We will be flying to Sydney from the USA on United in November (first visit to Australia for us) and continuing on to Cairns. Qantas and Virgin Blue fly between Sydney and Cairns. Any recommendations between them?

Also: how much time should we plan between arrival of our USA flight and the flight to Cairns? Will need to clear Customs and it looks like we need to go to a different terminal too.

Thanks!

Please note that Qantas low-cost carrier Jetstar also fly Sydney/Cairns.

Jetstar=virgin blue=south west.

Yes - you will need to clear Customs, and go to another terminal - via a bus transfer. The domestic terminal is some distance from the international terminal. Allow plenty of time (as in say 2-3 hours)

Jetstar and Virgin Blue are low cost airlines - Johnj has compared them to southwest.
Qantas is the national full-service airline, but sometimes has quite good prices. We went to Cairns last year on Qantas for the same price as Virginblue.

If price is your criteria, check travel.com.au where you can compare availability and price of all 3 airlines and book what you want. But check the individual airlines sites as well.

Be sure to check luggage weight if you have a lot of luggage. I recently flew Qantas from Melbourne to Hobart (1 hour) and it included a breakfast. I would pay $40 more to fly Qantas, personally.

Thank you for your prompt and helpful answers. Margo_Oz, we checked all three airline websites you suggested. Given the arrival time of our United flight and the need to get through Customs and to a different terminal, plus the recommendations, we'll be taking Qantas. Looking forward to our trip!

avidreader...

I must admit, I'm like Wally. I prefer to fly Qantas within Oz if it's only a bit more. Qantas is usually fairly competitive. Haven't been reduced to any other airline yet - but watch out when Qantas has new owners.