Asia Pacific is reopening to international tourism

Asia Pacific region is finally on the road to full recovery, welcoming back foreign travelers from around the world. Most countries in the region have fully reopened borders to all international short-term visitors — lifting travel restrictions and easing tourist visa requirements.

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Asia Pacific:

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Arriving in Asia Pacific

  • If you are flying to Asia Pacific from abroad, you will most likely land at one of its biggest international airportsits main international airport — Bangkok BKK, Beijing PEK, Delhi DEL, Dubai DXB, Ho Chi Minh City SGN, Jakarta CGK, Hong Kong HKG, Kuala Lumpur KUL, Manila MNL, Seoul ICN, Singapore SIN, Shanghai PVG, Taipei TPE, and Tokyo.

    These are also the best (and the cheapest) airports to fly into Asia Pacific. As they are used by many airlines serving the same routes, the competition for passengers is fierce – with decreased airfare as a result.


  • Once in Asia Pacific, take advantage of frequent flights between the major cities via domestic airlines such as Air China, Air New Zealand, ANA, Asiana Airlines, EVA Air, Garuda Indonesia, Hong Kong Airlines, Korean Air, Philippine Airlines, SriLankan Airlines, Thai Airways, and Vietnam Airlines. To check flight schedules/prices and to book the tickets, visit their official websites — OTAs and flight search engines often don’t have access to the flight repository of smaller local airlines. They also often fail to update prices in the event of short-lived sales and promotions that airlines run from time to time. To not miss out on these great offers, visit Promo Radar which aggregates current promotions run by popular airlines.
  • Planning to explore the region? Popular destinations near Asia Pacific can be easily reached with low-cost regional airlines (LCCs) by the likes of AirAsia, Air India Express, Batik Air, Cebu Pacific, IndiGo, Jetstar Airways, Lion Air, Nok Air, Royal Jordanian, Scoot, and VietJet Air.

    These budget carriers offer flights from major Asian hubs at lower prices than full-service airlines, and they often fly to smaller airports that big players do not cover. However, the “no-frills” airlines may not provide free checked baggage allowance, complimentary food, in-flight entertainment systems, and fast customer support; you may not even get to choose your seats (unless you pay extra). With that in mind, they are a great option to save money if you have a stopover in Asia Pacific and then fly only a short distance to one of its neighboring countries.
Best airports to fly into Asia Pacific: Bali (Denpasar) DPS, Bangkok BKK, Beijing PEK, Delhi DEL, Dubai DXB, Jakarta CGK, Hong Kong HKG, Kuala Lumpur KUL, Seoul ICN, Singapore SIN, Taipei TPE, and Tokyo HND
Airports of Asia Pacific on Google Maps Asia Pacific has hundreds of international airports, many of which are among the world’s busiest, serving tens of millions of passengers every year – Bali (Denpasar) DPS, Bangkok BKK, Beijing PEK, Delhi DEL, Dubai DXB, Jakarta CGK, Hong Kong HKG, Kuala Lumpur KUL, Seoul ICN, Singapore SIN, Taipei TPE, and Tokyo HND.
Things to know before flying to Asia Pacific
Best APAC AirlinesNA, Bangkok Airways, Cathay Pacific, China Southern Airlines, Emirates, Etihad Airways, EVA Air, Japan Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines, Thai Airways, Qantas
Best Low-cost APAC AirlinesAirAsia, Air India Express, Alliance Airlines, Batik Air, Cebu Pacific, IndiGo, Jetstar Airways, Nok Air, Rex Airlines, Salamair, Scoot, VietJet Air
Largest AirportsBeijing (PEK), Dubai (DXB), Tokyo (HND), Hong Kong (HKG), Delhi (DEL), Seoul (ICN), Jakarta (CGK), Singapore (SIN), Bangkok (BKK), Kuala Lumpur (KUL), Taipei (TPE), Manila (MNL), Ho Chi Minh City (SGN), Doha (DOH), Istanbul (SAW), Denpasar, Bali (DPS), Abu Dhabi (AUH)
Official WebsitesSoutheast Asia Travel
PATA (Pacific Asia Travel Association)
Travel Advisory (US citizens)
Air Passenger Rights (EU citizens)
Smartraveller Travel Advisories (Australian citizens)

Tips, tricks & hacksfor flying to Asia Pacific

Download a VPN app

Many Asian countries seem to have problems with online content. China censors a large chunk of Western Internet with its “Great Firewall of China”, Indonesia dislikes content that violates "morality" (LGBT content, Reddit, Steam, and Vimeo are blocked), and Internet freedom is declining in Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam.

If you want to keep access to your favorite websites while traveling in Asia, you should download a VPN app for your smartphone and laptop before you arrive.

Don’t book tours or activities in advance

For most Asian destinations, anything you see online will be more expensive than what you pay at your local travel agent. So do research online, choose your itinerary and activities, then wait till you arrive and you can negotiate a much lower price in person.

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Flights to Asia Pacific fromUnited States and Canada

  • There are no direct flights from the US or Canada to Asia Pacific. However, most major hubs in Asia have non-stop flights to Asia Pacific, as do some larger airports in the Middle East – your journey will have at least one stop. There are numerous direct flights to destinations in Asia — you can fly direct to China, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Vietnam and others.
  • Asia Pacific is well-served via one-stop flights from North America. Flights to Asia Pacific with one layover depart from most major North American airports, including Atlanta ATL, Dallas DFW, Denver DEN, Chicago ORD, Los Angeles LAX, Las Vegas DFW, Miami MIA, Seattle SEA, Houston IAH, New York JFK, and San Francisco SFO in the United States and Toronto YYZ, Vancouver YVR, Calgary LAS, and Montreal YUL in Canada.
  • The best airlines to fly to Asia Pacific from the US and Canada are: American Airlines, Air Canada, ANA, Delta Air Lines, Cathay Pacific, Japan Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Singapore Airlines, and United Airlines. They are top full-service carriers, offering exceptional customer service, in-flight comfort, a generous checked baggage allowance, and reliable customer support channels – all included in the ticket price.
  • For long-haul flights, the type of aircraft you choose can make a huge difference to your overall comfort on board – especially if you’re flying economy. The best aircraft have comfier seats with more legroom, WiFi, superior entertainment systems, and a better passenger experience in every cabin in general. When booking a flight to Asia Pacific, look for the airlines that use wide-body planes designed for long-haul flights, such as Airbus A350 (best choice), A380, A320neo, or Boeing 767, 777, and 787 Dreamliner.

Asia Pacific from US & Canada
plane ticket prices in 2023/24

Real-time economy class airfares to Asia Pacific from the US and Canada. Shown are the top three deals for flights departing in the coming months (February to October).

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Flight hacking

Hacker faresto Asia Pacific

Superdeals airlines don't want you to see:

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Tips, tricks & hacks(continued)

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 Emirates, Singapore Airlines, Turkish 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: "@EmiratesSupport"). The social media team will often notice it immediately, ask you for a direct message, and respond privately.

Book your flights in the local currency

Airfares that a flight search engine or airline website quotes you often vary depending on where you book from. Try to spoof your location and currency so that it looks like you're booking the flight from the same country it departs from. For example, if you are in the US and booking a leg of your trip from Tokyo to Bangkok, set the country on the airline website to Japan and the currency to Japanese yen (JPY).

This simple trick doesn't work every time (not all websites set prices the same way), but it can sometimes save you significant money.

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Best full-service airlinesflying to Asia Pacific