One with fewer restrictions, said Simone Farbus, air travel manager at Asia Transpacific Journeys, is the Discover Asia Airpass, operated by SilkAir, a subsidiary of Singapore Airlines, which offers flights between 22 Asian destinations, ranging from $145 to $345 per segment. But read the fine print the tickets often come with booking restrictions and hefty change fees. Cathay Pacific, OneWorld, SkyTeam and Star Alliance are among the airlines and alliances that offer passes, which allow travelers to fly to multiple cities within a country or region, often for hundreds of dollars less than if you bought individual tickets. If you fall into this category, consider an air pass. Many Asia-bound travelers have several destinations on their itineraries. But be sure to check the airline site directly before you book in case the fare is lower on the carrier’s site. She added that, Travelocity’s Singapore-based affiliate, can be helpful when searching for budget carriers. The same flight on a mainstream airline, she said, would have been at least double that amount. She recently paid $226 total for round-trip flights on Tiger Airways from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, for herself, her husband and their daughter. expatriate who has been living in Asia for the past four years, including in Tokyo, Hong Kong and Singapore.
“They have ridiculously low fares,” said Stephanie Trzaska, a U.S. Once in Asia, use budget airlines such as AirAsia or Tiger Airways. For example, American Airlines does not fly to Hong Kong, but Cathay Pacific, a OneWorld alliance member, which has a code-share agreement with American Airlines, does and accepts American miles. If you have a stockpile of frequent-flier miles on an airline that doesn’t fly to your Asian destination, you still may be able to use those miles, thanks to airline alliances. Want to take advantage of the few discounts out there? George Hobica, founder of, advises: “Sign up for frequent-flier programs, and airline emails, even if you won’t really be doing it for the miles.” Asian airlines often reserve their best fares for their own websites, he said, noting that Singapore Airlines recently slashed fares by $300 to $400 on more than two dozen routes - a sale it disclosed via email to its frequent-flier members. Discounts, offered sporadically, aren’t as deep as they were a few years ago. One of the biggest expenses of any trip to Asia, whether a whirlwind tour of China or a beach holiday in Bali, is simply getting there. travelers are getting about 12 percent more for the dollar than a year ago.) But it’s still possible to save on your Asian vacation if you plan carefully. And stronger Asian currencies, from the Taiwan dollar (up about 8 percent against the dollar compared with a year ago, according to Travelex, a currency exchange company) to the Malaysian ringgit (up roughly 11 percent), means Americans have less buying power. Rising jet fuel costs aren’t helping matters. That means bargains will be harder to come by for travelers only now planning vacations. “Our most popular 14-day tour of China already has more passengers booked to travel in 2011 than the entire 2010 season,” Marty Seslow, vice president for sales and marketing at Gate 1 Travel, based in Pennsylvania, said a few weeks ago. travelers say bookings this year are already well ahead of last year. International tourist arrivals to the region increased 11 percent in 2010, according to the Pacific Asia Travel Association.
Planning a trip to Asia this year? Better get booking.
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