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Cheap flights from San Francisco to Cairns from $601

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 1/8. Fares are subject to change and may not be available on all flights or dates of travel.
SFO — CNS
9 Apr — 16 Apr1
1 adult
1 adult, Economy, 0 bags

Cheap flight deals from San Francisco to Cairns

Enter your travel dates to find the best prices.

Cheapest flights from San Francisco to Cairns
Explore the most affordable flight options available from San Francisco to Cairns. Find the lowest fares from popular airlines and budget airlines, with prices last updated on 10 March 2026.

Sun 26/722:05
SFO
-
CNS
1 stop19h 40m
Air New Zealand
Sun 16/817:40
CNS
-
SFO
2 stops36h 15m
Air New Zealand
Deal found 10/3$1,689
Tue 21/422:05
SFO
-
CNS
2 stops28h 25m
Air New Zealand
Tue 28/411:55
CNS
-
SFO
1 stop18h 00m
Air New Zealand
Deal found 7/3$1,691
Mon 11/522:05
SFO
-
CNS
2 stops28h 25m
Air New Zealand
Mon 18/517:40
CNS
-
SFO
2 stops36h 15m
Air New Zealand
Deal found 6/3$1,718
Fri 18/922:05
SFO
-
CNS
1 stop19h 40m
Air New Zealand
Sat 3/1013:55
CNS
-
SFO
2 stops39h 00m
Air New Zealand
Deal found 9/3$1,751
Thu 23/419:40
SFO
-
CNS
2 stops23h 00m
Multiple Airlines
Thu 30/412:40
CNS
-
SFO
2 stops23h 04m
Multiple Airlines
Deal found 9/3$1,773
Fri 18/922:20
SFO
-
CNS
2 stops44h 20m
Multiple Airlines
Sat 3/1006:00
CNS
-
SFO
2 stops48h 40m
Multiple Airlines
Deal found 9/3$1,795
Sat 2/522:40
SFO
-
CNS
2 stops43h 05m
Air New Zealand
Sat 9/513:55
CNS
-
SFO
2 stops40h 00m
Air New Zealand
Deal found 6/3$1,804
Fri 29/522:05
SFO
-
CNS
2 stops31h 40m
Air New Zealand
Sun 14/606:00
CNS
-
SFO
2 stops23h 55m
Air New Zealand
Deal found 8/3$1,831

Find flight deals from San Francisco to Cairns

Discover tips and strategies to find the most affordable flight options for your journey from San Francisco (SFO) 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 10 March 2026.

Round-trip from

$1,689

One-way from

$601

Popular in

March

Cheapest in

August

Average price

$4,414
Air New Zealand
  • Air New Zealand
  • 26/7-16/8
  • 3 total stops
  • 55h 55m total
  • San Francisco to Cairns
Search Deals
Fiji Airways
  • Fiji Airways
  • 1/8
  • 1 total stop
  • 20h 05m total
  • San Francisco to Cairns
Search Deals
Highest demand for flights based on searches. 29% potential increase in price ($1,346 potential increase over avg. return price).
Search Deals
Cheapest flight prices on average. 11% potential price decrease ($335 potential savings vs. average return price).
Search Deals
Average for round-trip flights in March 2026
Search Deals

Cheapflights Fare Finder

 
Customise your flight search to find flights from San Francisco 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 647,157 searches. Data last updated 10 March 2026.
Use the filters below to find and compare flights from San Francisco to Cairns that are best for you.

Fly from

Fly to

Route

Depart

Return

Price

Cheapest return flight

San FranciscoCairns

SFO - CNS

SFOCNS

San Francisco

Mon 11/5

22:05-19:30

2 stops28h 25m

Cairns

Mon 18/5

17:40-12:55

2 stops36h 15m

$1,718

San FranciscoCairns

SFO - CNS

SFOCNS

San Francisco

Sat 2/5

17:57-10:35

2 stops23h 38m

Cairns

Sat 9/5

09:25-18:44

3 stops26h 19m

$2,170
Fastest return journey

San FranciscoCairns

SFO - CNS

SFOCNS

San Francisco

Tue 21/4

22:30-18:25

1 stop26h 55m

Cairns

Tue 28/4

12:10-17:45

1 stop22h 35m

$2,228

San FranciscoCairns

SFO - CNS

SFOCNS

San Francisco

Mon 11/5

11:00-17:00

1 stop37h 00m

Cairns

Mon 18/5

18:15-09:10

1 stop31h 55m

$2,252

San FranciscoCairns

SFO - CNS

SFOCNS

San Francisco

Fri 29/5

06:00-04:30

2 stops29h 30m

Cairns

Sun 14/6

11:40-14:45

1 stop20h 05m

$2,267

San FranciscoCairns

SFO - CNS

SFOCNS

San Francisco

Mon 11/5

13:40-10:35

2 stops27h 55m

Cairns

Mon 18/5

19:10-17:45

1 stop39h 35m

$2,274

San FranciscoCairns

SFO - CNS

SFOCNS

San Francisco

Fri 24/4

08:15-12:55

2 stops35h 40m

Cairns

Fri 1/5

13:40-05:57

2 stops33h 17m

$2,507
Cheapest one-way

San FranciscoCairns

SFO - CNS

SFOCNS

San Francisco

Sat 1/8

22:35-11:40

1 stop20h 05m

$601

San FranciscoCairns

SFO - CNS

SFOCNS

San Francisco

Mon 6/7

17:15-04:30

1 stop42h 15m

$1,022

San FranciscoCairns

SFO - CNS

SFOCNS

San Francisco

Fri 31/7

17:15-11:00

3 stops48h 45m

$1,049

Flights are sorted by cheapest return flights first.

Deals found on 7/3

Showing 1-10 of 14 resultsSorted by cheapest first
1
2

Best time to book a flight from San Francisco to Cairns

Have a flexible travel schedule? Discover the best time to fly to Cairns from San Francisco with our price prediction graph.
Estimated return 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 San Francisco to Cairns

How often are flights from San Francisco to Cairns delayed?

About 13% of weekly flights between San Francisco and Cairns have experienced delays in the past year, with the average delay time being 183 minutes.

What is the most punctual flight time for San Francisco to Cairns flights?

Historically, flights departing in the early afternoon are less likely to be delayed, whereas flights leaving at night tend to experience delays more often.

What day of the week experiences the fewest flight delays on this route?

Friday tends to have the lowest number of delays on this route, whereas Wednesday has historically faced a higher average of delays compared to other days of the week.

Which airline has the best punctuality record on San Francisco to Cairns flights?

Over the past year, United Airlines have had the lowest number of delays on this route, with just 13% of flights being delayed.

Related info for your journey

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

  • How long is the flight from San Francisco to Cairns?

    Airlines like Air New Zealand fly from San Francisco to Cairns in about 28h 25m. The time it takes to get you to your destination can typically vary by up to . The distance from San Francisco to Cairns is about 11296 km.

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

    Yes. In addition to deals on San Francisco to Cairns flights, Cheapflights offers holiday packages that include both flights and hotel.

  • How can I find direct flights from San Francisco to Cairns?

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

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

    Yes. Cheapflights offers flight deals from San Francisco 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.

See more FAQs

Travelling to a place near Cairns?

Book flights to Cairns if you plan to visit one of these locations
Mission Beach
Trinity Beach

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Why should you use Cheapflights to find cheap flight tickets from San Francisco to Cairns?

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Can Cheapflights find flights from San Francisco to Cairns with no change fees?

Yes! Cheapflights helps users easily find flights from San Francisco to Cairns with no change fees.

Can Cheapflights notify me if prices for flights from San Francisco to Cairns become cheaper?

Yes, and it’s super simple to set up. Click the bell icon next to the flight deals above and provide a valid email address to enable Price Alerts. That’s it!

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