The low-fare frenzy is taking off in Asia, with expanded routes and cheap tickets promising to make the continent more accessible than ever. But how do its budget carriers really rate? To find out, we traveled east on a two-week odyssey, flying nearly 12,000 miles on 13 new airlines in seven countries. Our verdict: they're just the ticket

Imagine an America where only a privileged few have ever been able to buy an airline ticket and where overcrowded trains and buses are the norm. Now imagine a shiny new Airbus painted with the Budweiser logo descending from the heavens to offer cross-country fares to the masses starting at $68.

This far-fetched fantasy is exactly what happened in India, where Kingfisher Airlines, owned by the nation's largest brewery, and two other low-fare carriers have just launched. Budget airlines and routes are blossoming throughout Asia: Five new low-cost carriers—known as LCCs—took off there in 2004, and seven more started flying earlier this year; several others are revving up to launch in the coming months.

"The LCC industry is here to stay," says analyst Nicola Fallon of the Hong Kong–based brokerage firm CLSA. Fallon estimates that the market share for low-cost airlines is currently about five percent in Asia, and predicts short-term price wars and long-term price decreases as these carriers expand.

For American travelers, the rapid growth in Asian LCCs means that navigating this once-forbidding region is easier—and cheaper—than ever before. Now a long-haul overseas flight can be supplemented with short, cheap hops to multiple destinations. And even though kickoff promotions (such as Indian airline SpiceJet's $2.30 domestic one-way tickets) have expired, rock-bottom fares remain plentiful. Of the 18 one-way tickets we bought, 7 cost less than $50 and 10 less than $60. On a cost-per-mile basis, Asian LCCs' fares are among the least expensive in the world. Now, the hardest part of flying in Asia is narrowing your choice of carriers. Click here to download a chart comparing the low-cost carriers.

Booking Bumps
Although these new airlines are easy on the wallet, they're not all easy to book, especially for Americans. Personal computers and credit cards are relatively rare in many Asian countries, so online booking is not as common as it is in North America and Europe. Instead of encouraging Internet ticketing, many Asian carriers continue to rely primarily on brick-and-mortar travel agencies and on creative booking options, such as through ATMs and 7-Elevens. Airlines that do have Web sites—especially those in Japan—sometimes present serious challenges to English speakers. You won't find most of the new Asian low-fare carriers on online booking sites such as Expedia and Travelocity either. Zuji (www.zuji.com) is the Orbitz of Asia (it's owned by the largest regional airlines) but offers only two Singapore-based LCCs: Tiger Airways and Valuair. There are a few regional multi-brand travel sites (such as www.kokunaisen.com, in Japan), but they are indecipherable to anyone not proficient in a major Asian tongue. Because of this, a travel agent who specializes in the region may be your best bet for booking some of these carriers.