£102 Find Cheap Flights from Melbourne to Townsville – Compare and Save

2 airlines operate flights between Melbourne Airport and Townsville. The airlines offering direct flights on this route include:

• Jetstar
• Qantas Airways

Flights from Melbourne Airport to Townsville usually depart from Melbourne (MEL) and arrive at Townsville (TSV).

Here are some options for this route, based on selected ticket types and cabin classes:

• Jetstar: a cabin bag and a checked bag in Economy class
• Qantas Airways: a cabin bag and a checked bag in Economy class

Bag allowance can vary by ticket type, cabin class, route, and airline, so travellers should check the fare details before booking.

Only Economy class is available on flights from Melbourne Airport to Townsville.

On this route, direct flights are cheaper than stopover options on average. Direct fares average £173 return, compared with £285 via a stopover through Brisbane (BNE).

There is no standard. Checked bag policies vary by airline on this route. Most carriers charge £18–£58 for the first checked bag in Economy. Premium fares and elite status bookings typically include a free checked bag.

The Embraer 190 family is used most often on this route, operated mainly by Qantas Airways. Other aircraft seen on the route include Airbus A321neo variants.

Connecting flights from Melbourne Airport to Townsville most commonly pass through:

• Brisbane (BNE) – 99% of one-stop connections
• Cairns (CNS) – 1% of one-stop connections
Together, these airports account for 100% of one-stop bookings on this route.

Yes. Being flexible with your travel dates can save you up to 24% on the Melbourne Airport to Townsville route. Friday is the cheapest departure day at £182 return on average, while Sunday is the most expensive at £236, a difference of £55. KAYAK's flexible dates feature shows options up to 3 days before and after your selected dates, making it easier to compare nearby fares.

A flight is considered delayed when it departs 15 minutes or more after its scheduled time. This is the standard used by the US Department of Transportation and most airline industry reporting. On the Melbourne Airport to Townsville route, 36% of flights were delayed in the past 3 months, with delays averaging 1 hour 43 minutes.

Morning is the busiest departure period on Melbourne Airport to Townsville flights, with 50% leaving in that window. Afternoon departures account for 50%, Evening flights for 0%, and Night flights for 0%.

These are the earliest and latest flight times available from Melbourne Airport to Townsville:

• Earliest: departs at 11:05 and lands at 14:05
• Latest: departs at 17:25 and lands at 20:25.

The flight takes about 3h 00m.

Last-minute fares on this route (booked within 2 weeks of departure) run 26% above the route average of £195. Book 7 weeks before departure for the lowest fares.

A direct flight from Melbourne Airport to Townsville takes 3h 00m, covering 1,277 miles.

No, a passport is not required for this domestic route, but you will need a real ID-compliant driver's license, a state ID, or another TSA-accepted form of identification.

Yes. Based on fares seen in the past 5 days, return flight prices on this route showed a wide range, from about £127 to £532. That means the highest observed fare was about 4x higher than the lowest one.

One-way fares from Melbourne Airport to Townsville are currently higher than usual. Average one-way flight prices are about £154, which is 18% above the typical average for this route.

Jetstar is the only airline operating Melbourne Airport to Townsville flights. 64% of its flights are on time.

Afternoon flights have the fewest delays on this route. Delays tend to pile up throughout the day as one late flight pushes the next, so earlier departures are usually more reliable.

Flying via Cairns (CNS) gives the shortest average 1-stop total travel time of 5h 49m, compared to 5h 53m via Brisbane (BNE).

Townsville Airport (TSV) hosts 5 major car hire companies, with daily rates starting from around £14 for economy cars. Top options include:
• Budget
• Bargain Car Rentals
• Thrifty
• Europcar
• Avis

Return flights from Melbourne Airport to Townsville range from £156 to £253, with an average of £195 over the past 12 months. Anything below £156 counts as a good deal.