The Air Asia Experience
July 15th 2009 08:52
It was only a year ago Air Asia started its operations in Australia, flying to Malaysia's capital Kuala Lumpur out of Perth, Gold Coast and Melbourne, and recently added Bali to its direct flight fleet from Perth.
Air Asia, based in Malaysia, has won the world's best low cost airline award a couple of years in a row now, and the last time we were in Malaysia we used them for domestic Malaysian flights. Its network now extend all the way to China, Thailand and even London.
So, in the spirit of giving it a try again, we flew Air Asia from Gold Coast to Kuala Lumpur, and in two weeks time, will fly them back into Melbourne (and between Sydney and these airports - Virgin Blue)
The return fare (originally bought as 2 single airfares online) cost us in total AUD450 per person. Pretty good huh? However, being a budget airline, everything else cost. Meals, blankets, on board entertainment, check in luggage and pre-seating requests all cost extra, but even so, it still did only add up to still less than a full service airline.
First impression? The plane is new-ish, the crew are well and neatly dressed, the seats look a little 'cheap' but nevertheless still comfortable. The food provided is the sort of hot food you generally get on Virgin Blue flights, so considering its cost it was alright. All in all, Air Asia is good value for budget travellers.
The only thing is, the airline is a strictly no connection airline which means, if you want to buy a fare to London from the Gold Coast what you will need to do is to actually buy a fare to Kuala Lumpur, and a seperate fare from Kuala Lumpur to London. You need to pick up all your luggage in Kuala Lumpur and re-check them in for the London flight. They MAY or MAY not connect so you might be expected to stay in a hotel at the airport for the night.
Although I still did have a lousy flight, unfortunately. It wasn't Air Asia that didn't live up to its expectations, but rather its passengers. The airline's slogan "Now everyone can fly" can sometimes make it uncomfortable for frequent flyers as now literally everyone can fly. Rude, inconsiderate passengers can really make one's journey hell, and it just so happens that behind us were a couple who obviously had a little too much to drink, loudly snorting and making fun of the flight, kicking and slapping the back of our seats (did I mention the seats looked cheap? They were, so every kick and slap meant that I was sent rocking back and forth from my relaxed position) and occasionally going a little too far and grabbing our hair by mistake or slapping us on the head....
Air Asia, based in Malaysia, has won the world's best low cost airline award a couple of years in a row now, and the last time we were in Malaysia we used them for domestic Malaysian flights. Its network now extend all the way to China, Thailand and even London.
So, in the spirit of giving it a try again, we flew Air Asia from Gold Coast to Kuala Lumpur, and in two weeks time, will fly them back into Melbourne (and between Sydney and these airports - Virgin Blue)
The return fare (originally bought as 2 single airfares online) cost us in total AUD450 per person. Pretty good huh? However, being a budget airline, everything else cost. Meals, blankets, on board entertainment, check in luggage and pre-seating requests all cost extra, but even so, it still did only add up to still less than a full service airline.
First impression? The plane is new-ish, the crew are well and neatly dressed, the seats look a little 'cheap' but nevertheless still comfortable. The food provided is the sort of hot food you generally get on Virgin Blue flights, so considering its cost it was alright. All in all, Air Asia is good value for budget travellers.
The only thing is, the airline is a strictly no connection airline which means, if you want to buy a fare to London from the Gold Coast what you will need to do is to actually buy a fare to Kuala Lumpur, and a seperate fare from Kuala Lumpur to London. You need to pick up all your luggage in Kuala Lumpur and re-check them in for the London flight. They MAY or MAY not connect so you might be expected to stay in a hotel at the airport for the night.
Although I still did have a lousy flight, unfortunately. It wasn't Air Asia that didn't live up to its expectations, but rather its passengers. The airline's slogan "Now everyone can fly" can sometimes make it uncomfortable for frequent flyers as now literally everyone can fly. Rude, inconsiderate passengers can really make one's journey hell, and it just so happens that behind us were a couple who obviously had a little too much to drink, loudly snorting and making fun of the flight, kicking and slapping the back of our seats (did I mention the seats looked cheap? They were, so every kick and slap meant that I was sent rocking back and forth from my relaxed position) and occasionally going a little too far and grabbing our hair by mistake or slapping us on the head....
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Comment by PaulK
Most recently, my wife and I were stranded in Abu Dhabi when AirAsiaX announced they were canceling service to/from Abu Dhabi in January this year. They didn’t notify us, their stranded passengers, until Feb 10th. Neither did they offer any accommodation nor answer our emails asking for help. We had to get back to Malaysia on our own. They won’t reimburse our additional expenses either.
They said they would refund the Abu Dhabi/Kuala Lumpur portion of our trip, but it will take them 30-50 days to process the refund. Such an attitude!
Watch out for these guys. If you are considering using AirAsiaX, It might be a good idea to develop a plan B... just in case.