C$ 163 Find Cheap Flights from Cairns to Melbourne – Compare and Save

SkyBus offers express bus services between Melbourne Airport and the city centre that take 40min and cost around A$ 15 for a one-way trip. Taxi ranks can be found at all terminals. A trip to the city centre will take 30min and cost around A$ 40, with an additional fee for airport pickups. Rideshare services also have dedicated pickup points. If you prefer to hire a car, a number of leading car rental companies are conveniently located opposite Terminal 2.

If you are driving to Cairns Airport, you can leave your vehicle safely at the airport for the duration of your trip. Whether you’re visiting Melbourne for a weekend getaway, a week-long trip or planning an extended stay, travellers can get great savings on short and long-term parking if you pre-book online. Parking rates start from about A$ 77 per week.

Yes, there are direct flights to Melbourne from Cairns. A number of airlines, including Jetstar, Qantas and Virgin Australia offer direct flights along the route from tropical Northern Queensland to Melbourne. Some flights also have a layover in Sydney or Brisbane.

Among airlines operating Cairns to Melbourne Airport flights:

• Virgin Australia: offers free seat selection

Extra legroom and free seat selection availability depends on fare class and route.

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

• Jetstar
• Virgin Australia
• Qantas Airways

Flights from Cairns to Melbourne Airport usually depart from Cairns (CNS) and arrive at Melbourne (MEL).

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

• Jetstar: a carry-on bag and a checked bag in Economy Class
• Virgin Australia: a carry-on bag and a checked bag in Economy Class
• Qantas Airways: a carry-on 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 Cairns to Melbourne Airport.

On this route, direct flights are cheaper than layover options on average. Direct fares average C$ 308 round-trip, compared to C$ 523 via a layover through Sydney Kingsford Smith (SYD).

There is no standard. Checked bag policies vary by airline on this route. Most carriers charge C$ 42–C$ 139 for the first checked bag in economy. Premium fares and elite status bookings typically include a free checked bag.

The Boeing 737-800 Passenger/BBJ2 (winglets) family is used most often on this route, operated mainly by Virgin Australia and Qantas Airways. Other aircraft seen on the route include Airbus A320-100/200 variants.

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

• Sydney Kingsford Smith (SYD) – 67% of one-stop connections
• Brisbane (BNE) – 33% 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 11% on the Cairns to Melbourne Airport route. Friday is the cheapest departure day at C$ 304 round-trip on average, while Thursday is the most expensive at C$ 342, a difference of C$ 38. 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 Cairns to Melbourne Airport route, 18% of flights were delayed in the past 3 months, with delays averaging 1 hour 40 minutes.

Morning is the busiest departure period on Cairns to Melbourne Airport flights, with 58% leaving in that window. Afternoon departures account for 28%, Evening flights for 14%, and Night flights for 0%.

Some of the most popular sights in Melbourne Airport are Immigration Museum and Rod Laver Arena. These are among the most viewed places in Melbourne Airport on KAYAK.

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

• Earliest: departs at 7:00 am and lands at 10:28 am
• Latest: departs at 9:40 pm and lands at 1:08 am.

The flight takes about 3h 28m.

Last-minute fares on this route – booked within 2 weeks of departure – run 16% above the route average of C$ 318. Book 22 weeks before departure for the lowest fares.

A direct flight from Cairns to Melbourne Airport takes 3h 28m, covering 3,719 km.

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, round-trip prices on this route showed a wide range, from about C$ 247 to C$ 1,461. That means the highest observed fare was about 6x higher than the lowest one.

One-way fares from Cairns to Melbourne Airport are currently in line with typical prices for this route. Average one-way fares are about C$ 205.

Qantas Airways is slightly above the route average for timely arrivals, while Jetstar has a lower on-time arrival rate. On-time arrival rates on Cairns to Melbourne Airport flights are:

• Qantas Airways: 84% on time
• Jetstar: 82% on time
• Virgin Australia: 82% on time

On average, flights on this route are punctual 82% of the time.

Morning 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 Brisbane (BNE) gives the shortest average 1-stop total travel time at 5h 31m, compared with 7h 06m via Sydney Kingsford Smith (SYD).

Melbourne Airport (MEL) hosts 5 major car rental companies, with daily rates starting from around C$ 19 for economy cars. Top options include:
• Bargain Car Rentals
• East Coast Car Rentals
• EverythingFleet
• Ace Rental Cars
• Alpha

Round-trip flights from Cairns to Melbourne Airport range from C$ 257 to C$ 394, with an average of C$ 318 over the past 12 months. Anything below C$ 257 counts as a good deal.