Flights & Flying
 

Although by no means comprehensive or scientific I have found the best time to book my flights to/from Europe is about a month before flying. I am usually flying Emirates to Nice.

If I look earlier than two months before then a lot of flight options (especially the shorter connections times) are missing. Between two months and one before the prices seem to go down. Between one month before and the date of travel the prices seem to go up.

Anyone else notice any pattern to this?

re: Flights & Flying -- Best time to book a flight
 

The optimum is 53 days.
Cheap flights: compare the cheapest flights - MSE

re: Flights & Flying -- Best time to book a flight
 

I think that even if there are some general 'rules', there are also individual offers of the different airlines to consider.
But chosing to travel on Tuesdays or Wednesdays is generally cheaper.

I am generally checking pricing quite early, even if it increases the risks of plans going wrong, etc.

This year I booked our June flights to Europe already in January.
Qatar Airways had a sale then and prices have not been so low after that.

We have flown with QA for the last three years and found their prices to be the best.
Emirates or Etihad seem to be more favourable when the trip starts in Europe.

Earlier we flew with GF but they have sadly stopped flying from KL, so one would have to go to BKK. Their C-class pricing was unbeatable, so for those considering this, it may be worthwhile to go via BKK.....

re: Flights & Flying -- Best time to book a flight
 

We've just flown Vietnam Air Business Class, Sing/HR.
OK you have a couple of hours stopover in Vietnam and the plane is oldish, being replaced by the new 787 in June, but for the price it's unbeatable.

We tried this flight just to see what it was like but we'll use it again.

re: Flights & Flying -- Best time to book a flight
 

BA KLIA-LHR-KLIA B/c July is currently around 10k MYR, no stopovers, no feeling cranky. Worth it imho

re: Flights & Flying -- Best time to book a flight
 

More like 15K MYR in business/club according to ba.com and skyscanner.net.
Where did you find your 10K MYR price OS?

JC3

re: Flights & Flying -- Best time to book a flight
 

I like to use comparison websites such as Kayak.co.uk or Skyscanner.net to identify a few different options, and a target price. I like their filtering tools that allow you to select the number of stops, the departure times, the total journey duration, the airlines etc. I also check the ‘connect in airport’ time, preferring two to three hours if possible.

Having identified a few options, I find it’s often worthwhile going to the airlines' own websites and checking the price by date. Some airlines have very clear date/price grids helping you to choose the best value flights, and I can often beat my target price by changing my dates slightly. I’m happy to pay extra for the timings I want. I hate departing or arriving in rush hour, or arriving too early to check-in to my hotel for example.

About time we had an Airlines thread on here (here’s a tip from a friend – 46kg baggage allowance for Economy passengers with Egypt Air, that's if you need 46kg!).

And a SE Asia Hotel Deals thread would be handy. I've found as MM2H’ers we usually qualify for special ‘Malaysia & Singapore Residents Only Rates’ , and you can get better rates with Agoda via HSBC, for example.

JC3

re: Flights & Flying -- Best time to book a flight
 

Air Asia 50% sale on now. But as with all heavily advertised Air Asia promotions it's very limited so you need to be extremely flexible to benefit.

re: Flights & Flying -- Best time to book a flight
 

That's a good idea :lightbulb: Shall I get the Mods to make this topic a Sticky? What shall we call it? Good Flight Deals? or what?

re: Flights & Flying -- Best time to book a flight
 

Yes please BB.

Topic name: Flights and flying ?

JC3

re: Flights & Flying
 

Ba.com

I bought the tickets three weeks ago (30th April) for mid July.

A month earlier the price was 15k, so 10k seemed a bargain.

re: Flights & Flying
 

Oh. So not in fact "currently around 10k MYR" after all then!

JC3

re: Flights & Flying
 

For anyone using Emirates and changing flights in Dubai, it works out much cheaper to fly economy and then lay-over in Dubai to get some shut-eye.

The best way to do this is to find a lay-over of at least 10 hours and stay at the Dubai International airport hotel which is airside so no immigration and just a 5-10 minute walk. The hotel will collect you at the arrival gate and deliver you to the departure gate for the onward flight. If you make an early-bird booking direct with the hotel it costs around €120 per 24-hour period for a double room; an extra bed is €25 and the room is 30-35 m2.

There are 3 hotels and the Concourse B hotel is normally nearest your gates.

re: Flights & Flying
 

That's a good tip.

A few years ago as a family we got stuck airside at Dubai for 24 hours due to a fault with our return BA flight to London with no access to our baggage as it had been checked in. We had to get off the flight and return to the terminal. We were then put up in one of the airside hotels by BA, but couldn't go landside.

All OK, but finding new underwear to buy airside at Dubai proved challenging. Lesson learnt, and I now always take a second shirt and pants in my hand baggage, even on the return flight home, just in case.

At first BA said we would have to wait 48 hours for the next available flight. That was until I discovered they had 6 unsold seats in Business Class the following day. I went ballistic, created merry hell, and got us all upgraded. Bloody cheapskates!

JC3

re: Flights & Flying
 

Qatar Airways has a promotion on Economy fares.
Purchase before May 30 and travel before Nov 30
London MYR 3094:-

re: Flights & Flying
 

Whatever. Funnily enough I don't check flight costs after I bought the tickets. I wasn't aware that the costs had gone up again. Sue me.

re: Flights & Flying
 

We used to do this when we flew RBA to the UK as the connection was either super tight, or 24hrs later. Thing is, as we work, our holidays days are limited and precious, so I'd rather pay more and save a day of annual leave.but that's my choice.

re: Flights & Flying
 

So no apology for your incorrect post and wasting forumers' time then? Just rudeness?

JC3

re: Flights & Flying
 

If you would like to post your real name and current address that might be a possibility otherwise a simple "sorry" will suffice.

re: Flights & Flying
 

I apologize for wasting anybodys time, but the thread subject is actually 'Best time to book a flight'!

So OriginalSunshines post told me (after his clarification) that it may be a good idea to look for BA summer flights from MY to UK during April as I found that the airlines tend to have their sales at around the same time each year. Best is of course to subscribe to their offers.

re: Flights & Flying
 

Hi Gunnar,

Well done, a nice and tactful response.

But let’s keep the thread about ‘Flights and Flying’ as intended, not just the ‘best time to book a flight’.

Your comment about looking for a BA summer flight in April demonstrates the problem with inaccurate posts misleading BE forumers.

Probably the best time to book a BA Business or First Class airfare (NB. Not Economy) is usually when BA’s Luxury World Sale starts. In 2015 this was in late February.

Your suggestion to sign up to the airlines’ email offers is good. Even better however is to use a website / blog such as www.ContinentalClub.co.uk to see the new fares before they are publically advertised, allowing you to plan and book early when there’s most availability. Leave it to April and you'd have missed BA's sale deadline.

Alternatively some of the specialist SE Asia ‘bucket shops’ / flight consolidators in London such as Lee’s Travel (Lee's Travel) can also provide early notification of offers, via their website and/or emails, and often offer better prices than the airlines themselves.

Another useful tool is BA’s Low Fare Finder.
See: Find our cheapest fares - British Airways
Note that this tool often has the lower prices on show and available to book before the BA website has the latest promotional page loaded.

Let’s try and keep this new thread accurate. Otherwise it really is a waste of time!

JC3

re: Flights & Flying
 

JC3,
Some good links and advice regarding travel.
Regarding accuracy, I think most people try to provide information and advice based on the best of their ability and understanding of the topic in question.
Which not always may be strictly accurate when subject to close analysis.
Also as in most written communication there is room for misunderstandings.

With this said I think there should be place for some tolerance otherwise the whole idea of well-intentioned and open sharing of information becomes quite meaningless.
At least for me.

So, with myself not even being British, I hereby resign from further activities on this forum and give way to the ones who deem themselves to belong to the accurates and faultless.
I don't wish to waste more of their time.

re: Flights & Flying
 

Hi Gunnar,
I seem to have upset you. Sorry.
Don't go. Please. Your posts are some of the best here.

JC3

re: Flights & Flying
 

Oh Gunnar, please don't go :( Take no notice of all the squabbling little children. Lord have mercy, it's starting to sound like a bloody condo management meeting in here....and I've definitely had enough of those :lol:

So, everyone be nice please. Life is way too short for squabbling.

re: Flights & Flying
 

Malaysia Airlines’ Mid Year Marvels sale ends tomorrow, 23rd May.

Travel 16 May 2015 - 31 Mar 2016

KL / London Return
Economy from RM2,554
Business Class from RM10,713

JC3

re: Flights & Flying
 

I agree. Really, what is the need people. Every post that is intended to be helpful, is a helpful post. Work together and all that.

Do I need to alter the thread title? Afterall it was me that made this thread title anyway.

re: Flights & Flying
 

I think there has been an unintentional malentendu here. In my opinion this can happen for a number of reasons;-

1. One poster has had a drink and the other hasn't (often the case with me)
2. If a post quotes someone the text is too small to easily read so you assume it must be a reply to the previous post
3. Your reply to a previous post does not include a quote of who you are replying to and some other bugger posting at the same time slips his post in between
4. The kids are crying, the dinner has burnt, your period has started, hot flushes, the car needs servicing etc etc etc
5. Predictive text has completey changed the meaning of what you intended to say
6. Not all members are British so our cultivated English wit goes down like a lead zeppelin

Anyhow Gunnar don't go otherwise there'll be more flak for me

PS. EasyJet have just started direct flights from Penang to Stanstead for MYR100 return - eat your heart out BB!

re: Flights & Flying
 

Me too.

I'm out of the Malaysia forum as well. I did the best I could at the time I knew and I get snark and rudeness in response.

Bye.

re: Flights & Flying
 

Yes please Bevs.
'Flights & Flying' should be sufficiently broad enough as a title.

Many thanks
JC3

re: Flights & Flying
 

SIA - New Premium Lounge in Heathrow

Singapore Airlines has opened its new SilverKris Lounge for premium passengers at Heathrow Airport, since it recently moved into Terminal 2.

The new lounge embodies the airline’s “home away from home” concept, and is similar to those in Sydney and Hong Kong.

JC3

re: Flights & Flying
 

You're kidding? Just looking at the EasyJet website and it's not showing on the routemap. Link please? Not that I will be flying anywhere in the near future, but good to know nevertheless.

re: Flights & Flying
 

Free access to airport lounges

Access to airport lounges across the region (Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, & Cambodia) is a nice benefit for CIMB Preferred customers.

In Malaysia this includes complimentary access to all Plaza Premium Lounges (KL, Penang, Johor, Langkawi, Kota Kinabalu and Kuching) up to four times per year. There’s a full list here: CIMB Preferred : Airport Lounges

To qualify for CIMB Preferred membership you need RM250,000 Assets Under Management (AUM) with CIMB. Your AUM is a combination of any deposit and/or investment products. I think the entry level increased towards the end of 2014.

For the CIMB Preferred T&Cs , see here:
http://www.cimbpreferred.com/index.p...4&ac=1&bb=file

For would-be MM2H participants who intend to travel around the region, this benefit (and several others) may be a good reason to park their MM2H Fixed Deposit (MM2H FD) with CIMB, where it will be included in their AUM. However the interest rate on the MM2H FD offered by CIMB may be a little less than some other banks.

It’s important to choose which bank you use for your MM2H FD carefully, as since July 2014 MM2H participants are not allowed to transfer their MM2H FD from one bank to another. I’m not sure why this is, but suspect transfer requests became an administrative headache for the Ministry of Tourism.

I don’t bank with CIMB, but sometimes wish I did.

JC3

re: Flights & Flying
 

DIRECT FLIGHTS FROM PENANG

Here's a list of direct flights and airlines from Penang I've compiled from various sources including Wikipedia, the Penang Airport website & the airlines' own websites.

If you know any more, or see any errors, please update the list.

JC3

Country /Destination / Airline
China Guangzhou China Southern Airlines
China Nanning Firefly
China Hong Kong Dragonair
Indonesia Banda Aceh Firefly
Indonesia Jakarta-Soekarno Hatta AirAsia
Indonesia Medan AirAsia
Indonesia Medan Lion Air
Indonesia Surabaya AirAsia
Malaysia Johor Bahru AirAsia
Malaysia Kota Bharu Firefly
Malaysia Kota Bharu Malindo Air
Malaysia Kota Kinabalu AirAsia
Malaysia Kuala Lumpur AirAsia
Malaysia Kuala Lumpur Malaysia Airlines
Malaysia Kuala Lumpur-Subang Firefly
Malaysia Kuala Lumpur-Subang Malindo Air
Malaysia Kuantan Firefly
Malaysia Kuching AirAsia
Malaysia Langkawi AirAsia
Malaysia Langkawi Firefly
Malaysia Malacca Malindo Air
Malaysia Miri AirAsia
Singapore Singapore AirAsia
Singapore Singapore Jetstar Asia Airways
Singapore Singapore SilkAir
Singapore Singapore Tigerair
Taiwan Taipei-Taoyuan China Airlines
Thailand Bangkok-Don Mueang AirAsia
Thailand Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi Thai Airways
Thailand Koh Samui Firefly
Thailand Krabi Firefly
Thailand Krabi Malindo Air
Thailand Phuket Firefly

Re: Flights & Flying
 

Fancy flying to Tokyo for £80, or Perth for £70 ?

Blimey, that is cheap!
These all-in one-way fares are from Penang via KL, fly now until 12th July 2015 in Air Asia’s Flash Sale

Hangzhou RM369

Colombo RM369

Perth RM389

Tokyo RM449

Seoul RM449

JC3

Re: Flights & Flying
 

For the cheapskates among us I flew Etihad from Penang->Kuala Lumpur -> Abu Dhabi -> London Heathrow for £392.36 (about 2,200 MYR) one way.

I usually fly from Penang to Singapore and stop overnight before catching the morning Singapore A380 to London Heathrow, but Singapore Airlines were asking £940 (about 5,270 MYR) one way which I thought excessive.

I've never done such a long, multi-leg flight before, but the 21.55 departure time and overnight changeovers (couple of hours each) suited my schedule. Arrived in London around 14:00 hrs which allowed for good onward connections. All in all very not too bad and worth the saving.

Re: Flights & Flying
 

Yeh these multi-leg flights can be real bargains. Also worth checking out if you are thinking of coughing up for business class flights. When we were working, we did this and it can be quite pleasant if you get the timings right.

Re: Flights & Flying
 

Just reading that MAS is axing a few destinations (no big surprise I guess).

Flights to Frankfurt were suspended last week. Now plans to drop Cochin, Kunming and Krabi. No doubt there will be more to come.

I read this on the Star Online here:
MAS to axe three more flight routes - Nation | The Star Online

Re: Flights & Flying
 

Not sure if this has been mentioned on this topic, so apologies if it has already.

I saw some friends today who live part of the year in Goa, and they gleefully announced that Air Asia is doing direct flights from KL to Goa from August 2015. Of course they are very pleased. I imagine a lot of other people will be too.

Re: Flights & Flying
 

Anyone tried the new British Airways flights to the UK from KL?

Re: Flights & Flying
 

Air France has just announced it is to abandon its Paris - Kuala Lumpur service, though no date has been given yet. It is going through a major cost-cutting exercise similar to Malaysia airlines with aircraft sales etc etc.