Cheap flights from Cairns to Melbourne from $164

In general, January 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 $275. If you aren’t able to travel to Melbourne during the month of January, then flying in February is also cheap. Prices for this month can be found on momondo for an average of $279.

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 $296. Be sure to avoid booking your departure on a Monday as prices are generally higher than usual. According to our data, the average ticket price to Melbourne on Monday 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 $266. Flights to Melbourne are more costly in the morning, with an average ticket price of $398. Departure times in the morning 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 $313 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 $212 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.

Historically, on average around 18% 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 104 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 16% of their flights experiencing any sort of delay.

As of September 2026, there are 20 flights per day flying from Cairns to Melbourne. The most common time of day flights depart is 12:00, with 49% of flights taking off in the afternoon.

The number of flights available between Cairns and Melbourne is 142 per week as of September 2026. The most frequent departure day is Wed, with 20% of weekly flights leaving on this day.