Even though Chinese New Year is still about three months away, many have already begun making plans.

The price of travel tickets from Singapore to Malaysia has shot up, with plane tickets from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur (KL) costing over S$600 on budget airlines.

Flying budget airlines to Malaysia

In 2024, Chinese New Year will be a long weekend. The first two days will fall over the weekend of Feb. 10, meaning that Feb. 12 will be a public holiday.

Jetstar Asia told Mothership that they have seen a strong demand for their services, up to three times more than non-peak travel months.

A spokesperson for the airline shared that Chinese New Year is always a popular travel period, and Jetstar's service from Singapore to KL is one of their busiest routes.

A quick check on Jetstar's website showed that a round-trip ticket from Singapore to KL between Feb. 9 and Feb. 13 costs around S$620.

These prices do not include add-ons like check-in luggage and in-flight meals.

In comparison, a flight leaving on Nov. 3, 2023 from Singapore and departing KL on Nov. 6, 2023 is priced at S$184.45.

Meanwhile on Scoot, tickets between KL and Singapore over the Chinese New Year period would set you back about S$500.

For instance,  a flight departing from Singapore on Feb. 9 and arriving on Feb. 12 would cost S$519.85 for economy class before add-ons.

As for AirAsia, it is the cheapest of the budget carriers we looked at, as a return trip to KL for one would cost around S$383.14 without check-in baggage.

According to a Mothership reader who will be flying to Penang the week before Chinese New Year and returning on the first day of Chinese New Year, his round-trip flight cost him almost S$230 on AirAsia.

He added that when he searched for flights for the weekend of Chinese New Year, tickets were priced at S$600.

"I'd rather crawl back to Penang," he said.

Travelling by bus to Malaysia

Speaking to The Straits Times (ST), a spokesperson for bus operator Sri Maju Group said that since sales began on Oct. 10 for different destinations in Malaysia between Feb. 8 and 10, 60 per cent of its tickets have sold out.

Passengers could pay up to S$190 for a one-way trip, compared to S$40 to S$55 during non-peak periods, ST reported.

Meanwhile, Malaysian bus company Causeway Link said they expect a 70 per cent increase in commuter traffic during the Chinese New Year holiday.

They also expect a 30 per cent increase from their regular prices of S$35 for a one-way ticket to KL when sales begin three months before Chinese New Year, said ST.

To cope with the increase in demand, both companies will increase the number of trips made during that period.

Top photos via Unsplash, Unsplash & Scoot/Facebook