CNS

£434 Find Cheap Flights to Cairns – Compare and Save

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Everything you should know

Cheapest return flight
£825
Typical prices: £1,130-£1,588
Multiple Airlines
Sat 3/11Sun 2/12
LGW - CNS • 2 stops
Cheapest one-way flight
£434
Typical prices: £621-£940
Multiple Airlines
Mon 3/12
STN - CNS • 3 stops
Top airlines
Best reviews • 8.2 score
Airline reviews
Airline reviews
Top routes
Cheapest • 19% average savings
Most popular
Insights
Insights
When to book
in advance
Our data shows that travellers who book at least 24 weeks in advance save around 23% compared to booking last minute.
Insights
Insights
When to travel
Cheapest • 16% price drop
Most popular
Good to know
+1
Good to know
+1
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We hope you enjoy your trip to Cairns!
Flight Deals
Booking Insights
Expert advice
Flight Deals

Cheap Flights to Cairns

 
Discover the best prices for you by selecting your travel dates on KAYAK.

Recent return flight deals to Cairns

Tue, 3 Nov - Wed, 2 Dec
Multiple Airlines Logo
10:30 - 17:15LGW  London Gatwick-CNS Cairns
44h 45m2 stops Shanghai Pu Dong Brisbane
Multiple Airlines Logo
10:15 - 06:30CNS  Cairns-LGW London Gatwick
54h 15m2 stops Melbourne Shanghai Pu Dong
£825Multiple Airlines
Mon, 19 Oct - Mon, 26 Oct
Multiple Airlines Logo
11:35 - 17:10LGW  London Gatwick-CNS Cairns
44h 35m2 stops Shanghai Pu Dong Brisbane
Multiple Airlines Logo
06:00 - 06:30CNS  Cairns-LGW London Gatwick
34h 30m2 stops Brisbane Shanghai Pu Dong
£832Multiple Airlines
Mon, 22 Feb - Mon, 8 Mar
Singapore Airlines Logo
13:05 - 17:15LGW  London Gatwick-CNS Cairns
42h 10m1 stop Singapore Changi
Singapore Airlines Logo
18:20 - 09:05CNS  Cairns-LGW London Gatwick
24h 45m1 stop Singapore Changi
£1,011Singapore Airlines
Mon, 22 Feb - Mon, 8 Mar
Singapore Airlines Logo
09:10 - 17:15LHR  London Heathrow-CNS Cairns
22h 05m1 stop Singapore Changi
Singapore Airlines Logo
18:20 - 15:20CNS  Cairns-LHR London Heathrow
31h 00m1 stop Singapore Changi
£1,080Singapore Airlines
Thu, 3 Dec - Wed, 9 Dec
Qatar Airways Logo
14:15 - 14:55LHR  London Heathrow-CNS Cairns
38h 40m2 stops Doha Hamad Intl Sydney Kingsford Smith
Qatar Airways Logo
15:45 - 13:25CNS  Cairns-LHR London Heathrow
31h 40m2 stops Sydney Kingsford Smith Doha Hamad Intl
£1,306Qatar Airways
Thu, 3 Dec - Wed, 9 Dec
Qatar Airways Logo
14:15 - 14:55LHR  London Heathrow-CNS Cairns
38h 40m2 stops Doha Hamad Intl Sydney Kingsford Smith
Qatar Airways Logo
15:45 - 13:25CNS  Cairns-LHR London Heathrow
31h 40m2 stops Sydney Kingsford Smith Doha Hamad Intl
£1,307Qatar Airways
Tue, 23 Feb - Mon, 8 Mar
Qantas Airways Logo
20:55 - 17:15EDI  Edinburgh Turnhouse-CNS Cairns
34h 20m2 stops Dubai Intl Brisbane
Qantas Airways Logo
06:00 - 19:05CNS  Cairns-EDI Edinburgh Turnhouse
47h 05m2 stops Brisbane Dubai Intl
£1,323Qantas Airways
Thu, 12 Nov - Sun, 29 Nov
Qantas Airways Logo
20:40 - 11:20MAN  Manchester-CNS Cairns
28h 40m2 stops Dubai Intl Brisbane
Qantas Airways Logo
16:00 - 18:35CNS  Cairns-MAN Manchester
36h 35m2 stops Brisbane Dubai Intl
£1,326Qantas Airways
Tue, 10 Nov - Mon, 30 Nov
Cathay Pacific Logo
11:00 - 10:55LHR  London Heathrow-CNS Cairns
37h 55m2 stops Hong Kong Intl Melbourne
Cathay Pacific Logo
11:40 - 17:20CNS  Cairns-LHR London Heathrow
39h 40m2 stops Melbourne Hong Kong Intl
£1,466Cathay Pacific
Wed, 11 Nov - Mon, 30 Nov
Cathay Pacific Logo
20:10 - 10:55LHR  London Heathrow-CNS Cairns
52h 45m2 stops Hong Kong Intl Melbourne
Cathay Pacific Logo
11:40 - 17:20CNS  Cairns-LHR London Heathrow
39h 40m2 stops Melbourne Hong Kong Intl
£1,497Cathay Pacific
Booking Insights

Price, demand, and travel trends for United Kingdom to Cairns flights

Use KAYAK data on prices, travel dates, airlines, and seasonal trends to compare options and book flights from the United Kingdom to Cairns with more confidence.

What is the cheapest flight to Cairns?

London Gatwick Airport to Cairns is the cheapest route at £825 return, found in the past 5 days on KAYAK. London Heathrow Airport to Cairns is the most popular connection with return deals from £1,080.

How much is a flight to Cairns?

A return flight to Cairns costs £1,321 on average, based on data over the past 12 months on KAYAK. Return fares from Manchester average £1,284, while Glasgow Intl Airport runs a bit higher at £1,324.

What is the cheapest day to fly to Cairns?

Wednesday is the cheapest day to fly to Cairns at £1,233 return on average over the past 12 months on KAYAK. Friday is the most expensive at £1,456.

What is the cheapest month to fly to Cairns?

  • May is the cheapest month to fly to Cairns with an average price of £1,116 return.
  • December (£1,629) and July (£1,576) are the most expensive.
  • Based on KAYAK data over the past 12 months.

What is the cheapest time of day to fly to Cairns?

Evening flights to Cairns are the cheapest at £1,204 return on average. Afternoon flights are the most expensive at £1,380.

What is a good deal for flights to Cairns?

Flights under £1,130 are considered a good deal. 25% of KAYAK users found return flights to Cairns at or below these prices, with the lowest fares from:

  • London £1,120
.

When are flights to Cairns the cheapest?

Flights to Cairns are cheapest 24 weeks before departure. Booking in this window typically costs about 23% less than the average last-minute fare (within 2 weeks of the flight), based on KAYAK data.

Expert advice

Expert advice for your flight to Cairns

 
KAYAK teamed up with top travel experts to share the best tips for your journey.
Our travel experts
Chris Dong

Chris Dong

Expert on Singapore Airlines and Cathay Pacific

Chris is a consumer travel reporter covering aviation, trending travel news, hotels, and loyalty programmes – all for leading global publications like Travel + Leisure, The Washington Post, AFAR, and more. In addition to writing, Chris is a video host for Travel + Leisure, giving consumers an inside look at the latest in air travel.

Bill Fink

Bill Fink

Expert on Qantas Airways

Bill is an award-winning travel writer with extensive credits covering airlines and the aviation industry for publications including AARP, AFAR, The Points Guy and Yahoo. Based in Portland, Oregon, Bill has travelled to more than 75 countries - and been late for his flight in most of them. He once achieved top-level frequent flier status for all of American, Delta and United Airlines during a single year.

Stefanie Waldek

Stefanie Waldek

Expert on Qatar Airways

Stefanie Waldek is a freelance space, travel, and design writer based in Saratoga Springs, NY. Her words have appeared in Space.com, Travel + Leisure, Condé Nast Traveler, Architectural Digest, and House Beautiful, among other publications. An expert in aviation and expedition cruising, Stefanie is frequently up in the air or out at sea, likely en route to Antarctica or the Arctic.

Jessica Macdonald

Jessica Macdonald

Expert on Lufthansa

Currently based in Scotland after living in South Africa and the United States, Jessica has been writing travel and aviation content for more than 10 years. She regularly contributes to Travel + Leisure and TripSavvy, and has had work published by Condé Nast Traveller and The Independent. She has travelled to more than 50 countries across six continents.

Duncan Madden

Duncan Madden

Expert on Emirates

Duncan is a freelance travel writer, copywriter and book author in constant search of travel stories and the perpetual sensation of being on holiday. He’s never happier than when on a dusty trail in search of empty waves or ducking under the piste tape in search of snowbound solitude. British born, living in Germany, but happiest heading for the horizon. His first book, Found in Translation, explores the etymologies and stories of country names around the world and is out now.

Key details for flights to Cairns

Low season

February

Cheapest flight

£434
Best time to beat the crowds (14% less expensive on average)
Most popular time to fly (8% more expensive on average)
Flights from London Stansted Airport 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

Your questions about flights to Cairns, answered

Find helpful route details based on KAYAK data, including flight times, airports, airlines, and booking questions.

  • What is the difference between the most popular and the most frequent airline at Cairns?

    Singapore Airlines operates the most flights from the United Kingdom to Cairns at 0 per week, and for this route Singapore Airlines is also the airline most often selected by KAYAK users searching for flights from the United Kingdom to Cairns. The two are sometimes different because flight volume reflects an airline's schedule, while popularity reflects traveller choice.

  • Where can I fly from to get the cheapest fares to Cairns?

    Based on fares booked in the past 5 days, the cheapest flights to Cairns are from:
    • London, from £825 return

  • How do I know if a flight to Cairns is a good deal?

    A good deal on a flight to Cairns is around £1,130 return. This fare is in the lowest 25% of return flight prices searched on KAYAK, averaged across the cities most often searched as origins by KAYAK users.

  • How expensive are last-minute flights to Cairns?

    Last-minute fares to Cairns – booked within 2 weeks of departure – run 12% above the average return fare of £1,321.

Your guide to booking Cairns flights

From booking to airport arrival, find tips to help you plan your flight with more confidence.
  • For the best chance at a low fare to Cairns, aim to book around 24 weeks before you fly. That window historically saves about 23% versus last-minute pricing based on KAYAK booking data over the last 12 months.
  • For flights to Cairns, recent KAYAK data shows that stronger deals tend to be around £1,130 return. If you see a fare below that threshold, it's a good deal – book before the price climbs back up.
  • If you can choose when to go, aim to travel to Cairns in May. Return fares historically average £1,116 that month – typically the cheapest month to travel based on the last 12 months.
  • Before you book:

    • Check the route's typical price range so you can spot a deal.
    • Confirm baggage fees and seat selection costs on budget carriers.
    • Verify whether you need any travel documents beyond an ID.
    • Pick a departure airport, since your nearest may not be the cheapest origin.
  • Shift your departure to afternoon to save up to £176 per return. Afternoon flights to Cairns average £1,204 compared to £1,380 for midday flights. See the time-of-day chart above for the full breakdown.
  • Once you arrive in Cairns, a few great places to start are Cairns Esplanade and Reef Fleet Terminal. These are popular with first-time visitors and can give you a good feel for the area.

Reviews of the top 5 airlines flying to Cairns

 
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 1599 reviews
8.3Boarding
8.0Comfort
8.6Crew
8.1Entertainment
7.8Food
Airline reviews

a longer gap btw the supper and breakfast would have been better - felt like the sleep was way too fragmented on this red eye flight

10.0 ExcellentRyan, Jul 2026
Read more Singapore Airlines reviews

a longer gap btw the supper and breakfast would have been better - felt like the sleep was way too fragmented on this red eye flight

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.

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

The business class seats were very uncomfortable. When in lie flat position my legs were very restricted.

It was very good experience on board to Sydney with SQ.

Fantastic patience when one of the passengers behind me was an absolute horrible, horrible person and the girls just kept smiling and doing their job with patience and kindness. Well, done to the crew.

Didn't like much at all Nowhere near enough legroom, narrow seats. Aisles not wide enough for safe food trolley access and husband had his knee hit cos not enough leg room. Would take a lot to convince us to fly Singapore Airlines again which is a pity cos it was always our go-to airline

Once again the meal served was delicious - we got chicken rice

Transfer within the same terminal and lots of facilities at the airport.

A very small gate at Singapore airport, lots of people packed into a small area…. A Petrie dish for infection. The flight was late although the captain did make up time. We had an aisle and middle economy class seat on the plane. The flight appeared to be very full. The seats were small, hard and very uncomfortable with minimal leg room. I’m a small woman and felt really cramped. My husband is a big man and stated he was unable to move at all in his seat. We were given 2 meals during the flight from Singapore to Brisbane. Our first meal was okay at best but the second meal was inedible. I think it was supposed to be veg in pastry but the pastry was full of air with minimal if any filling. The staff were pleasant and efficient. Getting off the plane went without any problems. It did take an extended period of time for our bags to come out onto the carousel. For the best ‘airline’ in the world, it was pretty poor. If Singapore is the best, what are the others like?

Everything was good; they still provided a sandwich snack. Good crew

The plane was dirty, the seats were torn and broken, the service was the most terrible ever, the bathroom dirty, they will not even serve water you had to request it, the meals were terrible, overall less than Zero, I will never fly Cathay Pacific again.

one hour transit not good. cathay pacific is not helpful at all

Special request meals are really below average. Vegetarian options are very limited if you didn't prebook.

It would be nice if they could have a choice of both gluten AND dairy free menu. Lots of people have problems with BOTH. I also could not get on their website to check. Phone verification issues etc( not all of us have our phones on roaming. I tried over an hour!

As a solo traveller, I always prefer to have an aisle seat, but the flight was so full, there weren’t any available. I understand that the seatbelt sign sometimes has to go on if turbulence is anticipated but after the second food service, it was on continuously for about an hour and a half and there didn’t seem to be any turbulence at all! With seats reclined, my fellow passenger in the aisle seat asleep and the seatbelt sign on I felt very trapped, extremely uncomfortable and in desperate need of the bathroom. The positives were that the staff were very friendly, the entertainment was great and we actually took off on time and arrived in HKG earlier than expected.

Bathroom was not cleaned as often as other airlines does. It was gross for a less than full flight capacity.

There is very little in the title" Premium" in the Economy experience with Cathay, Melbourne to Hong Kong. The seats are uncomfortable and the cabin with outdated 1990's decor and trim. The food service was sloppy and the leg room providing little to no advantage over regular economy seating. Infact, the Sunday flight was not fill occupancy and I would have done better saving the significant additional costs for the PREMIUM ticket and taken advantage of the seating. If you are a regular premium economy traveler of EMIRATES expecting the same experience on CATHAY, you will be disappointed. Emirates far superior.

Very comfortable flights. Not so many new releases in terms of films.

The aircraft was slightly newer but the food was very bad. Bland and uninteresting. Nothing special at all.

Small twin prop plane. Basic flight. Food was half a chicken & pesto sandwich. As the flight departed after 12pm alcohol was available. No on board entertainment. No wifi services.

I liked the refreshments as the flight was short and the free WiFi. The seats were comfortable.

Was disappointed that we couldn't use our lounge passes as the booking was a group booking.

I never flew with alliance. Kayak is a joke and none of the flights or times were correct. Won’t ever use kayak again

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.

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

Flight was canceled. I was not alerted. It was only kayak that alerted me

After already paying for excess luggage prior to flight, i was advised AT check in that i had to pay $816 or forfeit my flight! The lady at the counter was SO rude and had already started offboarding me when i said i would pay it after asking her three times for the exact amount! Have lodged a formal complaint yet heard nothing. Will not ever travel via Qantas again

I love flying with Qantas. There was no onscreen entertaining on this flight, and only a snack provided (not a meal) but still better than Jetstar or Virgin (in my opinion) so still happy.

I really appreciated the fact that when I checked my bags at the Quantas counter after arriving from an international flight an hour early, the agent noticed I had a very long layover. He then found an earlier flight that allowed me to get to Cairns several hours earlier than I planned. That was amazing because I had already traveled over 20 hours and wasn’t looking forward to such a long layover. It allowed me to see my daughter and grandchildren much earlier (it had been two years since I visited last).

Very lovely aircraft and crew. Seats were comfortable and the food was great and served swiftly. Delayed flight due to a passenger coming off the flight but overall a great experience

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

Boarding from DOH to SYD the Business Class were pointed in a separate gate but no one there to receive us. Otherwise it was ok.

The flight was delayed and one member of the crew was a bit rude. But apart from that all good.

Terrible experience resolving missed connection after flight was delayed. 3 hour queue at transit desk, not enough staff, no organisation, worst ever flying experience.

The rows of seats in economy class are seriously close to one another making eating and resting just about impossible - there is hardly any legroom. Anyone larger than average size would have an incredibly uncomfortable flight. I had to basically share my seat with the lady passenger next to me as she was too big to fit into her allotted seat.

Food was good, attendants were friendly. Seats were not comfortable. Did not receive any amenities such as eyemask or earplugs that would have helped sleep. Additionally a large group of passengers boarded very late into boarding and were a disruption for almost the whole flight. Flight attendants did their best but the kids were making so much noise, kicking seats, and half the time no adult was sat with them so they weren’t being managed.

I staff or crew they were very friendly and humbly, they done theirs service very well, I appreciate them and thank you to the company or Qatar 🇶🇦 Government for providing as good service in their flight ,once again, thank you 😊 🙏 😀 😉 👍

Boarding delayed, no communication. I left the lounge, and heard a final call, boarding started after a 30 minutes.

Very tight seating. Crew seemed too dis interested and too slow to remove main meal trays.

Someone sat in my seat and this made boarding protracted and unpleasant. The stewardesses kept saying, “it is important that everyone be seated — or we will be further delayed,” but for a long time they did not tell me where to sit. At the end of the flight a baby screamed loudly for several minutes and it took ninety minutes (!) to get through EU passport and customs. We had to stand the whole time in a an overheated room. The seat on the plane was narrow. These things are not all Lufthansa’s fault but they made for a somewhat unpleasant trip.

Everything about the flight was excellent except for the fact that we had to wait one hour on the tar app and then I had to race to catch my connecting flight with the next stop

The flight on time, flawless check in and boarding process, the crew was very friendly.

Generally OK. The very worst part was the food we were served (on a special diet) which the crew apologised for and said they took photos for there managers. This flight was using a code-share from Discovery Airways, so perhaps not Lufthansa's direct fault. The general food was far better but definitely not plentiful unlike some other airlines. Otherwise it was a nothing special experience unlike the superb time we had last year for a similar route on Cathay!

Flight map did not work. Crew was great, food was good, plane took off on time and landed early. That's all I can ask.

Paid for exit row at the back of the plane. Window seat with lots of leg space. Food was inedible (as usual). Brought my own.

Efficiency of staff, and comfort and cleanliness of aircraft was all great. Maybe a hot drink without payment at that time in the morning would be good!

The plane was late (as was my flight out from Birmingham the day before)

The flight was delayed by an hour. Made the connection uncomfortably tight.

When we went to the lounge they told us to go into the main lounge and not the full business class section, later they told me that Lufthansa wont pay the full fee to alloq the business class passengers entry to the nicer sectikn where all the other airlines nusiness class passengers go into. Very poor arrangement.

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