Los Angeles to Cairns
14h 48mgate to gate
The flight from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to Cairns International Airport (CNS) covers 11,571 km (7,190 miles) and takes approximately 14h 48m gate to gate for a typical jet.
The route heads west on an initial great-circle bearing of 259°, passing near 12.6° N, 170.8° W at its midpoint.
Bearing 259° west Midpoint 12.6° N, 170.8° W Model 805 km/h + 25 min
SOURCE·OurAirports + great-circle computation·REVIEWED JUL 2026
How this is worked out
- Take both airports' published coordinates from OurAirports — nothing here is scraped from another flight site.
- Great-circle distance by haversine on a mean earth radius of 6,371.0088 km: 11,571 km.
- Airborne time = that distance ÷ 805 km/h, a representative jet cruise speed: 14h 22m.
- Add a flat 25 minutes for pushback, taxi, climb, descent and taxi-in — the reason a 400 km hop is never half an hour: 14h 48m gate to gate.
- Winds, aircraft type and airline schedule padding are not modelled. The cruise-speed table shows how much that assumption is worth.
11,571 km / 805 km/h = 14h 22m airborne
+ 25 min ground = 14h 48m gate to gate
SOURCE·OurAirports + great-circle computation·REVIEWED JUL 2026
The same route, plotted on a world grid
The strip above gives the route its length and its shape. This gives it a position: latitude and longitude only, no coastlines, because a hand-drawn coastline would be decoration pretending to be data. On a flat grid the shortest path looks bent; on a globe it is straight.
Flight time at different cruise speeds
Aircraft type, winds and routing all move the real number. This is the same distance flown at different speeds, plus the 25-minute ground and climb allowance.
| Typical of | Cruise speed | Airborne | Gate to gate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Turboprop / regional | 550 km/h | 21h 02m | 21h 27m |
| Narrowbody jet (A320, 737) | 780 km/h | 14h 50m | 15h 15m |
| Widebody jet (777, 787, A350) | 900 km/h | 12h 51m | 13h 17m |
| Private jet (Gulfstream) | 850 km/h | 13h 37m | 14h 02m |
Headwinds on an eastbound long-haul routinely add 30–60 minutes; the same route westbound can be quicker. Airlines publish schedules with padding built in.
SOURCE·OurAirports + great-circle computation·REVIEWED JUL 2026
Both airports
| LAX | CNS | |
|---|---|---|
| Airport | Los Angeles International Airport | Cairns International Airport |
| City | Los Angeles | Cairns |
| Country | United States | Australia |
| ICAO | KLAX | YBCS |
| Coordinates | 33.9425, -118.408 | -16.8789, 145.7495 |
| Elevation | 125 ft | 10 ft |
Every figure on this plate is geometry. The shape of the earth is knowable; the airline's schedule is not.
Questions this plate answers
How long is the flight from Los Angeles to Cairns?
A non-stop flight from Los Angeles (LAX) to Cairns (CNS) takes about 14h 48m. The great-circle distance is 11,571 km (7,190 miles, 6,248 nautical miles), flying west on an initial bearing of 259°.
How far is Los Angeles from Cairns?
11,571 kilometres in a straight line over the earth's surface — 7,190 miles or 6,248 nautical miles. Actual flown distance is usually 2–5% longer because aircraft follow airways, avoid weather and route around restricted airspace.
Is there a non-stop flight between LAX and CNS?
This page calculates the direct-line time and distance; it does not track airline schedules. At 11,571 km the route is within reach of long-range widebodies, though not every city pair is served non-stop. Check an airline or booking site for what is actually scheduled.
What should I expect on a 14h 48m flight?
Anything past six hours is a long-haul flight: expect at least one meal service, a significant time-zone shift, and enough sitting that circulation and hydration start to matter. Cabin altitude, dry air and disrupted sleep do more damage to a training routine than the flight itself.
Airport coordinates from OurAirports (public domain). Distance is a great-circle calculation; flight time uses the model described on the method page. Flight times are great-circle estimates for planning only — always check the airline's published schedule.
