Budget airline that delivers a good service (AirAsia)

Member Name: Trev11

Product:	AirAsia
Date:	29/06/09 (82 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Very low prices, very friendly staff

Disadvantages: May take longer to travel to and from the smaller airports used

I have flown with Air Asia twice in the last 2 years, from Vietnam to Thailand and also from The Philippines to Malaysia. Both experiences were good and by booking in advance I managed to take advantage of some very cheap deals on their website.

*** Booking online ***

The airline's website is easy to navigate and find information on flights. The FAQ section is concise and useful and once you book a flight, you receive a confirmation email promptly and can print off your e-ticket. The fares quoted on the website now include all taxes and surcharges which is a welcome change and hopefully one that other budget airlines in the same region will implement too.

I purchased 'Economy Promotional' fares both times as these are the cheapest ones and it was even possible for me to change the date of my flight from Vietnam to Thailand for a small charge. On most budget airlines this would not have been an option. Making this date change was also very quick and simple on the website.

*** Airports and check-in ***

Being a budget airline means that some of the airports the airline operates from are further away than the main airports so it is worth checking these details before booking. When I flew from Clark airport in The Philippines it was a long way outside of central Manila so I had to plan ahead and take into account the time and cost of getting a bus to the airport. Luckily, Air Asia provides some bus services when this is the case and the total cost was still a lot lower than flying with other airlines.

Queues for check-in can be long because there usually aren't many desks open at the smaller airports and being a budget airline understandably means keeping staff costs low too. I was prepared to put up with this though, given how little I had paid for my flights and the staff at the airports were very friendly and helpful despite how busy they were.

It is also worth noting that you have to pay to check in luggage on most flights, although the amount you pay is relatively low up to 15kg. If you have more than 20kgs you could end up paying a lot extra though so check the rates by clicking the appropriate link on the booking pages (when your total flight cost is displayed). It is also cheaper to pay these fees when booking rather than at the airport.

*** In-flight experience ***

The flights I took were comfortable, given that they were economy seats and the relatively short duration. If you have long legs however, you would probably find the flights uncomfortable as there is not much leg room (most people living in the Asian countries the airline serves are quite small compared with Westerners and the seats match this demographic quality!)

Low cost means that there is no entertainment on the flights but most of the flights within Asia are fairly short. You have the option of paying for a meal when booking your flight but I would not recommend doing this after seeing the food they serve. The portions are small and the food does not look very appetizing so it is better to just carry some snacks with you.

Overall I was very impressed with Air Asia and think that they stand out as one of the few low-cost airlines that actually delivers a good service and value for money.

Summary: Well worth taking advantage of the cheap flights offered by this airline.