Asia - Use Miles or Discount Asian Airlines?

My wife and I are trying to plan a trip to Asia using a Mileage Plus award, but we're having a little difficulty using our miles to get all the way to our desired destinations - places like Phuket and Bali. So we were thinking of just using our award to get to Singapore or Bangkok for free and then finding our own way on a discount airline.

I took a quick look, and it looks like flights from Singapore to Phuket and Bali are ridiculously cheap on Air Asia (I saw between $5 and $20), and I'm sure there are more discount airlines. Also, I should mention that we'd be traveling with a baby and most discount airlines seem to be stingy about baggage and weight limits. Also, should we be concerned about safety?

Is there any reason to struggle with mileage availability when discount airlines are so cheap?

See if you can at least get all the way to Bali on Singapore Airlines, but if not, SIN is a good connection point to Bali and Phuket on the many discount airlines. Since you are planning ahead, you should be able to get good deals on the airfare, and yes, you are correct about the limited luggage allowances when you travel on the budget airlines. You may also want to try if Singapore Airlines or other * Alliance airline partners have vacation packages that covers the places you go.

Try to use your mileage to take you as far out as you can, and thereafter, travel within the area on the many cheap fares. I myself am now in the Asia region, and due to the peak travel season, I could not get reasonably cheap fares (i.e., less than US$400), so I tried my luck with United and was able to book a trip from MNL to SIN on SQ for only 20,000 miles.:D

Air Asia usually adds on a ton of fees to their tickets, so don't figure on a $20 ticket. :)

If you want Indonesia, try for SQ to DPS or CGK. SIN is an okay jumping off point. BKK has a direct DPS flight as well, in addition to all the different Thai cities.

Air Asia is quite safe and usually much cheaper than the competition (even after all the fees are added in), but they do have a distressing tendency to have seriously (>10h) delayed flights. I gather this isn't nearly as bad as it used to be, though, thanks to their ever-expanding fleet.

That said, you can't fly Air Asia from SIN to DPS. However, Valuair (JetStar) does fly that route, and they're quite possibly the best LCC in Asia -- new planes, reliable service, good seating and even free food.

You really have to watch pricing and use of awards in asia.

there are some screwy things happening. In some cases the flights are SO cheap and the miles so many, that it may not be worth using awards if you are flying economy.

Right now Cathay Pacific is running a special of $748 round trip from the west coast to singapore and many other destinations. It doesn't include american miles, but you can get asia miles.

The singapore tourism board is reporting that one company is offering trips to singapore on singapore air, a star alliance partner, for $1,049 double occupancy including three nights hotel. the link is http://www.visitsingapore.com/ It's not clear if the flights include miles.

From the east coast, you're talking about 18,000 miles to singapore, without bonuses.

Honestly I would say IF you wanted business or First then I would reccomend Points ... however if its coach and you are not interested in accumulating more points then heck go wherever is cheapest :)
Hope this reply finds you already booked!


You really have to watch pricing and use of awards in asia.

there are some screwy things happening. In some cases the flights are SO cheap and the miles so many, that it may not be worth using awards if you are flying economy.

Right now Cathay Pacific is running a special of $748 round trip from the west coast to singapore and many other destinations. It doesn't include american miles, but you can get asia miles.

The singapore tourism board is reporting that one company is offering trips to singapore on singapore air, a star alliance partner, for $1,049 double occupancy including three nights hotel. the link is http://www.visitsingapore.com/ It's not clear if the flights include miles.

From the east coast, you're talking about 18,000 miles to singapore, without bonuses.

My personal strategy for Asia is booking a cheap ticket across the Pacific on United and using those miles to travel within Asia. For example, when I fly to Singapore next week I am flying on a $1200 coach ticket that will earn me 40,000 miles and I am buying a coach ticket to BKK on Swiss for $170 and then redeeming 30,000 miles to go to Bali. All in, with this combination I am going home with 12,000 miles more than I started with and will have spent $1370 to visit 3 cities. Plus the real kicker is my RT ticket to SIN is upgraded to business using SWUs.

by the way

I neglected to mention that singapore is a little funny with discount airlines.

while it's cheap to fly to bangkok from singapore and to some other locations, sometimes a taxi to Johor Bahru, malaysia, and a flight from there can drop costs substantially.

Mostly the difference appears to be in flights to malaysia, but it's not a long cab ride to johor bahru.

finally note you are mentioning a lot of destinations, bali, phuket and several other destinations.

I did six days or 7 days in bali and didnt have time to see it all.

Singapore takes like 2 to 3 days minimum, especially if you arrive jet lagged.

If you go to phuket/krabi/koh phi phi you need to spend a day snorkeling (it's gorgeous), bangkok takes several days and you haven't even mentioned borneo where the orangutangs are.

you didnt mention how much time you had for the trip, but it sounds like your trying to squeeze an awful lot into it