One of the best things about traveling to Malaysia is that it’s surprisingly easy to get here without draining your savings — especially if you’re already based in Asia.
With Kuala Lumpur being a major low-cost airline hub, it’s home turf for some of the biggest names in budget flying, which means plenty of options (and deals) for travelers. It also means you can easily make Malaysia your base as you travel to other parts of the region, whether you’re a digital nomad or a long-term traveler who likes to take it slow and easy.
Here’s a comprehensive guide to budget airlines that fly to Malaysia, where they fly from, and a few tips to keep your airfare cheap and your expectations realistic.
Full disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you book through them — at no extra cost to you. It helps keep this blog running, so thank you if you do!
The big one: AirAsia
You can’t talk about flying into Malaysia on a budget without mentioning AirAsia. This homegrown airline basically pioneered low-cost travel in the region and still offers some of the cheapest fares around. Its main hub is Kuala Lumpur International Airport Terminal 2 (KLIA2), and from there, it flies to over 165 destinations across Asia, Australia, and even Africa.
Tips:
- Watch for AirAsia’s “Big Sale” promos — they’re famous for crazy-cheap one-way tickets (sometimes free, before taxes).
- The routes listed below are direct routes to Kuala Lumpur, Penang, or Kota Kinabalu. There are many other destinations (such as Yangon, Kathmandu, and Cebu), that you can fly with AirAsia from, but with transits in Bangkok, Manila, or Jakarta.
- AirAsia frequently introduces new routes (and discontinues existing ones) based on demand, so keep checking. In the past, they even had direct flights between Kuala Lumpur and Honolulu!
Where can you fly from?
📍 Southeast Asia
- Singapore
- Thailand: Bangkok, Phuket, Krabi, Hat Yai, Chiang Mai, Pattaya
- Indonesia: Jakarta, Bali, Lombok, Surabaya, Yogyakarta, Medan, Padang, Banda Aceh, Palembang, Balikpapan, Makassar, Labuan Bajo, Pekanbaru
- Vietnam: Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Phu Quoc, Da Nang, Dalat, Nha Trang
- Cambodia: Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, Sihanoukville
- Philippines: Manila
- Laos: Vientiane
- Brunei: Bandar Seri Begawan
📍 East Asia
- Japan: Tokyo, Osaka
- South Korea: Seoul
- China: Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Hangzhou, Guilin, Kunming, Nanning, Jinjiang, Jieyang, Ningbo
- Taiwan: Taipei, Kaohsiung
- Hong Kong
- Macau
📍 South Asia
- India: New Delhi, Jaipur, Chennai, Kochi, Kolkata (Calcutta), Bengaluru (Bangalore), Amritsar, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Lucknow, Tiruchirappalli, Thiruvananthapuram, Kozhikode
- Sri Lanka: Colombo
- Maldives: Male
- Bangladesh: Dhaka
📍 Australia
- Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Darwin
📍 Africa
- Kenya: Nairobi
✈️ Batik Air (formerly Malindo Air)
This Malaysian-based airline is kind of a hybrid — somewhere between budget and full-service. Flights often include checked baggage and snacks in the fare. In Kuala Lumpur, they fly out of KLIA (not KLIA2), so make sure you check the terminal.
Tips:
- The routes listed below are direct routes to Malaysia. There are many more destinations with transits in Jakarta, Bangkok, or other major Southeast Asian airports.
- Look out for codeshares with Emirates, Etihad, and Turkish — it can open up more route options if you’re coming from further afield.
Where can you fly from?
📍 Southeast Asia
- Indonesia: Jakarta, Bali, Medan, Banda Aceh, Padang, Pekanbaru, Batam, Surabaya, Lombok, Yogyakarta
- Singapore
- Thailand: Bangkok, Hat Yai, Krabi, Phuket
- Timor Leste: Dili
- Vietnam: Hanoi, Da Nang
📍 East Asia
- China: Changsha, Chengdu, Guangzhou, Haikou, Kunming, Xiamen, Zhengzhou
- Hong Kong
- Japan: Tokyo, Okinawa
- South Korea: Seoul
- Taiwan: Taipei
📍 South Asia
- Bangladesh: Dhaka
- India: Amritsar, Bengaluru, Kochi, Mumbai, New Delhi, Tiruchirappalli
- Maldives: Male
- Nepal: Kathmandu
- Pakistan: Karachi, Lahore
Central Asia & Middle East
- Uzbekistan: Tashkent
- Middle East: Dubai
📍 Australia
- Australia: Melbourne, Perth, Sydney
✈️ Scoot (Singapore Airlines' budget wing)
Scoot is a great option if you’re flying from or via Singapore, which is just a 1-hour hop from KL. Scoot connects KL and other Malaysian cities like Penang and Kota Kinabalu to long-haul destinations like Australia, South Korea, Japan, and Europe.
Tips:
- Scoot sometimes has better luggage allowances than AirAsia — especially on long-haul flights.
- Transit time in Singapore Changi Airport isn’t a bad deal at all (think free movie theatres and sunflower gardens).
Where can you fly from (via Singapore)?
📍 Asia
- China: Changsha, Fuzhou, Guangzhou, Haikou, Hangzhou, Kunming, Nanjing, Nanning, Qingdao, Shantou, Shenyang, Tianjin, Wuhan, Xi’an, Zhengzhou
- Hong Kong
- Indonesia: Jakarta, Bali, Surabaya, Lombok, Pekanbaru, Padang, Yogyakarta, Kertajati, Makassar, Balikpapan, Manado
- Japan: Tokyo, Sapporo, Osaka
- Laos: Vientiane
- Macau
- Philippines: Clark, Manila, Cebu, Iloilo City, Davao
- Saudi Arabia: Jeddah
- South Korea: Seoul, Jeju
- Taiwan: Taipei
- Thailand: Bangkok, Krabi, Phuket, Chiang Mai, Koh Samui, Hat Yai
- Vietnam: Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Phu Quoc
📍 Australia
- Sydney
- Melbourne
- Perth
📍 Europe
- Austria: Vienna
- Greece: Athens
✈️ Firefly
Firefly is a smaller Malaysian budget airline that operates mainly domestic and short regional flights. It’s handy if you’re flying in from nearby places like Singapore or southern Thailand, or if you’re hopping around within Malaysia
Tips:
- Most Firefly flights fly into Subang Airport, which is way closer to downtown KL than KLIA — less than 30 minutes in a taxi.
- They use smaller planes (ATR turboprops), so don’t expect loads of cabin space, but it’s usually a pretty smooth ride.
Where can you fly from?
- Singapore: Changi, Seletar
- Thailand: Bangkok, Phuket
- Indonesia: Banda Aceh
✈️ Other budget airlines that fly to Malaysia
While not based in Malaysia, plenty of other budget airlines from around the region include KL, Penang, or Kota Kinabalu in their networks. Here are a few worth checking:
- Jetstar (Australia, Singapore)
- Lion Air (Indonesia, Thailand)
- Cebu Pacific (Philippines)
- VietJet (Vietnam, Thailand)
- IndiGo (India)
- Jin Air, T’way Air, Air Busan, and Jeju Air (South Korea)
- FlyDubai (UAE)
Prices can vary, but with a bit of flexibility, you can often find round-trip tickets under USD 100 from neighboring countries.
How to book budget flights to Malaysia
Booking budget airlines is pretty straightforward these days — but there are still a few things to look out for. Not all budget airlines show up on the big-name search engines, and sometimes booking directly doesn’t give you the best deal. I usually start by comparing prices on a few trusted platforms, then double-check with the airline’s own site to see if there are any sneaky fees or extra charges.
If you want a quick way to compare flights (and snag the cheapest option without opening 15 tabs), I recommend using Kiwi.com, Trip.com, and WayAway. They’re great for checking and combining different budget airlines into one itinerary, even if they don’t usually work together.
👇 You can also use the search boxes below to start looking for flights right away:
💡 Tips for scoring cheap flights to Malaysia
- Book early. Like, months in advance if you can. Budget airlines raise prices as seats fill up.
- Fly mid-week. Tuesdays and Wednesdays tend to be cheapest.
- Use price alerts. Sites like Skyscanner or Google Flights let you track prices over time.
- Be flexible with airports. KL isn’t the only gateway to Malaysia — try Penang, Johor Bahru, or Langkawi, especially if you’re coming from Singapore, Indonesia, or Thailand.
- Avoid school holidays and public holidays in Malaysia and nearby countries. Prices surge, especially for long weekends.
What to know before you fly: budget airline tips for first-timers
If you’ve never flown a budget airline before, here’s the honest truth: they’re cheap for a reason. The ticket gets you on the plane, and not much else. But that doesn’t mean you’ll have a bad experience — you just need to know what you’re getting into (and what you’ll be paying extra for).
Here are a few tips to help you avoid common surprises and fly smart:
💼 1. Check the luggage rules — then check again
Budget airlines make a lot of money off luggage fees. Most of them include just one or two small carry-on bags in the base fare — no check-in baggage.
- Double-check the airline’s specific size and weight restrictions — they vary slightly between airlines.
- Weigh and measure your bag at home. Even 100g over the weight limit can mean hefty fees at the airport.
- Buy baggage allowance in advance. It’s way cheaper online than at the check-in counter.
🍟 2. Food and drinks aren’t included
On most budget airlines, you won’t get any free meals, snacks, or drinks — not even water. Everything is sold on board, usually at inflated prices.
- You can usually bring your own light snacks and a water bottle (just fill it after security).
- Some airlines are stricter than others — don’t expect to pull out a McDonald’s set meal mid-flight without getting a side-eye from the crew.
⌛ 3. Check the departure / arrival terminal
Some destinations may have different terminals for budget carriers, which can be far from the main terminal and may involve extra walking. Some may be different airports altogether, so check carefully before booking and make sure you arrive early at the (correct) airport.
🧾 4. Everything is add-on — so budget accordingly
Want to pick your seat? Priority boarding? Extra legroom? All of that costs extra. Even printing your boarding pass at the counter can come with a fee on some airlines (yes, really).
- Before booking, look at the final price after adding everything you actually need.
- Sometimes, a slightly more expensive “bundle fare” (with baggage and meals included) can be better value than the ultra-basic option + add-ons.
🚫 5. Expect flight changes or delays — and have a Plan B
Because they operate on tight margins and tight schedules, budget airlines are more vulnerable to delays, cancellations, and rescheduling. They’re also less likely to offer compensation or rerouting than full-service airlines.
- Always have travel insurance that covers cancellations or missed connections.
- Try not to book any tight layovers — especially not on separate tickets.
🤷♀️ 6. Keep your expectations realistic
You probably won’t get in-flight entertainment. Boarding may feel chaotic. Legroom might be tight. But hey — you’re paying less than what some people spend on a taxi to the airport.
Budget airlines aren’t about luxury. They’re about getting from Point A to Point B with money left over for all that bubble tea when you land.
Final thoughts
Budget airlines aren’t glamorous — there’s no free wine, legroom is tight, and your seat might not recline — but they do their job: getting you to Malaysia without wiping out your travel fund. If you’re willing to be flexible and pack light, you can often fly for the price of a fancy dinner.
For many of us who travel on a shoestring (or just like to stretch our money), that’s a trade-off well worth making.
Planning a trip soon? Have a look around the rest of the blog — I’ve got more tips on how to explore Malaysia without spending a fortune, from where to stay and what to eat, to hidden spots worth the detour.
Have you flown into Malaysia on a budget airlines? How did it go? Share your experience in the comments below!
.jpg){kind=link}
_MRD-1.jpg#mw-jump-to-license){kind=link}