This is wonderful and very helpful!
Do you think since the LLC's (Which i still don't know what that means, I am guessing it means company) are cheaper to fly on, it would be a better utilization to use those for the shorter flights and use the asia pass for the longer flights?
Also, what does DL mean?
And do you know if the LCC tickets have flexible dates?
/edit: I Don't really need truly flexible dates, but I don't know how long I will be staying where and I am worried about being constrained and if I shift one flight, it will change all the other ones as well.
I just found a ticket from LAX - NRT for $715 USD
and one from AUK - LAX for $850 USD for the dates I wanted, so I think I am just going to buy them and just wing the stuff in the middle. Buy the asia pass and use it when I need to.
Originally Posted by
Supersonic Swinger
One option would be to:
1. Buy LAX-NRT return on DL
2. In conjunction with that ticket, buy a SkyTeam Asia Pass (
http://www.skyteam.com/about/products/asia.html) with three coupons which you would use for Osaka-Seoul on Korean Air, Seoul-Shanghai on Korean, and then Singapore-Tokyo on DL (work with me here, although you'd have to check that is permitted under the Pass rules).
3. The rest of your flights are suited to the LCCs which fly around the region:
- Shanghai - Hong Kong -
Hong Kong Airlines
- Hong Kong - Manila -
Hong Kong Airlines or
Cebu Pacific
- Manila - Ho Chi Minh -
Cebu Pacific
- Ho Chi Minh - Bangkok -
Air Asia
- Bangkok - Singapore -
Air Asia,
Jetstar or
Tiger Airways
- Singapore - Denpasar -
Air Asia,
Jetstar or
Tiger Airways
- Denpasar - Cairns -
Jetstar
- Melbourne - Auckland -
Jetstar
- Auckland - Singapore -
Jetstar (and from here you'd pick up your last coupon on the Asia Pass to get you back to Tokyo for the return leg to LAX).
I don't know what the total cost would be, but most of the intra-Asia legs on the LCCs you can pick up for as little as USD $50 if you're booking now for travel much later in the year. You can probably get the total cost of your trip below $4,000.