Asian Airlines

Asian carriers are generally much cheaper than their American or European rivals, and there are some great bargains to be had. The low-cost airline industry in Asia is sure to boom in the coming years.

NOTE: Flight destinations may change and airlines may go bust without notice.

China's first low-cost airline was launched in July 2005, and many seem set to follow. Internationally, you can already fly in to various points in southern China from cities in Southeast Asia (see section below). Hong Kong's pioneering long-haul LCC Oasis shut down operations in April 2008.

India's airline market is rapidly liberalising. A number of domestic low-cost carriers have started operations. They are notorious for offering cheap tickets with high taxes and "fees." Rising fuel prices in 2008 have forced many airlines to cut back on flights. Indian low-cost airlines tend to have bad delays, and restrictive cancellation and rescheduling policies.

Low-cost flights into India remain more limited, although Air India Express does operate some international flights and various Middle Eastern carriers fly to India. There are also limited connections from South-East Asia: as of November 2007, Tiger flies from Singapore to Chennai and Kochi. Air Asia flies to Tiruchirappalli in Tamil Nadu from its KL, Malaysia, base. (Nok and Jetstar have terminated their services.)

Air India Regional - is the low-cost regional airline of state carrier Air India.

Go Air - is an LCC based out of Mumbai and operates flights to Delhi, Ahmedabad, Cochin, Goa, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Jammu and Srinagar.

IndiGo - is based in Delhi and currently flies to seventeen destinations across India.

Jet Lite - is the low-cost subsidiary of Jet Airways  and operates flights to 33 destinations.

Kingfisher Red (formerly Air Deccan) - is the low-cost airline operated by Kingfisher Airlines. The Kingfisher Airlines website allows bookings for the full-service Kingfisher Class as well as low-cost Red Class flights. Kingfisher Red was originally Air Deccan, which was taken over by Kingfisher Airlines and rebranded in August 2008. Service standards have risen since the takeover. The Kingfisher Airlines network covers 69 destinations within India.

Mihin Lanka - is Sri Lanka's first LCC. The airline is based in Colombo and flies to various points in India as well as Bangkok, Dubai, Male and Singapore.

Singapore Airlines - Singapore's flag carrier. Singapore Airlines are offering gambling on flights from Singapore to Tokyo, Taipei and Hong Kong. Passengers on these routes can now play blackjack, poker or slots. Winnings, up to $3,500, are credited to the player's card. SIA is the third airline to offer high-altitude gambling (After Swissair and Lauda Air) and plans eventually to install such games on all its routes.

Japan Airlines - Japan, domestic & international service.

Skymark Airlines - Domestic Japanese carrier, flies from Tokyo to Fukuoka, Sapporo, Kobe and Naha.

Skynet Asia Airways - flies from Tokyo to Miyazaki, Kumamoto and Nagasaki.

StarFlyer - flies between Tokyo and Kitakyushu (close to Fukuoka) multiple times daily.

Vietnam Airlines - Flag carrier of Vietnam.

Asiana Airlines - Korea, international carrier.

Hansung Airlines - flies from Cheongju to Seoul and Jeju. An accident (no injuries) closed operations for several months, but they started flying again in March 2006.

Malaysia Airlines - Malaysia's international airline.

Air Asia - This Malaysian airline has the distinction of having been acquired for 1 ringgit (US $0.25), but they have now grown to the largest (and most profitable) operator in the region. Originally founded by government-owned conglomerate DRB-Hicom, the heavily indebted airline was purchased by former Time Warner executive Tony Fernandes's company Tune Air Sdn Bhd for the symbolic sum of one ringgit on December 2nd, 2001. They operate on the now-classic model of open seating, primarily Internet/phone booking and no complimentary refreshments.

Thai Airways International - Thailand's flag carrier.

Philippine Airlines - Flag carrier of the Philippines.

Druk Air - National Flag carrier of the Kingdom of Bhutan, and the only airline that serves Paro.

Garuda Citilink - operate a domestic route network in Indonesia. Fares start from 125,000 Indonesian Rupiah ($15). Warning: this subsidiary of Garuda Airline does not currently accept credit card purchases online or at its call centre, requiring payment via a limited number of ATMs in Indonesia or directly at their office in Jakarta.

Mandala Airlines- operates an extensive domestic route network in western Indonesia (Sumatra, Java, Bali and Kalimantan) with promotional fares as low as Rp 30,000 (US$ 3). Mandala has been operating since 1969 and in recent years has adopted a discount airline business model.