LET’S TALK DISCOUNT AIRLINES
Let’s talk regional discount airlines for going even further on your layover!
Discount airlines that run in certain areas of the world are a great resource for a quick layover trip inside your longer vacation.
Europe
The kings of the game. Old school faves like Ryan Air, Easy Jet & Vueling to name a few. You can sometimes search these out on a Google flight searching with a region like Western Europe but they generally will not come in on an international booking.
My strategy is fly to a hub or anchor city in Europe, like London, Paris, Milan, to name a few of the best and then use their smaller airports to book onward travel to say Croatia, Estonia and even the Greek Islands.
Other Notables: Wizz Air, Transavia France, Volotea, EuroWings, airBaltic & even Aegean for Greek Islands.
Asia
The reigning champ here is Air Asia (and its affiliates). Air Asia proper has a hub in Kuala Lumpur, a FABULOUS love a layover city. The big-name hotels you can’t afford in the US or Europe are highly affordable here. I stayed at the Mandarin Oriental for $120/night (USD). The food scene is insane as well. Don’t miss their rooftop pool overlooking the park!
Most of the Air Asia flights fly through KL or Bangkok’s DMK (not the one you fly into from afar, that’s BKK). Lots of options here, they fly pretty much all over SE Asia and even to smaller cities like Danang, Vietnam or Chang Rai, Thailand. They have expanded their reach as far as Honolulu, Tokyo & destinations in India.
Japan has it’s two major carriers JAL & ANA. ANA has a base in Haneda which is much closer to Tokyo than Narita (the main Tokyo airport). For a quick layover try searching or even calling both airlines and get a weekender type rate. They also often offer specials to “tour” Japan.
Other Notables: Thai Air Asia, Air Asia X, Lion Air, VietJet, JetStar and check all their affiliates as well.
China’s aviation sector is dominated by three major state-owned carriers: Air China, the flag carrier based in Beijing; China Eastern Airlines, headquartered in Shanghai; and China Southern Airlines, based in Guangzhou and the largest by fleet size. Supporting these giants are a number of significant regional and low-cost operators, including Hainan Airlines, and XiamenAir, a SkyTeam member with strong domestic and regional routes. Other notable carriers include Shenzhen Airlines, Juneyao Air, Sichuan Airlines, Shandong Airlines, and Hebei Airlines, all serving extensive domestic and short-haul international routes. China is HUGE. Trains are great as well but sometimes regional flights are the only way on a short trip!
Oceania
Visiting Australia or New Zealand? Why not fly Fiji Airways and break up that trip? Or check out Qantas, Virgin Australia and Air New Zealand for special offers between the two countries and deals on intra-country flights.
The Americas
The USA is not budget friendly. You can try Jet Blue to the Caribbean or Southwest for smaller airports but with the rest of the big boys you will pay. Now some things are still included but they are going the way of the dodo when it comes to freebies & luggage. NYC is currently in a constant state of construction but the new terminals at LGA are pretty sweet so I;m hopeful for smoother days ahead? Maybe?
Central & South America you do have some budget options and trains are replaced by overnight busses or the “chicken busses” of Central America fame (or infamy). Argentina is a good spot to take local aerolineas flights but if you have the time I hear the luxury overnight busses aren’t half bad and the roads aren’t as crazy as they are in Asia!
Final Boarding Call
Once you land in Europe, Japan, China, or even parts of SE Asia, layovers become a sport worth playing. High-speed trains, seamless connections, and a smorgasbord of cities make hopping around almost effortless. Even in India or Sri Lanka the trains are still useful but much more of an experience, not high speeds. North and South America? That’s a different playbook. There, you’ll often lean on trains, car rentals, or buses to make it work. I wish I could tell you Amtrak was the magic solution, but often, checking flight prices makes more sense. You will have a better time with trains in Canada!!