Why our shuttles leave Port Douglas 3 hours before flights

Port Douglas is a beautiful place to holiday, so beautiful that some people don't want to leave 😎🌴

This is why sometimes we receive requests from our passengers, who spend holiday time to email or text us, asking to leave Port Douglas just 2 hours, or even, 1.5 hours before their flight leaves Cairns. The reasoning seems to be that visitors want to enjoy every last minute, and that because the direct transfer takes 1 hour, almost exactly, from Port Douglas to Cairns Airport, there is no need to leave any earlier.

The 1 hour transit time is the time it takes when everyone is on board your shuttle, when the weather is 100% fine, and there is no heavy rain, no traffic delays, no start - stop roadworks, no landslips, no accidents, and no traffic jams around Smithfield.

We're using the attached text message alert from Monday 13 March 2023 and this post as a little 'heads up' why we always schedule pick ups from Port Douglas to be 3 hours before a flight departure from Cairns. These TMR alerts can come through at any time day or night. Accidents involving one or two vehicles, blocking one or two lanes on The Captain Cook Highway, is the most common issue.

We do hope everyone enjoys their holiday in Port Douglas, and ask that visitors to our region understand both the natural beauty, and also fragility, of the Captain Cook Highway.

​Let us use our experience of the Captain Cook Highway to transfer you between Port Douglas and Cairns. Our aim is always to have you at Cairns Airport in a relaxed fashion. Time to check your bags, grab a coffee or a snack, and continue relaxing before you head home and book your next holiday to Port Douglas. 🌴😎🍹