Low fares to Asia abound, but so do restrictions

Deals on business-class seats to Asia are among the most coveted and hard to come by. To find out what sorts of discounts are available, we searched for fares on three popular routes using Northwest's Web site, Asia.com, and Kayak.com. Our results are listed in the box below. Stacked side by side, the choice seems like a no-brainer. But a closer look revealed that the choice is not as straightforward as it appears: Not surprisingly, the cheapest seats come with the most restrictions. Philippine Airlines, which offered the lowest fares provided by Kayak.com, allows cancellations for a $50 charge. Northwest has liberal policies that allow changes, cancellations, and refunds, even after the first leg of the journey has been flown. Asia.com turned up the lowest fares by far, but these came with a long list of terms and conditions, none more important than the first: "All airline tickets are non-refundable, non-changeable, and non-cancelable."

The good news is that travelers have more choices than ever. Go for the greatest savings—more than 50 percent off the full fare—and risk losing the entire value of your ticket; save less but avoid a draconian cancellation penalty; or pay full price without having to worry at all about canceling. It's your call.