Airline review: AirAsia

Posted by Miss Travel on November 14th, 2009. Filed under air travel, budget travel.

Lately I’ve been flying around Southeast Asia a lot. Normally I try to book regional flights as add-ons for my long-haul flight to Asia, because they’re cheaper that way. But recently I’ve started using some of the low-cost carriers that are fighting aggressively for passengers with the old-school airlines. The biggest one in the region is AirAsia, which has been around for quite a while now and is based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (with another hub in Bangkok).

The immediate draw was that the AirAsia flights are often even cheaper than adding segments to flights on carriers like Singapore Airlines, Also, they have a number of point-to-point flights on routes that would require a connection using other airlines.

Buying the tickets online was easy: the web site loads quickly and is quite straightforward. It also makes it easy to search a range of days for the cheapest fare. For flights from Kuala Lumpur, the price I saw when I searched was basically the same as I had to pay (it included taxes). For flights from some other places, such as Jakarta, for some reason the taxes weren’t shown until later. There were still some little fees (like the optional insurance that you have to pay attention in order to avoid) tacked on later.

While booking, I was given the option to pay extra for a reserved seat, for checked baggage (otherwise I could only bring a carry-on), for priority boarding, for a bus ticket to town, and for meals. All of these things are very reasonably priced, though it’s a little annoying how more and more airlines are charging for checked baggage these days. At least on AirAsia it’s priced like a sandwich instead of a sirloin steak dinner.

The boarding was a little chaotic — first, all the people who paid for premium seating were allowed on, then everyone else rushed the gate, ruthlessly cutting in front of anyone who moved more slowly. It would be nice if the airport staff enforced a bit of etiquette but I suppose they have their hands full dealing with more pressing matters.

The plane itself was brand new and seemed very clean. On the other hand, the seating was remarkably cramped. I saw some taller people (6-footers) squirming in their seats, and one poor guy was only able to squeeze in by hanging both legs over the armrest into the aisle (fortunately the flight attendant found two empty seats for him after takeoff, otherwise I don’t think he would have been walking the next day). I’m not that tall and even I felt pretty tight. On a 2-hour flight it’s okay, but I can’t imagine what their longer flights, like London to Kuala Lumpur, must be like for anyone of above-average height. There are a few seats with extra legroom at the over-wing exits, but to get those you have to pay the extra fee for reserved seating when booking online.

All food and drinks onboard were charged — not even water was free. I didn’t reserve the food in advance, but it was still possible to buy it during the flight for a bit more. I had the coconut rice (”nasi lemak”) with chicken, which cost me about US$4 and wasn’t half bad for airplane food.

All in all, considering the price savings and the convenience provided by their online booking system and useful flight routes, I found AirAsia to be a good deal. Sure, they charge you for a lot of things you get for free on other airlines, but even after you add it all up, chances are you’ll have saved a decent amount of money. The only caveat I’d add is that if you’re tall, make very sure you book one of the handful of extra-legroom seats!

On the web: www.airasia.com