Free Flights within Asia (Book Today Nov 15th, Fly May-October 2010)

I just found this deal and it expires today. It may not apply to a lot of people but I just sent it to a friend posted in Vietnam for a year. Air Asia is giving away free flights to/from many of the Asian cities to which they fly. The free flights are valid from May 1st to October 30th, 2010. (I think airport taxes and fees apply but these will still end up incredibly inexpensive.)

This isn't for flights from the U.S. to Asia, but rather for travel within Asia. Cities included are such as Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Singapore, Kuching, Kota Kinabalu, Johor Bahru, Phuket, Penang, Jakarta, Bandung, Bali and more.

If you happen to be planning a trip to Asia for next Spring or Summer this might enhance your travel plans. And if you know anyone in Asia, you may want to send them this info.

Click here for details and to search for flights.

China Airlines Roundtrips to China and Southeast Asia from Los Angeles as Low as $545

If you have a need or an urge to fly to China or Southeast Asia from late summer through mid-autumn, now might be a good time to make some plans. China Airlines (different from Air China) is offering some great weekday roundtrip fares from Los Angeles. The fares are valid for travel start dates from August 24th through November 30th and have to be booked by August 8th.

Some roundtrip prices available are:
Los Angeles to Taipei starting at $545
Los Angeles to Hong Kong starting at $560
Los Angeles to Bangkok starting at $570
Los Angeles to Kaohsiung starting at $603

The prices don't include those airport/security taxes and fees that are added to ticket prices.

To check out the deals, click this link.

Roundtrip to Tokyo from U.S. Cities as Low as $555 (Including Taxes) from Los Angeles or Seattle; Bargains from Many Other Cities Too

Have business coming up in Tokyo the next month and a half? Or maybe you've always wanted to see the land of the Rising Sun? Travelzoo has put out a notice that a bunch of airlines have lowered fares to Tokyo for travel through June. Roundtrip from Los Angeles or Seattle can be had for as low at $555 including all those airport and security taxes and fees! San Francisco is only a few bucks more, and there are great deals for people on the East Coast as well: roundtrip from Boston is as low as $705 including all fees/taxes.

You could normally expect to pay several hundred dollars more on some of these routes.

Lowest prices are for travel on Mondays through Thursdays, so the more flexible you can be with dates, the better your chance of scoring the lowest fares. Travelzoo has a supersearch function to try and get you the lowest prices, so if you're thinking of a visit to Japan and want to see the fares possible, click this link.

West Coast to Asia from $600 Roundtrip; from New York Starting at $710 Roundtrip

Have a yen to visit Asia? You can plan a really nice trip on China Airlines for some lower prices than you might expect. Fares from the West Coast start as low as $600 to some destinations. If you happen to be on the East Coast, flights from New York are as low as $710 to some locations.

When you consider the distance you're flying, that's a lot of mileage for your bucks.

Here are some examples (roundtrip):
- Los Angeles to Bangkok or Hong Kong: $600
- Los Angeles to Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City: $690
- San Francisco to Chiang Mai or Phuket: $690
- Los Angeles to Phnom Penh or Singapore: $710
- New York to Manila or Hong Kong: $710

There are lots of other destinations, including India -- and there are also special airfares to Australia, if you want to go down under.

These prices don't include the airport/security fees and taxes. Tickets must be purchased by April 15, 2009 and fares are valid for weekday travel (Monday-Thursday) through May 20, 2009. No advance purchase is required, a very nice feature, and a maximum stay of two months is permitted.

If the exotic destination is something that's calling you, this may be a great chance to do it without blowing your budget. To take a look, click Asia and Australia Sale: Fly Round-Trip on China Airlines from $600

Amazing Fares East Coast to Asia! NY-Beijing $741 ($399+$342 Taxes/Fees)! NY-Hong Kong for $618 Total! Many Cities, Great West Coast Prices Too!

It's always amazing when you can fly across the U.S. and then across the ocean for what you'd expect to pay just from the other coast. Recently I found LA-London for $444. Now the specials are going westerly, such as New York to Beijing roundtrip for a final total of $741 ($399 is the actual base fare)! New York to Hong Kong roundtrip starts out with a higher base fare of $403 but the taxes are lower so the final price is just $618!

Orbitz has a page promoting special fares going on from many U.S. cities to places throughout Asia. New York-Beijing is one of those specials, and I checked to verify it could be booked travelling February 19th and returning the 26th, on United, via Dulles. (Dulles-Beijing has a final total of $727 with the same $399 base fare.) The same dates get the low fare for NY to Hong Kong, with a stop in San Francisco.

New York-Taipei has roundtrips as low as $643. Shanghai also has some special deals.

From the west coast you also get some awesome fares, such as Los Angeles to Hong Kong for a final price of $503, Los Angeles or San Francisco to Beijing for $626, San Francisco to Beijing for $514, SF to Taipei for $539...

The webpage has lots of other fare combinations but sometimes the prices shown are higher than these. The best fares for flying are usually found midweek so I generally search for Tuesdays, and under search options I include the choice to search one day before and after.

Theses special prices require departure by February 29th, so it'll still be a bit chilly when you arrive. But if you've always had a hankering to visit Hong Kong, Beijing or other great cities in Asia, this may present a unique opportunity.

Here's the link to the Orbitz page for Asia specials.

One more tip: if you want to see if you can maximize your savings even further, after you find a fare on Orbitz, go to the airline's own website and put in the exact same criteria (dates/cities) to see if you might be able to save more. On the NY-Beijing, the total price at United.com was $10 less (I'd presume those are Orbitz booking fees you're saving). But you could save even a bit more if you went to ebates first and then clicked on United.com. You'd get an extra $2 back via ebates and a 500-bonus mile supplement for frequent flyer. So your final net would be down to $729 for NY-Beijing and some extra miles! For some people sticking with Orbitz is worth the convenience but there are ways to save even a bit more this way. If you haven't yet joined ebates, click here and start getting extra cash back at many stores. Till February 14th you get a $10 credit just for joining!

Why not take a look at Orbitz to see if that special vacation is in your reach?