January isn’t just for making resolutions – it’s also the time to score some pretty sweet flight discounts too.
Thanks to the low price of fuel and stiff competition for market share, some of the world’s major airlines are engaging in what some might grandiosely term Fare Wars but what are actually just flash sales to attract customers in this traditionally lean period of the year.
Carriers like Singapore Airlines, Qatar Airways and Etihad are all flaunting some great discounts flying from Bangkok to locations all over the world – although notably concentrated in Western Europe.
We’ve scoured the fare calendars to pick out some of the best deals on offer right and to give you some inspiration for your next trip out of the Kingdom. These are just a few examples of the great discounts available; take a look at each carrier’s website and fare calendars yourself to find the best dates for you.
All of the below flights are based on two people flying and are guidelines only; prices, times and dates may change at any time according to the individual airline.
Etihad
Details
- Discounts of around 10 percent
- Book before 28 January 2016 – that’s today!
- Travel between 23 January to 30 November 2016
Bangkok —–> Abu Dhabi [Economy]
Total price for 2 return tickets: ฿37,700
Who’s game for a romantic break in the Middle East? Even if you see Abu Dhabi as simply a brief stopover, the emirate’s airport is one of the few global aviation hubs that flies non-stop to all inhabited continents; the world is your oyster!
Bangkok —–> Frankfurt [Business]
Total price for 2 return tickets: ฿150,970
If shacking up in cattle class is your idea of hell, you could take advantage of Etihad’s ‘Business Breaking Deals’ instead: what better than to get to one of the world’s most notable financial hubs, Frankfurt? It was relatively easy for us to find a good price, regardless of dates, and the Abu Dhabi connections don’t look too painful.
Singapore Airlines
Details
- Discounts of between 16 to 42 percent from Bangkok to all destinations on Singapore Airlines and SilkAir’s network
- Buy before 15 February 2016
- Travel between 1 May 2016 to 31 December 2016
Bangkok —–> Tokyo [Economy]
Total for 2 return tickets: ฿22,700
Who fancies spending a week in Japan?
While the prices are great, the outbound flight is a pretty gnarly 11 and a half hour red-eye, changing at Singapore Changi. To be expected, it looks as though the majority, if not all, of the Singapore Airlines deals include a stopover in Singapore. Pretty annoying if your eventual destination is north of Bangkok!
Bangkok —–> San Francisco [Economy]
Total for 2 return tickets: ฿63,980
While this deal is excellent, we had to trawl long and hard through the fare calendar to find it – you’ll have better luck if you go in flexible on your dates than with any predetermined time period in mind. As with the above Tokyo route, be prepared for an annoying stopover in Singapore before flying over to Hong Kong.
Qatar Airways
Details
- Discounts of up to 45 percent
- Book before 7 February 2016
- Travel between 25 January and 30 May 2016
Bangkok —–> London Heathrow [Economy]
Total for 2 return tickets: ฿53,980
The price is pretty good for two returns to Heathrow but you will need to root around the fare calendar to find the lowest prices – prepare to be as flexible as possible. Both trips include a stopover in Doha but connection time is minimal and shouldn’t prove too problematic.
Bangkok —–> Copenhagen [Economy]
Total price for 2 return tickets: ฿38,750
If you fancy a week in the world’s least corrupt country, Copenhagen in beautiful Denmark could be a good bet. This is a great price for Qatar Airways and the inevitable stopover in Doha is short so doesn’t add too much time to your journey.
Eurowings
Eurowings is the low-cost arm of carrier Lufthansa and is officially launching in Thailand in October this year.
There’s no flash sales as with the above airlines, although there’s still some exceptionally sweet deals to be found – but be prepared to compromise.
The Basic fare is the cheapest available and essentially just guarantees you a seat. Meals, stowed luggage and the chance to pick your seat are all priced separately, in addition to various other add-ons. If you don’t mind paying a little extra for the niceties, you can upgrade to Smart or Best fares.
Generally all flights transfer through their home hub of Cologne-Bonn.
Bangkok —–> Berlin
Total cost for 2 return tickets: ฿30,436
While the long haul flight to Cologne and back from Bangkok is operated by Eurowings, it looks as though they delegate the shorter haul pan-European flights to Germanwings.
Bangkok —–> London Stansted/Heathrow
Total cost for 2 return tickets: ฿35,876
That’s less than ฿18,000 each!
Where will you be going this year?
Featured image is via Qatar Airways