Amazingly cheap way to travel SE Asia
Written: Aug 08 '06
|
Product Rating:
|
|
|
Pros: Cheap tickets, especially for foreigners, large and expanding route network
Cons: No allocated seating, very strict check-in times, low baggage allowance
The Bottom Line: Don't expect frills, but for such a low fare, who can complain?
|
|
|
| belum's Full Review: Air Asia |
Air Asia is a Malaysia-based no-frills airline, with subsidiaries in Thailand and Indonesia. The airline operates an extensive route network, flying to/inside Malaysia (including East Malaysia, aka Borneo), Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, Philippines, some parts of China, Vietnam and Cambodia. Its newest destination is Brunei. Air Asia has been so successful that last year they struck a deal with Malaysia Airlines to be the sole carrier in certain domestic Malaysian routes, as Air Asia's presence had made them unviable for MAS.
Air Asia's slogan is "Now everyone can fly", and appears to target SE Asian leisure travellers, and also receives much business from foreign backpackers and other foreign travellers doing it on the cheap.
I have flown Air Asia countless times througout my travels in SE Asia, including to/from Kuala Lumpur, Kuching, Bangkok, Penang etc.
Aircraft Air Asia predominantly fly Boeing 737, but have just received some A320s. I think they fly Airbus on the more 'pretigious' routes. In all the flights I've taken, they've used 737s, so can't yet comment on the A320s.
Aircraft ranged from pristine to being held together with gaffer tape--literally. This particular 737 was an ageing ex-Russian plane, judging from the "Life jacket under your seat" etc signs still in Russian. This was on our first ever Air Asia flight, so made us a bit nervous, but aircraft improved from there! This was on the Kl-Kuching route and we were the only foreigners on board, so I don't think this a terribly 'premier' kind of route.
Cabins were always clean, on newer aircraft seats were leather. All aircraft has 3x3 seating.
Seat pitch At 155cm short, I never experience problems with seat pitch-- unless I fly Air Asia! Pitch is something like 29", the narrowest I have ever encountered. God help you if the passenger in front reclines! Such a tight pitch does not feel safe-- however, you get what you pay for, and flights are usually no longer than 2 hours.
Service Cabin crew are all young and friendly. On our first flight, the dilapidated aircraft was made up for by the lovely crew. They organised a silly quiz game, where Air Asia merchandise was given as prizes. Passengers used their call buttons as buzzers. I'm usually not a fan of this kind of flying-- Virgin Blue do this in a nauseating, gushy manner. However, this was fun.
Another memorable crew member was encountered on a KL-Penang flight. It was the red-eye flight, and how that girl managed to be so professional and cheerful at such an ungodly hour is beyond me. Nothing was a problem.
Food As a budget airline, food is for sale. Prices are not as inflated as Australian and other budget airlines, even by local standards. You can purchase hot/cold drinks, snacks and hot meals. Unfortunately, they have no hot meals for vegetarians, but they do serve instant noodles as well.
Entertainment Are you kidding? This is a budget airline. Bring or make your own.
Punctuality You get what you pay for, and even if you were earning local wages, you're not paying that much. So if you're booking connecting flights, leave a LONG gap between flights. Most of ours were on time, but one flight (Kuching-KL) was delayed over..and over..and over.. again. It was the last flight of the night, and the shops had shut, so it felt longer than it was. No information was given until about 20 minutes before boarding. They did, however, provide us with meal vouchers for the airport canteen. Canteen staff were very familiar with the process regarding these vouchers, which leads me to question how often this goes on.
As a passenger, you must check in on time. Check in desks open two hours before departure. Two hours to the dot. Check-in staff will sit there, waiting for the exact time, before they let anyone through. Flexibility is not a concept known in this airline, but once again, you get what you pay for. The other thing is, you can not check in less than 45 minutes before your flight. You will forfeit your fare if you do this. Budget airlines have extremely tight turnaround times, so they are very strict about this.
Seating Air Asia do not do allocated seating. Apparently this lowers costs. It also turns boarding into a revolting free-for-all, resembling a football scrum. They usually board the elderly and parents with children first. I agree with the elderly being seated first, but people exploit the concept of 'child'. University-aged young adults suddenly become delicate children, as the family seeks to avoid waiting their turn.
Summary If you follow the rules, book at the right times (either during a promotional period or in advance), Air Asia is an amazingly cheap way to travel SE Asia. I'm not a fan of budget airlines, but when I'm paying something like AU$10 for a return flight of 1 hour each way, I really can't complain.
Recommended:
Yes
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
belum
|
|
Reviews written: 6
Trusted by: 1 member
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.