The first flight out of Melbourne on November 23 is flight TT 7402 Melbourne – Gold Coast at 7:00 am. Other scheduled flights for the day are two other flights to Queensland from Melbourne: Rockhampton & Mackay.
Other Australian domestic destinations include Alice Springs in the Northern Territory, Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Launceston in Tasmania, and Perth in Western Australia. Gee, I wonder why they aren’t flying into Sydney.
How much would flying via Tiger Airways to Australia cost?
I tried a test booking departing Singapore on November 30, and flying back from Melbourne on December 18. Both flights are via Darwin. On the flight out of Singapore, the fare I got was SG$239.99 plus SG$140.30 tax. The flight back to Singapore is SG$199.99, and taxes are SG$185.81. My total fare is SG$766.09. That’s about Php23,046.38 (based on xe.com’s exchange for July 28, 2007). Not bad, eh?
So say you’re flying to Singapore via Tiger Airways or Cebu Pacific, that’s another Php8,000+, bringing your grand total to Php31,046.38. That’s four different flight segments, totaling to approximately 12 hours one way.
On the other hand, you can take PAL, pay the same amount for an 8-hour flight.
Australian domestic flights are terribly cheap though. Return tickets for Melbourne-Gold Cost can be as cheap as AU$99 (Php3,800) inclusive of taxes. That’s a far cry from the AU$342.00 I paid for the same flight I took last March.
Melbourne-Perth-Melbourne is also terribly cheap: AU$269.90 (Php10,200). The same flight costs AU$378 via Jetstar and AU$458 via Virgin Blue. The biggest difference though is that Tiger Airways’ Melbourne-Perth route is a red-eye flight. But still, not bad, eh?
]]>Christmas has arrived early this year. With fares starting from S$9.98 one way, you’ll have more in your pocket to spend on the holiday you really want. Shop till you drop in Bangkok or soak in the views of Hanoi and Darwin. Whatever you want to do during these winter holidays, Tiger Airways makes sure you get the real deal.
So if you’re planning a trip home or a holiday abroad, book now!
[Edit] I think Tigerairways made a boo-boo. I tried looking for flight and lo and behold — no flights available for November 2006 onwards! Tsk.
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I never really considered Tiger Airways, even when I’m trying to be cheap with my budget. That is primarily because flying via Tiger in the Philippines meant having to go to Clark. Even with the shuttle service from Megamall, I still see it as a hassle, particularly since I live in the northern part of Metro Manila.
However, when my sister-in-law told me about the special promotion Tiger Airways was having, I immediately changed my opinion. Well, it was actually because it’s for the Thailand leg of the trip.
That was in the middle of January, their SG$9.98 promo. Similar to Cebu Pacific‘s Php 10 and Piso fares, the base rate for a one-way ticket is SG$9.98 (depending on the destination) plus applicable taxes. For my roundtrip ticket to Bangkok originating from Singapore, it came down to SG$103.21 or Php3,320.00.
The catch in these types of promotions is that you have to book months before your departure. Usually, tickets sold during these promos are non-transferable and non-refundable. There are also conditions regarding changes in your itinerary and higher fees for the changes made. But if you’re like me who plows ahead with my plans, their promo is perfect for you.
To maintain lower fares, Tiger Airways has moved to Changi Airport’s new budget terminal. The terminal is only 5 minutes away from Terminal 2, and there’s a shuttle service to and from both terminals.
Like Jetstar Asia, Tiger Airways uses A320 planes with the 3-3 configuration with non-existent legroom. Refreshments are sold on board, as well as duty free merchandise. Unlike Jetstar though, Tiger Airways doesn’t have assigned seats, so it can get pretty crazy.
All in all, I’d still fly Tiger Airways to get around South East Asia. Just maybe not from the Philippines.
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