Flying budget airlines to travel abroad several times a year is no longer a dream—explore four major regions in Asia as you please!

▲ Jetstar Asia offers services to destinations such as Osaka and Kuala Lumpur from Taiwan. (Photo / Provided by Jetstar Asia)

Reported by Chen Rui-zhong, Taipei

Recently, one of the hottest topics among travel enthusiasts in Taiwan has been the "one-day living circle." This doesn’t just refer to taking a day trip from Taipei to Kaohsiung—it means itineraries like“budget airline tickets”.

Compared to traditional full-service airlines,budget airlines operate on the principle of “user pays,” offering basic fares and allowing passengers to pay separately for things like in-flight meals, seat selection, and checked luggage based on their needs. They also frequently roll out promotional fares. As a result, many travelers now plan trips by“buying cheap tickets first and then deciding where to go,” turning what used to be rare overseas trips into multiple annual adventures. Thanks to advantages like visa-free entry, short flight times, favorable exchange rates, and shopping convenience, Japan—served by multiple budget carriers—has become an extended part of Taiwan’s one-day living circle.

Japan
A key trend in the development of budget airlines recently is the growing diversity of flight options to Japan. For Taiwanese travelers, current routes to Japan include Taoyuan–Narita (served by Vanilla Air, Scoot, and Tigerair Taiwan), Taoyuan–Osaka (Peach Aviation), Taoyuan–Okinawa (Peach Aviation), and Kaohsiung–Osaka (Peach Aviation). In August this year, Peach Aviation will launch a new Taoyuan–Haneda route, while Scoot plans to start flights between Kaohsiung and Osaka.

▲ Peach Aviation will begin operating the Taoyuan–Haneda route. (Photo / Peach Aviation official Facebook page)

In addition to buying simple round-trip tickets, since most budget airlines sell flights by segment,travelers can customize their outbound and return journeys by choosing different airlines or destinations based on their itinerary and timing preferences—or when there are special deals.So, it’s entirely feasible to fly Vanilla Air to Tokyo and then continue on to cities like Shizuoka, Nagoya, and Kyoto, or use Japan’s extensive network of low-cost domestic flights before flying back to Taiwan from Kansai Airport on Peach Aviation.

As a result, the increasing number of budget airline routes and flights not only opens up more destinations but also gives travelers greater flexibility and variety.

▲ In-flight meals on budget airlines are usually available for purchase at an additional cost. (Photo / Provided by Tigerair Taiwan)

South Korea
Aside from Japan, South Korea’s main tourist destinations are Seoul and Busan. However, due to ongoing restrictions on flight rights to Seoul, budget airline development faces more hurdles there. As a result, other cities in South Korea have become another focus for budget airline expansion.

Among the current budget airline routes from Taiwan to South Korea, Taoyuan–Incheon (Scoot) and Songshan–Gimpo (T’way Air and Eastar Jet) are convenient for reaching central Seoul. Additionally, Air Busan, which includes checked baggage and meals in its fare, operates flights from Taoyuan–Busan and Kaohsiung–Busan. On April 9, 2015, Jeju Air officially launched the Taoyuan–Busan route, also offering both baggage and in-flight meals.Taiwanese airline V Air also plans to start flights on the Taoyuan–Busan and Taoyuan–Jeju Island routes in 2015.

▲ Air Busan is currently the only low-cost carrier offering flights between Kaohsiung and Busan. (Photo / Provided by Air Busan)

China and Hong Kong/Macao
Because most budget airlines use short-haul aircraft and do not provide complimentary meals, they typically focus on routes with “flight durations under four hours.” In addition to Northeast Asian destinations like Japan and Korea, Chinese budget carrier Spring Airlines operates flights to Shanghai and Shijiazhuang. There are also options to Central and Hong Kong/Macao regions such as Taoyuan–Macao (Scoot, V Air), Kaohsiung–Macao (Scoot), and Taichung–Hong Kong (Hong Kong Express).

Southeast Asia: Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia
Other popular budget airline destinations in Southeast Asia include Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia. VietJet Air officially launched the Taoyuan–Ho Chi Minh City route at the end of 2014, and AirAsia began direct flights from Taoyuan in January 2015, significantly increasing travel options for Taiwanese tourists.

The Southeast Asian budget airline network also includes routes from Taoyuan to Bangkok (Scoot, V Air), Chiang Mai (Scoot, V Air), Singapore (Scoot, AirAsia), Kuala Lumpur (AirAsia, Jetstar), Kota Kinabalu (AirAsia), and Manila (Cebu Pacific), allowing travelers to plan local trips or connect onward to other destinations.

▲ AirAsia will launch a new Kaohsiung–Kuala Lumpur route in July this year. (Photo / Taken by reporter Chen Rui-zhong)

One of the development trends of low-cost airlines this year is the rapid growth of the "central and southern markets." With the influx of both traditional and low-cost airlines into Taiwan, the usage patterns at Taoyuan Airport have been affected. Additionally, many low-cost carriers are optimistic about the central and southern markets and are actively planning routes departing from Kaohsiung.

Currently, low-cost flights departing from Kaohsiung are only available to destinations such as Narita, Osaka, Busan, Shanghai, and Macau. Although Scoot has announced the launch of its Kaohsiung–Singapore route in July — albeit with flight times that most people may not prefer, such as "departing late and returning early" — it still adds another low-cost airline destination for Kaohsiung. Furthermore, Tony Fernandes, CEO of AirAsia, has also stated that the airline will launch the Kaohsiung–Kuala Lumpur route in July and plans to add a Kaohsiung–Bangkok route in the future, which is great news for residents in central and southern Taiwan.

Low-cost air travel has long been an established travel option in Europe and America. Currently, there are nearly 20 low-cost airlines operating in Taiwan, frequently offering promotional deals at discounted prices. Low-cost airlines also suggest that passengers looking to snag tickets should plan ahead with 2–3 alternative departure dates as backups, and prepare personal information and credit card details in advance. Doing so increases the chances of securing promotional fares and creating your own low-cost air travel experience and one-day living circle.