Flight deals to Kuala Lumpur

Kuala Lumpur, or KL, is a melting pot of cultural influences where you can see both ancient temples and skyscrapers. There’s also excellent, cheap food and plenty of opportunities to shop for bargains. Nature lovers can wander the gardens and parks in the city, spotting monkeys, birds and butterflies. Year-round hot weather means there’s never a bad time to visit and you can always get relief from the heat by entering one of the air-conditioned buildings.

Flight deals to Kuala Lumpur are fairly easy to come by as it’s one of the most convenient places to get to Asia from Australia. You can fly direct from Sydney, Melbourne, Perth or Darwin with a single-figure flight time.

Flight deals to Kuala Lumpur:

Kuala Lumpur flight times

• From Sydney: 8 hrs 35 mins
• From Melbourne: 8 hrs 35 mins
• From Perth: 5 hrs 50 mins
• From Brisbane: 9 hrs 45 mins

Airlines that fly to Kuala Lumpur

• AirAsia
• Malaysia Airlines
• Malindo Air
• Qantas

Kuala Lumpur insider flight tips

• AirAsia is currently the only low-cost airline to fly direct to Kuala Lumpur from Australia, while Jetstar, and Scoot all have one-stop routes. Lead-in fares for all of these airlines are seat-only, so you will need to pay extra for luggage, meals and seat-selection. This fee is per leg, so these fees could double on a one-stop flight. Malaysia Airlines flies direct from four Australian cities, including Darwin, offering competitive fares which include the extras.
• Kuala Lumpur is a major stopover hub on the way to Asia and Europe. Have a look at return flights to elsewhere in Asia as it may only cost a little more. If you include an extended stopover in Kuala Lumpur, that’s two destinations in your flights for the price of one.
• Being a layover airport, Kuala Lumpur (KUL) is well kitted out for long waits. There’s a shopping mall, Gateway@KLIA2, attached to it and you can book a bed for 3, 6 or 12 hours at a time at the Capsule by Container Hotel. There’s a free movie lounge too and an observation deck on level 3 to watch the planes fly in and out.
• Malaysia Airlines, Cathay Pacific and Malindo Air passengers can save you time by letting you check in for the return flight at the city train station. All you have to do is buy a ticket to travel to the airport on KLIA Ekspres or KLIA Transit and you can check in your luggage and get your boarding pass up to eight hours before flight departure. Look for the KL City Air Terminal signs in KL Sentral Station.

How to get from the airport

Kuala Lumpur Airport (KUL) or KLIA is 45 kilometres from the city centre. The fastest way to get there is via the KLIA Ekspres train which departs every 15-20 minutes between 5am-1am and takes around 30 minutes to KL Sentral Station. KLIA Express is on Level 1 beneath the Arrivals Hall and you buy tickets at the ticket counter, which is right outside the elevator. A good alternative is KLIA Transit, which also stops at Bandar Tasik Selatan, Putrajaya & Cyberjaya, and Salak Tinggi. You can also take the KLIA Ekspres between KLIA and KLIA2 (LCCT), the main low-cost airline terminal, which takes around three minutes, or you can arrange a taxi.

Taxis are available but can take an hour to the city due to traffic. Both terminals have taxi counters where you can book and pay at a fixed fare. The cheapest travel option is SkyBus which takes up to 1.5 hours and serves LCCT. From KL Sentral station, you can take the bus, monorail or a taxi to the city centre or to your hotel.