Cheap Flights from Canberra to Cairns

Tropical North Queensland’s premier destination, Cairns, is the gateway to the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Great Barrier Reef, and as such an incredibly popular holiday spot for both national and internationally travellers. Whether you need to book a cheap airline ticket from Canberra to Cairns for a holiday, for business, or to see family or friends, you’re sure to enjoy your time spent in this pretty part of the state.

Airlines offering Cairns flights from Canberra

The two main airlines who you can use to book air tickets to Cairns from Canberra are Qantas and Virgin Australia. Both companies run flights from Canberra to Cairns every week. Between the two carriers flying this route, make finding the best deal easy by signing up to Skycanner’s price alerts. This ensures you’re ahead of the game when it comes to finding the cheapest airline tickets.

Canberra airport departure information

To allow yourself enough time to check in and drop off your luggage, you should arrive at the Canberra airport a minimum of 30-60 minutes before your flight to Cairns. Make sure you have some proof of identity with you to present if required (a driver’s licence or passport, for instance). If you need affordable accommodation in Canberra before you travel to Cairns, you can find some great options using Skyscanner’s hotel booking service.

To get to the Canberra airport you can drive your own vehicle and park on site when you arrive, or take a taxi. Alternatively, there’s also the Airport Express Bus service, or you can book a limousine.

Although the domestic airport is only quite small in comparison to those found in other capital cities, it does have enough facilities to occupy your time before you travel to Cairns from Canberra. Inside the terminal you’ll find both Qantas and Virgin Australia lounges, as well as three different food and drink outlets. In addition, the airport has a bookstore, ATMs, payphones, bathrooms, and baggage trolleys for the use of flyers.

Cairns airport arrivals

After arriving at Cairns airport, you can browse the terminal’s variety of stores if you’d like to pick up any last-minute items or look for a souvenir. The building also has a number of restaurants to choose from if you need some refreshments.

When you are ready to journey into the Cairns city centre (an 8km drive away), you can hail a taxi, book a private transfer service, or rent a car. If you’d like to have this organised in advance, you can arrange an affordable vehicle using Skyscanner’s car hire service.

Alternatively, there are two different bus services operating between the airport and a number of suburbs in and around Cairns. For the city and local hotels, hop on the Australian Coach airport shuttle bus. If you want to go to the Northern Beaches, Cape Tribulation, Port Douglas or Palm Cove, instead book a seat on one of the Sun Palm Express Coaches.

Other important information to note:

The cost of living does not vary much between Canberra and Cairns. The average price of a meal at an inexpensive restaurant is $15 in both cities. However, taxi fees are typically quite a bit higher in Canberra, where a cab costs around $48-$54 to the airport. In Cairns, on the other hand, the price is only around $25.

When planning your trip to Cairns from Canberra, keep in mind that the Queensland city is much hotter than Canberra, and more humid. You should pack cooler clothing as well as sunscreen as a result.

Please note: all information is correct as of November 2015.

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