Saw that AFF have created an article out of this thread.
One thing I picked up is that Didi doesn't have an agreement with Cairns Airport to use the rideshare pickup area. OK, given. What stops Didi from simply picking up passengers from the public area, i.e. people who have private cars picking up friends, relatives, etc.? Basically just like calling and getting picked up by a Didi anywhere else that isn't the airport. Is it illegal for a business that isn't registered / has the airport's permission to do so?
I suppose if you ever have a good Didi driver in Cairns, may be a light idea to see if you can exchange contact details for private pickups from the airport in the future (cash under the table, or start the ride outside the geoblocked zone plus a generous tip).
Had to laugh at this amusing inclusion near the end of the article:
I guess that is an option. Cairns CBD is only, ahem, about 6 km from Cairns Airport (looks much further than that on the map, and seems further when you're in the car driving / being driven). You could cut that walk down to 3.5 km by taking a public bus part of the way (but that ride is not going to be 50c, unlike in SEQ). It would look rather odd trekking Airport Ave (not sure if anyone would think you're a threat). There's no footpaths for that section of the "walk", but if one is crazy enough or frugal enough to consider walking to or from the airport, they probably don't have a trolley bag of any sort.