How to fly to Malaysia or the Philippines for £381 return

Here's how to get cheap flights to Kuala Lumpur and Manila

Kuala Lumpur is a destination worth seeing in its own right (Getty/iStock)

Every so often, Jack Sheldon from Jack’s Flight Club selects a flight deal from the UK for Independent readers that you can’t afford to miss. This week: return flights to Malaysia or the Philippines for £381 return.

Take your pick between Kuala Lumpur and Manila this week with Etihad Airways. Both of these cities are great to visit, but they're also a good jumping-off point for other locations in wider Malaysia and the Philippines. Explore islands such as Langkawi and Phuket in Thailand, which is cheap to connect to from Kuala Lumpur; while there are easy connections from Manila to hundreds of amazing beaches such as El Nido in the Philippines.

How to book

Head to Google Flights and enter either London or Manchester as your departure and Manila or Kuala Lumpur as your destination. You may want to add a “Etihad” filter to the “Airlines” option, to help find the dates included in this deal.

Use Google Flights’ calendar tool to help you highlight the best travel dates (they’ll show up in green).

This one is best booked directly with the airline and Google Flights will provide you a link to book with the airline, or head to Skyscanner and re-enter your dates to reduce the cost by £30-£40 and get the fares listed below.

Returns from London (LHR)

Manila (MNL) – £386

Kuala Lumpur (KUL) – £386

Returns from Manchester (MAN)

Manila (MNL) – £381

Kuala Lumpur (KUL) – £398

When to fly

The lowest fares are available from September to November 2019 and February to March 2020.

When to book

These fares should be available for another 2-3 days more days at least.

Pro tip

If you’re keen to visit the paradisiacal beaches of northern Palawan in the Philippines, but want to avoid the six-hour bus ride from Palawan Island's only major airport, local carrier Air Swift has daily routes directly into town. These don’t show up on Google flights, but you can find the schedule and book directly from its website.