Alternative Airlines (flights)

Alternative Airlines is an online flight booking aggregator based in the United Kingdom that sells tickets on more than 600 airlines worldwide, including major carriers (Singapore Airlines, Emirates, British Airways, Cathay Pacific) alongside smaller regional and long-tail carriers not commonly listed on mainstream metasearch. The platform's differentiator is a broad set of 40-plus payment methods including flexible payment options through partners such as Klarna, Affirm, Afterpay, Zip, and Tabby. Book via alternativeairlines.com and activate ShopBack through the ShopBack Alternative Airlines merchant page to earn cashback on eligible bookings at the current published rate.

No. Alternative Airlines is a booking aggregator, not an airline, and does not operate its own points or miles programme. Miles and status credit accrue to the operating airline's frequent flyer programme (KrisFlyer for Singapore Airlines, Asia Miles for Cathay Pacific, Skywards for Emirates, and so on), based on the fare class and the airline's own accrual rules. Add the operating airline's frequent flyer number at booking or check-in to earn miles and tier credit as normal on the ticket you purchase through Alternative Airlines.

Alternative Airlines follows the underlying airline pricing rather than running its own storefront sale. Watch for promotional windows that overlap airline-side sale periods: Northern Hemisphere summer sales (February to March), Ramadan-Eid promotional pricing, Great Singapore Sale (June to July), Black Friday (November 27, 2026), Cyber Monday (November 30, 2026), 9.9 (September 9), 10.10 (October 10), 11.11 (November 11), and 12.12 (December 12). Verify the underlying airline's promotional windows before locking dates.

Alternative Airlines accepts more than 40 payment methods including major credit and debit cards (Visa, Mastercard, Amex), PayPal, bank transfer, and a wide set of payment plan providers such as Klarna, Affirm, Afterpay, Zip, Tabby, and Postpay. Payment plan availability depends on the shopper's residency, credit approval, and the specific booking value. Some options split the cost into weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly instalments over 3 to 60 months depending on the provider and plan. Verify the specific payment options available at checkout for your SIN-based booking and read the payment provider's terms before committing.

Skyscanner is a metasearch engine that indexes prices from many airlines and OTAs and redirects the user to the airline or OTA site to complete the booking. Alternative Airlines is a booking aggregator where the ticket is issued through their own checkout with the flexible payment methods layer built in. For sheer price comparison across airlines and OTAs Skyscanner typically wins on coverage; for direct booking with 40-plus payment methods on one checkout Alternative Airlines often wins. For SG travellers comfortable paying full fare upfront on card, Skyscanner-plus-direct-airline is often the simplest path. Both are cashback-eligible via ShopBack where applicable.

Direct airline booking is usually the cleanest path for schedule changes, refunds, seat selection, and mileage crediting since you are contracting with the operating airline. Alternative Airlines adds value when a shopper wants a specific payment method the airline does not offer directly, or when the shopper is booking a smaller or long-tail airline that lacks a strong direct-checkout experience. For SG-based KrisFlyer collectors flying SIA, direct airline booking is often simpler. Both channels are cashback-eligible via ShopBack when accessed through the correct merchant page.

Alternative Airlines lists more than 600 airlines including major global carriers (Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Emirates, Qatar Airways, British Airways, Lufthansa, United, American, Delta), regional Southeast Asia carriers (Malaysia Airlines, Thai Airways, Vietnam Airlines, Philippine Airlines, Garuda Indonesia, AirAsia group, Scoot), and long-tail carriers less commonly indexed by mainstream metasearch. For SG travellers the practical value is in long-tail Africa, South America, Central Asia, and secondary regional carriers. Verify the specific route and airline is available before locking payment method choice.

Alternative Airlines offers pricing in multiple currencies, and SGD is generally selectable at the top of the site or during checkout. If SGD is not offered on a given fare, the site will display in a supported currency (often USD, GBP, or EUR) and the shopper's card issuer will handle the SGD conversion at settlement. Check the card issuer's foreign transaction fee (typically 2% to 3% for SG-issued cards without a no-FX-fee benefit) before booking in a non-SGD currency. Payment plan providers also settle in the provider's supported currencies.

Empty any pending Alternative Airlines booking cart, then click through fresh from the ShopBack Alternative Airlines merchant page to alternativeairlines.com. Complete the booking in the same browser session and confirm the e-ticket email. Avoid pasting unofficial third-party promo codes at checkout since they can break cashback tracking. Cashback tracks on the paid ticket base fare for eligible bookings at the current published rate; ancillary add-ons, insurance top-ups, and payment provider financing charges typically do not qualify.

Yes. Any cancelled or refunded portion of your Alternative Airlines booking is voided from the ShopBack cashback total, since Alternative Airlines only earns commission on completed and flown itineraries. If you cancel within the fare's refund window or the flight is a no-show, the pending cashback will not confirm. Refund timelines depend on the underlying airline's fare rules and can take several weeks to process end-to-end.

Yes in most cases. Apply an official Alternative Airlines code after clicking through from ShopBack. Third-party voucher codes can break tracking. Cashback is on post-discount fare, excluding taxes and BNPL fees.

Alternative Airlines cashback posts to your ShopBack account as pending status within about 48 hours after ticket issuance, and typically confirms after the airline's validation window closes once the flight has flown and any refund period has passed. Because Alternative Airlines only earns commission on completed itineraries, cashback stays pending until the underlying airline confirms the booking will not be cancelled or refunded. Track status inside the ShopBack app under Cashback History; the entry moves from Pending to Redeemable once confirmed. Check the current published rate on the ShopBack Alternative Airlines merchant page before booking.