Hi there,
I need a recommendation or advise on air travel between Sydney and Cairns during my trip to Australia. I checked Australian Air and Virgin Blue but they were each about $840 AUS which is quite high. There is an startup JetStar but they don't fly into Cairns from Sydney. Any suggestions or rec? Should I wait closer to my trip to book this leg?
Thanks

we flew Virgin Blue Syndey to Cairns 3 weeks ago for only around $300 AUS each, that sounds ridiculous. Check Quantas too.

When are you planning to go?

The fares on both Qantas and Virgin Blue should be less than this - unless you're travelling at the high time of high season.

Try a little flexibility.

Hi, kairous1!

Domestic air fares in Australia are so volatile, particuarly since Jetstar announced it was contesting on some of the routes previously monopolised by VirginBlue. There were a few golden days asome weeks ago when you could have booked single fares between Sydney and Cairns for $AUD58! I certainly wouldn't dream of accepting anything as high as $840 return. My advice is to watch the VirginBlue and JetStar sites and wait. When the great deals crop up -- and I am betting that around May 25, when JetStar actually takes to the skies, we will see some more -- they usually last around 24 hours. Be prepared to travel on red-eye flights, but if you are vigilant I'm sure something will turn up.

I would recommend checking daily. I ended up booking on Jet Blue for a September visit, quite inexpensively. Though when I had checked their website the day before, the prices were around $840!

When are you traveling? The Qantas website is quoting "Red e-Deals" fares of $201-$205 AUS each way for July.

I bought a Boomerang Pass on Qantas when I traveled between Sydney, Cairns, Melbourne and back to Sydney. Saved a bunch of money that way.

Hi Kairous1,

I know this response is a bit late but I only logged onto this forum yesterday!

Alan and Margo are right - keep an eye out on both the Qantas and Virgin BLue websites. Or better yet, sign up for their newsletters which will announce their sale fares.

I missed one Qantas sale but managed to catch one of Virgin's sales in the nick of time and secured seats from Sydney to Melbourne in June for a ridiculously cheap price of AUD$29 one way! The normal price for this leg advertised is usually in the region of AUD$89 one way.

Good luck!

Hi, Kairous1!
Virginblue have just finished (yesterday)a forty-eight hour sale where seats from Sydney to Cairns (and vice-versa) were $AUD48. If it can happen yesterday, it can happen next week. Don't make the booking until the prices are just right for you.