Travel Happy

Some flight routes and budget carriers that might be useful for planning a trip around South East Asia. Please note this is not a complete list, by any means – it’s just the budget flights I know that definitely exist

Budget air carriers in South East Asia have expanded at an incredibly fast rate in the last 3 years. Bangkok has grown even further as a hub from which the rest of the continent can be easily reached. For backpackers, this opens up a whole new range of possibilities of destinations that can be fitted into an itinerary without breaking the budget. Flying can also save a lot of time and hassle doing overland trips, although doing several flights will obviously make costs mount up.

The main company that’s pioneered this budget approach in Asia is AirAsia, and they are aggressively expanding their routes all the time – you can compare their fares with other airlines on . I have used them many times and they are a good outfit, although they are generally late for take off, so I’d recommend leaving plenty of time if you have onward connections etc.

Bangkok Airways call themselves a “boutique airline” and are not so budget orientated, although their flights can still be quite cheap. They have a monopoly on Bangkok to Angkor Wat and Bangkok To Koh Samui, which makes the routes pricey on occasion. Book well in advance if you can to get cheaper fares. It’s worth checking first at to see if there are any bargains on these routes – Kayak will then send you to the best price on the Bangkok Airways site.

Tiger Airways and Jetstar (the budget offshoot of Qantas) do the Bangkok to Singapore route as well as AirAsia, so it is worth shopping around as there are always cheap flights available on one of these carriers.

Finally, Thai Airways, while not a budget carrier, offers a direct four hour flight to Bali for around 14,000 Baht, which is roughly £200 – Bali is an incredible place, so if you felt flush with cash, this could be a good option. Again, check
to ensure you get the best price. UPDATE: AirAsia now fly direct from Bangkok to Bali – for prices.

Here is the list of Asian destinations you get to cheaply from Thailand – let me know if you think I’ve missed any.

Thailand – Laos
Bangkok – Luang Prabang – Bangkok Airways. Check for best price

Thailand – Cambodia
Bangkok – Angkor Wat (Siem Reap airport) – Bangkok Airways. Check for best price. Search using the airport codes BKK (Bangkok) and REP (Siem Reap)
Bangkok – Phnom Penh –

Thailand – Vietnam
Bangkok – Hanoi –
Bangkok – Ho Chi Minh City –

Thailand – Malaysia
Bangkok – Kuala Lumpur –

Thailand – Singapore
Bangkok – Singapore –
Bangkok – Singapore – Tiger Airways
Bangkok – Singapore –

Thailand – Bali
Bangkok – Denpassar – Thai Airways and AirAsia. Check for best price and