Hmm - so Emirates flight 380 is actually operated by a B777 :(
All direct flights to Singapore from the UK & Ireland
| Flights from | Airport code | Airline name | Find prices | Route to | Route from | Tooltip |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| London Heathrow | LHR | BA (British Airways) |  | flights from London Heathrow to Singapore | flights to Singapore from London Heathrow | Book directly with BA for the cheapest flight on the internet. |
| London Heathrow | LHR | QANTAS | | flights from London Heathrow to Singapore | Flights to Singapore from London Heathrow | |
| London Heathrow | LHR | Singapore Airlines | | flights from London Heathrow to Singapore | Flights to Singapore from London Heathrow | |
| Manchester | MAN | Singapore Airlines | | flights from Manchester to Singapore | Flights to Singapore from Manchester |
Flight Summary
As Singapore is one of the most popular stopover points on the way to Australia , direct flights from London are available with Qantas as well as British Airways and Singapore Airlines.Destination Summary
Singapore is the epitome of the Asian Tiger phenomenon, a booming city-state that rode the economic crisis of the late 1990s and is now surging forward into the new century.Quick Facts
- Airport Code: SIN
- Alternative Name: Changi
- Miles From London: 10851
James Says
Budget Airline flights to Singapore
Although Singapore has a dedicated budget airlines terminal, there are currently no cheap flights to Singapore from the UK operated by specialist no-frills airlines. This is unlikely to change, as there is already reasonable competition between British Airways and Singapore Airlines, and also from Qantas, who use Singapore as a stopover on their flights to Australia.
Air Asia X have also recently axed their flights to Kuala Lumpur from London - and these were the only real budget airline flights to Asia 'proper' - you can still get cheap flights to Tel Aviv in Israel, or to Amman in Jordan, but these are within range of the European short haul budget airlines. It remains to be seen whether or not the new Singapore Airlines offshoot 'Scoot' will start cheap flights to Singapore from London, but given the current state of the market, I very much doubt it.
There are also plenty of connecting flights via the Middle East, or other hubs in Europe, and even India, which can offer even better value than some of the direct flight options. As we've already seen following the collapse of Oasis Hong Kong airlines in 2008, it would be extremely difficult for a start-up airline to gain any headway in this market place.
Flights to Singapore from UK regional airports
Althoughcompetition is certainly most intense on the London to Singapore route, Singapore is one of the few Asian cities outside the Middle East to offer direct flights from a UK regional airport. In addition to their Heathrow route - Singapore Airlines operate flights between Manchester and Singapore, although you will still have to make do with a stop in Munich in each direction. This stop is due to be removed later this year, providing a much more useful non-stop service from Manchester.A
Historically, flights to Singapore from Dublin, or anywhere else in Ireland have been poor value, as links between either Dublin or Belfast and Asian transfer hubs used to be very poor.
Now that Dublin has flights to Dubai courtesy of Emirates, together with an established route into Abu Dhabi with Etihad, onward connections are relatively easy. flights from Belfast to Singapore on the other hand remain ridiculously expensive, as you are essentially paying whatever it takes just to get to London on top of the flight to Singapore - and there is no tax reduction for indirect long haul flights from Belfast.
Mark Says
Perhaps best known for its draconian chewing gum laws (leave the Hubba Bubba at home), Singapore has an undeserved reputation as a rather staid and conservative place. This couldn't be further from the truth, for Singapore offers a thrilling mix of Chinese, Malay and Indian culture amid the gleaming skyscrapers and colonial splendour of its impressive downtown.
The most surprising aspect of a visit to Singapore is the profusion of lush equatorial forest to be found once you leave the urban areas. Similar in size and shape to the Isle of Wight, Singapore is situated at the southern tip of the Malaysian peninsular and is a popular stop-off on the long trek from Europe to Australia. The city-state provides a safe and easy introduction to South-East Asia ' crime is virtually unheard of, smoking is banned in all public places and there is an almost obsessive approach towards food hygiene.
Singapore is also a shopper paradise, offering some of the cheapest electronics in the region. Singapore is barely 100 miles north of the equator, so it is invariably humid all year round. It is usually coolest (and wettest!) during the winter months, but even then the temperatures rarely dip below 30 celsius. July is generally the driest month.
Singapore offers the full gamut of accommodation, from cheap and cheerful hostels to palatial luxury hotels.
Your Comments (10)
Tompety
James Avery
As always, it pays to shop around, but as you are exploring, rather than going on a fixed business trip, it is well worth trying different dates. Remember too that Air Asia offer flights to Kuala Lumpur from Gatwick, although I've never seen these at particularly cheap prices. Either KL or Singapore make good bases for exploring South East Asia. I have personally only been to Borneo, and would highly recommend the Mulu caves.
Emma
Any suggestions for alternative stop offs enroute are welcome.
James Avery
Your problem is basically one of geography! As I'm sure you know, long haul fares have skyrocketed due to increased fuel prices, and the extra clobbering from APD rises. The places you mention are all east of Singapore - so although you may well find reasonable fares to any of those locations, the respective national carriers will fly you there non-stop from London. You may be able to find a better fare with Singapore Airlines using Bangkok, KL, Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City as the destination - and then making Singapore the stopover - although fare rules may clobber you if you stay longer in the latter, which I assume you intend?
Might I suggest the following alternatives:
1) Make a separate booking with an Asian low cost airline. The key players who serve some or all of the above include Tiger (SIA subsidiary), Air Asia (for Malysia) or Jetstar (QANTAS subsidiary). There are others, but those are the main ones I know with a reasonable reputation.
2) Fly via the Gulf - Abu Dhabi and Dubai in particular are extremely impressive cities, and Dubai has plenty of beaches. It should be easy to add a stopover on these routes as part of a fare to and from Singapore.
3) Forget about extra flights, and just head overland into Peninsular Malaysia, or look into ferries to nearby Indonesia. Despite Singapore's status as the world's biggest port, there don't seem to be that many ferries though, and train services towards KL are shamefully slow, considering how modern these two countries are! Also, a hire car is going to cost a fair whack too, together with all the road pricing.
I'm afraid none of these options will be ideal, but I hope there's a few pointers - I can gladly elaborate on any of these, and am assuming you are looking at flights from London?
Emma
We will want about 5 nights with our friends in Singapore and then just over a week on the beach somewhere, so I'm not sure what the situation would be with the fare rules you make reference to?
Which airlines would you suggest I looked at first if we were going to just go to Singapore and then worry about onward flights/ferries separately? At first glance Qatar was looking good although I don't know what they are like to fly with.
It's the tax which shocked me the most- the tax on the children's fares was more than the ticket! I suppose the tax will be the same price whichever airline I choose.
I worked as cabin crew for 8 years before having the girls and I really miss the super cheap standby deals I could get then!!
James Avery
As mentioned above, you can get flights to Singapore from Manchester with SIA, but there is a stop in Munich, so really not that much difference between taking that route and connecting somewhere else. Manchester has previously had direct (and also non-stop) flights to both Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur - so those would have given you the option of a stopover. In both cases, you'd probably be looking at a land journey of around 3 hours to get to a really good beach (+ boat journeys for the best of Thailand, I'd go to Penang from KL). These routings might be available with a stopover from London, or even with a bmi feeder from Manchester. Or, you could just take a more obvious stopover with Emirates, Qatar Airways or Etihad, all of whom offer flights from Manchester to Singapore via their respective hubs. Of those three, Emirates tend to get more mixed reviews - although I'm only going on second hand info, our core interest is in the route, we leave service standards to reveiew websites!
Convention for stopovers is that they aren't longer than the time spent in the destination - otherwise they aren't stopovers - but every airline will have its own rules on these, so try a few options and see.
James Avery
Take a low cost flight to another major European hub airport, such as Paris CDG or Amsterdam. Book your long haul flights from there, as most European countries do not charge the same levels of tax as the UK, and few differentiate based on distance. However, this is usually counterbalanced by the fact that London is the main cheap flights hub in Europe, so there is much keener competition to offer the best fares in the first place. Except in school holidays of course, in which case, you may well find less ramping up on flights fares from other European airports.
Disclaimer: any 'DIY' connections are not guaranteed - if one sector is late, you have no recompense if your ownard flight is missed, so makes sure you have very robust travel inurance which specifically covers this eventuality. Or, just make Amsterdam or Paris your stopvers instead, there's always Paris-Plage!
Emma
Have made some headway with the Singapore travel plans!
Discovered Emirates do a flight from Singapore to Manchester via Sri Lanka at a cost of £20 per person tax!
We are therefore planning to spend 5 nights with the friends in Singapore, travel by ferry to a fabulous looking island just off Bintam, Indonesia for 5 nights and then 5 nights in Sri Lanka on the way home.
Can't wait! Thanks again for your suggestions, you have been most helpful.
James Avery
However, it really isn't worth doing this just to pay less APD, as the through fare will cost you much less than two separate fares (see my blog about hub feeder syndrome for that one!). In some situations, a short haul hop to Dublin or mainland Europe + a long haul flight may yield a saving, but you still have the risk of missed connections. If, say, they doubled APD again (I'm not suggesting they do, obviously) - then a lot more people would use the hop + jump option. That's the one argument we have for at least keeping it where it is (again, blog on this to follow!).
I looked at a few fares on the MAN-SIN route with Emirates, and the price difference between a simple return ticket and getting off in Colombo was about £40. Is that what you mean? In that case, you've got an excellent deal - Sigiriya certainly looks well worth a trip. Just a shame you can't appreciate a bit of the UAE amongst those stops, but it still sounds like a great itinerary.
Emma