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

Velana International Airport AKA Malé Airport (MLE)

Velana International Airport MLE (better known as Malé) is the main airport of the Maldives — the hub that connects the country with the outside world. It is located in the North Malé Atoll, on the island of Hulhule, a 5-minute ride across the Sinamalé Bridge or 10 minutes by ferry from the capital city. The airport has three terminals (international, domestic, and seaplane) and serves most of the international traffic and numerous domestic flights to other islands of the Maldives archipelago via three main local carriers: Maldivian Airlines, FlyMe, and Trans Maldivian Airways.

The airport itself is quite small, which allows passengers to take just a short walk from the gate through immigration to the baggage carousel and then through the customs to the exit.

Among the airport’s facilities are free carts in the arrival and departure areas, baggage storage service ($5 to store one bag for 24 hours), duty-free shops with a good selection of alcohol, cigarettes, and cosmetics, gift shops, cafes and restaurants, a medical center and a pharmacy, free shower rooms, internet kiosks, and several regular and VIP lounges.

Traveling between islands by seaplane

Seaplane transfer is the fastest way to reach your resort or hotel in the Maldives. In fact, many island resorts can be reached only by seaplane. The flight time varies from 20 minutes to 1 hour, depending on the distance, and costs around 500 USD (~740 AUD / ~470 EUR ) per person on a round-trip basis (premium resorts can charge up to $1,000 / ~1480 AUD / ~950 EUR).

Traveling in a seaplane is an experience in itself, and it’s all about the aerial views. These breathtaking seaplane flights over shallow lagoons, coral reefs, and uninhabited islands are probably the most picturesque air travel that exists.

Trans Maldivian Airways is the largest and most experienced seaplane operator in Maldives, while Manta Air is the newcomer. Both airlines are flying highly versatile, twin-engine turbine powered DHC-6-300 Twin Otter seaplanes that take around 15 passengers. Each passenger may carry 5 kg of hand luggage and 20 kg of checked baggage. All seaplanes take off from Velana International Airport in Male.

Usually, the resort/travel agent/tour operator reserves the seaplane transfer on behalf of the guest. You can also book a seaplane once you arrive at Malé at the seaplane operator’s help desk.

The cheapest time to fly to Maldives

The Maldives has a tropical monsoon climate with two dominating seasons, with temperatures averaging between 25℃ and 32℃. The warmest period is observed between March and mid-May. However, if you’re looking for a cheaper and quieter trip, aim to book your flights for dates from May to November. These months are considered Maldives’ off-peak tourism season – while there is some rain, the storms move quickly and won’t ruin an entire day. The islands receive significantly fewer visitors, and everything, including airline tickets and resort prices, is cheaper.

Flights and accommodation are the most expensive between December and April as many families seek out warmer, tropical weather for their holidays to spend the day at the beach and soaking up the sun. Make sure to book your flights well in advance to avoid inflated last-minute fares.

Use the ferry system instead of flying to save money

Flying locally is incredibly expensive in the Maldives. Flights from Malé to the surrounding islands can easily cost you up to 500 USD (~740 AUD / ~470 EUR ) one-way.

If you want to stay on a budget, skip flying and use a reasonably-priced public ferry instead — expect to pay just 5-10 USD (~4-9 EUR) depending on the route. Ferry transport isn’t frequent — a ferry usually makes only one trip each day in each direction. From Male, there are public ferries to North and South Male Atoll, Rasdhu Atoll, Ari Atoll, and Vaavu atoll. There are no public ferries to or from resorts in the Maldives.

Please note that the timetable can be changed depending on the weather conditions and that ferries do not operate on Fridays (it’s the day off in the Maldives).

Maldives Time vs Maldives Island Time

When checking flights and airport transfer times, ensure you know the local time zones. The departure/arrival times on your plane ticket and boarding pass are based on the time zone of the departure/arrival airport – this also applies to the connecting (layover) airports.

Officially, all the Maldives islands follow the same time zone known as Maldives Time (MHT) which is 5 hours ahead of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC+5h ). However, some resorts on distant islands frequently operate according to their own rules and they observe different time zone, known as Maldives Island Time. It is an unofficial time zone where 1 or 2 hours are added to the Maldives Time, so travelers to take advantage of “an extra hour of daylight each day”. There is usually no need to worry about this time difference, as the resort will let you know if they have altered their clocks to Maldives Island Time.

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 Air India, Singapore Airlines, AirAsia, 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: @MaldivianAero” if contacting the national carrier Maldivian Airlines). The social media team will often notice it immediately, ask you for a direct message, and respond privately.

How to book SuperDeals?

At the Air Traveler Club, our go-to solution for finding cheap airfares to Maldives is Google Flights. Every time we send SuperDeals to our 110,000 members (see some examples), we include links to Google Flights so that each deal can be booked immediately.

Google Flights then showcases various options for booking the deal: you can almost always book directly with the airline (by cutting out the middleman) or – alternatively – with an OTA that offers the same flight at a similar price. Once you have chosen your booking option, you will be redirected to the external website where you can finalize your ticket purchase.

One of Google Flights’ standout features is a color-coded bar that appears underneath the booking options. It provides a visual representation of the price in comparison to the typical fare (for the same route, class, and airline) – indicating whether it is lower, average, or higher.

If the marker falls within the green zone (“price is low”) don’t hesitate to secure this deal as it is significantly – 40% to 80% – cheaper than average and unlikely to drop further.

For more details on how to book deals on Google Flights, check out this video:

If you are not Air Traveler Club subscriber yet, you’re missing out on SuperDeals (we often send deals to Maldives). Signup now to start saving 40–80% on flights. It’s free!

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 Maldives 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 Maldives. 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 Maldives almost always never works out.

Based on years of research, the airlines know what people are willing to pay for specific flights and dates. To make the most money, they will sell their cheapest fares first and then increase the prices right before the flight to take advantage of these travelers who are willing to pay the premium price for late booking.

Occasionally, airlines can offer last-minute deals to fill the remaining seats, but these are for unusual times and unpopular places. Popular destinations and dates tend to sell out quickly.

Planning ahead and booking early is your best chance to secure a great deal on your flight to Maldives.

Fly early in the morning

Early morning flights (6 am or earlier) are usually cheaper than other day schedules. Airlines often offer discounts on their first flight of the morning (up to 15-20%) simply because of lower demand – most people are not willing to go to the airport so early.

Moreover, 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 Maldives with a connecting flight, arriving on time at your layover airport may be critical to catching your next flight!

By heading to the airport before rush hour, you can at least halve the time spent in city traffic. Airports are less crowded in the early morning, and with fewer travelers at the airport, there will be no long lines at the check-in and security.

Best way to upgrade to Business Class for cheap

A growing number of airlines are auctioning upgrades to their business class seats. Once you book your economy ticket to Maldives, 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. Alternatively, you can go to the website directly and check if your seat qualifies for an upgrade by providing the Booking Reference number.

There’s usually a minimum bid amount. If you win the auction, you’ll be informed via email, 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 Maldives, 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 Maldives – 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 (Upgrade Bid), Etihad Airways (Bid To Upgrade), Fiji Airways (Bula Bid), Garuda Indonesia (BidUpgrade), Hawaiian Airlines (Bid Up), LATAM (Cabin Upgrade), Lufthansa (Bid Upgrade), Royal Jordanian (Go Crown), Qantas (Bid Now), SAS (SAS Upgrade), Singapore Airlines (mySQupgrade), SriLankan Airlines, and Virgin Australia (UpgradeMe).

“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 Maldives 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, Fly Now Pay Later, 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 Maldives 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.

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

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 the Maldives 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 the Maldives 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.

“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 Maldives, 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 luggage prevention: Essential tips

Every year, airlines handle millions of bags and a small percentage never make it to their final destinations. Avoid lost luggage nightmares on your trip to Maldives by removing old tags from previous flights on your suitcases – they can confuse baggage handlers and conveyor belt scanners. It’s also a good idea to label your luggage with your name, address, and phone number (both inside and outside the case) and attach a GPS-tracker device like Apple AirTag or Samsung SmartTag.

For peace of mind, consider purchasing travel insurance to cover the full value of your luggage, as airline liability usually doesn’t reflect the actual value of the baggage content.