Looking for cheap flights to Laos?
Yes, there are some. At the moment a couple of budget airlines provide cheap flights to and from Vientiane Capital, Laos.
AirAsia provides a direct flight daily between Vientiane International airport in Laos and Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia.
NokAir lists one daily flight to Vientiane, but it is not a direct flight. It is operated under the airline’s Fly'n'Ride service.
This means that the flight is a domestic flight in Thailand from Don Mueang Airport (Bangkok’s old airport) to Udon Thani, with a convenient connection by coach to the Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge at Nong Kai border town. Then cross the border via the Bridge to Vientiane.
Note: For Nokair Fly'nRide service, there will be a few hop-ons and offs between coaches.
The passengers are required to get off the coach at the border crossing post for immigration inspection to exit Thailand. Then take a local shuttle bus to cross the bridge, get off the bus and clear immigration to entry Laos. Then get on a Lao coach (provided by the airlines) that waits nearby to go to down town Vientiane. Check the airlines' website for more details.
Fares:
Fares vary a lot depending on seasons and time of booking. Normally (non-promotional) a return ticket (KUL-VTE-KUL) is around US$300+. But AirAsia often has promotion fares in addition to its regular cheap flights and these sometimes offer a big saving.
For NokAir Fly'n'Ride, a one-way ticket costs well under $100 or under $150 for a return ticket (economic). There are also often promotion fares. The only trade off is the time wasted at the border for immigration instpection and hoping on and off the coaches.
Airport Tax:
Airport tax and other taxes (if any) will be added on top of your ticket price. These usually appear in your receipt as Airport charges & fees.
Flight Schedule:
For your convenience here are links to the airlines’ websites that you can check flight schedules. www.airasia.com; www.nokair.com.
When checking Vientiane and Kuala Lumpur flight schedules, please note that Kuala Lumpur time is 1 hour ahead of Vientiane.
Note: Airfares are estimated and provided as a guide, it is recommended you check the airlines' websites for current fares.
Flying Time:
To Vientiane from Kuala Lumpur is around 3½ hours.
The Nokair Fly'n'Ride (Bangkok-Vientiane) also takes a few hours including land travel and border crossing.
Latest updated (March 2022): Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, flights to Laos are irregular and limited. If you plan a to travel to Laos make sure you do your research thoroughly and get in touch with Laos embassy in your area for a complete travel guidelines and regulation.