How travellers can save money by knowing which airport to fly into

IS IT cheaper to fly into Bali or Jakarta? Phuket or Bangkok? Dubai or Abu Dhabi? Your decision could lead to massive savings.

WHEN booking flights, the only consideration we usually give to airports is how close they are to our hotels.

But there could be hundreds of dollars to be saved by picking the right airport in whatever country we’re visiting, new Cheapflights.com.au data reveals.

Travellers flying to Vietnam, for instance, can save an average of $132 per person if they fly into Ho Chi Minh City rather than Hanoi.

In Thailand, holiday-makers could save an average of $300 per person if they choose airports in Phuket or Bangkok over Koh Samui, and in Indonesia, they can save $144 by flying into Bali instead of Jakarta.

If you’re headed for Indonesia, it’s cheaper on average to fly into Bali’s Denpasar airport than to Jakarta, according to Cheapflights.com.au. Picture: iStock

In the Philippines, it’s an average of $89 cheaper to fly into Manila instead of Cebu, while travellers heading to India could save $51 by opting for Delhi over Mumbai.

In addition, in the United Arab Emirates, flights into Dubai’s international airport is about $141 cheaper than to Abu Dhabi.

The data was part of Cheapflight.com.au’s new Compass report that identified the cheapest holiday options for Australians in the Asia-Pacific region this year.

It found Indonesia remained the most affordable country to travel to, with return flights priced at around $528 — about $60 cheaper than last year.

In second place was Malaysia ($550), followed by Singapore ($556), Fiji ($634), Thailand ($660), Vanuatu ($686), Hong Kong ($727), China ($730), Vietnam ($735) and New Caledonia ($746).

But China is emerging as an attractive option for budget holiday-makers. Picture: iStock

Cheapflights ranked Malaysia as the second-cheapest destination in the Asia Pacific.

While there was no surprise perennial favourites like Indonesia, Fiji and Thailand rated high on the list, Cheapflights’ Australia and New Zealand regional sales manager Nathan Graham said China was emerging as a destination to watch.

“Shanghai, Guangzhou and Beijing all feature in the top 30 most popular and cheapest Asian

destinations (under $729), and the country is already Sydney’s number one most searched country in Asia Pacific,” he said.

“With increasing business and trade deals encouraging reciprocal travel with more flights and cheaper airfares, the number of Aussies visiting this Asian giant will take off,” he said.

Overall, Cheapflight.com.au found flights to the Asia Pacific region were 12 per cent cheaper year-on-year.

The report also revealed the day of the week travellers chose to fly could also make a difference to their overall costs.

It found travelling on a Tuesday was up to eight per cent cheaper than departing on a Friday, while booking flights about three months in advance was the best time to find the cheapest airfare prices.