Airport FAQ
The team at Excellence Coaches operate 20 vehicles between Cairns Airport and Port Douglas. Door to door service. No stops at Palm Cove. Please use our online booking forms before arrival to secure your Cairns Airport transfers. Walk up availability at Cairns Airport is usually not available during busy times.
MEET AT CAROUSEL 3 AT CAIRNS DOMESTIC T2. MEET AT ARRIVALS HALL AT INTERNATIONAL T1. WE OPERATE THE MOST FREQUENT CAIRNS AIRPORT TO PORT DOUGLAS SHUTTLE SERVICE IN CAIRNS.
Excellence Coaches Office is open 9am to 5pm daily. We only collect passengers who have booked ahead from the menu above. We offer a range of separate services: seats in shared shuttles, private transfers and limousine from Cairns Airport to Cairns City, Palm Cove and Port Douglas. We go direct Cairns Airport to your Port Douglas accommodation no stops in Palm Cove.
- Cairns Airport Domestic T2: please proceed to Baggage Claim Carousel #3 to meet your driver. Your driver will meet you at baggage carousel 3 with your name on a sign. Cairns International T1: your driver will meet you in the arrivals hall with your name on a sign. Cairns Airport limits the time that shuttles can access the airport so if your driver is not at baggage carousel 3 or the International Arrivals Hall when you get there please wait. Please aim to be ready 15 minutes before your scheduled service departs.
- Transfers are confirmed when you receive your confirmation. There is no need to re-confirm before arrival.
- Departure from Port Douglas is according to your selected schedule which should be 3 hours before your flight departs Cairns. We will email you 1-2 days before your departure from Port Douglas with your pick up time.
- To assist the comfort and reliability of our service for all travelling passengers on a shared shuttle, we are unable to alter the departure window for individual requests. As we travel the Captain Cook Highway multiple times every day we factor in all traffic and road conditions on your day of travel to ensure you are at Cairns Airport for your flight.
- If you contact us please use the booking reference in your confirmation so we can quickly help you.
- Our Cairns Airport Shuttle operates standard hours every day 7:00am to 7:00pm.
- Child seats are $15 one way. They are child seats not baby capsules.
Excellence Coaches and Limousines
Cancellation, Credit or Refund
Transfer bookings made less than 24 hours before travel may not be delivered as we have no availability. We will advise you as soon as possible during business hours or as soon as our office opens if this is the case.
As noted here, on our contact page, and terms and conditions, bookings made less than 24 hours before travel may not be processed. This is because our driver schedules are finalised each evening, including driver allocations, shuttle assignments, and pick-up times across Port Douglas and Cairns.
If you paid using one of our PayPal checkout forms, we will issue a refund within 24 hours. Please allow 2–3 business days for the refund to appear in your account.
If you booked using one of our secure vault forms, your payment will not be processed and no funds will be taken. Your payment details will then be deleted from our system.
If you need another transfer during your time in Cairns or Port Douglas, you are welcome to book online at least 48 hours in advance. If you need to travel within 24 hours, please contact our office on 07 3012 7400 before making a booking.
Please review below then contact us using Manage My Booking with the following:
- Your booking reference number in the email subject line.
- Your request for 100% credit valid for 12 months OR
- Your request for refund less cancel fees (see below) – the choice is yours
- If refund, please include your Australian BSB, account number and account name. We do not retain credit card details after processing payments.
- Please allow 5 business days for us to process your refund – and an additional 1-2 days for receipt of refund. We will email you the refund receipt when processed.
- Cancel more than 24 hours before travel: Refund less $18 per adult cancel fee for return transfers ($9 one way) and $9 per child cancel fee for return transfers ($4.50 one way).
- Cancel less than 24 hours before travel: no refund, OR
- 100% credit for 12 months. We will issue you booking a credit on our system for use at a later date. When you are ready to book again simply contact us with your booking number and your new travel details. You will keep the same booking reference.
- If cancelling a credit once issued, the same cancel fees will apply.
- $30 cancel fee for one way private transfer or limousine cancellation over 24 hours, or
- $50 cancel fee for return private transfer or limousine cancellation over 24 hours, or
- $100 under 24 hours cancellation, or
- 100% credit for 12 months. We will issue you booking a credit on our system for use at a later date. When you are ready to book again simply contact us with your booking number and your new travel details. You will keep the same booking reference.
- If cancelling a credit once issued, the same cancel fees will apply.
Passengers are not permitted to drink alcohol or eat food or consume any non water beverage on public passenger vehicles in Queensland. The following common courtesies are for the comfort and enjoyment of your travelling party and all passengers on our shuttles, limousines or private transfers. Queensland Government fines and cleaning charges can result if these courtesies are not followed.
- Bottled water is permitted to be consumed on our shuttles, however all other food and beverages are not permitted to be consumed on our shuttle service. This Queensland food and beverage restriction on public passenger vehicles is in the Transport Operations (Passenger Transport) Regulation 2018 (Qld) s 232(2). Thank you for your help to keep our shuttles clean and tidy.
- A cleaning charge of $175 INC GST applies to any non-water spillages or mess in the shuttle that in the assessment of the driver needs to be professionally cleaned. This cleaning charge applies to spillages of carbonated beverages like Coke, Pepsi, Fanta and the like. Spillages of sunscreen, perfume or of non-carbonated beverages like orange juice or apple juice, and foods like yoghurt, sandwiches, kebabs, pies and any type of food spillage will also attract the cleaning charge. Any bodily fluids including vomit, urine, faeces will automatically attract the cleaning charge independent of the driver’s assessment. If cleaning is required we will provide an invoice for payment due within 7 days. Your assistance is appreciated.
- Please take any rubbish with you.
- Animals are not permitted on our shuttle service, unless they are an approved guide, hearing, or assistance animal.
- Smoking is not permitted on our shuttle service. This includes electronic cigarettes.
- Passengers are required to use earphones when listening to music or watching videos on a personal device, and keep the volume at a reasonable level.
- For the comfort of all travelling passengers musical instruments are not permitted to be played on our shuttle service. travel: .
If calling to request and make a phone booking our friendly staff will advise you of the $10 fee before proceeding with your booking.
Why $10 fee? To assist the accurate collection of all important information like flight codes, scheduled arrival and departures, accommodation, bags and oversize, FRR RFR child seats, public holiday travel and special requests like pick up times or side stops in Smithfield (private transfer only) we encourage all passengers on our service to please book securely online.
Booking securely online gives you time to complete the form and find details that might not be at hand and enter these details at your own pace. Secure online booking also protects your payment information because our staff never see it in the PayPal gateway that we use. Online booking also generates for you an instant unique booking reference and confirmation with all shuttle details direct to your email address.
For passengers wishing to book over the phone please note that a $10 fee per phone booking will be applied in addition to the total transfer cost. The $10 fee covers our administration staff time and the manual delivery of bookings that can be entered online, or bookings that can’t be booked online and need the special attention of our trained staff.
Thank you for your understanding.
When we receive your booking we allocate vehicles and drivers according to the information on your booking form and established flight schedules. Our Flight Change Payment is a measure to help us manage the flight changes made by Jetstar, Qantas and Virgin that impact our schedule, or upon request by our passengers seeking to change their booking. Changes to new flight numbers or new flight days require additional staff to manage our daily shuttle schedule and reallocate vehicles and drivers. This Flight Change Payment can be paid by credit card over the phone when making the change. If you email us your change we will call you back to confirm the change and process the Flight Change Payment. Due to ongoing staff and driver shortages, we also ask that passengers limit discretionary changes less than 24 hours before travel. Thank you for your understanding and assistance to help us provide smooth service and transfers between Cairns Airport and Port Douglas.
Excellence Coaches and Limousines
Which Airlines Fly to Cairns?
Most domestic airlines have flights to Cairns, as well as a number of regional lines and international airlines including Air New Zealand, Hong Kong Airlines and other international destinations. While a remote area, this location is a beloved tourist destination, so you are sure to find a flight from your destination.
Do I need to confirm my booking?
We recommend that you make your booking at least 48 hours before you are expected to travel. In 2025 peak season means there is usually no walk-up service if you have no booking before you arrive. This ensures that our team have all of your details confirmed and that your transport will be as smooth as possible. Once you book online your confirmation is instantly emailed to you. Please check the instructions in the confirmation email.