It is great to see the skies open up once more, however COVID-19 continues to affect staffing and airline schedules. One of the current issues we are observing in 2022 are multiple changes being made by airlines due to staffing and demand fluctuations. For single groups arriving on one flight into Cairns Airport this has an impact, but is manageable and relatively easy for our passengers to alter their shuttle time by simply contacting us with your new details.

The problem we are seeing is when a single booking is made for a group of people who are arriving on 2 or even 3 different flights. While we understand care would have been taken to align arrival times by the person booking the shuttle and the attraction of a discount for larger groups travelling together, these plans can quickly come unstruck when one of the flights is either late, or is totally changed by Jetstar or Virgin or Qantas to a new flight at another time of day.

This creates anxiety for passengers who have booked the single group shuttle and can in turn trigger a long and involved email trail for passengers and our shuttles as we try to reallocate seats or work out what to do with a booking now with arrivals spread over 4 or 6 hours. Is that the best way to start your 2022 holiday in Port Douglas or Cairns?

Solution? Please make one booking per group per flight. You will very likely travel with your friends and family on other flights when you all arrive, but if there are flight schedule changes for one part of your group the others can proceed to Port Douglas quickly and easily. Your friends or family can either go ahead if arriving early, of follow you if arriving late. You can settle into your accommodation and have a cold drink ready for them when they arrive 🍹🍺

We strongly encourage passengers in 2022 not to make a single arrival booking for flights arriving separately. Any small discount achieved can quickly be eroded by the burden of emails and cost changes, alterations, group emails to recheck everyone's approval or availability for the new details.

​Start your holiday relaxed - please make one single booking per group per flight 👍

Hi all, heads up that proof of vaccination is coming to our shuttles and many venues in Queensland. The easiest way to prove vaccination is to add your digital certificate to your Check In Qld app.  You will need the Check In Qld app when holidaying in Cairns and Port Douglas, so download Check In Qld app today and be ready for arrival. 😊 

It has just been announced that Cairns and Yarrabah will go into a 3 day lockdown starting at 4pm on Sunday 8 August 2021.

**Update 12 August. Lockdown is over. Masks mandatory for 11 days until 22 August, however this does not apply to Port Douglas. So once you arrive in Port Douglas, you are free from Cairns restrictions.**

The following procedures will be in place effective immediately from 10:30am on Sunday 8 August 2021, and will continue as long as the lockdown applies to Cairns.

1. There will be no pick ups from, or drop offs to, Cairns accommodation or any business or accommodation in the Cairns area. Any existing bookings will be contacted and refunded. No new bookings will be accepted for Cairns accommodation pick up and drop off during the lockdown period.
2. Departures from Port Douglas to Cairns Airport will continue, with a Port Douglas based driver dropping off at Cairns Airport and then return directly to Port Douglas.

The following procedures will be in place effective from 4pm on Sunday 8 August 2021, and will continue as long as the lockdown applies to Cairns.

1. Arrivals into Cairns. Due to all states being closed to Queensland there are very few arrivals into Cairns. We anticipate we will again use Port Douglas based drivers to collect and return directly to Port Douglas.
2. Pick ups from the airport will only be accepted for passengers from flights that have just arrived. Passengers already in Cairns who make their way to Cairns Airport seeking transfer to Port Douglas will not be transferred. People currently staying in Cairns must abide by the  Queensland Health Directive and lockdown procedures.

Any further updates will be made here. Thank you for your understanding. These measures are in place to protect our drivers, our passengers and our community of Far North Queensland.

On 27 July 2021 CairnsAirportShuttle.net commenced a regular donation of 5 driving lessons, with the first 5 driving lesson gift certificates given to Ashleigh at the Mossman Youth Centre (pictured below). The Mossman Youth Centre offers support services to approx: 60 young people from 8-16 years.

On 3 September 2021 we also gave 5 gift certificates to another local organisation in Mossman.

Mossman is 15 minutes north of Port Douglas. 

These gift certificates help one young person per month get professional driving lessons provided by Steve from the Port Douglas/ Mossman Driving School.  Driving lessons help to empower our youth, and opens up opportunities for employment.

We commenced issuing 100% credit vouchers in March 2020 and now after redelivering on many credit vouchers we outline below the process to rebook your transfers with your 100% credits.

We have found the majority of bookings using our 100% credit travel vouchers simply wish to advise new travel dates, new flight numbers and flight times with the majority of passengers, accommodation, contact details etc remaining the same.

Importantly this process maintains your existing booking reference.

This process avoids you needing to make a completely new booking and avoids you and us dealing with old and new booking references. This can become confusing when old emails are forwarded and combined with new booking numbers. 

To rebook new transfers with your 100% credit voucher:

1. Simply email us (use any email address you have for us) with your previous booking reference in the subject line.
2. Advise us your new travel dates, new flight numbers and new flight times.
3. Advise us any other details that have changed.
4. Pay any balance due if fares have risen since your cancellation, or if you add extra services or people. We will advise balance due and sent you a payment link. 
5. We will book your new travel dates, new flight numbers and new flight times.
6. We will confirm your new booking by email.
7. Done!

To see more details about being issued a 100% credit travel voucher see our page here

Every year the Cairns IRONMAN closes the entire highway from about 5.30am to 5.30pm. 

This year the Cairns IRONMAN closes the highway on 6 June 2021.

If you are flying out from Cairns on 6 June 2021 this is particularly important for you, because you cannot travel down the Captain Cook Highway between 5:30am and 5:30pm.

Every year we suggest to travellers either stay in Port until the day after, or go to Cairns the day before. 

Our travel options on 6 June 2021 are:

• Leave Port Douglas at 5:00am - we are taking bookings for this slot which is good for AM flight departures from Cairns, and will be running several buses down the highway, or
• Leave Port Douglas once the highway reopens after 5:30pm.
• Arrivals into Cairns will need to wait until the highway reopens. We have been proactively alerting bookings where possible, particularly those arrivals in the morning. As recently as yesterday  we alerted someone who had booked with their accommodation to leave Port Douglas on 6 June, however they were unaware of the closure.
• We have previously offered transfers on the inland highway via Mareeba and Kuranda, however by the Ironman organiser's own estimation travellers should allow 3.5 to 4 hours to get from Port Douglas, out through local road closures, and down to Cairns.  We will not offer that service this year. It is a long drive, and one which doubles the fuel and driver costs of the transfer.

We know there is a widespread lack of information about this significant disruption. We have recently swapped emails with Tourism Port Douglas Daintree, and annually we provide feedback to the Port Douglas Chamber of Commerce via business feedback surveys about getting this information out, but to no avail. We have also contacted the organisers of Ironman in 2021 about the transport options they are promoting only to discover they are advising travellers that all shuttles will be using the inland highway when this is not the case. So we annually try to do our best and advise travellers who have booked accommodation and tours in Port Douglas, or are expecting to be able to travel between Cairns and Port Douglas on Ironman day, to please make other arrangements.

We understand Quicksilver is running a vessel transfer on 6 June 2021:

Depart Port Douglas 6:45am 2.00pm
Arrive Cairns 8:30am 3.45pm

Depart Cairns 8:45am 4.15pm
Arrive Port Douglas 10:30am 5.45pm

Reservations can only be made by phone or email:
Phone:(07) 4044 9944
​Email: centralres@greatadventures.com.au