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$86+ Cheap flights from Sydney to Cairns (SYD - CNS)

This is the cheapest one-way flight price found by a Cheapflights user in the last 72 hours by searching for a flight departing on 1/27. Fares are subject to change and may not be available on all flights or dates of travel.
SYD — CNS
Jan 17 — Jan 241
Sat 1/17
Sat 1/24
1 adult, Economy
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Cheapflights Tip: The best prices from Sydney Kingsford Smith to Cairns are usually found in March or February, booked 61 days in advance, depart on a Tuesday or Wednesday and return on a Friday

Cheap flight deals from Sydney to Cairns

Cheapest flights from Sydney to Cairns
Explore the most affordable flight options available from Sydney to Cairns. Find the lowest fares from popular airlines and budget airlines, with prices last updated on December 18, 2025.

This Jetstar deal was found by Cheapflights users on 12/18. Clicking the “Pick Dates” button in this card will allow you to select your dates and further customize your flight criteria. From there, click “Find deals”, make sure Jetstar is selected, and click “Compare selected” under the list of providers to see comparable flight deals.
Fri 12/196:20 amSYD - CNS
Nonstop3h 00mJetstar
Sat 1/243:50 pmCNS - SYD
Nonstop3h 00mJetstar
Deal found 12/18$223
This Jetstar deal was found by Cheapflights users on 12/16. Clicking the “Pick Dates” button in this card will allow you to select your dates and further customize your flight criteria. From there, click “Find deals”, make sure Jetstar is selected, and click “Compare selected” under the list of providers to see comparable flight deals.
Wed 12/176:20 amSYD - CNS
Nonstop3h 00mJetstar
Sun 12/216:40 amCNS - SYD
Nonstop3h 00mJetstar
Deal found 12/16$266
This Virgin Australia deal was found by Cheapflights users on 12/16. Clicking the “Pick Dates” button in this card will allow you to select your dates and further customize your flight criteria. From there, click “Find deals”, make sure Virgin Australia is selected, and click “Compare selected” under the list of providers to see comparable flight deals.
Wed 12/179:00 amSYD - CNS
1 stop6h 00mVirgin Australia
Sun 12/213:45 pmCNS - SYD
Nonstop3h 00mVirgin Australia
Deal found 12/16$283
This Virgin Australia deal was found by Cheapflights users on 12/16. Clicking the “Pick Dates” button in this card will allow you to select your dates and further customize your flight criteria. From there, click “Find deals”, make sure Virgin Australia is selected, and click “Compare selected” under the list of providers to see comparable flight deals.
Thu 12/1810:00 amSYD - CNS
1 stop7h 40mVirgin Australia
Sat 12/203:45 pmCNS - SYD
Nonstop3h 00mVirgin Australia
Deal found 12/16$289
This Jetstar deal was found by Cheapflights users on 12/18. Clicking the “Pick Dates” button in this card will allow you to select your dates and further customize your flight criteria. From there, click “Find deals”, make sure Jetstar is selected, and click “Compare selected” under the list of providers to see comparable flight deals.
Fri 12/196:20 amSYD - CNS
Nonstop3h 00mJetstar
Tue 12/233:50 pmCNS - SYD
Nonstop3h 00mJetstar
Deal found 12/18$298
This Virgin Australia deal was found by Cheapflights users on 12/17. Clicking the “Pick Dates” button in this card will allow you to select your dates and further customize your flight criteria. From there, click “Find deals”, make sure Virgin Australia is selected, and click “Compare selected” under the list of providers to see comparable flight deals.
Wed 12/316:00 pmSYD - CNS
1 stop6h 05mVirgin Australia
Thu 1/82:40 pmCNS - SYD
1 stop6h 45mVirgin Australia
Deal found 12/17$309
This Jetstar deal was found by Cheapflights users on 12/17. Clicking the “Pick Dates” button in this card will allow you to select your dates and further customize your flight criteria. From there, click “Find deals”, make sure Jetstar is selected, and click “Compare selected” under the list of providers to see comparable flight deals.
Thu 12/186:20 amSYD - CNS
Nonstop3h 00mJetstar
Mon 12/229:00 amCNS - SYD
Nonstop2h 55mJetstar
Deal found 12/17$322
This Virgin Australia deal was found by Cheapflights users on 12/17. Clicking the “Pick Dates” button in this card will allow you to select your dates and further customize your flight criteria. From there, click “Find deals”, make sure Virgin Australia is selected, and click “Compare selected” under the list of providers to see comparable flight deals.
Fri 12/261:00 pmSYD - CNS
1 stop4h 40mVirgin Australia
Sun 1/411:40 amCNS - SYD
1 stop6h 00mVirgin Australia
Deal found 12/17$331

Find flight deals from Sydney to Cairns

Discover tips and strategies to find the most affordable flight options for your journey from Sydney (SYD) to Cairns (CNS). Learn about various techniques such as flexible date searches, comparing prices across and setting up price alerts. Use these methods to find the cheapest flights available for your travel needs. Data last updated December 18, 2025.

Most accurate provider

OneTravel
3 stars

Most trusted provider

OneTravel
3 stars

Round-trip from

$149
(Jetstar)

One-way from

$86
(Jetstar)

Popular in

April

Cheapest in

March

Average price

$254

Good round-trip deal

$209 or less

Good one-way deal

$112 or less
Provider with most accurate pricing for Sydney Kingsford Smith-Cairns flight deals.
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Provider most trusted by Cheapflights users for Sydney Kingsford Smith-Cairns flights.
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From Sydney Kingsford Smith to Cairns
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One-way flight from Sydney Kingsford Smith to Cairns
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High demand for flights, 6% potential price rise
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Cheapest flight prices on average. 3% potential price decrease ($6 potential savings vs. average RT price).
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Average for round-trip flights in December 2025
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Price to beat on a round-trip flight from Sydney Kingsford Smith to Cairns.
Search Deals
Price to beat on a one-way flight from Sydney Kingsford Smith to Cairns.
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Cheapflights Fare Finder

 
Customize your flight search to find flights from Sydney to Cairns that fit within your specific budget. Explore options based on user searches and filter the results based on your desired price range. Find flights that match your budget for a cost-effective journey. Over the last 7 days, Cheapflights users made 2,558,603 searches. Data last updated December 18, 2025.
Use the filters below to find and compare flights from Sydney to Cairns that are best for you.

Fly from

Sydney

Fly to

Cairns

Route

Depart

Return

Price

SydneyCairns

SYD - CNS

SYDCNS

Sydney Kingsford Smith

Thu 1/15

8:25 pm-10:30 pm

Nonstop3h 05m

Cairns

Mon 1/19

6:40 am-10:40 am

Nonstop3h 00m

$149

SydneyCairns

SYD - CNS

SYDCNS

Sydney Kingsford Smith

Fri 1/30

3:25 pm-5:30 pm

Nonstop3h 05m

Cairns

Fri 2/6

6:05 pm-10:05 pm

Nonstop3h 00m

$149

SydneyCairns

SYD - CNS

SYDCNS

Sydney Kingsford Smith

Sat 1/17

8:25 pm-10:30 pm

Nonstop3h 05m

Cairns

Wed 1/21

6:05 pm-10:05 pm

Nonstop3h 00m

$149

SydneyCairns

SYD - CNS

SYDCNS

Sydney Kingsford Smith

Fri 1/16

11:45 am-1:50 pm

Nonstop3h 05m

Cairns

Sun 1/18

6:40 am-10:40 am

Nonstop3h 00m

$155

SydneyCairns

SYD - CNS

SYDCNS

Sydney Kingsford Smith

Mon 1/12

8:25 pm-10:30 pm

Nonstop3h 05m

Cairns

Wed 1/21

6:05 pm-10:05 pm

Nonstop3h 00m

$160

SydneyCairns

SYD - CNS

SYDCNS

Sydney Kingsford Smith

Tue 2/24

6:20 am-8:20 am

Nonstop3h 00m

Cairns

Thu 2/26

6:40 am-10:40 am

Nonstop3h 00m

$170

SydneyCairns

SYD - CNS

SYDCNS

Sydney Kingsford Smith

Sun 2/1

8:10 am-10:15 am

Nonstop3h 05m

Cairns

Sun 2/8

6:40 am-10:40 am

Nonstop3h 00m

$172

SydneyCairns

SYD - CNS

SYDCNS

Sydney Kingsford Smith

Thu 2/26

6:20 am-8:20 am

Nonstop3h 00m

Cairns

Sun 3/1

6:40 am-10:40 am

Nonstop3h 00m

$175

SydneyCairns

SYD - CNS

SYDCNS

Sydney Kingsford Smith

Tue 1/13

8:25 pm-10:30 pm

Nonstop3h 05m

Cairns

Thu 1/15

6:05 pm-10:05 pm

Nonstop3h 00m

$178

SydneyCairns

SYD - CNS

SYDCNS

Sydney Kingsford Smith

Sat 3/21

11:45 am-1:50 pm

Nonstop3h 05m

Cairns

Thu 3/26

6:05 pm-10:05 pm

Nonstop3h 00m

$183

Flights are sorted by cheapest round-trip flights first.

Deals found on 12/16

Showing 1-10 of 22 results
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Compare providers for flights from Sydney to Cairns

Provider information is updated monthly. Please note that these providers often have deals for this flight, but the availability may vary on a day-by-day basis on Cheapflights.
Use the table below to compare price accuracy, trust ratings, and cancellation policies for each provider offering flight deals from Sydney to Cairns in December.
ProviderPrice AccuracyTrust Score*
eDreamsPrice Accuracy3 starsTrust Score*3 stars
FlightHubPrice Accuracy3 starsTrust Score*1 star
Trip.comPrice Accuracy2 starsTrust Score*3 stars
OneTravelPrice Accuracy3 starsTrust Score*3 stars

*The Trust Score is based on feedback from users after their booking experience. It measures overall satisfaction, helping us identify issues like hidden fees, problems during the ticketing process, and the quality of customer service. This score is our best indicator of the provider's quality and reliability.

  • Most accurate provider: When it comes to deals on Sydney-Cairns flights, users find the pricing of OneTravel to be most consistent on Cheapflights vs. OneTravel Users can find the same prices on Sydney-Cairns flight deals on Cheapflights vs. OneTravel >95% of the time. Price accuracy is based on data collected from Sydney-Cairns flight searches over the past month and is updated monthly.
  • Most trusted provider: When it comes to deals on Sydney-Cairns flights, Cheapflights users trust OneTravel the most. OneTravel has received a user feedback score of 3 out of 3 stars (3 being the best), meaning they have been trusted the most by Cheapflights users looking for Sydney-Cairns flight deals. Provider user feedback score is based on Cheapflights searches over the past month and is updated monthly.

Best time to book a flight from Sydney to Cairns

Have a flexible travel schedule? Discover the best time to fly to Cairns from Sydney with our price prediction graph.
Estimated round-trip price
Rates are based on past data. Find the cheapest month and day to book your flight based on your travel requirements, then search for cheap deals.

Cheapflights Insights

Everything you need to know about your flight from Sydney to Cairns

How far ahead should I book a flight from Sydney to Cairns?

Use this chart to determine the optimal time to book a round-trip flight from Sydney to Cairns. Price data was last updated on December 12, 2025.

To ensure you get the cheapest price possible for a flight from Sydney to Cairns, you should look to book at least 61 days in advance of your intended travel date. The price of your flight may increase if you delay and leave booking until a week or so before departure.

What is the cheapest month to book a flight from Sydney to Cairns?

Currently, May is the cheapest month in which you can book a flight from Sydney to Cairns (average of $78). Flying from Sydney to Cairns in July is currently the most expensive (average of $122). There are several factors that can impact the price of a flight, so comparing airlines, departure airports and flight times can provide users with more options.

What is the cheapest time of day to fly from SYD to CNS?

Find hourly flight availability from Sydney to Cairns. Discover flight options and departure times throughout the day, allowing you to choose a departure time that suits your schedule. Data last updated December 18, 2025.

A simple way to save on the total cost of your ticket is to fly from Sydney to Cairns in the evening. If you’re flexible enough to do this you can expect to save up to 28% on your trip compared to booking a flight at noon.

What is the cheapest day to fly from Sydney to Cairns?

Use this chart to determine the cheapest time to fly round-trip from Sydney to Cairns. Price data was last updated on December 13, 2025.

Travelers seeking maximum savings on their Sydney to Cairns flight should consider departing on Saturday evenings when fares are most often at their lowest. Saturday at noon flights should be avoided if possible as fares are typically the most expensive at this time.

Reviews of airlines servicing Cairns

Get insights into the airlines that provide service to Cairns. Read reviews, discover amenities, and learn about the overall travel experience offered by airlines. Use this information to make informed decisions when choosing an airline for your flight to Cairns. Reviews last updated December 18, 2025.
Read reviews from past customers who have flown Virgin Australia, Qantas Airways, and Jetstar from Sydney to Cairns. Users can see the overall rating for each airline as well as how each is rated in terms of entertainment options, comfort, food, crew/service, and boarding process.
Virgin Australia
7.6
Good
428 reviews

Crew

8.2

Comfort

7.5

Overall

7.6

Boarding

7.7

Entertainment

6.4

Food

6.4

Reviews

1 / 20
6.0
Good

Andrew,Jun 2025

MEL - CNS

We didn’t eat or drink, but feel like a sardine. No room at all.
Virgin Australia
7.6
Good
428 reviews
Virgin Australia
7.6
Good
428 reviews

Crew

8.2

Comfort

7.5

Overall

7.6

Boarding

7.7

Entertainment

6.4

Food

6.4

Reviews

1 / 20
6.0
Good

Andrew,Jun 2025

MEL - CNS

We didn’t eat or drink, but feel like a sardine. No room at all.
Qantas Airways
7.5
Good
947 reviews
Virgin Australia
7.6
Good
428 reviews

Crew

8.2

Comfort

7.5

Overall

7.6

Boarding

7.7

Entertainment

6.4

Food

6.4

Reviews

1 / 20
6.0
Good

Andrew,Jun 2025

MEL - CNS

We didn’t eat or drink, but feel like a sardine. No room at all.
Jetstar
6.6
Okay
493 reviews
Virgin Australia
7.6
Good
428 reviews

Crew

8.2

Comfort

7.5

Overall

7.6

Boarding

7.7

Entertainment

6.4

Food

6.4

Reviews

1 / 20
6.0
Good

Andrew,Jun 2025

MEL - CNS

We didn’t eat or drink, but feel like a sardine. No room at all.

Related info for your journey

Find useful and relevant information for your journey from Sydney to Cairns. Access travel guides, tips, and recommendations to enhance your travel experience. Get information about local attractions, weather, transportation options, and more.

  • What airports do I use to fly from Sydney to Cairns?

    If you book a flight from Sydney to Cairns, you will be flying from Kingsford Smith to Cairns. Flights to Cairns (CNS) from Sydney Kingsford Smith (SYD) take 3h 05m for a nonstop flight. There are 40 flights from Kingsford Smith to Cairns per day from 3 airlines.

  • How popular is this Sydney to Cairns flight route?

    Flights from Sydney Kingsford Smith to Cairns have been viewed 15 times in the past calendar month.

  • How long is the flight from Sydney to Cairns?

    For as low as $149, Jetstar can have you in Cairns from Sydney in 3h 05m. There are 1224 mi between Sydney and Cairns. Generally, flights for this route are nonstop.

  • What are the cheapest airlines flying from Sydney to Cairns round-trip?

    Currently priced at $129, Jetstar will fly you from Sydney to Cairns and back. In addition to Jetstar, many other airlines offer competitively priced options for your trip. Search Cheapflights for deals from Virgin Australia and Qantas Airways - these airlines can fly you to your destination from $139 and $213, respectively. These flights start at 36% lower than the current average price 3 months from now.

  • What are the cheapest airlines to fly from Sydney to Cairns one-way?

    For one-way options, check prices for Jetstar. According to our data, you can fly for as low as $66. Users have also found prices from $80 and $119 on Virgin Australia and Qantas Airways, respectively.

  • What are the most reliable airlines from Sydney to Cairns?

    Looking for the most reliable airlines to get you to your destination on time? Our data shows these are most likely to get you from Sydney to Cairns on time: Air India (90%), Hawaiian Airlines (84%), Virgin Australia (83%).

  • What are the cheapest flights from Sydney to Cairns?

    Looking at all options, your cheapest flight can be booked for $76. While the most popular route (Sydney Kingsford Smith - Cairns) can be booked for $177 on average, our data indicates $297 when flying from Sydney to Cairns.

  • Can I find deals for flights from Sydney to Cairns that include hotel bookings?

    Yes. In addition to deals on Sydney to Cairns flights, Cheapflights offers vacation packages that include both flights and hotel.

  • How can I find direct flights from Sydney to Cairns?

    After entering your origin and destination, apply the non-stop filter on the search result page to find direct flights from Sydney to Cairns.

  • Can I find deals for business class flights from Sydney to Cairns?

    Yes. Cheapflights offers flight deals from Sydney to Cairns by cabin class. In addition to browsing deals, you can also filter by cabin class on the search results page after making a search.

  • What is the cheapest month to book a flight from Sydney to Cairns?

    Currently, May is the cheapest month in which you can book a flight from Sydney to Cairns (average of $78). Flying from Sydney to Cairns in July is currently the most expensive (average of $122). There are several factors that can impact the price of a flight, so comparing airlines, departure airports and flight times can provide users with more options.

See more FAQs

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Alternative routes for Sydney to Cairns

See prices for flight routes from nearby airports that may be better suited for you.
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Top 3 airlines flying from Sydney to Cairns

Discover the top 3 airlines that operate flights from Sydney to Cairns. Compare their services, reliability, and customer satisfaction ratings to choose the airline that best suits your travel preferences and needs. Over the last 7 days, Cheapflights users made 2,558,603 searches. Data last updated December 18, 2025.
AirlineCheapestAverageFlexibilityOn-time
JetstarCheapest$132Average$206FlexibilityNo cancel feeOn-time74%
Virgin AustraliaCheapest$142Average$252FlexibilityNo cancel feeOn-time80%
Qantas AirwaysCheapest$213Average$348FlexibilityNo cancel feeOn-time74%

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