Cheap flights from Cairns to Melbourne from $172

In general, February is the cheapest month to fly from Cairns to Melbourne. Due to it being the ‘off-season’ during this time, you can expect flight prices to be around $283. If you aren’t able to travel to Melbourne during the month of February, then flying in January is also cheap. Prices for this month can be found on momondo for an average of $288.

Our data shows that Friday is the least expensive day to fly to Melbourne. Tickets to fly out on this day can be as low as $314. Be sure to avoid booking your departure on a Tuesday as prices are generally higher than usual. According to our data, the average ticket price to Melbourne on Tuesday is $400.

Our most recent data shows that the best time of day to fly to Melbourne is in the evening. Flights from Cairns to Melbourne during this time can be as low as $284. Flights to Melbourne are more costly at midday, with an average ticket price of $411. Departure times at midday fall within the peak daily travel times, which is why tickets can be more expensive.

Fly from Cairns to Melbourne for the best Cairns - Melbourne flight prices

You are more likely to see cheaper flights to Melbourne from Cairns when booking weeks ahead of your departure date. In general, you can expect to find flights to Melbourne for around $334 when searching weeks before you fly. However, flight prices might be lower outside of this timeframe. For example, people recently found flights to Melbourne from Cairns for as low as $219 on momondo.

There are 3 cabin classes available to choose from on Cairns to Melbourne flights. Cabin price and availability will vary by airline so perform a search above to find the right deals for you.

Jetstar, Qantas Airways, and Virgin Australia are the most popular carriers operating from Cairns to Melbourne

Jetstar, Virgin Australia and Qantas Airways are the top three most popular airlines that fly to Melbourne from Cairns according to our data. Jetstar is the first choice among our users, with 76% of people opting to fly with this airline when travelling to Melbourne. Keep in mind that there are 3 different airlines that fly to Melbourne on a routine basis, so you have a few additional options to choose from.

Historically, on average around 17% of flights between Cairns and Melbourne have experienced a delay on any given week. The average delay length over the past 12 months has been 103 minutes.

Generally, flights departing in the morning tend to experience fewer delays. Flights departing in the evening have, in the past, seen delays more frequently in comparison.

Saturday is statistically the day of the week that experiences the fewest delays on this flight route. Tuesday has historically seen more delays on average compared to the rest of the week.

According to our data, Qantas Airways have had the fewest delays on this route over the last 12 months, with about 15% of their flights experiencing any sort of delay.

As of November 2026, there are 15 flights per day flying from Cairns to Melbourne. The most common time of day flights depart is 11:00, with 79% of flights taking off at midday.

The number of flights available between Cairns and Melbourne is 108 per week as of November 2026. The most frequent departure day is Wed, with 19% of weekly flights leaving on this day.