Traveling to Seoul can be either a costly or time consuming affair: direct flights from Singapore to Seoul (e.g. Singapore Airlines, Asiana, and Korean Air) cost about S$900-1200++ per person and will get you there in about 6 hours or so, while budget airlines (e.g. Scoot) or other full service flights (e.g. Cathay, Malaysia Airlines etc..) will get you there for cheaper (i.e. S$600-900++) but the time waiting in transit might not be worth the savings (e.g. instead of a 6++ hour flight, it might be as long as 10 hours or more).
With the average flight to Seoul from Singapore costing about S$1200++ per person (and that’s just economy!) on Singapore Airlines, getting tickets on promotion are definitely worth it. They are almost 50% lesser than the original price! However, it would be best to keep your travel dates flexible as there are certain blackout dates and as with all things too good to be true, there are also (some) limitations to such offers (i.e. you don’t get the best of dates and flight timings) and a catch - you have to have a least 2 people (minimum) to enjoy this promotion. Despite the limitations and blackout dates, the Singapore Airlines promotions are definitely worth it: you get the full flight service, food and entertainment (economy of course) for about half the (original) price.
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| Singapore Airlines Promotion Screenshot |
This price (Singapore Airlines promotions) would also be cheaper than Asiana and Korean Airlines (without promotions) too. At about S$900++ (below $1000) per person, Asiana and Korean Airlines are the next affordable direct full service flights. I am not too sure about their promotions, but even without promotions their average ticket price is relatively acceptable (it is about S200++ more than Singapore Airlines promotion prices and about S$200++ below Singapore Airlines regular prices without any promotions). With Asiana and Korean Airlines, you get to choose your own (favored) timings and dates (e.g. lesser restrictions).
Since I have yet to take Asiana or Korean Airlines, I can only recommend that if you plan to go to Seoul (South Korea) from Singapore and have travel flexibility, taking Singapore Airlines would save you quite a bit of money (and no… I was not paid to write this). With their promotions, the average ticket price per person is about S$600-750++ (depending on the season that you are traveling and the promotion). It seems that if you plan to travel during the Summer and Autumn period (in South Korea) the prices are slightly cheaper (S$600++), while Spring time would cost slightly more (S$700++). But whichever season you decide to travel, it is still worth it (and cheaper than the original price of S$1000++ and other direct airlines).
However, if you prefer not to be restricted by the (Singapore Airlines) promotions limitations (and want more options), than the next best option would either be Asiana or Korean Airlines – you get to select your preferred travel dates and timing for just a little bit more, and still get to enjoy full flight service (without the worry of additional add-ons like food and baggage weight – something that is an integral part of budget airlines). Asiana are Korean Airlines are also suitable if getting to your destination in the fastest time possible is important to your decision making; sans the (possibly) long(er) transit waiting times. For instance, Asiana and Korean Airlines will cost you an average of S$900++ (lesser than S$1100++), while Cathay - which is also another full service flight - might cost about $800++ but it has a stop-over in Hong Kong which would extend your flight travel time from the usual 6 hours or so to more than 10 hours. So if you have the time and want to save a little bit more than Cathay (or similar) might be just for you.
If you are still keen on budget, than all I can stay is that when budget airlines such as Scoot has promotions, a basic flight to Seoul might cost you S$350++, notwithstanding the transit time and extra costs incurred if you want a little more comfort or more baggage allowance. Still, my rationale is that if you are traveling to places that are more than 3 hours away, full service flights might be better and kinder to your bottom boredom, hunger and baggage weight than budget airlines because at the end of the day (when it’s time to pay for the tickets), the total price might not be as cheap (budget) after all.
Would being able to save $100-300++ be worth it if you have to sacrifice your time spent on the road in the air and in transit, since time is money too? Well, that would really depend on your priorities. In an ideal world where there would be no need to save money or count our precious (vacation) leave, if we had all the time in the world, than I would advocate taking the cheapest (and possibly the longest flight) to maximize your monies. However, for those who are working (or have started), both time and money are equally important; most often than not it is hard to separate the two. However, that is not to say that I would recommend forking out the S$1000++ for a ticket to Seoul. It simply is not worth it when there are promotions that could let you save as much as 50% (off the original price of a full service flight). The choice is yours, but be prepared to fork out about S$350-1200 for a flight to Seoul, be it budget or full service flights whether or not there are promotions.
Since I have yet to take Asiana or Korean Airlines, I can only recommend that if you plan to go to Seoul (South Korea) from Singapore and have travel flexibility, taking Singapore Airlines would save you quite a bit of money (and no… I was not paid to write this). With their promotions, the average ticket price per person is about S$600-750++ (depending on the season that you are traveling and the promotion). It seems that if you plan to travel during the Summer and Autumn period (in South Korea) the prices are slightly cheaper (S$600++), while Spring time would cost slightly more (S$700++). But whichever season you decide to travel, it is still worth it (and cheaper than the original price of S$1000++ and other direct airlines).
However, if you prefer not to be restricted by the (Singapore Airlines) promotions limitations (and want more options), than the next best option would either be Asiana or Korean Airlines – you get to select your preferred travel dates and timing for just a little bit more, and still get to enjoy full flight service (without the worry of additional add-ons like food and baggage weight – something that is an integral part of budget airlines). Asiana are Korean Airlines are also suitable if getting to your destination in the fastest time possible is important to your decision making; sans the (possibly) long(er) transit waiting times. For instance, Asiana and Korean Airlines will cost you an average of S$900++ (lesser than S$1100++), while Cathay - which is also another full service flight - might cost about $800++ but it has a stop-over in Hong Kong which would extend your flight travel time from the usual 6 hours or so to more than 10 hours. So if you have the time and want to save a little bit more than Cathay (or similar) might be just for you.
If you are still keen on budget, than all I can stay is that when budget airlines such as Scoot has promotions, a basic flight to Seoul might cost you S$350++, notwithstanding the transit time and extra costs incurred if you want a little more comfort or more baggage allowance. Still, my rationale is that if you are traveling to places that are more than 3 hours away, full service flights might be better and kinder to your bottom boredom, hunger and baggage weight than budget airlines because at the end of the day (when it’s time to pay for the tickets), the total price might not be as cheap (budget) after all.
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| Scoot - budget if the price is right |
Would being able to save $100-300++ be worth it if you have to sacrifice your time spent on the road in the air and in transit, since time is money too? Well, that would really depend on your priorities. In an ideal world where there would be no need to save money or count our precious (vacation) leave, if we had all the time in the world, than I would advocate taking the cheapest (and possibly the longest flight) to maximize your monies. However, for those who are working (or have started), both time and money are equally important; most often than not it is hard to separate the two. However, that is not to say that I would recommend forking out the S$1000++ for a ticket to Seoul. It simply is not worth it when there are promotions that could let you save as much as 50% (off the original price of a full service flight). The choice is yours, but be prepared to fork out about S$350-1200 for a flight to Seoul, be it budget or full service flights whether or not there are promotions.
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