2. Jetstar Airways
This Qantas Group subsidiary is a part of the Jetstar Group, which had its first flight take off in 2004. Technically speaking, Jetstar Airways serves Australia and New Zealand, while its affiliates Jetstar Asia Airways and Jetstar Japan serve Asia. Together, they have 5,000 flights a day to more than 58 destinations in 18 countries across the Asia-Pacific region. Having been voted the best low-cost airline in Australasia for the second time in three years, the airline has also been honored for its cabin crew and operational excellence.
We found roundtrip flights from from Melbourne to Ho Chi Minh City starting at $227, Sydney to Honolulu from $373, and Gold Coast to ChristChurch from $322.
3. Norse Atlantic Airways
Celebrating the two-year anniversary of its inaugural flight from Oslo to New York this month, Norse Atlantic Airways has quickly made a name for itself, specializing in trans-Atlantic flights between the US and Europe. It snagged the No. 4 spot for best Northern European airline in the World Airline Awards as well. The carried, based in Arendal, Norway, has a fleet of 15 Boeing 787 Dreamliners and goes to New York, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Miami, and Orlando in the United States; as well as Bangkok, Cape Town, Oslo, Athens, Berlin, London, Paris, and Rome.
We found roundtrip flights in economy light class (without any extras) from Los Angeles to London for $417 and New York to Oslo for $494.
4. Air Canada rouge
Toronto-based Air Canada launched its low-cost affiliate Air Canada rouge in 2013 branding itself as a “leisure airline,” with flights in North America, Europe, the Caribbean, and Central America. Now fully integrated into the Air Canada network, passengers will simply see the rouge flights pop up in their searches when available on that route. Free checked bags are included on long-haul flights, and high-speed Wi-Fi is available for purchase. There’s also a Premium Rouge class with priority check-in and boarding; wider seats with more leg room; free Wi-Fi, and meals on flights longer than two hours.
We found roundtrip flights from Montreal to Tulum for $278 and Toronto to Punta Cana at $280.
5. Zipair
Japan Airlines began operations of its low-cost carrier Zipair in 2018. Based in Tokyo Narita (NRT), the subsidiary flies to four Asian destinations (Bangkok, Singapore, Manila, and Seoul) and five North American ones (Honolulu, Los Angeles, San José, San Francisco, and Vancouver). Wi-Fi is complimentary to all passengers of its 290-seat Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners. Also innovative: a contactless in-flight experience to order meals and goods from personal phones and tablets.
We found standard-class roundtrip flights from Honolulu to Tokyo for $519 and San Jose, California to Tokyo for $697.
6. AirAsia X
While Malaysian company AirAsia took the overall best low-cost airline award for 2024, its longer-haul affiliate AirAsia X snagged the No. 6 spot in this long-haul category. With three Asian hubs in Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, and Denpasar in Bali, the subsidiary serves 29 destinations in Asia, Australia, New Zealand, the Middle East, and one US destination, Hawaii (it was the first airline from Southeast Asia to receive Federal Aviation Administration approval to fly into the US). Booking is integrated into AirAsia’s greater network.
