Cheap flights to Indonesia in 2023/24 
from US, Canada, Australia, Europe, and Asia

Destination Bali? Consider flying to Jakarta or Singapore first

Depending on your departure airport, you may find flight prices to Jakarta and Singapore much lower than airfare directly to Bali’s Denpasar. Jakarta to Bali is just a 2 hours flight, and if you switch to a local budget airline (AirAsia, Citilink, Batik Air), it shouldn’t cost you more than $50 – $80. You can find similar flight deals from Singapore to Bali with local carriers such as Scoot, Jetstar, and AirAsia (~ $100 – $150).

The cheapest time to fly to Indonesia

Being a tropical country, Indonesia has just two seasons – the dry season and the wet (rainy) season.

Weather patterns vary across the country, but as a rule, the best time to fly cheaply to Indonesia is during the rainy season (off-peak tourist season) – November to March (except the dates around Christmas and New Year). Despite frequent downpours, the rainy season in Indonesia has temperatures hovering around 30 degrees. The rains usually come in the late afternoon or evening, and it is often a heavy but short blast. If you plan your sightseeing in the morning and early afternoon, you can still make the most of your vacation – while saving money on flights.

However, if you wish to visit Papua or the Maluku Islands where the monsoon season deviates from the Indonesian “norm”, choose to travel between April and October to get the best deals on flights.

The dry season (high tourist season) in Indonesia is between July and August when the weather is sunny and dry but still cool and inviting. These months coincide with the European summer holidays and the Australian winter, so the archipelago is packed with foreign tourists crowds. If you plan to visit Indonesia during these months, it’s best to book your flight ticket well in advance.

Fly to Indonesian Papua, it’s worth it!

Papua, the world’s second-largest island, is split in half between Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. The Indonesian province of West Papua is a nature lover’s paradise, famous among adventurous travelers, divers, and trekking enthusiasts.

Flying is the easiest and fastest way to travel to Papua. Popular domestic routes start in Jakarta and Bali with transit in Makassar or Ambon, and you can fly to the airports of Sorong SOQ (suitable for Raja Ampat), Jayapura DJJ (Baliem Valley and the Korowai), and Timika TIM (Asmat, Carstensz Pyramid).

An average flight time is around 4-6 hours, and the ticket prices range from IDR 3–4mln (~$200–$340) if booked well in advance. The routes are served by local budget carriers AirAsia, Citilink, Lion Air, Batik Air, and the national carrier Garuda Indonesia.

Know your time zone

Being a massive archipelago, Indonesia has three different time zones: WIB (Indonesia Western Standard Time) – UTC+7h, WITA (Indonesia Central Standard Time) – UTC+8h, and WIT (Indonesia Eastern Standard Time) – UTC+9h.

For example, Bali is within WITA and its time is one hour ahead of Jakarta, which is within WIB.

When checking flights and airport transfer times, ensure you know the local time zones. The departure time on your plane ticket is always listed based on the time zone of the departure airport. We suggest resetting your watch during the flight – it will help your brain adjust to the new time zone and to deal with jet lag.

Don’t use currency exchange kiosks at airports

Airports are infamous for making an exuberant amount of money from their currency exchanges due to the extremely high margins, and Indonesian airports are no exception. Airport kiosks usually charge higher fees which are sometimes hidden within the poorer exchange rates they offer – their business is based on charging extra for being a convenient, last-minute option.

Plan ahead and exchange some money for Indonesian rupiah at home.

Long waiting times when calling the helpline?

Social media is usually a faster way to reach the airline when a problem arises. Use Twitter or Facebook Messenger to contact the airline customer service and get a response and solution within minutes (see detailed guides for Garuda Indonesia, AirAsia, Singapore Airlines, and others).

When it comes to Twitter, there’s one more trick to get in touch with the airline faster: mention the airline in a tweet about your issue (add “@airline_handle”, for example: “@IndonesiaGaruda”). The customer care team will often notice it immediately, ask you for a direct message, and respond privately.

Flying on Indonesian public holidays is expensive

Big holidays and events such as Chinese New Year (February), Ramadan and Idul Fitri (May), and Idul Adha (July) will undoubtedly affect your trip to Indonesia – adjust your travel dates to avoid expensive tickets. Accommodation prices during these holidays go up, and transportation may be limited.

Prices also skyrocket during such national holidays as Hari Merdeka (31 August), Wesak Day (10 May), and Hari Raya Puasa (May). Last but not least, try to avoid school holidays in May, June and December.

Avoid the last flight connection of the day

When flying domestically, try not to book the last flight out of your connecting airport. If you miss it or the flight is canceled, the airline will put you on its next flight, but this will require an overnight stay and arrival a day later. Please note that Indonesian airlines are not in the habit of offering a free hotel in such cases.

Check different departure airports

Consider neighboring cities when choosing the departure airport – especially look for larger cities with airports that serve as hubs for multiple airlines.

For example, if you live in West Europe, check prices for flights departing from Paris, London, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Rome, or Vienna. In 9 out of 10 cases, the cheapest flight to Indonesia will depart from one of these hubs, and it may be €500 less or more than your first choice. Yes, you may have to fly a few hundred kilometers to this hub, but low-cost airlines like EasyJet, RyanAir, or WizzAir will happily take you there for €50 – €100.

Use a similar tactic if you depart from the US or another region. It’s one of the best ways to save hundreds on trips.

Last-minute flights to Indonesia. The real cost of convenience.

Last-minute flights are often touted as a great way to save money, but the reality is far from it. Booking last-minute flights to Indonesia almost always never works out. The convenience of being able to book a flight on the fly is a dangerous game of chance, and you will most likely end up paying significantly higher than booking in advance.

The common perception may be that airlines decrease ticket prices to fill empty seats as the departure date approaches. However, the truth is that airfares depend on demand. Based on years of research and current customer data, the airlines know what people are willing to pay for specific flights and dates. They are also well aware that people are willing to pay a premium for flights they need to take immediately. To make the most money, the airline will sell its cheapest fares first and then increase the prices right before the flight to take advantage of business travelers and others who are willing to pay the premium price for late booking.

Occasionally, airlines can put some seats on sale to fill the remaining seats, but these are for unusual times and unpopular places. Popular destinations and dates around peak travel times tend to sell out quickly.

Planning ahead is key to securing a good deal on your flight. Last-minute flight deals are hard to come by, so as soon as you have a tentative travel timeline, book your flight. The earlier you book, the more likely you are to save money. If you are looking for a good deal, the best time to book your flight to Indonesia is around 60-90 days before the departure date.

“Hot seats” on long-haul flights

Those days seat selection is considered an optional, extra paid service – seats with extra legroom (front and exit rows) are usually priced higher. However, if you’re about to take a long-haul flight to Indonesia, those “hot seats” are worth considering – expect to pay $50-$100, which is much less than upgrading to Premium Economy.

If you want to choose your seats, do this early (ideally during the booking) for a more extensive selection of available options.

Lost baggage prevention

Avoid lost luggage nightmares by removing old tags on your suitcases. Tags are printed with a barcode for identification and tracking, so the old tags can confuse baggage handlers and the conveyor belt scanners. They are one of the reasons so many bags miss their flight or get misrouted.

“Book Flights Now, Pay Later” — is it worth it?

Booking a flight and paying for it later has recently become a popular trend in the travel industry, with many airlines offering delayed payment plans. They will allow you to make flight reservation to Indonesia now and then pay the bill in installments. But should you take advantage?

Book Now Pay Later (BNPL) plans are essentially short-term personal loans. By partnering with financial companies such as Affirm, Afterpay, PayPal Credit, Postpay, and Uplift, airlines can offer their loan services on the checkout page. When you book the flight with the BNPL option, the company pays the airline, and you repay the loan in installments over a set period (usually up to 24 months), with a set interest rate.

BNPL providers have varying terms and fees. Some may offer interest-free loans but have fees for late payments and require forced autoplay on your bank account, while others may have high annual percentage rates (up to 30-40% APR). There may also be transaction fees, down payment requirements, and many companies even run a credit check on the traveler.

Among the airlines that offer a “fly now, pay later” option are American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Emirates, Qatar Airways, Qantas, Turkish Airlines, United Airlines, Alaska Airlines, British Airways, KLM, Lufthansa, Southwest, and Virgin Atlantic.

Is BNPL financing worth it? If paid off on time, interest-free delayed payment on your flight ticket to Indonesia can be a great way to free up your cash flow. However, there may be safer alternatives available – such as taking advantage of an introductory 0% interest offer on a credit card or using flight price “freezing” services like Hopper.

Hidden-city ticketing hack

Hidden-city ticketing is a less-known money-saving tactic where you buy a plane ticket with a layover, with the intention to get off at the layover rather than the final destination. For example, a flight from New York to Tokyo might be $600, but a similar flight from New York to Singapore with a layover in Tokyo might be only $350. Choosing the latter and ending the trip in Tokyo would save you $250.

It seems counterintuitive that a fare from A to C via B could possibly be cheaper than a simple fare on a shorter route from A to B. However, airlines use dynamic, computer-driven price models calculated with little human intervention, and such deals happen quite often.

Booking a hidden city ticket isn’t as easy as booking a standard itinerary. There are some things to be aware of: (1) don’t check baggage — bring only hand luggage that can fit under the seat or an overhead compartment; a large checked bag will end up in the final destination C; (2) don’t use it for return flights — airlines often void any subsequent tickets if any segment of the first ticket is missed; (3) Do not overuse this tactic with the same airline — hidden-city ticketing is legal but airlines don’t like it and may try to punish you; (4) Don’t associate your frequent flyer account — the airline might invalidate any miles you’ve accrued with them.

How to find hidden-city tickets? The easiest way is to use Skiplagged website, which was designed for unearthing hidden-city deals — give them a try for your flight to Indonesia.

Get cheaper business class by bidding on airline upgrades

A growing number of airlines are auctioning upgrades to their business class seats. Once you book your economy ticket to Indonesia, you can offer to pay a bit more in an attempt to get a premium seat. 2-3 days before your flight, an airline will send you an email with a link to their website where you can place a “blind” bid. There’s usually a minimum bid amount. If you win the auction, you’ll be informed, and your seat will be upgraded.

How to choose the right bid amount? Just check the airline website for the regular cost of a business class seat to Indonesia, then subtract what you paid for the economy fare. Place your bid for around 10% to 30% of that price. The alternative strategy is to bid slightly above the competition. If, for example, the minimum bid is $500, try to bid $550-$600, as most people will offer the baseline amount required.

The more available business class seats the airline has on your flight, the lower bid can be successfully used. Check the airline’s daily schedule for flights to Indonesia – if there is more than one flight on your chosen route (more available seats), you can safely bid close to the minimum required amount.

Among the airlines that allow bidding for seat upgrades are: Air Canada (AC Bid), Air New Zealand (OneUp™), Cathay Pacific, Etihad Airways, Fiji Airways (Bula Bid), Garuda Indonesia (BidUpgrade), Qantas, Singapore Airlines, SriLankan Airlines, and Virgin Australia (UpgradeMe).

Fly early in the morning

Early morning flights (6 am or earlier) are usually cheaper than other day schedules. It’s because of lower demand – most people are not willing to go to the airport so early. Use it to your advantage.

Moreover, airports are also less crowded, and there tend to be fewer delays if you fly early in the morning. Due to increasing air traffic, delays get worse throughout the day – starting around 8-10 am and reaching a peak at 4-6 pm. If you are flying to Indonesia with a connecting flight, arriving on time at your layover airport may be critical to catching your next flight!

Take advantage of loyalty programs

Choose an airline that suits you the best, then stick to it. By becoming a ‘regular’, you will be able to use its loyalty program and earn “miles” (or points) – not only for flying but also for everyday expenses (if your card is affiliated with an airline).

Points earned this way often add up over time and are extremely helpful in flying at reduced fares. Airlines offer not only ticket discounts for their frequent flyers, but also special travel perks such as cabin class upgrades, increased checked baggage allowance, or access to their airport lounges so you can relax during long layovers.

If you often fly with Emirates, opt for Skywards, with Qantas – for Qantas Frequent Flyer, with Singapore Airlines – for KrisFlyer, etc.

Proof of onward travel – a simple hack

Travelers who go on long trips often don’t have a set itinerary and fly on one-way tickets. The problem? For many APAC countries, proof of onward travel is a legal requirement. If you arrive at the airport without an onward ticket (from Indonesia to another country), you’ll either be forced to buy one online or forbidden from boarding the plane altogether.

The cheapest solution? Renting an onward ticket! Use the websites such as OneWayFly or OnwardTicket to get a flight reservation for a limited amount of time (usually 2 to 14 days). They work by actually booking you on a real flight out of Indonesia and giving you a confirmable flight reservation with a PNR (Passenger Name Record) under your name. After the time limit, your spot on the flight is automatically canceled. Such “temporary tickets” tend to cost anywhere from $10 to $20.

How to book a superdeal to Indonesia?

Every superdeal you receive from Air Traveler Club includes a link you can use to book a flight. It always directs you to the website that offers the lowest price. Sometimes it’s an airline website; in other cases, Google Flights or a similar flight booking platform.

This video explains how to use Google Flights to book a plane ticket.

Dealing with the jet lag

Jet lag affects people differently depending on age, physical fitness, and genetics. The most accepted rule suggests that you should allow one full day to recover from jet lag for every time zone (hour gained) you traveled east and a number of days equal to half the time zones crossed when you traveled west.

The most effective natural jet lag remedy is to force your body into its new routine. You can begin before getting off the plane: set your watch to the time in Indonesia, then do your best to sleep and eat based on the new time zone. Close the window shade when it’s time to simulate darkness. During your first day on the ground in Indonesia, get outdoors, stay physically active during the day, and absorb sunlight.