Have budget carrier will travel

Cheaper, more convenient flights allow more Singaporeans to venture abroad more often

- Esther Loi

Jetting off to Kuala Lumpur and other South-east Asian cities for short breaks has become a routine for Mr Fared Jhi.

The graphic designer, 27, travels more than six times a year on low-cost carriers.

All that is possible because budget airlines have made it cheaper and more convenient for Mr Fared and millions of others worldwide to fly.

A two-way ticket on an AirAsia flight from Singapore to the Malaysian capital could cost around $240 on a budget airline with additional baggage about $70 cheaper than on a full-service carrier, said Mr Fared.

"At the end of the day, we're all in the same 'metal tube' heading to the same destination," he quipped, when asked why he chooses budget airlines over full-cost ones.

STICKING TO A BUDGET

Budget carriers have made a name for themselves here in the 20 years since Singapore's first low-cost flight took off from Changi Airport in 2004.

Retired regional audit and controls adviser James Loo, 75, told The Straits Times that he can travel more frequently - up to four times a year - within a fixed budget, since the cost of a budget flight is often lower than that of a full-service carrier.

When he flew to Perth, Australia, in November, his return ticket on budget airline Scoot cost around $500 - half the price of an economy-class seat on parent company Singapore Airlines.

A regular business-class passenger when he travelled for work previously, Mr Loo said the transition has been "relatively easy" since he takes shorter flights now and does not need the perks offered by fullservice carriers.