67% AI deal score

$886

$768

Save $118

From MEL

Elite

Oct 21

Cairns, Australia

67% AI deal score

$889

$768

Save $121

From MEL

Elite

Oct 21

Cairns, Australia

67% AI deal score

$886

$768

Save $118

From MEL

Elite

Oct 13

Cairns, Australia

67% AI deal score

$872

$768

Save $104

From MEL

Elite

Oct 09

Cairns, Australia

67% AI deal score

$878

$768

Save $110

From MEL

Elite

Oct 23

Cairns, Australia

67% AI deal score

$877

$768

Save $109

From MEL

Elite

Oct 29

Cairns, Australia

65% AI deal score

$1,063

From MEL

Elite

Oct 29

Cairns, Australia

65% AI deal score

$1,063

From MEL

Elite

Dec 01

Cairns, Australia

65% AI deal score

$1,090

From MEL

Elite

Dec 01

Cairns, Australia

65% AI deal score

$1,090

From MEL

Elite

Oct 29

Cairns, Australia

50% AI deal score

$1,063

From MEL

Elite

Nov 25

Cairns, Australia

50% AI deal score

$1,090

From MEL

Elite

Nov 22

Cairns, Australia

50% AI deal score

$1,090

From MEL

Elite

Nov 25

Cairns, Australia

50% AI deal score

$1,090

From MEL

Elite

Nov 22

Cairns, Australia

50% AI deal score

$1,090

Frequently Asked Questions About Flights to Cairns

Historically, the best time to purchase tickets for flights from Melbourne to Cairns is 60+ days before departure. During this period, the average price for a flight is typically around $343. For travelers booking closer to their departure date, prices tend to increase. For instance, flights booked within 0-6 days of departure average $421, which is significantly higher than booking further in advance.

A good price for a flight from Melbourne to Cairns is considered to be around $177 or less. This threshold represents the lowest 25% of prices observed in the trailing 90 days. The median price for this route historically stands at $332, with prices ranging up to $485 for the more expensive fares.

Historically, October offers the cheapest flights from Melbourne to Cairns, with a median price of $92. November is also a budget-friendly option, with a median price of $139. While April has a median price of $172, the annual median price for this route is $332, indicating that these months offer considerable savings.

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