We ran the exact same search on Google Flights, Skyscanner, Kayak and Kiwi.com using the same dates, currency and location. Here's what we found.
Kayak (and Momondo, its identical twin) came out on top, with both the cheapest protected ticket (€803) and the cheapest self-transfer (€721). Skyscanner was a whisker behind. Google Flights was the easiest to compare but the most expensive. Kiwi.com is essentially a reseller, and here it only found cheap self-transfers on brutal 50-hour routings, so we've ranked it last. Prices change constantly, so treat this as a snapshot, not a permanent ranking.
Ranked by the cheapest protected connection, the safest fare to book. The badge under each tool shows how you book with it. Every term is explained under the table.
No airline flies this route non-stop, so every option below connects at least once.
| Rank | Tool | Cheapest protected connection | Cheapest self-transfer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Kayak Comparison site | €803  Xiamen Air · 1 stop 19h 25m | €721 XiamenAir + return mix ⚠ up to 36h 10m |
| 2 |  Momondo Comparison site | €803 Xiamen Air · 1 stop 19h 25m | €721 XiamenAir + return mix ⚠ up to 36h 10m |
| 3 |  Skyscanner Comparison site | €806 Xiamen Air · 1 stop 19h 25m | €734   Batik Air Malaysia + Etihad ⚠ up to 36h 25m |
| 4 |  Google Flights Comparison site | €853 Xiamen Air · 1 stop 19h 25m | €848  Etihad + TransNusa · 2 stops ⚠ 29h 50m |
| 5 |  Kiwi.com Reseller | — Only self-transfers were cheap here | €830 XiamenAir + 3-stop return ⚠ up to ~52h round trip |
All legs on one ticket, so the airline rebooks you free if a connection is missed. The safest fare to book.
Separate tickets you stitch together (the tool's own label, not ours). Often cheaper, but a missed leg is on you unless a guarantee covers it.
A comparison site shows the fares and sends you to the airline or an agency to pay. A reseller like Kiwi.com takes your payment itself and adds its own fees, so it usually costs a little more.
Why the prices differ: they all list third-party agencies (you'll spot Trip.com and Kiwi in Google's own booking options too), so it isn't about who shows agencies. The difference is in the fares they build. Skyscanner and Kayak surface more of the cheap self-transfer and mixed-airline deals, so they found lower prices; Google shows fewer of them, so its cheapest was higher. Skyscanner also has the widest low-cost-carrier coverage.
A cheaper agency price isn't always the better deal. When we searched again the prices held, but a third party can still raise the fare, or even cancel it, before you've paid. Some show the price without a checked bag, or add a surcharge for certain payment methods, so the number you click isn't always the number you pay. On Skyscanner you can see each agency's rating: if it's low, it's often worth a few euro more for a better-rated one, or better still, booking straight with the airline.
Kayak and Momondo are owned by the same company and returned the same fares; we list both because people search for each. Kiwi.com is essentially a third-party reseller. On this route its cheap fares were all self-transfers on very long routings, so its protected column shows a dash; it does offer an optional guarantee that rebooks or refunds you if a connection breaks. Prices are live and drift by the hour, so read the pattern, not the exact euro.
The cheapest fare is often a stripped "Light" or "Basic" ticket with only a cabin bag and no checked luggage. It's easy to assume this only applies to low-cost airlines, but it doesn't. Even XiamenAir, the cheapest one here, sells a Light fare with no free checked bag; its normal economy includes a 23kg bag, the Light fare includes none.
Adding a checked bag to a long-haul ticket costs roughly €30 to €70 each way, sometimes more. On an €800 fare, a €120 round-trip bag fee can flip the whole ranking. Add your bag before you compare prices, and check what the cheap fare actually includes.