Asia-specific airfare search website - is there Kayak for Aisa or SE Asia?
Replies: 12 - Last Post: Oct 12, 2012 6:40 PM Last Post By: zoetropical
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Asia-specific airfare search website - is there Kayak for Aisa or SE Asia?
Question to all great minds here:What airfare search web site do people in Asia use to search for flights?
Is there anything similar to Hipmunk or Kayak, but specifically for Asia, and would include most if not all airlines there?
Also, do you know if one airfare search website used typically used in North America/Europe any
better then another for searching flight to, and in Asia?
For example Kayak vs Hipmunk vs CheapOair or vs Skyscanner vs name yours and so on?
Thank you for any input!
1
For SE Asia try zuji.com... Singapore based. It won't cover all the LCC's but I'll give you an idea of what's out there. I don't know how the LCC's policies work but it's difficult to access their fare prices through normal search sites in eg Europe. For cheap regional flights I prefer just to browse the usual suspects; Air Asia, Tiger, Cebu Pac, Jetstar, Scoot etc.3
Also, if flying within Thailand, Nokair is good.4
Simple answer is that there is no such site. Zuji finds lowest fares on regular carriers but it doesn't search the sites of LCCs. You need to search those airlines' sites individually and then compare.There IS a site that lists the LCCs - it calls them Budget Airlines - and it does have a "search flights" box, but it then defers to Skyscanner which again doesn't include the likes of AirAsia, Nok, Tiger or Scoot etc.
http://www.budgetairlineguide.com/
Then again, it includes Bangkok Airways, which is always the dearest on any given route, and sheer rip-off where they have the monopoly.
6
Thank you everyone!Which web site would you recommend for finding tickets from North America and Europe to Asia?
Do you think one search service is better over another for finding good deals to Asia from USA or Europe? For example, Kayak vs Hipmunk vs CheapOair vs Expedia and so on?
Thank you again!
7
Apart from personal preference about the way the sites present, they are all much of a muchness - you STILL have to check out more than one to see the best deals on any given dates - but you DO need to remember that when checking. Not much use comparing a flight from Expedia in October against one from Kayak in January!8
For long-haul I've used Expedia for years, and I wouldn't claim they're absolutely the cheapest... but on the airlines I typically fly; Emirates, Qatar, Etihad, Cathay, Thai and KLM, more often than not the Expedia ticket price is cheaper than booking with airline direct, which I don't really understand. Aslo I've found Expedia 100% reliable and if there is a problem you'll actually get a person on the other end of the phone... try that with some airlines.9
For flights to Thailand check out this site again not always the cheapest but I always check several sites. before you book always check the airline site as well because I have often found a flight that is cheaper buying direct from the airline than through these siteshttp://www.thaitravelmarket.com/flights/
10
We usually look at the various travel booking agencies then directly at the airline sites and most always found the airline sites to be equal to or cheaper than agencies. The one exception is for an upcoming 2013 trip we booked through Cheapoair (the name made me nervous however they seem have good ratings and are BBB highly ranked) and saved about 30%. They did not seem to represent the low cost carriers however SOME of their fares were very good.Often if the airline site is = then when you book through them they allow seat selection at time of booking where on many agencies it is about 30 days prior to departure and or have a charge for seat selection.
11
^ Also be aware that booking agencies aren't charities - they make commissions. Airline sites direct can often be around $40 cheaper. Sometimes a site like Zuji can be a little cheaper (I mean $20) and that small win is fine as long as you don't need to refund.In that case, BEWARE - the direct airline sites make the refund less their fee, but the booking agencies charge you the airline fee AND their own "admin fee" - you need to read the fine print before clicking to buy, because this fee can be as much as $200!
12
www.attitudetravel.comhas links (some out of date) t budget airlines
Kayak allows you to search open jaw,I always compare with eBookers and often having identified the flight compare with the airline got a round trip BKK LOndon return Paris Kl for 24ooo recently
