Flighthacker

'Big Sale', tiny fares to Asia and beyond.

If you’re Asia-bound between 6 February – 20 June next year, then you can’t afford to miss Air Asia’s ‘Big Sale’. With tickets to Kuala Lumpur starting from $150 ex Perth and $200 for Gold Coast/Melbourne it really does pay to plan your travel ahead of time.

For those going further afield, there are fares from Perth to London for less than $400 one way (inc. tax) and Australia’s east coast to the same for $100 more. I’ll post further updates this evening, but until then, it’s time for you to get your bargain on! Take a look at AirAsia’s ‘Big Sale’ promo page for fares and conditions.

Note: AirAsia have a ‘waiting room’ system in place to deal with demand – you will be put in a queue for a minimum of 15 seconds before the site will search for fares.

Kuala Lumpur at a nice price with AirAsia. Photo Credit: onggon (Flickr)

AirAsia X has released a rather unusual batch of sale fares for travel in 2010, with fares departing Gold Coast, Melbourne and Perth for Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia starting from a laughable $52 a pop one way, prior to tax. Post fees and taxes, the return fare comes to $238 departing Gold Coast and Perth and $298 from Melbourne.

This may not be AirAsia’s cheapest sale, but we live in what is truly a buyer’s market – getting to Malaysia for less than $300 is not a price to shirk from. Strangely enough, this fare has not been announced by AirAsia (who currently have a sale advertised, but not at these low prices).

Travel period for these solid fares is from 20 January to late July, 2010.

Check Adioso for the cheapest fares from Gold Coast, Melbourne and Perth to Kuala Lumpur – http://adioso.com/au/australia-to-international.html

Happy Mooncake Festival, everyone!

AirAsia brings Bali closer with $267 return fares. Photo Credit: Michael Dawes

AirAsia has been on a spree of generosity lately, dropping fares across its network by 20%. One of the happy results of this has been that flights to Denpasar, Bali are now well within reach for the west coast, with flights departing Perth now starting from $267 return inclusive of fees and taxes for travel commencing in late January to 27 March, 2010.

If you miss the $267 return fare, the next fare bracket is only $28 more, so there are still numerous opportunities for you to pick up one of these great flights. Check Adioso for availability and find yourself in island paradise!

Hey Reader! I know I’ve been neglecting some of Australia’s great cities in my airfare updates – if you’re after cheap flights for a specific city or route, don’t hesitate to comment in this blog. Your feedback will help make this blog more relevant and hopefully, less Sydney-centric. Secondly, I love hearing from you – many thanks for all your support!

AirAsia's Big Sale goes international. Australia deports itself.

AirAsia has nipped the whiners in bud by extending their existing ‘Big Sale’ to their entire route network. Tickets from Gold Coast, Perth and Melbourne to Kuala Lumpur are again $99 including tax, however if you book the Kuala Lumpur – Australia leg separately (ie. as a second one-way segment), it comes to only $51 inclusive for this return leg! [...]

No cheap AirAsia fares this round for Australians. Better luck next time. Photo Credit: Jason Tan

If you didn’t stay up last night for AirAsia’s ‘Big Sale’ and haven’t previously purchased a 2010 AirAsia ticket, don’t worry – this round, the cheap fares departing Perth, Gold Coast and Melbourne have not been replenished, so you didn’t miss very much. This isn’t entirely unusual after a week of $99 opportunities to leave the country, so if you’re still after a cheapie to Kuala Lumpur, you will have to wait.

That said, if you have already planning to visit Asia in 2010, this sale is for you – AirAsia are offering incredible fares to cities in Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Singapore, for the travel period 11 January to 31 July, 2010. All of the fares are going for small change and the booking system is moving along quite efficiently (same can’t be said for Jetstar sales), so scope it out and start planning that low-cost side-trip now! Sale is on now until 16 August.

When it comes to purchasing airfares, I don’t usually believe in the virtue of ‘earlybird’ sales, however AirAsia is a strange exception to the rule. When they offer tickets out of the country for $99 a pop, 10 months ahead of the travel date, there is a good case to buy them, if only an economic one. Subscribe to email updates on the right and I’ll let you know when the next AirAsia discount fares ex. Australia come around.

Visit AirAsia’s sale page for availability and to book. Talk about forward-planning!

AirAsia's Big Sale. You tell me what's going on...

AirAsia has created some annoyingly vibrant hype by announcing a ‘Big Sale’ of 3 million fares, starting tonight at midnight, MY time. Annoying, as they have given no indication of what fares are actually going on sale. In the wake of last week’s excellent $99 fares from Melbourne, Gold Coast and Perth to Kuala Lumpur, I can only assume that something very good is going to happen.

Note that there are still $99 one-way, $198 return fares from Melbourne to Kuala Lumpur, including tax. Adioso has the skinny.

Assuming that not everyone is crazy enough to get up at midnight in Asia, or 2am Sydney time, I reason that you can get up early tomorrow morning and get into whatever fares are on offer. Until then, avoid the Twitter hype and simply visit AirAsia tomorrow morning. You be warned!

As proposed earlier in the week, AirAsia has announced that they have upped the frequency of flights from the Gold Coast to Kuala Lumpur to 6x weekly. View the new flight schedule.

As per AirAsia’s ongoing international sale, fares are still available for $149 one way, $303 return including tax. Sale is now until 9 August or until sold out, for travel between 20 October and 10 January, 2010. Not bad, Christmas holiday fares! Looks like Santa came early this year.

Check AirAsia’s sale page for details. To select the choice sale fares and to book, visit Adioso. What an amazing week for cheap travel!

Sampai jumpa lagi (See you soon) - AirAsia X shelves its proposed Sydney - Kuala Lumpur route. Photo Credit: Jason Tan

The Malaysian Government has deferred approval of AirAsia X flights between Sydney in Kuala Lumpur, thus dampening the hopes of countless Sydneysiders who have been hanging out for one of their rediculously cheap fares. [...]

AirAsia are at it again, this time with flights from Melbourne and Perth to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for $149 one way, $300 return including tax! These sales have been non-stop; I’m starting to think this is their regular pricing. Wouldn’t that be excellent!

Sale is now until 9 August or until sold out, for travel between 17 August to 30 November. Check AirAsia’s sale page for details.

To select the choice sale fares and to book, visit Adioso.

AirAsia X’s “Hot Sales, Cool Fares” sale is on – tickets are $149 one-way, $300 return including tax to Kuala Lumpur from Melbourne and Perth!

Sale is on now until 26 July, for travel between 1 August and 30 November. View details at AirAsia’s sale page for details and to book.