Budget flights 101

The drill has become all too familiar. You receive an email alert; see the banner, newspaper ad; friend tweets about the deal, all alerting you to the promo of the day. Do you hit the website straightaway to book? Or prefer to discuss with friends to decide on the ‘perfect’ date before checking out what’s available? 

Timing

It all depends on what the deal is, and which airline that’s offering it. If you are really keen on getting the advertised deal, be quick, flexible and keep an open mind. Once you get wind of the promotion, log on to see what’s available, i.e. check to see if weekend flights are eligible (if you prefer weekend travels), schedule, and if you’re eyeing a particular Public Holiday, good to note if the dates around it are reduced. Then, try to book within an hour if possible so that you get the advertised fare.

Tiger ran a 90-minute flash deal promotion over four days recently, offering seats between $28 and $68 to the usual hotspots such as Penang, Bangkok, Hong Kong, Taipei etc. I consider this a grab-and-go sort of promotion. Not much time for you to decide and ponder, because at $48 to Hong Kong and $68 to Taipei, there really isn’t much to worry about. Yes some destinations like Bangkok only had weekday flights on sale, while Hong Kong was almost promo-for-all, once you work out what’s available, select the date and book, simple as that.

Newly launched Scoot has been throwing up some fantastic deals recently, not just to fill the plane but also to create publicity. It sold Sydney, Gold Coast for $88, and Bangkok for $44. Launch deals don’t come by often, and you’ll be silly to miss them.

Jetstar Japan also launched their domestic flights for just 1 yen, but with a booking fee of 200 yen. At 201 yen or approximately $3 to fly from Tokyo or Osaka to Sapporo, Fukuoka and Okinawa, it was too good a deal to pass. But that’s domestic, then Singapore to Japan how, you ask. Why worry? Just book, instantly and very randomly.

The infamous AirAsia midnight sale hasn’t been that attractive lately, partly due to prices, but also the amount of booking requests that hit the server making it very tedious to book. My take is that unless you spot a certain route which is unusually cheap, it is not worth the wait.

How much is a deal?

Kuala Lumpur: $18

Penang: $28

Jakarta: $38

Phuket: $38

Bangkok: $58

Bali: $58

Hanoi: $68

Hong Kong: $68

Taipei: $88

Beijing: $98

Melbourne: $108

These are very attractive one way nett fares, seat only. Book when available, plan  later. 

Booking fees (as of May 7 2012)

Unfortunately, booking fees incurred when making payment online using credit/debit cards are not advertised, and uninformed travelers usually aren’t unaware until they reach the last page of the booking process.

AirAsia

From Singapore - $5 per passenger per sector

Select the ENETS option for a FREE transaction, only for bookings made at least two days in advance

From Malaysia - RM5

From Thailand - THB50

Jetstar Asia

From Singapore - $9 per passenger per sector

Select the 7-11 or SAM payment option for a FREE transaction, must pay within 48 hours of booking, flights must also be at least two weeks in advance

From everywhere else - NO FEE

Tiger Airways

From Singapore - $8 per passenger per sector

From Malaysia - MYR20

From Thailand - THB200

From Hong Kong - HKD50

Scoot

From Singapore - $8 per passenger per sector

From Australia - FREE

From Thailand – THB200

One way or return?

I would think 95% of travelers prefer to book a return trip for the fear of not securing a flight home. But there is nothing to worry about really, unless the fare you’re about to book is an advertised deal.

These days, because of exchange rates and demand supply issues, airlines do not price their flights based on a single price point, and fares differ according to originating countries. For example, a return Jetstar flight between Singapore and Hong Kong may cost $128 and $158 respectively, if made in a single booking originating from Singapore. However, if you were to book the flights separately, the Hong Kong to Singapore sector may cost just HKD750, with no booking fee. Hence, you get the same flights for a lot less.

Booking fees can add a significant amount to the overall ticket price, so check to see if there are savings to be had from separate bookings.

Also, when booking flash ‘grab-and-go’ deals, you often find yourself looking for a pair ‘good dates’, ie suitable period with promotional fares both ways. But more often than not, they are only available for one sector, so do you continue searching or give up, or say ‘bluff people one!’? My advice is, just book (the promo flight), yes one way is OK.

For popular destinations like Hong Kong or Bangkok with up to 40 flights a day, chances are more promos will be on the way and you’ll definitely find something nice to complete the journey. So don’t book that 6am flight just because it is on promo, because after factoring in taxi fare and the effort to wake up at 4am, that $30 savings may be pointless after all.