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Cheap flights from San Francisco to Cairns from $1,026

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 13/3. Fares are subject to change and may not be available on all flights or dates of travel.
SFO — CNS
24 Mar — 31 Mar1
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 22 February 2026.

Sun 20/918:25
SFO
-
CNS
2 stops28h 30m
Multiple Airlines
Mon 28/906:00
CNS
-
SFO
2 stops21h 20m
Multiple Airlines
Deal found 22/2$1,587
Sun 20/922:05
SFO
-
CNS
2 stops25h 50m
Air New Zealand
Mon 28/910:55
CNS
-
SFO
1 stop18h 00m
Air New Zealand
Deal found 22/2$1,673
Mon 11/522:05
SFO
-
CNS
2 stops25h 50m
Air New Zealand
Mon 18/517:40
CNS
-
SFO
2 stops36h 15m
Air New Zealand
Deal found 19/2$1,694
Fri 24/723:25
SFO
-
CNS
2 stops24h 30m
Multiple Airlines
Sat 8/812:40
CNS
-
SFO
1 stop18h 15m
Multiple Airlines
Deal found 22/2$1,699
Sat 2/522:40
SFO
-
CNS
2 stops43h 05m
Air New Zealand
Sat 9/515:45
CNS
-
SFO
2 stops38h 10m
Air New Zealand
Deal found 19/2$1,782
Sat 2/522:40
SFO
-
CNS
2 stops43h 05m
Air New Zealand
Sat 16/511:20
CNS
-
SFO
2 stops42h 35m
Air New Zealand
Deal found 21/2$1,786
Thu 23/419:40
SFO
-
CNS
2 stops23h 00m
Multiple Airlines
Sat 2/512:40
CNS
-
SFO
2 stops23h 04m
Multiple Airlines
Deal found 22/2$1,789

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 22 February 2026.

Round-trip from

$1,694

One-way from

$1,026
Air New Zealand
  • Air New Zealand
  • 11/5-18/5
  • 4 total stops
  • 62h 05m total
  • San Francisco to Cairns
Search Deals
13/3
  • 13/3
  • 2 total stops
  • 43h 00m total
  • San Francisco to Cairns
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 22 February 2026.
Use the filters below to find and compare flights from San Francisco to Cairns that are best for you.

Fly from

San Francisco

Fly to

Cairns

Route

Depart

Return

Price

San FranciscoCairns

SFO - CNS

SFOCNS

San Francisco

Mon 11/5

22:05-16:55

2 stops25h 50m

Cairns

Mon 18/5

17:40-12:55

2 stops36h 15m

$1,694

San FranciscoCairns

SFO - CNS

SFOCNS

San Francisco

Sat 2/5

22:40-10:45

2 stops43h 05m

Cairns

Sat 9/5

15:45-12:55

2 stops38h 10m

$1,782

San FranciscoCairns

SFO - CNS

SFOCNS

San Francisco

Sun 5/4

22:30-17:35

1 stop26h 05m

Cairns

Sun 12/4

13:55-17:45

2 stops20h 50m

$1,981

San FranciscoCairns

SFO - CNS

SFOCNS

San Francisco

Sat 2/5

16:45-04:30

1 stop42h 45m

Cairns

Sat 16/5

21:40-09:10

2 stops52h 30m

$2,005

San FranciscoCairns

SFO - CNS

SFOCNS

San Francisco

Sat 2/5

18:45-17:35

2 stops29h 50m

Cairns

Sat 9/5

09:25-18:44

3 stops26h 19m

$2,183

San FranciscoCairns

SFO - CNS

SFOCNS

San Francisco

Sat 4/4

11:30-22:25

2 stops41h 55m

Cairns

Sat 11/4

06:45-10:18

2 stops44h 33m

$2,242

San FranciscoCairns

SFO - CNS

SFOCNS

San Francisco

Tue 14/7

22:05-10:45

1 stop19h 40m

Cairns

Mon 27/7

11:55-12:55

1 stop18h 00m

$2,305

San FranciscoCairns

SFO - CNS

SFOCNS

San Francisco

Thu 12/3

16:59-16:15

2 stops30h 16m

Cairns

Thu 19/3

09:20-17:44

3 stops25h 24m

$2,324

San FranciscoCairns

SFO - CNS

SFOCNS

San Francisco

Fri 13/3

23:05-11:05

2 stops43h 00m

$1,026

San FranciscoCairns

SFO - CNS

SFOCNS

San Francisco

Fri 13/3

23:10-11:00

1 stop18h 50m

$1,596

Flights are sorted by cheapest return flights first.

Deals found on 20/2

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?

Tuesday 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, China Eastern 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 and Qantas Airways fly from San Francisco to Cairns in about 25h 50m. The time it takes to get you to your destination can typically vary by up to 15m. The distance from San Francisco to Cairns is about 11296 km. When browsing for deals, the options you’ll see will be for both direct flights and flights with stops.

  • 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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