Cheap Tickets - EU trip

[mpandya]

Hi to all expert FFs and newbies like me ,

Was looking for return tickets from Sydney to EU for upcoming Germany trip - albeit in ECONOMY (my budget only allows me Economay atm).

Single itinerary was costing approx $1550+ based on my dates + little constrained flight time etc (leaving early Oct).

After extensive searching through various search engines and multiple combinations, lucky to find KUL-FRA-PRG-SYD flying with Ethihad (for at least majority of legs) for $675 approx pp !!!!! I now only need to book SYD-KUL one way which is approx $440 atm (again in Economy) => Total multi-city itinerary cost is $1100 ex Sydney.

Pretty cheap I would think...

Thought to share with you all to see if you could benefit
Newbies/Budget travelers like me -> Cheap fare
FFs -> May be you can buy this fare and then upgrade for SCs etc...

Risk obviously is that I would need to clear immigration & customs at KLIA and then recheck in...
And/or if flight ex SYD to KUL is delayed, I may miss my connection ex KUL to FRA (2 separate tickets)...
Things that I had to do when budget is limited - but hey, at least I'm trying to travel

Any tips/risks that I may have overseen?

 

[aikman]

My tip is to credit the Etihad flights to AAdvantage. You should be able to earn enough points on this trip for at least a one way award flight on Qantas anywhere in Australia or NZ.

$440 sounds a like a lot for a flight to KUL in October. If you're happy to risk it, I reckon AirAsia will have sale fares under $300 at some point.

 

[mpandya]

Thanks Aikman for the tip re earning AAdvantage - I was thinking about either Krisflyer or Enrich given that I've existing points with them. Building points into single program. Will look into AAdvantage

I'm flying in subclass E for KUL-FRA leg via Abu Dhabi and in code share on Air Serbia in subclass U from PRG-SYD via Abu Dhabi.
Not sure how many AAdvantage points I would get vs Enrich vs Krisflyer.

Air Asia at the moment is costing approx $250 however, the flight time doesn't suit me + cost of luggage, food, entertainment etc will probably bring the fare in-line with MH.

 

[ecst]

Try pad a bit of layover time in between your transfers at KUL, two options which I can recommend:
a) short period, eg. 6-8hrs to be safe (knowing KLIA... ...) - then get one of the Transit Hotels / Plaza Premium lounge to pass time after doing the necessaries. This should be more than enough time to absorb flight/luggage delays, paperwork, which hopefully won't occur in your case.
b) a more relaxing option would be to build in an overnighter for more comfort/less stress. I believe there are a few 3 star hotels around Sepang (I've tried Concorde Inn KLIA Hotel once - AUD90/night) which should hopefully meet your budget.

c) Oh, if you want to stretch it slightly, I would also highly recommend the Le Meridien KL Sentral (~AUD100/night if book early?) + KLExpres highspeed train to KLIA (~AUD 13 each way, 28 mins direct KLIA<->KL Sentral). Definitely easier to get food around compared to Concorde Inn... (!)

I guess the whole point is that to build in enough contingency time, given that you are on 2 separate itineraries and you would defo not want to risk your long haul even before your trip has technically started. Just my 2c.


If I could also suggest further, having done an Etihad promotion out of KUL myself, how about getting a Scoot morning glory promo deal (Tues mornings) - Syd-Singapore 189++ in a 787 (?) then connect onwards to KUL via MH (which is normally reliable). That way I would have a day to unwind /rest up prior to my long haul. (I'm unable to post links but just google for "Scoot morning glory")

cheers.