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£335 Find Cheap Flights to Kota Kinabalu – Compare and Save

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Everything you should know

Cheapest return flight
£432
Typical prices: £616-£901
China Eastern
Fri 9/11Thu 29/11
LGW - BKI • 1 stop
Cheapest one-way flight
£306
Typical prices: £387-£633
Multiple Airlines
Thu 15/3
LGW - BKI • 2 stops
Top airlines
Best reviews • 7.3 score
Airline reviews
Airline reviews
Top routes
Cheapest • 18% average savings
Most popular
Insights
Insights
When to book
in advance
Our data shows that travellers who book at least 21 weeks in advance save around 44% compared to booking last minute.
Insights
Insights
When to travel
Cheapest • 20% price drop
Most popular
Good to know
+1
Good to know
+1
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We hope you enjoy your trip to Kota Kinabalu!
Flight Deals
Booking Insights
Flight Deals

Cheap Flights to Kota Kinabalu

 
Discover the best prices for you by selecting your travel dates on KAYAK.

Recent return flight deals to Kota Kinabalu

Mon, 9 Nov - Sun, 29 Nov
China Eastern Logo
17:00 - 00:30LGW  London Gatwick-BKI Kota Kinabalu
23h 30m1 stop Shanghai Pu Dong
China Eastern Logo
01:30 - 14:00BKI  Kota Kinabalu-LGW London Gatwick
20h 30m1 stop Shanghai Pu Dong
£432China Eastern
Sat, 7 Nov - Thu, 19 Nov
China Eastern Logo
10:30 - 00:30LGW  London Gatwick-BKI Kota Kinabalu
30h 00m1 stop Shanghai Pu Dong
China Eastern Logo
01:30 - 14:00BKI  Kota Kinabalu-LGW London Gatwick
20h 30m1 stop Shanghai Pu Dong
£435China Eastern
Sun, 22 Nov - Tue, 8 Dec
Multiple Airlines Logo
10:30 - 00:30LGW  London Gatwick-BKI Kota Kinabalu
30h 00m1 stop Shanghai Pu Dong
Multiple Airlines Logo
01:30 - 14:00BKI  Kota Kinabalu-LGW London Gatwick
20h 30m1 stop Shanghai Pu Dong
£439Multiple Airlines
Sat, 13 Feb - Fri, 26 Feb
China Southern Logo
22:00 - 00:30LHR  London Heathrow-BKI Kota Kinabalu
18h 30m1 stop Guangzhou Baiyun
China Southern Logo
01:45 - 18:35BKI  Kota Kinabalu-LHR London Heathrow
24h 50m1 stop Guangzhou Baiyun
£486China Southern
Sat, 30 Jan - Sat, 13 Feb
China Southern Logo
22:00 - 00:30LHR  London Heathrow-BKI Kota Kinabalu
18h 30m1 stop Guangzhou Baiyun
China Southern Logo
01:45 - 18:35BKI  Kota Kinabalu-LHR London Heathrow
24h 50m1 stop Guangzhou Baiyun
£488China Southern
Mon, 12 Oct - Thu, 22 Oct
Multiple Airlines Logo
21:20 - 00:30LHR  London Heathrow-BKI Kota Kinabalu
20h 10m1 stop Shanghai Pu Dong
Multiple Airlines Logo
01:30 - 18:40BKI  Kota Kinabalu-LHR London Heathrow
24h 10m1 stop Shanghai Pu Dong
£566Multiple Airlines
Mon, 1 Feb - Mon, 15 Feb
Malaysia Airlines Logo
10:25 - 13:55LHR  London Heathrow-BKI Kota Kinabalu
19h 30m1 stop Kuala Lumpur Intl
Malaysia Airlines Logo
16:05 - 05:35BKI  Kota Kinabalu-LHR London Heathrow
21h 30m1 stop Kuala Lumpur Intl
£727Malaysia Airlines
Fri, 9 Oct - Tue, 5 Jan
Royal Brunei Airlines Logo
17:15 - 19:15LHR  London Heathrow-BKI Kota Kinabalu
19h 00m1 stop Bandar Seri Begawan Brunei Intl
Royal Brunei Airlines Logo
21:05 - 07:20BKI  Kota Kinabalu-LHR London Heathrow
18h 15m1 stop Bandar Seri Begawan Brunei Intl
£732Royal Brunei Airlines
Fri, 9 Oct - Tue, 5 Jan
Royal Brunei Airlines Logo
17:15 - 19:15LHR  London Heathrow-BKI Kota Kinabalu
19h 00m1 stop Bandar Seri Begawan Brunei Intl
Royal Brunei Airlines Logo
21:05 - 07:20BKI  Kota Kinabalu-LHR London Heathrow
18h 15m1 stop Bandar Seri Begawan Brunei Intl
£734Royal Brunei Airlines
Wed, 2 Dec - Fri, 15 Jan
Malaysia Airlines Logo
10:25 - 11:10LHR  London Heathrow-BKI Kota Kinabalu
16h 45m1 stop Kuala Lumpur Intl
Malaysia Airlines Logo
05:20 - 15:25BKI  Kota Kinabalu-LHR London Heathrow
18h 05m1 stop Kuala Lumpur Intl
£746Malaysia Airlines
Booking Insights

Price, demand, and travel trends for United Kingdom to Kota Kinabalu flights

Use KAYAK data on prices, travel dates, airlines, and seasonal trends to compare options and book flights from the United Kingdom to Kota Kinabalu with more confidence.

What is the cheapest flight to Kota Kinabalu?

London Gatwick Airport to Kota Kinabalu is the cheapest route at £432 return, found in the past 5 days on KAYAK. London Heathrow Airport to Kota Kinabalu is the most popular connection with return deals from £599.

How much is a flight to Kota Kinabalu?

A return flight to Kota Kinabalu costs £761 on average, based on data over the past 12 months on KAYAK. Return fares from London average £737, while Manchester runs a bit higher at £791.

What is the cheapest day to fly to Kota Kinabalu?

Wednesday is the cheapest day to fly to Kota Kinabalu at £696 return on average over the past 12 months on KAYAK. Saturday is the most expensive at £835.

What is the cheapest month to fly to Kota Kinabalu?

•May is the cheapest month to fly to Kota Kinabalu with an average price of £612 return.
•December (£1,040) and July (£841) are the most expensive.
•Based on KAYAK data over the past 12 months.

What is the cheapest time of day to fly to Kota Kinabalu?

Evening flights to Kota Kinabalu are the cheapest at £702 return on average. Morning flights are the most expensive at £827.

What is a good deal for flights to Kota Kinabalu?

Flights under £616 are considered a good deal. 25% of KAYAK users found return flights to Kota Kinabalu at or below these prices, with the lowest fares from:
•London £590.

When are flights to Kota Kinabalu the cheapest?

Flights to Kota Kinabalu are cheapest 21 weeks before departure. Booking in this window typically costs about 44% less than the average last-minute fare (within 2 weeks of the flight), based on KAYAK data.

Key details for flights to Kota Kinabalu

Low season

April

Cheapest flight

£306
Best time to beat the crowds but there is an average 4% increase in price.
Most popular time to fly (11% more expensive on average)
Flights from London Gatwick Airport to Kota Kinabalu

When to book flights to Kota Kinabalu

Are your dates flexible? Find out the best times to travel to Kota Kinabalu based on our flight data from the last year. Discover the cheapest month and even day to fly.
Estimated return price

Your questions about flights to Kota Kinabalu, answered

Find helpful route details based on KAYAK data, including flight times, airports, airlines, and booking questions.

  • How do I know if a flight to Kota Kinabalu is a good deal?

    A good deal on a flight to Kota Kinabalu is around £616 return. This fare is in the lowest 25% of return flight prices searched on KAYAK, averaged across the cities most often searched as origins by KAYAK users.

  • Where can I fly from to get the cheapest fares to Kota Kinabalu?

    Based on fares booked in the past 5 days, the cheapest flights to Kota Kinabalu are from:
    • London, from £432 return

  • How expensive are last-minute flights to Kota Kinabalu?

    Last-minute fares to Kota Kinabalu – booked within 2 weeks of departure – run 36% above the average return fare of £761.

  • What is the difference between the most popular and the most frequent airline at Kota Kinabalu?

    British Airways operates the most flights from the United Kingdom to Kota Kinabalu at 0 per week, while Royal Brunei Airlines is the airline most often selected by KAYAK users searching for flights from the United Kingdom to Kota Kinabalu. The two are often different because flight volume reflects an airline's schedule, while popularity reflects traveller choice.

Your guide to booking Kota Kinabalu flights

From booking to airport arrival, find tips to help you plan your flight with more confidence.
  • For the best chance at a low fare to Kota Kinabalu, aim to book around 21 weeks before you fly. That window historically saves about 44% versus last-minute pricing based on KAYAK booking data over the last 12 months.
  • For flights to Kota Kinabalu, recent KAYAK data shows that stronger deals tend to be around £616 return. If you see a fare below that threshold, it's a good deal – book before the price climbs back up.
  • If you can choose when to go, aim to travel to Kota Kinabalu in May. Return fares historically average £612 that month – typically the cheapest month to travel based on the last 12 months.
  • Before you book:

    • Check the route's typical price range so you can spot a deal.
    • Confirm baggage fees and seat selection costs on budget carriers.
    • Verify whether you need any travel documents beyond an ID.
    • Pick a departure airport, since your nearest may not be the cheapest origin.
  • Shift your departure to afternoon to save up to £124 per return. Afternoon flights to Kota Kinabalu average £702 compared to £827 for morning flights. See the time-of-day chart above for the full breakdown.

Reviews of the top 5 airlines flying to Kota Kinabalu

 
Need help choosing which airline to fly with to Kota Kinabalu? KAYAK airline reviews give an overall score for each airline based on loads of factors, including comfort, boarding, in-flight entertainment and more, to make your decision easier. See airline scores according to verified KAYAK customer reviews.
8.2
Singapore AirlinesOverall score based on 1607 reviews
7.8Food
8.6Crew
8.0Comfort
8.3Boarding
8.1Entertainment
Airline reviews

It was all good. Lovely attention by the crew. I lost my glasses but they did everything and eventually found them. They clean the toilets regularly which is a big plus for me.

10.0 ExcellentAnonymous, Sept 2026
Read more Singapore Airlines reviews

It was all good. Lovely attention by the crew. I lost my glasses but they did everything and eventually found them. They clean the toilets regularly which is a big plus for me.

Really great service throughout and the food was really nice. I can highly recommend thank you very much.

Wish the seat don’t have restrictions, can’t fully insert backpack all the way inside.

I have difficulties to book wheelchair for my parents returned flight

Flight was delayed by baggage loading onto the plane. This was attributed to "inclement weather" (some moderate rain) which could be said to be beyond the airline's control, but the problematic part was that the plane was boarded and doors shut so that passengers sat in a cramped plane with rising temperature (full flight) for an hour. The airline was aware of the status of baggage loading, they could have deferred boarding to keep passengers comfortable.

Service excellent would chose Singapore airlines as my first choice

Good flight. Fiod was ready a bit late hence a hurry to finish before landing. Excellent crew and service

A pc of cake or biscuit at least. The airport was like a maze need to take another bus to the main terminal to immigration.

Perfect experience from boarding through to leaving the flight, comfortable and personalised service from all staff, highly recommended

Flight was delayed by 2 hours. No entertainment on the 737-800NG. Somewhat squeezy.

Seats not comfortable. We had requested vegan meal and it wasn’t given.

Wow very impressed by the quality and attentiveness of service of China Southern. Lived the blankets! Will definitely fly with them again. Despite language barriers, a few attendants know enough English to understand our rudimentary Mandarin and respond to basic questions. Although they don’t explain the beverage and meal service on the website or ticketing documents, they offered regular beverage cart and snacks during the beginning hours and end hours of the long, transoceanic flight. A full meal at the beginning and end of the flight as well, and a midflight small sandwich (dinner roll sized) but we weren’t hungry and didn’t try that one. The expectation is that every sleeps during the middle of the flight. We were on a “redeye” departure from LAX with a morning arrival in China, so I don’t know if this service pattern is the same for other flights. The domestic flight we took from Guangzhou to Harbin offered conventional refreshments and meals like a US flight service. Note that they didn’t offer diet sodas. If you like to stay hydrated, I recommend bringing plenty of your own. It is served in small cups like any other drink. You can ask for a bottle but they’re tiny - about 6 ounces.

China Southern was not the problem. I booked my flight through Kayak and also received a booking reference and alert details regarding departure time and gate numbers… however Kayak NEVER actually booked my flight! We were stranded at the airport without a flight for a long awaited holiday!

Terrible boarding experience,,food is very poor that I I . Never going book this airline again.

We were diverted to Chengdu, because of bad weather and finally made it to Chong King about 7 hours later

No wheelchair service at all ( I did request that service and also purchased the priority assistant bundle) , what a waste of money

Food was terrible. Fish was equal to a sausage and scrumbled eggs were terribly green with a quite weird fllavour. Everybody with me hated all options. The best food was the bread with butter.

We bought an upgrade to Business Class at the airport but did not realise that it was not the regular Business Class. The 787 Dreamliner was very dated with the seats not as comfortable as other airlines and some things were almost coming off. We were then told that because it was an upgrade at the airport, we get to sit in the BC cabin but will be served economy class food. So when everyone else got served in china ware, we were given the tray you got in economy class. The wifi does not work. It only connects to watch movies (which is the same as what you find in the ICE) but the internet does not work. The cabin crew while were friendly, were not responsive. Overall, I will never fly China Southern again.

1. I got very poor check in experience with the counter lady . This is the first airline I ever experienced that no combine check in weight allow . Even we have 4 of us but weight counter by piece . So we wasted lot of time argue and repack . This is super crazy 2. Next I left my Samsung tablet on the plane . And I started to escalate and finally spoke to southern airline lost and found in Malaysia and the amazing answer she give is : system nothing found and please try to call southern airline in china 🧐 . I have been flying many other airlines but this is my first encounterment with such irresponsible airline response and no empathy given to customer . My feeling is nobody bother whether how customer like me feel and I’m just too small for the management to take note .

The flight was okay it was the kayak customer service that was poor, I have been trying to change my name on my flight ticket 3 days before my flight and nothing got done about it even tho I messaged so many times and phoned, all I got in return was that is was being processed and still to this day nothing has been done about it, I think it’s disgusting and un needed stress to the trip.

The flight was delayed by 2 hours, although to their credit they delayed my connecting flight so people could reach it. Also their site is a nightmare to navigate on a phone. Everything else was good.

good flight. food is only so so. I actually did not eat the snack. it does not look too good on the passenger next to me.

Excellent experience however older aeroplanes used by China Eastern Airlines.

Better good than most, if not all European airlines. If you’re stuck in an economy seat anyways, China Eastern is a good choice because of shorter flight time, being able to overfly Russia

The temperature of the plane cabin is too hot. Sweat and uncomfortable. Also my food tray was broken down drinks fall off

Reasonable. What they offer during the flight is not great, but the crew is polite and try to compensate it.

Great staff and food. Seats pretty uncomfortable but plenty of legroom. Entertainment system outdated.

The landings were smooth . Being unable to check-in online was terribly stressful and the queue at Haneda exemely long. We paid extra for window seats and did not get them.

Flight was fine, however we were not able to check in online, this adds to travel stress. Luckily check-in at Heathrow was quick, but we did not get the seats we paid extra for. We paid for a window and 2 aisle seats from Shanghai to Tokyo leg, but they changed us to middle seats. Not good :(

Couldn’t fly since they wouldn’t issue a boarding ticket. Something to do with not taking the departing flight since it was cancelled due to weather. No notice or anything about the trip being invalid. The app made it seem like I was all good for it. Never trusting travel agency

The crews were very professional and courteous. Pleasant flight and thank you!

They wouldn't let me on the plane. The 3rd party apparently didn't pay for the tickets properly?

Overall experience is good but if the food menu can change to authentic Malaysia food will be good. I.e. Nasi Lemak, Char Kueh Tiew and etc

Surprised that the safety briefing was only conducted in Malay language and no English despite there are foreigners on board. MH should take safety more seriously.

Food was good but only 1 meal and 1 pie, instead of 2 meals. Both legs were late.

We are row 11, when the crew came to us, only one meal choice was available.

Ok, but legspace on MH0127 from Kul to Per was too small. It was not possible to tilt my seat which I don't understand because the seat in front of my could do it. So I didn't rest on the flight. Also, the crew was probably understaffed because it took very long time to take trash after the meal. Everything very different from the flight with Malaysian Airlines from London to KL.

The cabin was quite noisy as there were lots of children travelling for the school holidays. Found the selection of movies limited.

The best so far coz this time it was all male steward on the economy cluster. They were polite, efficient & genuinely courteous. They do not judge you when you ask for more food & peanuts.

I enjoy traveling with Malaysia Airlines. The Asian food they serve is pretty good and the red wine was also good. They did run out of beer and only did a couple of water rounds during the flight but the staff were very friendly.

The business class seats were above average spaced, allowing for a truly full bed experience. Ot would be good if RB joins an international alliance for increased preference by travellers

The flight was on-time and we landed safely! But - toilets were tiny The seats were thin and very uncomfortable My seat rest wouldn’t tilt back so massive back ache after a while - the button had been removed. Seat back pocket was ripped Food was inedible- we’d ordered asian vegetarian - shockingly bad. The interior fit out was like the plane was 40 hard years yet it was a 787. No wifi.. no exterior cameras like Emirates.

Poor selection of movies and entertainment options. Disappointing food options in business.

Either the PA system of Brunei International Airport is of poor quality, or the staff making the announcement was not clear is reading the announcement. The staff at the gate also did not further announce to the passengers with regards to the rows for boarding. On board, the crew was of little to nil help. The only times they were around were during takeoff, "distributing" food and landing. And even during those times they were just there to get "their" job done with little to nil interest to "serve" the customers/passengers. They did not request the passenger in front of us to put his seat up during takeoff, they did not request the passengers to put their seat up during mealtime. The capability of the crew has dropped significantly in comparison to the old times. The crew is in need of better training.

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