rayonline

Probably more related to leisure travellers - self funded. Each time I have been in Asia, Air Asia is pretty popular, and they have LCC terminals in some places. Given this is a air mileage website, has Air Asia had any impact on your travels?

I think it is that Asia like us here, I am not in the USA. Discounted fares from the likes of Star Alliance or One World don't get points. And that I don't travel in peak season. LCC to me has been tempting and I have wondered if maybe pay less and flog the air mileage. As a leisure traveller we don't think about biz class or lounges. I'm pretty happy to just grab a quiet area in the airport to sit and buy my own food, larger airports like Changi even have paid showers and pool to dip in, haircuts and masages ....

mackenzie77

I had a few chances to fly LCC from China to SE Asia but at the end of the day, i couldn't imagine giving up some of the perks like lounge access. Perhaps unlike you, these are rarely 'quiet places' to be found in Chinese airports.

At the end of the day, I haven't needed to use LCCs unless I needed a quick, cheap flight from say BKK to HKT/USM/REP.

m.y

Yes, why pay $400 to fly SQ or MH from SIN to KUL when it costs $60 on Air Asia?

Santander

I would consider a LCC for travel within SE Asia or SE Asia to Oz but I take advantage of UA's intra-Asia network (which earn 100% on cheapo fares) or find low "competitor" fares (e.g. CX out of TPE or BR out of HKG) to save on airfare for intra-Asia leisure travel. I use the layover time to grab something to eat in the lounge or take a quick shower. I don't check bags but I guess you could say I'm somewhat too snobbish to consider taking a LCC. It's only a matter of time before I fly JQ or AK though.

rayonline

KUL - SIN was pretty pricey at $60 I went earlier this year and it was $10 Singapore dollars or 20 Malaysian Ringgit. Didn't take it though, went to Bangkok instead which was new for me for about $60SG.

You talk about Oz to Asia. From NZ to Asia return. $1500US fares equiv. get points. Air Asia or Jetstar can provide seats at their normal rates (non sales) for $900US at anytime but the busy times which are just as pricey or can be more than traditional carriers. If they have specials, they are around $600-700US. Earlier in the year I got a return fare for $150US, I was chuckling all the way.

They just need a link to the USA I think NZ - London/Paris for them is like $1,200-1500US.

jiejie

No, hasn't impacted my travel at all. I haven't flown Air Asia so far for these reasons:
1) I need to earn miles as a bigger part of an overall strategy. Particularly in the last couple of years, the Star Alliance Gold status, with lounge access worldwide and ability to take back copious amounts of baggage (moving stuff back to USA) without ruinous excess baggage fees has made paying for mileage-earning fares intra-Asia worthwhile.

2) Dealing with Air Asia's limitations, delays, and lack of interlining is for me, a real downer. And definitely if on a longer connecting itinerary...way too risky.

3) On the routes I've looked at or needed, Air Asia isn't that much of a bargain in fares. Perhaps many of you are able to book the requisite amount of time in advance to get those fares, but I'm not. I also don't like their sneaky gimmicky add-on fees. Yes, they are avoidable with vigilance, but there's just something that feels cheap, dirty, and underhanded about this company.

4) My concerns are growing about the safety of their cockpit and back-of-the-house operations.

LHR/MEL/Europe FF

I'm with jiejie on this one - and for pretty much the same reasons in 2 and 3.

Ex China fares can be pretty expensive to international destinations and Air Asia has never been cheaper than other carriers given i can only really book about three weeks prior to travel.

Sure I could use one of their specials but you really need to know way in advance when you are going to fly.

I was trying to get to Bangkok ex Shanghai one time - fares were hugely expensive (cheapest was USD472 on Sri Lankan Airlines). I tried all the options, even looking at very cheap domestic china flights to Guangzhou... but then the air Asia fare component to BKK made it more expensive than the $472.

A_Lee

Agree with all you said, especially that part. For that reason alone, I wouldn't want to give even a cent to the company with a CEO who resorts to such dirty business practices. I don't use LCC's myself, but if I did I'd most certainly never choose Air Asia. Any airline but them.

Santander

AK is bad but similar things could be said about most airlines, particularly LCCs.

A_Lee

Yes, some airlines, especially LCCs do try to nickel-and-dime their customers. But who charges a fee for booking with their website? None that I've ever heard of. And Tony Fernandes has the gall to claim that the website booking fee is necessary due to the expense they went through to design and maintain the booking engine. Anyone with any brain knows that it is much cheaper to take bookings via a website than the expense of having a trained call center on standby to take orders. Tony Fernandes treats his customers as if they were a bunch of stupid animals who have no brain to think for themselves. He is the most despicable businessman I've ever run across and refuse to support his disgusting tactics. There are plenty of other airlines and other businesses I also don't support due to their less-than-honest business practices, but nobody comes close to generating such disgust as Tony Fernandes does.

MELso

Interestingly, Ryanair is trying on the same BS in its looming fight with UK regulators who are (at long last) tackling the absurd credit card surcharges on some carriers' bookings.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2011...rges-crackdown

(Was tempted to try D7 for a MEL-KUL-ORY run in premium next year but was turned off by 'nickel and diming' including hidden surcharges, inability to book through and the fact that VN and AF could get me to CDG in J for less than $500 more with lounge access, better food and AVOD on the way. It's actually currently cheaper to fly VN to Europe in J than to fly D7 in premium...)

Santander

FR (Ryanair) is a heavy hitter compared to AK and they charge 6 EUR "admin" fee for online bookings. It costs a whopping 26 EUR to book on the phone. Not only that, but they require passengers to do OLCI (no airport check-in) and charge 6 EUR for it! (other than for promotional fares) If you forget to OLCI and print your BP from home a new one (yes... just a piece of paper) will cost you a staggering 40 EUR at the airport. This is how these unscrupulous thieves make their money, yet people will still fly them. It's actually quite sickening how running this kind of business can even be legal.

AK is simply learning from the "best" in the business. But hey, at least they have belt loaders now.

A_Lee

My complaint with Air Asia is that from what I recall their wasn't any booking fee when booking by phone, but there was when booking online. Even though it costs them more to accept a booking by phone, they know most people don't want to put up with the long holds, and in many cases long-distance phone charges for such. If Ryan Air charges significantly more for phone bookings, then at least they're correctly charging more for a service that costs them more. While I hate any business to charge booking fees, the booking fee in and of itself wasn't my complaint, but rather the charge for using their internet booking as opposed to other booking methods.

I have seen lots of horror stories about Ryan Air over the years, but quite frankly haven't really paid much attention to them being AFAIK they don't fly any routes I'd ever be interested in anyways. So my comparing Air Asia to other LCC's didn't include comparing them to Ryan Air, but rather to other Asia-based LCC's that I'm more familiar with. I imagine if I was flying routes Ryan Air services, I'd have probably similar bad feelings towards them and their CEO, based on the comments here.

I do honestly believe some airline executives should be arrested for fraud, tried, and if guilty thrown in prison for the maximum possible period of time. It's simply ridiculous that they are able to carry on with their fraudulent business practices without any punishment. LCC's in general I think are a good idea for those who want to save money. But allowing them to exist without any care or concern for fair business practices should not be acceptable.

rayonline

Just a bit of browsing yeah ... cheap LCC you gotta look for them like how I got a 200MYR one way from AKL (New Zealand) to KUL (Malaysia) at their opening special. I think it needs to be no more than 800MYR one way to consider.

Re: surcharges. Yeah they do add up. Like the big carriers from NZL no longer have fuel surcharges and airport fees/taxes have been incorporated. Air Asia has not and it can amount to near 400MYR for the return trip. Also the seat reservations and the food is not that bad on Air Asia but Jetstar's can mount to say 200MYR for the return trip - 2 meals per so 4 in total.

I find now that generally speaking they are not that cheap than the big airlines. Maybe 800MYR cheaper for a return, NZ - Malaysia. But if you need luggage, food, entertainment, blanket ... esp for those long hour flights or overnights. It can shrink the savings down to say 200MYR or less.

Short trips is not bad thou if you get it for cheaper all surchages incl and that you don't need the food, blankets, entertainment etc ....

Thai Airways had a cheap fare without points but full service, AKL - BKK for return of say 1200MYR. All up.


One thing I have noticed is the luggage. If you add at ticket purchase it is that rate. However if you log back in and add it, it can be more. If you leave it at checkin time, it can be nearly double. If also you are overweight, each KG can be 40MYR.

Another thing is that even if you add food. Like I had a AKL-Gold Coast - Tokyo. The food was only for the last leg. The first leg, I had to either eat nothing or pay up.

I also find that it can make a passenger uncomfortable if many others buy but you don't. Also that many holidayers are very jolly so even if they didn't plan on buying many would. And they are not cheap like JQ's meals are like 50MYR each, or 12MYR for cup noodles.

tycosiao

LCC has changed a lot of my Short haul travels this past year.

Especially on SIN-KUL.