BKI

$850 Find Cheap Flights to Kota Kinabalu – Compare and Save

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Everything you should know

Cheapest return fare
$1,362
Typical prices: $1,332-$1,540
China Southern
Mon 25/1Sat 20/2
AKL - BKI • 1 stop
Cheapest one-way flight
$850
Multiple Airlines
Sun 13/9
AKL - BKI • 3 stops
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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, 25 Jan - Sat, 20 Feb
China Southern Logo
10:00 - 00:30AKL  Auckland Intl-BKI Kota Kinabalu
19h 30m1 stop Guangzhou Baiyun
China Southern Logo
01:45 - 06:30BKI  Kota Kinabalu-AKL Auckland Intl
23h 45m1 stop Guangzhou Baiyun
$1,362China Southern
Mon, 25 Jan - Sat, 20 Feb
China Southern Logo
13:05 - 00:30AKL  Auckland Intl-BKI Kota Kinabalu
16h 25m1 stop Guangzhou Baiyun
China Southern Logo
01:45 - 06:30BKI  Kota Kinabalu-AKL Auckland Intl
23h 45m1 stop Guangzhou Baiyun
$1,366China Southern
Mon, 25 Jan - Sat, 20 Feb
China Southern Logo
13:05 - 00:30AKL  Auckland Intl-BKI Kota Kinabalu
16h 25m1 stop Guangzhou Baiyun
China Southern Logo
01:45 - 06:30BKI  Kota Kinabalu-AKL Auckland Intl
23h 45m1 stop Guangzhou Baiyun
$1,367China Southern
Mon, 25 Jan - Sun, 21 Feb
China Southern Logo
13:05 - 00:30AKL  Auckland Intl-BKI Kota Kinabalu
16h 25m1 stop Guangzhou Baiyun
China Southern Logo
19:05 - 16:15BKI  Kota Kinabalu-AKL Auckland Intl
16h 10m1 stop Guangzhou Baiyun
$1,374China Southern
Fri, 16 Oct - Fri, 23 Oct
Multiple Airlines Logo
15:15 - 19:45AKL  Auckland Intl-BKI Kota Kinabalu
33h 30m2 stops Melbourne Singapore Changi
Multiple Airlines Logo
20:45 - 05:30BKI  Kota Kinabalu-AKL Auckland Intl
27h 45m2 stops Singapore Changi Melbourne
$1,575Multiple Airlines
Mon, 25 Jan - Sun, 21 Feb
Multiple Airlines Logo
15:45 - 11:05AKL  Auckland Intl-BKI Kota Kinabalu
24h 20m2 stops Melbourne Singapore Changi
Multiple Airlines Logo
20:00 - 05:30BKI  Kota Kinabalu-AKL Auckland Intl
28h 30m2 stops Singapore Changi Melbourne
$1,599Multiple Airlines
Mon, 25 Jan - Sat, 20 Feb
Multiple Airlines Logo
10:00 - 11:10AKL  Auckland Intl-BKI Kota Kinabalu
30h 10m2 stops Guangzhou Baiyun Kuala Lumpur Intl
Multiple Airlines Logo
01:45 - 16:15BKI  Kota Kinabalu-AKL Auckland Intl
33h 30m1 stop Guangzhou Baiyun
$1,606Multiple Airlines
Wed, 28 Oct - Sun, 1 Nov
Malaysia Airlines Logo
13:55 - 00:55AKL  Auckland Intl-BKI Kota Kinabalu
16h 00m1 stop Kuala Lumpur Intl
Malaysia Airlines Logo
16:05 - 00:01BKI  Kota Kinabalu-AKL Auckland Intl
26h 56m1 stop Kuala Lumpur Intl
$1,655Malaysia Airlines
Wed, 28 Oct - Sun, 1 Nov
Malaysia Airlines Logo
13:55 - 00:55AKL  Auckland Intl-BKI Kota Kinabalu
16h 00m1 stop Kuala Lumpur Intl
Malaysia Airlines Logo
16:05 - 00:01BKI  Kota Kinabalu-AKL Auckland Intl
26h 56m1 stop Kuala Lumpur Intl
$1,661Malaysia Airlines
Tue, 27 Oct - Sun, 1 Nov
Malaysia Airlines Logo
01:35 - 13:55AKL  Auckland Intl-BKI Kota Kinabalu
17h 20m1 stop Kuala Lumpur Intl
Malaysia Airlines Logo
22:00 - 00:01BKI  Kota Kinabalu-AKL Auckland Intl
21h 01m1 stop Kuala Lumpur Intl
$1,663Malaysia Airlines
Booking Insights

KAYAK's insights & trends for flights to Kota Kinabalu

Get data-powered insights and trends into flights to Kota Kinabalu to help you find the cheapest flights, the best time to fly and much more.

What are the most popular airlines flying to Kota Kinabalu?

The most popular airline among KAYAK users flying to Kota Kinabalu is China Southern, followed by Malaysia Airlines.

Good to know – Book Cheap Kota Kinabalu Plane Tickets

Low season

March

Cheapest flight

$850
Best time to beat the crowds (30% less expensive on average)
Most popular time to fly and prices are also 13% lower on average.
Flight from Auckland 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

FAQs - booking Kota Kinabalu flights

  • How far is Kota Kinabalu Airport from central Kota Kinabalu?

    There are 6 km between Kota Kinabalu city centre and Kota Kinabalu Airport.

  • What is the name of Kota Kinabalu’s airport?

    When flying to Kota Kinabalu, you'll arrive at Kota Kinabalu Airport (BKI). The airport is also known as Kota Kinabalu or Kota Kinabalu Intl.

  • How does KAYAK find such low prices on flights to Kota Kinabalu?

    KAYAK is a travel search engine. That means we look across the web to find the best prices we can find for our users. With over 2 billion flight queries processed yearly, we are able to display a variety of prices and options on flights to Kota Kinabalu.

  • How does KAYAK's flight Price Forecast tool help me choose the right time to buy my flight ticket to Kota Kinabalu?

    KAYAK’s flight Price Forecast tool uses historical data to determine whether the price for a flight to Kota Kinabalu is likely to change within 7 days, so travellers know whether to wait or book now.

  • What is the Hacker Fare option on flights to Kota Kinabalu?

    Hacker Fares allow you to combine one-way tickets in order to save you money over a traditional round-trip ticket. You could then fly to Kota Kinabalu with an airline and back with another airline.

  • What is KAYAK's "flexible dates" feature and why should I care when looking for a flight to Kota Kinabalu?

    Sometimes travel dates aren't set in stone. If your preferred travel dates have some wiggle room, flexible dates will show you all the options when flying to Kota Kinabalu up to 3 days before/after your preferred dates. You can then pick the flights that suit you best.

Top tips for finding cheap flights to Kota Kinabalu

  • Enter your preferred departure airport and travel dates into the search form above to unlock the latest Kota Kinabalu flight deals.

Reviews of the top 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.
7.3
China SouthernOverall score based on 172 reviews
7.1Food
7.5Comfort
7.0Entertainment
8.1Crew
7.7Boarding
Airline reviews

In my return flight they couldn’t identify my ticket or boarding pass, I had to go to 3 different counters until I was able to get my boarding pass. The food was on, it was the bear minimum. They didn’t even recognise that I was a Muslim and can’t eat meat, chicken or pork. In one of the trays I believe they served me pork. The staff were very pleasant, but they need to be aware of their surroundings more carefully, one of them stuck her lower belly right into my face! I was shocked and very uncomfortable.

4.0 OkayHussain, Sept 2025
Read more China Southern reviews

In my return flight they couldn’t identify my ticket or boarding pass, I had to go to 3 different counters until I was able to get my boarding pass. The food was on, it was the bear minimum. They didn’t even recognise that I was a Muslim and can’t eat meat, chicken or pork. In one of the trays I believe they served me pork. The staff were very pleasant, but they need to be aware of their surroundings more carefully, one of them stuck her lower belly right into my face! I was shocked and very uncomfortable.

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!

The airport didn‘t give me the ticket. I called customer service to ask for a refund but they kept giving me a perfunctory response and refused to refund me.

Not good - chair back could not move back for premium economy. Not worth the price

Crew: Everybody was polite. People just need to get efficient and less reworking things. Entertainment: Could have move movies and games. The “music” section is a joke, only ONE available. Food: The food provided on the flights boarding in china needs a serious reworking. Too much oil, bad for your stomach, tastes too artificial and the eggs were a giant mass of green dough.

Never got the wheelchair service when my parents arrived at LA . My mom was 74 , also my dad was 84 years old, both don’t speak English. I double checked with the front desk at Phoenix airport, making sure that they will be taking care of.

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.

I love flying Chinese airlines in general but China Southern is probably the worst of the lot. The service is poor and food is below par.

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 .

No red vine, no whiskey, no vodka. No that I wanted all of them at once but still...

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 seats comfortable, easy boarding/embarking, excellent connection to domestic Malaysia flight with baggage checked through without customs. Catering especially drinks borderline ok luckily less important aspect

Jia yung was the flight attendant that made this a miserable flight.

AC not working, just slowly blowing room temperature air. Long taxi time does not help as well. Sweating all over the whole trip.

Did not take as cancelled 3 time so took another airline

Everything you need to know for your flight to Kota Kinabalu

Information on the airport you'll fly into in Kota Kinabalu