On no-frills airline Jetstar, you won't get pretzels, pillows or hot towels. But you might get a cheap ticket -- and for an extra $5, you can have a delicious plate of coconut sticky rice served in a banana leaf.

Singapore-based Jetstar Asia Airways Pte. Ltd. is one of dozens of new low-cost airlines transforming Asia's travel landscape. Copying the model set by European discounters like Ryanair Ltd., more than 30 budget airlines have launched in Asia since 2002. By stripping out perks and relentlessly cutting costs, these airlines offer one-way tickets for as little as $15 including taxes. They now serve growing tourism hubs in Asia, including Siem Reap, Cambodia; Shenzhen, China; and Goa, India.

While most of these carriers focus on short hops of three hours or less, some of the newest, such as Oasis Hong Kong Airlines Ltd., are offering long-haul routes such as Hong Kong to London at fares starting at $230, including taxes and fees. Oasis plans to start flights to Chicago and Oakland, Calif., later this year.

Asia's discount-airline boom is changing the way many Americans visit the region, making it cheaper to visit multiple destinations in a single trip. The simplest way for U.S. travelers to make use of these airlines is to buy a round-trip ticket to a major Asian city well-served by discounters, such as Bangkok, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, or Delhi, and then book side trips on budget carriers.

The discounters have opened up access to dozens of new tourism sites such as Kuching, Malaysia (where you can trek through Borneo's tropical rain forests), and the quiet island of Ban Ko Jum, Thailand (where you can drink pineapple shakes on deserted beaches).

Since most of the discounters fly new aircraft, they generally have good, if short, safety records. (The disappearance of an Adam Air flight in bad weather in Indonesia nearly three weeks ago raised some concerns about safety in a rapidly growing industry; that plane was 17 years old.)

But what is it actually like to travel on Asia's flying buses? To find out, we took a jaunt through Southeast Asia, starting in Hong Kong, and made a loop through Bangkok, Phuket, Singapore and back to Hong Kong, testing four discounters. We also took a $266 flight from London to Hong Kong on Oasis, the new long-haul carrier.

All five flights were on time, nobody lost our luggage, and service was generally upbeat and friendly -- although we did overhear one AirAsia flight attendant tell a British passenger whose seat belt didn't fit that he should lose weight.

It wasn't all smooth flying. We nearly missed a weekend in Bangkok because Orient Thai Airlines Co. Ltd. sold us a one-way ticket to Thailand, neglecting to mention that Thai immigration authorities wouldn't let us into the country without a return ticket. Tiger Airways' plane had threadbare rugs and an unsettling Sani-Flush smell wafting through the cabin. And while our general Oasis experience was excellent -- the plane had personalized TV screens with 14 free video channels -- don't get us started on the slimy red gelatin concoction served for dessert on that flight. (The airline says it has improved its meal service on the London-Hong Kong route.)

Booking can be a hassle, since Asia's budget carriers don't show up on fare-consolidation sites like Expedia, and phone booking often requires calling overseas. The easiest way for Americans to book is to buy tickets directly from the individual carrier's Web site. Getting the cheapest fares often requires booking months ahead.

Some of these airlines fly into budget terminals or secondary airports that can complicate matters if you need to make connections. And like their U.S. and European counterparts, Asia's budget airlines typically charge extra for food, entertainment and baggage exceeding about 44 pounds.

We had one of our best experiences on Jetstar, which has hubs in Singapore and Australia. The fun began before the plane took off from Singapore for Hong Kong. While many discount carriers fly out of bare-bones terminals, Jetstar flies out of the main terminal of Singapore's luxurious Changi Airport, where you can hang out in a Jacuzzi, get a foot reflexology massage or visit the free movie theater as you wait for your flight. Jetstar's pristine plane had cushy leather seats, and for $8 you could rent a digital entertainment console.

On board Oasis, which we flew from London's Gatwick Airport to Hong Kong, you'd never know you weren't on a full-fare carrier. Oasis purchases its planes from Singapore Airlines, which is known for its luxurious aircraft. The stylish purple seats had adequate legroom and individual LCD screens. Options on the 14 free video channels ranged from "Ocean's 12" to "Initial D" -- a Japanese film about a nerdy tofu delivery man-turned-celebrity race-car driver. Meals were included.

We were less pleased with our trip on Orient Thai, primarily a charter airline that offers some discount seats to travelers on international flights between destinations such as Bangkok and Hong Kong.

Orient Thai didn't offer phone or Internet booking, so we wound up buying a ticket at the Hong Kong airport a few minutes before our flight left. The ticketing desk sold us a one-way ticket to Bangkok. Just minutes later, the check-in staff refused to let us board, saying that Thai immigration required passengers to have a ticket out of Thailand in order to enter the country. We raced back to the ticket desk and purchased a second-leg ticket. In the end, we barely made the flight. We paid $255 for our one-way ticket, which wasn't much cheaper than the full-fare carriers.

Orient Thai Chief Executive Udom Tantiprasongchai said tickets on that route normally sell for as little as $96, and said it was "good to know" about our unpleasant experience, because the company outsources ticketing and check-in in Hong Kong to another firm.

Our brief flight from Bangkok to Phuket on Malaysia's AirAsia was efficient and uneventful. AirAsia is the largest discounter in Asia, with 72 routes and 49 aircraft. The plane had nice leather seats, and the menu included items like crabstick sandwiches. The only hitch: Online booking closed 24 hours before the flight took off, so we had to buy our ticket at the airport.

Singapore's Tiger Airways, which offers 16 routes in seven countries, including Australia, Thailand and China, was on-time and friendly, but the plane's cabin was in ratty condition, with worn rugs and seats. The airline says all of its planes are less than three years old, and it recently switched to a higher grade of carpet.

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CARRIER: Jetstar Airways, www.jetstar.com

DESTINATIONS INCLUDE: Singapore; Cairns, Australia; Hong Kong; Jakarta, Indonesia; Taipei, Taiwan; and Phuket, Thailand.

OUR ROUTE/ONE-WAY TICKET: Singapore to Hong Kong; $107

COMMENT: Cheap luxury. Comfortable leather seats and a tasty menu. (Try the spicy coconut rice.) For $8, you can rent an entertainment console with movies, TV and music.

CARRIER: AirAsia, www.airasia.com

DESTINATIONS INCLUDE: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Bangkok, Thailand; Siem Reap, Cambodia; Bali, Indonesia; and Macau, China.

OUR ROUTE/ONE-WAY TICKET: Bangkok to Phuket; $34

COMMENT: A smooth trip. Friendly service and new planes with comfortable leather seats. Menu includes crabstick sandwiches and green tea.

CARRIER: Tiger Airways, www.tigerairways.com

DESTINATIONS INCLUDE: Singapore; Darwin, Australia; Chiang Mai, Thailand; Hanoi, Vietnam; Shenzen, China

OUR ROUTE/ONE-WAY TICKET: Phuket to Singapore; $67

COMMENT: Efficient, cheap and friendly -- but airplane had threadbare rugs and the cabin smelled faintly of cleaning solution.

CARRIER: Orient Thai Airlines, www.orient-thai.com

DESTINATIONS INCLUDE: Bangkok, Thailand; Seoul, Korea; and Hong Kong. Also operates a discount carrier called One-Two-Go with flights throughout Thailand.

OUR ROUTE/ONE-WAY TICKET: Hong Kong to Bangkok; $255

COMMENT: The plane got us there on time, but customer service was spotty and we nearly missed our flight because of a booking error.

CARRIER: Oasis Hong Kong Airlines, www.oasishongkong.com

DESTINATIONS INCLUDE: Hong Kong to London. Plans to offer flights from Hong Kong to North America later this year.

OUR ROUTE/ONE-WAY TICKET: London to Hong Kong; $266

COMMENT: A long-haul bargain. Swanky planes with stylish purple seats, friendly staff and individual movie screens. Even the free meal -- hoisin chicken -- was relatively tasty.