How to choose a flight when travelling for holiday?

Choosing a flight for holidays may not be as straight forward as it looks.



Given the array of options available, there are plenty of choices to suit one that fits your needs. With choices comes the dilemma, how to choose a flight that would suit you and your family?

1 Destination

For popular destinations such as Australia, Japan and SE Asia, there are plenty of flight options you can choose from. For more niche destinations, your choice would be narrower. Flights from Singapore to Chennai, Xiamen, Fuji Islands, Ipoh or more exotic locations would mean you have less choice to choose from.

The popular regions would probably be served by established airlines like Singapore Airlines whereas the more exotic places may be served by budget airlines.


2 Budget vs Full-Service flight
That leads to the next option. Should you opt for a budget or full service?
It depends on 2 factors, the budget you have and the luxury you want.

For shorter flights, (less than 3 hours), there would be little difference between being on a budget airline or a full-service airline. The main difference on such a flight would probably be the inflight entertainment. In some cases, you can barely watch a full movie before the flight reach the destination. It may be wiser to opt for budget airlines in this case. You could even get cheap Silkair Singapore Flights to such a destination if you value reputation when it comes to choosing budget flights.

For longer flights, if budget allows, opt for full service as it would be a more comfortable journey to your destination. Usually, for longer flights, you might want to have a meal or you might be bringing more luggage due to a longer stay. If that is the case, it might mitigate the cost of the full-service flight option as budget airlines usually would add meals and luggage as 'extra' charges.

3 Economy, Business, First Class or Suite

If you do not have a limit on budget, taking a First Class or Suite flight would probably be the norm. For us, flights usually take about 50% of the budget for holidays. Unless we want to restrict ourselves to eating bread every day or staying in one stay motel, we tend to choose the economy option.

In some cases, if there are good promotions, we will opt for the Premium Economy Class. Even for an 18 hours flight, it would be just too pricey to pay a few thousand dollars for the business class flights. That cost would have more mileage on better hotels and restaurants for the holidays.


4 Non-Stop or Connecting Flight

Another thing to consider would be should you opt for a non-stop or connecting flight. On our last trip to the USA, we had the connecting flight when we flew there and a non-stop option when we were back. The Non-Stop Option was much better as it means we can simply chill on the plane watching 8 movies on the go. The Connecting Flight was an additional 4 hours longer due to the stopover. If you are one who does not like to waste time travelling, it might be better to get a non-stop flight. Contrary to popular beliefs, non-stop flights are not always more expensive than connecting flights.


5 Departure and Arrival Time

Sometimes getting a good deal on a flight might not be a good thing if you have unearthly departure and arrival times. Imagine leaving at 2 am in the morning and reaching your destination at 11 pm. Sure, you probably can save a couple of hundred bucks on this flight, but factor in an additional night in Hotel and additional surcharges for transportation due to the timing, you might end up penny-wise and pound foolish. Before you hit that book button, do check on accommodation rules and airport transfer as well. For example, if you happen to be in Bratislava on Slovakia, you might want to book a ride for your transfer Vienna Bratislava .

The cheapest way to travel might not be the best. The most expensive way to fly might be out of reach for most yet it might not necessarily enhance the holidays save for the few hours in the air. In order to have a great travel adventure, work within your budget. There are times when you might need to compromise but do it sensibly and you will have a good holiday!