Escape on the cheap
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Travellers from all over Southeast Asia are taking advantage of low cost airlines to take weekend breaks in the region
At least 13 new flights to regional destinations, some flying on a daily basis, were launched by both budget and full-service airlines last year, leaving Singaporeans spoilt for choice when it comes to taking quick breaks in the region.
These quick getaways are six hours or less from Singapore, and include well-explored favourites such as Koh Samui and Hanoi.
But relatively unknown cities such as Pekanbaru in Indonesia and Ningbo in China have also emerged to help boost the regional travel boom that is now taking off, eight years after the launch of Singapore’s first budget carrier, Valuair.
The proximity of Southeast Asian cities, the access afforded by the diversity of routes on budget and full-service airlines, and the increasing affluence of travellers are among the factors that have fuelled the boom.
And the demand for regional travel is growing, if the deal signed last month between Boeing and Indonesian budget carrier Lion Air is any indicator. The pair inked a US$22.4-billion (Bt689 trillion) deal for 230 aircraft, including rights for Lion Air to purchase an additional 150 planes. This made it the largest contract in commercial aviation history.
Lion Air now has 408 planes in its order book. The airline has grown its passenger numbers by more than 20 per cent a year and carried a total of 27 million passengers last year, with Singapore as a key market. It operates six flights a day between Jakarta and Singapore, competing with carriers such as Singapore Airlines and Indonesian national carrier Garuda.
One frequent regional traveller is corporate strategist Joshua Sim, who took six holidays last year. Four of them were to Southeast Asian cities, including Phuket, Ho Chi Minh City and Phnom Penh.
The 30-year-old, who works in the aviation sector, says the affordability of short-haul flights on budget carriers – “if you can get the right flight” – and the Internet have increased his travel options.
This year, the diving enthusiast is planning trips to Terengganu, Malaysia, as well as Chinese cities such as Shanghai and Hangzhou.
Another frequent traveller is freelance writer and photographer Kirsten Han, 23, who has been travelling in Southeast Asia since 2010 for work and leisure. Han, who travels at least three times a year and usually via Air Asia, reckons that she will be in Thailand at least twice this year.
The top five routes in January from Singapore were Jakarta, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok and Manila and they collectively accounted for almost a third of passenger traffic at Changi Airport that month. In January, 4.24 million passengers passed through the airport.
A Tiger Airways spokesman says: “Our flights to Bangkok, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh are hugely popular, and following our initial entry to these cities, we have steadily increased capacity as demand has grown.” He declined to give passenger figures.
Tiger alone flies to Bangkok 35 times a week, and 20 times weekly to Ho Chi Minh City. Jetstar also flies up to three times a day each to Bangkok and Hong Kong.
The low fares on budget airlines are certainly a big lure. For example, Jetstar is offering all-inclusive one-way fares from $18 to various cities such as Kuala Lumpur.
The demand for short-haul travel is certainly there. Content editor Hidayah Salamat, 26, travels up to seven times a year for work and leisure, mostly to Hong Kong and Bangkok.
But while cities such as Hong Kong and Ho Chi Minh City are traditional favourites, they are not the only destinations made accessible by budget carriers.
Since Tiger launched in 2004, it has expanded its network to 28 cities in the region, including Kochi in India, Davao in the Philippines and Dhaka in Bangladesh.
The Filipino low-cost carrier Cebu Pacific also flies a total of 35 direct weekly flights to Manila, Cebu and Clark in the Philippines.
Entrepreneur Adrianna Tan, 26, a frequent traveller to India for work and leisure, is among those who have benefited from flights to newer destinations that are growing in popularity.
Tan has flown to the Indian cities of Kochi and Tiruchirappalli twice with Tiger.
She says: “A lot of people don’t know about these two cities. Kochi is a very historic coastal town in Kerala and one of the most picturesque, with a really laidback feel. Trichy has lots of great temples and is very spiritual and untouched by most tourists.”
