A couple of weeks ago, I explained how I fly to Europe in comfort for considerably less than the cost of a Business Class ticket all the way from Australia. My strategy is to use points or a cheap cash ticket to get from Australia to an intermediate point in Asia, then to buy a relatively cheap Business Class ticket from Asia to Europe.

There are often good premium cabin airfares available from Asia to Europe on full-service airlines, particularly from places like Jakarta, Bangkok and Manila. There are also currently some very good Business prices available out of Singapore, which is a popular stopover point and particularly easy to get to from Australia.

Etihad and Turkish Airlines both currently have sale fares available in Business Class from Singapore to Madrid, the capital of Spain, for just over AUD3,000 round-trip.

Etihad Business Class sale fares from Singapore to Madrid

For example, you could fly Etihad Business Class for $3,154 return:

These flights are via Abu Dhabi in both directions. On some days of the week, the transit times in Abu Dhabi are just a few hours. On other days, the transits are much longer – so check the schedule before booking. You can book on the Etihad website.

Etihad currently flies a Boeing 777-300ER on its Singapore-Abu Dhabi route, but will upgrade this to the Airbus A380 with an on-board bar and lounge from February 2025. It uses a Boeing 787 between Abu Dhabi and Madrid.

The Etihad Business sale fare from Singapore to Madrid is available for departure dates between now and 28 February 2025. You’d need to book by 30 November 2024. Note that these prices aren’t available every day as they are subject to availability in Z class.

No stopovers of more than 24 hours are permitted in Abu Dhabi, and you can stay in Madrid for as little as two days or as long as four months.

You can earn Virgin Australia Velocity points and status credits with Etihad Airways… at least, for now. This could change in the future if the Australian government approves the expanded tie-up between Virgin Australia and Qatar Airways, as Qatar Airways would become Virgin’s exclusive Middle Eastern and European partner.

Cheap Turkish Airlines Business Class from Singapore to Madrid

Turkish Airlines also has a few seats available for approximately AUD3,325 round-trip, via Istanbul. These prices aren’t as widely available as the Etihad deal, as they book into J class and Turkish Airlines has limited availability in that fare bucket.

Nonetheless, as an example, we found this itinerary on the Turkish Airlines website (priced here in Singapore Dollars):

The fare rules state that these Turkish Airlines fares can be booked until 29 November 2024.

Getting between Australia and Singapore

To get from Australia to Singapore and back, you could simply book another ticket with a different airline. For example, you could book a cheap Economy ticket with Qantas, Singapore Airlines, Scoot or Jetstar. You could even go ScootPlus or Jetstar Business Class for a bit of extra comfort.

If you have Qantas points, you could use those to fly Qantas or Jetstar to Singapore, including in Business Class.

Or, you could use Virgin Australia Velocity points or Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer miles to book Singapore Airlines in Economy, Premium Economy or Business.

Matt Graham

The editor of Australian Frequent Flyer, Matt's passion for travel has taken him to over 90 countries… with the help of frequent flyer points, of course!
Matt's favourite destinations (so far) are Germany, Brazil & Kazakhstan. His interests include economics, aviation & foreign languages, and he has a soft spot for good food and red wine.

You can connect with Matt by posting on the Australian Frequent Flyer community forum and tagging @AFF Editor.