Thursday, April 16, 2009

Low-cost airlines in Asia - How far in advance should you book?

We need to book a number of domestic flights in Thailand for March, on Nok Airways and Air Asia. How late can we leave it?


Depending on where you're going it really doesn't matter too much, flights to popular destinations like Phuket and Chiang Mai are pretty cheap up to the last minute with many flights a day, although the best times may sell out. It's a good idea to keep checking the websites as both airlines often offer very good specials. Be aware that Nok Air flies out of Don Mueang Airport, if you have an international connection it can be a problem, but I think is a much better airline than Air Asia. Check the prices on Thai Airways and Bangkok Airways, they will be more expensive, but are very competitive on some routes and to me is woth paying a little extra. Also, check the baggage allowances on the budget airlines, they can be very low and will charge a small fortune for overweight baggage. If you're dates for your different cities are set it's probably a good idea to book a few weeks ahead of time, if you're planning your trip as you go, it's usually not a problem, especially in March.

ASAP

early booking is usually cheaper.

For domestic, unless it is a weekend or holiday, you can book and ride the same time. However weekends and holidays is when you get many travelling so you best book at least 1 week in advance.

Book early is definitely the way to go. The fares adjust dynamically and typically get more expensive the nearer to the date of the flight. NokAir is definitely worth keeping an eye on as they are very cheap at the moment compared to AirAsia.com. NokAir is a subsidiary of Thai Airways so service tends to be better, plus you get allocated seating

I wrote up some info on finding cheap flights that might help

http://travelhappy.info/travel-tips/cheap-flights-where-to-find-them-online/

Jetstar, Dragonair, AirAsia, TigerAir, NokAir

usually the sooner you book the cheaper the fare, all can be booked online

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