#AK/D7/FD/QZ/PQ/JW | AirAsia Bhd / AirAsia X / Thai AirAsia / Indonesia AirAsia / AirAsia Philippines / AirAsia Japan [Archive] - Page 2

nazrey

November 14th, 2005, 08:43 PM

AirAsia may get lucrative routes
BY M. KRISHNAMOORTHY
Monday November 14, 2005

KUALA LUMPUR: AirAsia may get to operate more frequent flights to popular local destinations now dominated by Malaysia Airlines (MAS).

If approved by the Cabinet, the low-budget airline may get to fly additional trips to lucrative destinations such as Kota Kinabalu, Kuching, Penang and Langkawi.

The move is to allow MAS to focus on developing international routes.

A meeting was held between the heads of the two airlines and a senior official of the Transport Ministry two weeks ago.

During the meeting, the parties agreed in principle that the budget airline could have more frequent flights to specific destinations.

Malaysia Airlines chairman Datuk Munir Majid confirmed the meeting but declined to elaborate, saying that the Cabinet will discuss the plan at its weekly meeting.

AirAsia CEO Datuk Tony Fernandes also declined to reveal details of the plan.

World Discovery Travel business development manager Joseph Xavier said cheaper flights would help boost domestic tourism and fill up hotel rooms during the off peak season.

“It will also help the Government as it will not have to subsidise Malaysia Airlines for its local flights,” he added.

The Government is the single largest shareholder in MAS, via Penerbangan Malaysia Bhd (PMB which owns 69% of MAS).

“Rationalising the domestic routes should help MAS to focus on overseas routes, “ Xavier added.

Paradise Travel and Tours executive chairman K. Pardip Kumar said the new plan would allow MAS to play a more active role in foreign skies.

“Allowing the budget airline to fly more local routes will enable market forces to determine the right level of domestic fares,” Pardip added.

Greg

November 21st, 2005, 10:58 PM

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 21 (Bernama) -- Low-cost carrier AirAsia Bhd plans to add four to five new destinations when it starts operating at the low-cost carrier (LCC) terminal which is expected to be completed by middle of next year.

"We have not touch India yet or China a lot. It is hard to say but I would say about four to five more destinations such as Vietnam, Myanmar and Laos," its chief executive officer Datuk Tony Fernandes told reporters at Ernst & Young Entrepreneurs' Forum here Monday.

He added that by the time the LCC terminal at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) started operations, at least five to six of its new A320 Airbuses would have arrived.

AirAsia has ordered 60 A320s with an option for another 40 aircraft.

Fernandes said at the moment, AirAsia would focus on Indonesia and China.

"We also have a lot of domestic flights to do and a lot of frequencies we want to add. We're launching our second flight (daily) to Macau and then more destinations to Indonesia and China," he said.

AirAsia, he added, also hoped to get approval to fly to Siem Reap, Cambodia and Brunei soon.

musang

November 22nd, 2005, 09:03 AM

^ how i wish they cud fly to Bahrain.. ha haaa, that will save me a lot of money.

musang

November 22nd, 2005, 09:08 AM

Nice livery - LAT drawings

http://img117.imageshack.us/img117/4477/airkk12yw.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

alamak.. what happened? too much laughter on board ker???

Greg

November 26th, 2005, 01:07 PM

By Surin Murugiah

Low cost carrier AirAsia Bhd has received verbal approval from the Cambodian authorities to fly to Siem Reap and will also add more flights to Indonesia by year-end, says its chief executive officer Datuk Tony Fernandes.

AirAsia would begin flights to Solo to target Jogjakarta and the tourist centre of Borubudor, as well as passengers from central Java, he said.

Fernandes said another new destination for AirAsia was Balikpapan in Kalimantan.

He said AirAsia also planned to fly to Ho Chi Minh in Vietnam in addition to five cities in southern China.

Speaking to reporters after AirAsia’s AGM in Sepang on Nov 25, Fernandes said the airline’s strategy was very much Asean and China, while not discounting flights to India in the future.

On the plan to rationalise domestic routes, he said AirAsia was in constant communication with the government and Malaysian Airline System Bhd (MAS).

“I think the proposal out there makes complete economic sense for all parties. So we will wait patiently for the goverment to make its final decision,” he said, declining to elaborate on the plan.

On whether AirAsia would be getting more domestic routes, Fernandes said it was not a question of any party obtaining more routes.

“I think if the government can overall reduce its subsidy, yet the public still get good service, then I think that would be a good way of looking at it.

“If both AirAsia and MAS can focus on their strengths after this rationalisation and not compete, and both be stronger with a lot of competition happening around, then I think that would be a great solution,” he said.

Fernandes said AirAsia had no plans to adjust its fuel surcharge for now. The airline had on July 14 imposed a fuel surcharge on flights within Malaysia, and regional destinations such as Thailand, Indonesia, Macau and the Philippines.

“Our fares are still aggressive, and we still continue to give very low fares,” he said.

AirAsia's executive director Kamarudin Meranun said the airline was monitoring the situation closely. “If there is any change to the hedging which will affect the fuel price, then we will reconsider the fuel surcharge,” he said.

Meanwhile, AirAsia's chairman Datuk Pahamin A Rajab said the airline had no plans to give out dividends to its shareholders anytime soon.

He said the board had explained to shareholders during the AGM that any excess funds should be utilised for expansion and investment plans.

Greg

November 26th, 2005, 01:11 PM

Budget carrier AirAsia Bhd will be taking delivery of its first Airbus A320 in Toulouse, France on Dec 5.

AirAsia chairman Datuk Pahamin Rajab will be there to take delivery of the aircraft from Airbus with another to be delivered in the same month.

Thereafter Airbus will deliver the rest of the A320, which has a price tag of US$64 million (RM240.38 million), at the rate of one a month until the year 2011.

Last December, AirAsia sealed a deal with Airbus to purchase 40 Airbus A320 with an option to purchase another 40 planes. It then increased its order by another 20 planes, making it a total of 100 planes.

"(Group CEO) Tony Fernandes will be on hand to welcome the A320 when it lands at KLIA on Dec 8," said AirAsia spokesperson Jeamie Lee.

Various parts of the A320 were manufactured and fitted by Airbus' various plants in the United Kingdom, Germany, Spain and France before their final assembly in France.

The new single-aisle A320s, which has a seating capacity of 150-180 passengers, will replace AirAsia's entire fleet of Boeing 737-300s.

AirAsia will be the single largest customer of the A320 in the Asia-Pacific region after full delivery of its first order.

rgen

November 30th, 2005, 05:44 AM

taken from the star,

Budget airline, ‘budget’ staff? We wondered if a cheaper airline might get staff that had been rejected by the big international carriers. But nothing could be further from the truth PHILIP GOLINGAI discovers when he speaks to the bubbly gals (and guy) who work for AirAsia, which has just won the Transport Company of Excellence Award.

Sarah Syazana Baharuddin: ‘I will not miss my favourite foods, like mum’s nasi lemak’.
FUN, fun, fun! That’s the airline industry’s buzz about working as cabin crew for AirAsia. But surely it’s more fun working for an international airline with stopovers in glamorous cities like Milan and Paris?

Ah, but even the Eiffel Tower gets old after you’ve seen it a few dozen times and you simply get tired of all the overnight stopovers, says Stella Quek, who used to be a “Singapore Girl” before she switched to AirAsia.

“In the end, I did not get excited about going out,” explains Quek, who has seen most of the world after flying for two years with Singapore Airlines.

“When I arrived at a destination, I would check into the hotel, then go to the grocery store to buy my chocolates and return to my room to read a book.”

Flying with AirAsia gives the 25-year-old more flexibility to plan her future. “One day, I want to get married and have kids. I don’t want them to be looked after by a maid while I go flying; the kids will end up becoming closer to the maid than me. I’ve seen this happen a lot in SQ (which is Singapore Airlines’ designated international call sign),” she says.

It’s those short hauls that make this airline attractive to those who like the idea of working in the sky but don’t want to leave home ground for too long.

Sarah Syazana Baharuddin’s ritual when she arrives at an airport is to step out of the aircraft and breathe the air. Bandung’s air is cool and refreshing, Bangkok’s warm, Kota Kinabalu’s moist, and Penang’s cool and hot.

The 22-year-old has flown from KL International Airport to all the budget airline’s 27 destinations so she has also landed in Bali, Chiang Mai, Clark (Manila), Hat Yai, Jakarta, Macau, Medan, Padang, Phuket, Surabaya and Phnom Penh – but her passport is unstamped.

You see, except for the Kuala Lumpur to Kota Kinabalu or Kuching midnight flights, the airline does not have any stopovers anywhere because of its cost-saving 25-minute turnaround.

Back home in Seremban, Sarah’s parents are happy with their only daughter’s decision to join AirAsia, says the flight attendant. “I want to be in Malaysia as I get homesick and I want to be close to my family. Flying with AirAsia, I will not miss my favourite foods, like mum’s nasi lemak, or my favourite TV programmes, like Desperate Housewives,” explains the Universiti Teknologi Mara pre-law graduate.

People not robots

Amanda Ho: ‘Tony ... told us he did not want bullying’.
Along with the close-to-home practicality of AirAsia’s routes, it’s the company culture that seems to be attracting the best and the brightest.

“We can be ourselves,” explains AirAsia stewardess Lily Liew. “They employ us because of us. Not because we are robotic. Anyone can provide service but what is important is our personality – how you provide that service.”

So what is the 24-year-old Sabahan’s personality? “I’m a very happy go lucky person. I like to smile. You will want to talk to me as I like to know more about my passengers,” says the confident Liew, who is a former Malaysia Airlines cabin crew.

At AirAsia, agrees Quek, “they want us to be ourselves”. AirAsia’s work culture is more relaxed compared with SIA’s, she observes.

“Probably because there are so many rules in SQ. You have to look a certain way and behave a certain way. I had regular passengers who could never recognise me because they say we all look the same,” she explains. “At AirAsia, we all look different. We can even wear coloured contact lenses.”

The airline encourages its cabin crew to let their hair down – literally. AirAsia cabin crew are allowed to colour their hair. “As long as it is not too drastic,” says the airline’s cabin crew manager, Marianne Liow. Stewardesses can keep their nails long. “As long as they look nice,” she adds.

“Many people think that AirAsia is a fun place to work because we do let our hair down,” the 33-year-old manager says. “We are different. We create a culture where whatever we do, we must have fun.”

Non-hierarchical

Working for the budget airline can also be fun because it does not have a taruh (bullying) culture.

“Three years ago, when Tony (AirAsia CEO Datuk Tony Fernandes) took over, he told us he did not want bullying,” recalls Amanda Hoh, AirAsia’s senior flight attendant.

In explaining the taruh culture, Hoh gives an example: “In other airlines, if you do not hold a tray properly, your senior will order you to stand and hold a tray full of glasses for an hour.

“In AirAsia there is no hierarchy,” says the 30-year-old stewardess. “Even though I am the senior flight attendant I don’t boss my cabin crew around.”

That attitude comes from the top, says Liow. “It started with the big boss – Tony believes in that concept,” she says.

Terence Pragash: ‘ The form-fitting top for guys is quite nice’.
Liow says the airline hires “people who understand the concept that we don’t have a hierarchical system”.

“Tony practises an open door policy. If you have anything to you want to say, you just walk in,” she adds.

Sarah echoes Liow, saying, “Everyone is like a family as we have that open door policy.”

The “family” has 280 cabin crew and more than 2,000 other staff.

That traffic-stopping red...

AirAsia’s red and black uniform is Terence Pragash’s “superficial reason” for joining the budget airline.

“The form-fitting top for guys is quite nice. Coming from an arts background, I have an eye for striking colours, and it is something that appeals to my eyes,” says the 23-year-old former graphic designer.

Liow, the crew manager, agrees that the airline’s uniform plays a part in enticing applicants (especially from the more staid bigger lines, it seems!).

“Many of the girls want to be in the striking red uniform,” she explains.

Why?

“Because ... it’s sexy,” she says, sexily. “Sexy because of the slit.”

Wearing the red uniform does indeed inspire Sarah, it seems.

“Even on a day when I don’t feel like coming to work, once I put on that uniform, I’m ready for work,” she explains. “For me, the airline is perfect. I wouldn’t change it for any other one.”

(Asia Asia received the Transport Company of Excellence Award from the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport Malaysia on Friday.)

rgen

November 30th, 2005, 05:47 AM

Not just blue skies all the way

Irnawati Japar: ‘Being a flight attendant is not easy, you have to pass exams’.
WHILE AirAsia stresses the fun aspects of being a member of its cabin crew, staff does face all the usual difficulties of being a member of any aircrew.

“To be a flight attendant we have to be doctor, police officer and waitress. We have to take care of our passengers,” 24-year-old Irnawati Japar says sweetly but firmly, putting me in my place for asking the standard “but isn’t it technically like being a waitress” question.

“Being a flight attendant is not easy, you have to pass exams,” the former Malaysia Airlines attendant added.

“I don’t find it glamorous,” says AirAsia senior flight attendant Amanda Hoh, who as a 12-year-old dreamt of becoming a stewardess as she thought it was glamorous.

“It’s tough work, actually. We have to clean the cabin, even the toilet, which can be get very dirty after someone vomits,” says the 30-year-old with a shudder.

“I have many responsibilities especially as I am a senior cabin crew. I have to make sure my passengers are safe from point A to point B. We have to know how to handle an emergency.”

And there are those viciously long hours.

If she’s on a morning shift, Hoh wakes up at 4am so she can report to work around 6am. Her typical flight schedules are four sectors – two short (less than an hour) and two long (more than two hours) flights.

She could be flying from Kuala Lumpur to Kota Baru and, after a 25-minute turnaround, Kota Baru to Kuala Lumpur. Then she will hop into another aircraft for a flight to Hat Yai and back.

After four flights, Hoh would have worked nine or 10 hours, and even longer if there are delays.

That’s when the dreaded “impatient passenger syndrome” strikes.

“When we have a delay, that is when passengers lose their tempers. It is worst when the delay is a few hours. That is when we are put to the test as we have to explain the situation to angry passengers while keeping a smile on our faces,” says AirAsia steward Terence Pragash, 23. “That is when we really earn our wages.”

That’s how these AirAsia gals and guys are gaining a reputation for being pretty in red – their red uniform and the red haze that overcomes angry, delayed passengers?.

rgen

November 30th, 2005, 05:48 AM

He ain’t pretty, he’s the boss

IF you look at our cabin crew, you would be shocked. You pay RM1.99 and you see girls who are probably more beautiful than any (stewardess from) airlines in South-East Asia,” declares AirAsia CEO Datuk Tony Fernandes after a photography session for this story with six stewardesses he had personally selected.

“People think low fare means low quality. But that is not the case with AirAsia. Our cabin crew are as good if not better than most of the full service airlines.”

Datuk Tony Fernandes: ‘All our girls have individual personalities’.
Sitting in his modest room in the airline’s corporate office at KL International Airport, Fernandes’ face lights up when speaking about his crew.

“Most of them have come from other airlines,” he continues. “And they look better since they joined our airline. You should get a picture of them before they joined. I’ve seen the picture and I was shocked.”

How did they shockingly improve? “We gave them the ability to be themselves which is what AirAsia is about –individuality,” explains the CEO.

“If you look at most airlines, they (the cabin crew) look the same. At Singapore Airlines, they wear their hair in the same bun, the same lipstick and give the same smile,” he says, grinning.

“But all our girls have individual personality. Why? Because we allow them to be individuals. We allow them to wear their hair and put on their make up how they want.

“Looks help. Let’s be real. But personality is more important at AirAsia,” he adds.

According to Fernandes, the personality traits he wants his cabin crew to show include “sincerity, warmth, fun, a bit of extroversion, a willingness to try anything, to be more natural, more human and not a robot.”

When hiring, the CEO looks for individuality because he wants a company of 2,000 brains.

“I don’t want a company of only 10 people doing everything and the other 2,000 implementing directives,” he explains.

Fernandes believes that everyone in his company can contribute. For instance, the cabin crew designed their own uniforms. “It saves money. And isn’t it better for them to wear something that they like rather than something some French guy designed?”

“Me?” asks Fernandes, when asked whether he is the face of AirAsia.

“My face is funny. If I don’t wear (the red AirAsia) cap, I’m only an Indian guy. But when I wear the cap, I become Superman. People don’t really know my face. People have come up to me and said, ‘Hey, you look like Tony Fernandes!’ I don’t think I’m the face (of AirAsia).”

AirAsia features its cabin crew during corporate events, such as when the airline announced its sponsorship of the Manchester United football team in Britain.
The cabin crew is an important face of any airline as passengers interact with them the most.

“Not by accident is AirAsia becoming known for our girls. If you walk into KL International Airport, they stand out. They are in red. They look great. They smile. They are becoming an icon. Everyone I meet mentions our cabin crew,” he says.

It is a company marketing strategy to feature its cabin crew during corporate events and press conferences. For example, when AirAsia announced its sponsorship of the Manchester United football team.

“It is the most positive image of the airline. It shows that we are world class,” he says, adding, “We also have good-looking guys as well. But definitely we feature the girls more.”

Some passengers have commented that AirAsia’s crew are rejects from other airlines?

“If you think that the six girls you saw are rejects, then send me more rejects,” he says, referring to the six women he handpicked for the photography session.

szehoong

November 30th, 2005, 05:02 PM

szehoong

November 30th, 2005, 05:30 PM

Here's the StarMag pic:

http://photos.friendster.com/photos/91/09/17589019/18958870953624l.jpg

szehoong

November 30th, 2005, 05:31 PM

And here's another one hehehehe..... (this one not featured in StarMag)

http://photos.friendster.com/photos/91/09/17589019/18354032541257l.jpg

szehoong

November 30th, 2005, 05:33 PM

Here they are at Old Trafford:

http://photos.friendster.com/photos/91/09/17589019/16574013340480l.jpg

rgen

November 30th, 2005, 05:51 PM

ONe of the 6 cabin crew is my cousin.......although she's is not featured in any of the story but her picture is on the cover of StarMag in The Sunday Star ;) She's also one of the airstewardess representing AirAsia in Manchester :)

so which one is your cousin...

szehoong

November 30th, 2005, 05:59 PM

Guess..... :D

musang

December 1st, 2005, 07:08 AM

^ aiya... all these gorgeous girls lentik here lentik there.. like this kena naik jugak la airasia ;) ;)

ah sze.. my guess is d one on the far right??

rgen

December 1st, 2005, 07:48 AM

^ aiya... all these gorgeous girls lentik here lentik there.. like this kena naik jugak la airasia ;) ;)

ah sze.. my guess is d one on the far right??

wah..same with u lah..the one far right...has sze's face a bit lah...
by the way, i always impress with these girls whenever i'm on airasia, they are hot n i really like their striking red uniform, most of them coloured their hair and wear the contact lenses...that's really unique for a cabin crew..

szehoong

December 1st, 2005, 08:17 AM

Far right.....on which pic? :D

rgen

December 1st, 2005, 08:20 AM

on da 2nd n the last pic

szehoong

December 1st, 2005, 08:21 AM

^^ Hahaha....yea :okay:

musang

December 1st, 2005, 10:49 AM

^^ Hahaha....yea :okay:
ah sze,

rgen n i dont get hadiah for teka it rite ke? man u t-shirt can also ma.. me size m ;)

szehoong

December 1st, 2005, 12:05 PM

ah sze,

rgen n i dont get hadiah for teka it rite ke? man u t-shirt can also ma.. me size m ;)

I pun tak dapat you want me to give you ar? hehehehe :D

This is your hadiah: :2cents:

I very generous liao :lol:

musang

December 3rd, 2005, 07:41 AM

^ aiya like dat ar.. one sen pun one sen la.. better than nothing ;)

Greg

December 3rd, 2005, 11:08 AM

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 2 (Bernama) -- AirAsia Bhd will introduce two new Indonesian destinations to its lineup this month.

Beginning Dec 20, the leading low fare airline in the region would offer daily service to Balikpapan, while the flight to Solo will commence on Dec 27.

All flights would depart from the KL International Airport, Air Asia said in a statement.

Its fares start from RM49.99 one-way for the Kuala Lumpur-Balikpapan route and RM99.00 for the flight to Solo, one-way.

The fares exclude airport taxes, surcharges and fees, it said.

Bookings can be also done through the airline's website at: www.airasia.com.

Balikpapan and Solo marks the 7th and 8th major Indonesian cities served by AirAsia from its hub in Kuala Lumpur after the commencement of Jakarta, Bandung, Surabaya, Bali, Padang and Medan since 2004.

"We are pleased to strengthen our Indonesian network by introducing two new destinations which would effectively allow us to tap into a wider Indonesian market segment," said Datuk Tony Fernandes, AirAsia's group chief executive officer.

"AirAsia would be the first low fare airline to operate direct flights to Balikpapan and Solo out of Kuala Lumpur. The Kuala Lumpur -Balikpapan route would allow us to gain access into Kalimantan," he said.

Solo is a convenient and affordable gateway to Yogyakarta and Semarang, the heart of Javanese culture, he said.

fairul

December 3rd, 2005, 05:01 PM

with all these new destinations and daily frequency...got me thinking..
are there enough passengers demand to justify the daily freq.?

globocentric

December 3rd, 2005, 05:04 PM

with all these new destinations and daily frequency...got me thinking..
are there enough passengers demand to justify the daily freq.?

Most Airlines dont start new flights with daily frequencies unless the route already has existing high demands such KL - SIN, HKG - TPE. Both Solo and Balikpapan dont even have established international airports

musang

December 4th, 2005, 08:40 AM

their airports mainly cater for regional flights..

Balikpapan 'Sepinggan International Airport'
Solo City 'Adisumarmo International Airport'

Greg

December 4th, 2005, 12:21 PM

SIBU, Dec 3 (Bernama) -- AirAsia says that 65 percent of its business comes from Internet bookings, and this is the low fare airline's "one secret" of success.

Its chief Executive Officer Datuk Tony Fernandez said that the company's website is available in seven languages namely Bahasa Malaysia, English, Mandarin, Tamil, Thai, Tagalog and Bahasa Indonesia.

It is the largest e-commerce airline site in Asia and was able to break the monopolies of other airlines, he said when presenting a paper entitled "Essential Ingredients To Tourism Industry Development With Emphasis on Air Connectivilty" at the two-day Sibu Development Forum which began here.

The forum organised by Barisan Nasional elected representatives together with various government department and agencies and the private sector is aimed at coming up with proposals and strategies to further develop Sibu.

Meanwhile, he said that the airline company hoped to fly three million passengers per year to Sarawak in three years' time from the current 1.2 million per year since it started its operations here in April 2003.

Fernandez also said that it was operating a third daily flight -- Kuala Lumpur/Sibu/Kuala Lumpur -- to bring the total number of such flights to 21 weekly, and is considering a direct flight between the town and Penang by next year.

Speaking to the press after his presentation, he said that the company was keen to serve more internal flights within Sabah and sarawak.

"We are still awaiting the outcome of the rationalisation programme for the domestic sector.I hope the decision will be made very soon," he said.

He said many people and international airlines flew to Kota kinabalu.

"So for instance if we are allowed to fly between Kota Kinabalu and Sibu, we can bring them here. This will obviously augur well for the tourism industry of Kota Kinablu and Sibu town," he said.

jlshyang

December 4th, 2005, 04:43 PM

Now everyone’s upgraded

BY ANTHONY CHEW

WHEN AirAsia promised “now everyone can fly”, it never said anything about flying in comfort. If frequent fliers, even on regular airlines, joke about economy travel as “cattle class”,then low-cost carriers' passengers must feel like sardines in a can.

Joke aside, everyone can soon fly more comfortably because a fleet of brand spanking new Airbus A320 aircraft is about to lift Malaysia's high-flying budget airline to a higher level.

AirAsia's first new Airbus will touch down at Kuala Lumpur International Airport on Dec 8 and the second is scheduled to arrive by the end of the month. The airline has ordered 60 A320s from Airbus SAS, plus options on another 40 planes.

The A320, which broke new ground as the first fly-by-wire passenger jet when it entered airline service in 1988, has established itself as the standard by which others are judged for passenger comfort and economy on short and medium-haul routes.

The aircraft has modern technology features such as advanced fuel-saving aerodynamics, including winglets, widespread use of weight-saving carbon fibre composites, and pilot- and maintenancefriendly fly-by-wire controls and centralised maintenance.

The A320 family today consists of the A318, 319, 320 and 321, all of which share many common design features, including cockpit layout, but vary in length, passenger and load capacity to suit individual customers' requirements.

Built with modern technology, the 180-seat aircraft has a wider aisle for easy movement as well as wider seats. The superior cabin size and shape allow larger overhead compartment to be fitted for faster boarding and disembarkation.

A group of Malaysian journalists recently visited Airbus's assembly plant in Hamburg, Germany, for a preview of AirAsia's first A320 new aircraft before its delivery.

AirAsia's bright red-and-white livery and the taglines “Go Holiday”, and “Now Everyone Can Fly” make it hard to miss the new plane. When we climbed aboard the gleaming new A320, we could smell the new paint and the fragrance of the new leather upholstery.

“Wow, the interior looks nicer, the lights are brighter and the roof is higher,” exclaimed a woman journalist. But of course, she forgot about the new floor carpet!

For the safety and convenience of passengers, a ledge is fitted below the overhead compartment for them to hold when walking to the toilets, instead of having to hold on the seats.

AirAsia senior executive for publicity and promotionsJeamie Lee said the A320 aircraft would give passengers a better flying experience and more comfort.

The aircraft will fly to the European aviation consortium's headquarters in Toulouse, France, on Dec 5 where a handing-over ceremony is to be held.

AirAsia chairman Datuk Pahamin A Rajab will represent the company at the event.

According to AirAsia group chief executive officer Datuk Tony Fernandes, the new aircraft will be used on domestic routes.

The A320, which will be delivered to AirAsia in stages up to 2011, will replace older aircraft operated by the AirAsia group, which includes AirAsia in Malaysia, Thai AirAsia in Thailand and AWAIR in Indonesia.

Stuart Mann, Airbus head of marketing for the A320 family, said the wider fuselage would provide unmatched cargo capability, besides a containerised cargo loading system essential for profitable cargo operations.

“This system is compatible with the worldwide standard wide-body system, which reduces ground equipment and handling costs,” he said.

One advantage offered by the A320 family is that all aircraft models share the same type rating,which allows pilots to fly all of the series after attending just one short training course.

“The same team of mechanics can also maintain all the planes,” Mann said.

Airbus communications manager Tore Prang revealed that 436 aircraft of the A320 family are now flying with 36 airlines in the Asia-Pacific region.

The A320 is the only Airbus family of aircraft to be assembled in Germany. The rest are built in several assembly facilities in and around the company's headquarters in Toulouse, France.

The European aircraft consortium is a unique example of international collaboration, with major components made in many countries and shipped or flown to Toulouse or Hamburg for final assembly.

“We have 16 sites employing 53,000 employees. The wings are made in Britain, the horizontal tail in Spain, the cockpit and central section in France and the fuselage, forward and rear sections here in Germany,” Prang said. “We have four training centres, five spares centres and 200 field service representatives in 130 destinations.”

jeeshyan

December 5th, 2005, 09:11 AM

When will AirAsia fly to Ipoh? We can't stand for the 3 hours journey from Ipoh to KLIA anymore...

nazrey

December 5th, 2005, 03:08 PM

AirAsia overtakes MAS on the Bursa Malaysia
Dec 5

AIRASIA Bhd, South-East Asia’s largest discount carrier, has overtaken Malaysian Airline System Bhd (MAS), the country’s national carrier, as the largest capitalised airline stock on Bursa Malaysia.

Based on AirAsia’s closing price of RM1.62 a share, the stock now has market capitalisation of RM3.78 billion, as opposed to MAS market capitalisation of RM3.55 billion.

MAS, South-east Asia’s largest airline by fleet size, closed at RM2.83 a share. The national carrier has a paid up capital of 1.25 billion shares, while AirAsia’s paid up capital is at about 2.34 billion shares.

Both stocks are down from last year’s closing price, AirAsia, because it won’t meet its initial public offer net profit forecast, while MAS, because it’s suffering losses, and may need capital injection to the tune of RM2 billion to remain afloat.

Year todate, Airasia is mildly down by 0.61 per cent, as opposed to the benchmark Kuala Lumpur Composite Index regression of 2.07 per cent.

The national carrier, which has been in "turnaround mode" for nearly 18 months, has lost 35.97 per cent of its value this year.

Dealers say that AirAsia’s shares may react positively if the Government were to offer it more domestic routes, while for MAS, the stock may react if there are moves to join an international alliance, shed operational cost, list its cargo unit, or outsource its engineering unit.

....:shocked:

babystan03

December 6th, 2005, 10:00 AM

Took Airasia to KL from Senai, overall impression not bad, just that I don't like the slight delays and transfer (the plane is late for about 20 mins)

Pictures of Senai Airport interior

Departure hall
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c121/ylstan01/KL/PIC048121.jpg

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c121/ylstan01/KL/PIC048131.jpg

Transit area
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c121/ylstan01/KL/PIC048141.jpg

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c121/ylstan01/KL/PIC048161.jpg

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c121/ylstan01/KL/PIC048171.jpg

babystan03

December 6th, 2005, 10:01 AM

The Airasia I took Flight. It arrive just 10 mins before the actual boarding time.....:yes:

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c121/ylstan01/KL/PIC048201.jpg

Preparing for boarding

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c121/ylstan01/KL/PIC048231.jpg

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c121/ylstan01/KL/PIC048251.jpg

The Interior
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c121/ylstan01/KL/PIC048271.jpg

Tight Seat Pitch (Common for budget flights)
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c121/ylstan01/KL/PIC048291.jpg

babystan03

December 6th, 2005, 10:04 AM

15 mins of flying and there was annoucement that the plane is going to land.......:lol: The flight from Senai to KL including takeoff etc took about 45 mins in total.....and so here I am, at KLIA express platform, on my way to KL sentral...:)

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c121/ylstan01/KL/PIC048301.jpg

The KLIA express interior
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c121/ylstan01/KL/PIC048331.jpg

TYW

December 6th, 2005, 03:04 PM

Senai looks like a shopping mall:D

why is the ERL so empty?? is it always like that?

nazrey

December 6th, 2005, 09:58 PM

AirAsia giving away 2m free tickets
By Ashwin Raman, 06 Dec 2005 6:17 PM

AirAsia Bhd is giving away a whopping two million one-way tickets for free from Dec 7 to Dec 28 for travel between Feb 7 and Oct 10, 2006, in conjunction with its fourth anniversary.

The free tickets would be available for all domestic and regional flights departing from AirAsia hubs in Kuala Lumpur, Senai, Bangkok and Jakarta.

In a statement on Dec 6, it said the free tickets excluded airport taxes and fees, fuel surcharges and may not be available on all flights, public holidays, school breaks and weekends.

AirAsia said it would be undertaking an aggressive regional advertising campaign to be launched simultaneously in eight countries for the first time from yesterday.

Only bookings made online at www.airasia.com or via mobile.airasia.com between the offer period are eligible for the free seats.

Meanwhile, on the second day of the Asia-Pacific and Middle East Aviation Outlook Summit 2006 in Kuala Lumpur, AirAsia chief executive officer Datuk Tony Fernandes said the airline’s associate PT AWAir of Indonesia would change its name to AirAsia next week.

He said the name change was a move to stick to just one brand name for the low-cost carrier. AirAsia owns 49% each of AWAir and Thai AirAsia.

“We want everyone in Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia to feel that they own the airline, that it’s theirs,” Fernandes said.

Speaking on a panel on mergers and acquisitions in the airline industry, he said AirAsia believed in partnering smaller airlines that share the same vision.

However, he said AirAsia's core philosophy was to grow on its own and not through acquisitions of big airline companies.

Fernandes said AirAsia had already come a long way on its own since it began four years ago without acquiring airlines and was confident it would one day be able to operate a fleet of 400 aircraft.

Greg

December 9th, 2005, 06:21 AM

By Surin Murugiah

AirAsia Bhd received the first of its highly anticipated Airbus A320 on Dec 8, after a one-year wait, when the aircraft bearing registration number 9M-AFA landed at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport.

In a statement on Dec 8, AirAsia said the aircraft had departed from Toulouse on Dec 7 with 20 crew members, including its chairman Datuk Pahamin A Rajab, group deputy chief executive officer Kamarudin Meranun and executive director Connor McCarthy.

AirAsia had signed a memorandum of understanding with Airbus in December last year for 40 firm orders, and another 40 purchase rights, for the A320 aircraft.

In March, it increased the firm order to 60 aircraft and 40 purchase rights, bringing the total number of A320 commitment to 100 aircraft.

The additional order, it said, was a direct response to the new developments undertaken by the low cost carrier for market expansion in the region.

The statement said the 180-seater Airbus A320 is outfitted with AirAsia’s signature leather seats and plush red carpet, adding the wider aisles and larger cabin overhead space created more room for movement and luggage storage.

The cabin is also equipped with a state-of-the-art touch screen management system which allows the crew to monitor the cabin environment including lighting, sound system and maintenance data.

fairul

December 12th, 2005, 03:07 AM

Enough aircraft for Malaysian routes: AirAsia
By ANNA MARIA SAMSUDIN

December 12 2005

AIRASIA Bhd says it has enough aircraft to support the proposed takeover of Malaysia Airlines’ (MAS) domestic operations, if that is the outcome of the domestic route rationalisation exercise.

Based on its orders of 100 new A320s, chief executive officer Datuk Tony Fernandes said AirAsia is fully prepared to service all the domestic routes.

If the need arises, the airline may even speed up the delivery of its A320s orders.

“We will have everything sorted out once the rationalisation exercise takes place. Besides, we have ordered 100 Airbus. We can speed it (delivery) up,” he told reporters after speaking at the 2005 Asean Business & Investment Summit in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

AirAsia had earlier proposed to take over all of MAS destinations - except Lahad Datu, Limbang and Mulu routes.

Currently, it serves 57 local destinations and six other Asian countries with a fleet of 33 B737-300 planes.

The airline, which placed 60 orders and 40 purchase rights for the new A320s, took delivery of its first Airbus on December 8 and is scheduled to receive the next delivery on December 25 and one aircraft in subsequent months.

Meanwhile, Fernandes said he recently had a five-hour meeting with MAS newly-appointed managing director Idris Jala.

Despite being tight-lipped on the issues discussed, he said that he was glad to have had the opportunity to speak to Idris.

“The five hours were more than what I had with MAS in the last four years,” he added.

Fernandes, in his presentation, urged Association of South-East Asian Nations (Asean) countries to speed up deregulation in the aviation industry in order to reap the benefits of a common market.

“There are about 20 different aviation standards in Asean. Standardisation of policies is not only important for the aviation industry but also the other sectors".”

He said a common standard for the respective sectors would reduce the cost of doing business.

nazrey

December 12th, 2005, 06:12 PM

AirAsia Indonesia to Lease Five 737 Planes to Add Local Routes
Updated : 12-12-2005
Media : Bloomberg
Story By : Soraya Permatasari

(Bloomberg) -- AirAsia Bhd., Southeast Asia's largest low-fare carrier, said its Indonesian unit will lease five 737-300 planes made by Boeing Co. to double its destinations in the country.

PT Indonesia AirAsia, the Jakarta-based unit of AsiaAsia, is aiming to fly to Solo, Yogyakarta and four other Indonesian cities next year, said chairman Pin Harris.

Indonesia's economy may expand by up to 5.7 percent this year, accelerating from last year's 5.1 percent pace, according to a Dec. 10 forecast by trade minister Mari Pangestu. That may spur more people to travel by air, tripling Indonesia's passenger numbers to grow to 100 million people in the next three to four years, AirAsia's Chief Executive Tony Fernandes said.

``We are aiming to grow more in Indonesia because of the growth in passenger number'' from an increasing pace of growth, Fernandes said today in Jakarta.

About 15 percent of the people flown by AirAsia are in Indonesia, he said. The airline flies to six Indonesian cities and to one overseas destination and expects to double the number of passengers flying with it to 1.3 million next year.

nazrey

December 12th, 2005, 06:16 PM

Malaysia's AirAsia Seeks Strong Indonesian Growth In 2006

JAKARTA (Dow Jones)--Malaysia's budget carrier AirAsia Bhd.(5099.KU) is seeking to more than double the number of Indonesian passengers it carries next year,its chief executive said Monday.

The carrier expects to fly between 1.3 million to 1.4 million peoplenext year, Tony Fernandes said at the launch of PT Indonesia AirAsia, AirAsia's renamed Indonesian unit.

PT Indonesia AirAsia flew 630,000 passengers from December 2004 to the end of November 2005.

AirAsia bought a 49% stake in local airline PT AWAIR International in December 2004. On Dec. 1, 2005, the company officially changed its name to PT Indonesia AirAsia. Indonesian investors hold the remaining 51%.

"The growth in the Indonesian market is phenomenal. We think Indonesia will be a 100 million passenger market in three to four years," said Fernandes.

According to the Ministry of Transportation, Indonesia's domestic market now totals 29 million passengers a year.

Fernandes said the company plans to open five to six new routes across Indonesia next year, in addition to its existing routes. AirAsia currently services six domestic routes and one to Malaysia's Kuala Lumpur.

However, he declined to reveal the new routes. "We will grow, but there is no rush to it," he added.

But Sendjaja Widjaja, president director of PT Indonesia AirAsia, said the company is looking at the eastern part of Indonesia, which is poorly serviced by air carriers.

As part of its Indonesian expansion plan, AirAsia will lease five Boeing 737-300 airplanes by the end of 2006. The airline currently operates four airplanes, all Boeing 737-300s.

It will also bring in nine Airbus A320 aircraft in 2007. The additional planes are part of an order AirAsia signed in March 2005 to acquire 60 Airbus A320s with an option to acquire a further 40. Delivery will begin in late 2005 and continue until 2011.

nazrey

December 13th, 2005, 01:00 PM

Indonesia Air Asia to Boost Fleet to 20 Aircraft
Updated : 13-12-2005
Media : AsiaPulse

JAKARTA, Dec 13 Asia Pulse - Indonesia Air Asia will increase the number of its aircraft to 20 units in 2008 dominated by Airbus 320 planes, its President Sendjaja Wijaya said.
The number of Boeing 737-300 aircraft will be phased out, Wijaya said.

He said the airline, formerly named Awair International, was prompted to strengthen its fleets to meet growing demand for domestic and regional services.

He said the airline is confident it could grab good market share both domestic and regional markets by concentrating on its low cost carrier (LCC) concept.

The chief executive office of the Malaysian-based Air Asia Tony Fernandes said in short term Air Asia will lease four new A 320 aircraft for Indonesia Air Asia.

Apart from Indonesia and Thailand, Air Asia will expand regional operations to the Philippines by cooperating with local airline, Fernandes said.

Widjaja denied that Indonesia Air Asia is a branch of Air Asia but it is a franchise of Malaysia's Air Asia and it is 51% owned by local shareholders.

nazrey

December 13th, 2005, 01:03 PM

AirAsia eyes Laos and Myanmar
Updated : 13-12-2005
Media : The Star
Story By : IZATUN SHARI IN JAKARTA

AIRASIA is looking at expanding its service to Laos and Myanmar after seeking approvals from the two governments.

Group chief executive officer Datuk Tony Fernandes said AirAsia was already in talks with Laos and planned to begin talks with Myanmar.

'We are focusing on eight Asian destinations. There are plenty more destinations we haven’t gone to. Our next target is Laos and Myanmar. As soon as we get the approval from the governments, we will go there,” he said after the official launch of PT Indonesia AirAsia, formerly known as PT Awair, here yesterday.

However, he said there was no conclusion yet on the two routes.

Currently, AirAsia services 60 destinations in Cambodia, Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, Macau, Xiamen in China and Singapore via Thailand.

On PT Awair's name change which had caused concern among some Indonesian MPs over the possibility of a takeover, Fernandes said 51% stake still belonged to Indonesian companies.

“All we are doing is utilising a brand just like McDonald's and Starbucks. We are building an Asian brand as AirAsia is known in Britain and the US.

'The most important thing is that 51% stake is owned by Indonesian companies. The Indonesian owners want to utilise the brand and we are combining strength,” he said.

'I hope the MPs will see the bigger picture as we can benefit from each other,” he said.

On AirAsia's plan for the Indonesian market, he said the company was looking at adding five new routes and nine new B737-300 next year. However, he declined to name the new destinations. Currently, PT Awair flies seven routes.

AirAsia yesterday also signed a memorandum of understanding with Garuda Maintenance Facility for the overall maintenance of its fleet in Indonesia.

fairul

December 15th, 2005, 01:38 PM

an early headline before the A320 maiden flight to KK..

AirAsia Jet Makes Successful Landing Though Two Tyres Blow Out
December 14, 2005 19:40 PM

KOTA KINABALU, Dec 14 (Bernama) -- An AirAsia jet carrying 130 passengers made a successful landing at the Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA), here Tuesday night although two of its left tyres blew out on touchdown.

No passengers or crew were reported to be injured in the incident which happened at 10.54 pm but it forced the closure of the airport, causing three incoming Malaysian Airlines (MAS) and an international flight from Incheon, Korea to be diverted to Kuching, Sarawak.

KKIA airport manager, Zakaria Daud said that there had not been a need to institute emergency procedures but it took quite a while to have the affected tyres fixed before the plane could be safely towed back to the terminal.

Zakaria, who was present to witness a training exercise on emergency procedures involving Malaysia Airports Berhad (MAB), the Fire and Rescue Services Department and police at KKIA Wednesday, told reporters that the airport's operations returned to normal at 2.30 am.

He added that the plane would remain at KKIA until AirAsia's engineers gave it the go ahead to take to the air.

This is the second such incident involving an AirAsia aircraft at KKIA. On Nov 7 last year, a Boeing 737-400 belonging to the Low Cost Carrier (LLC) skidded off the runway while landing during heavy rain

fairul

December 15th, 2005, 01:39 PM

AirAsia To Introduce New Routes To Sabah
December 15, 2005 18:52 PM

KOTA KINABALU, Dec 15 (Bernama) -- The country's low fare airlines, AirAsia Bhd will start its two new direct flights from Johor Baharu to Sandakan and Johor Baharu to Tawau to cater to the huge demand by travellers from Singapore in February next year said its chief executive officer Datuk Tony Fernandes.

The new routes were specially requested by Singapore travellers who would like to visit Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre in Sandakan and the divers' haven in Sipadan Islands, he said at a press conference here in conjunction with the inaugural flight of Airbus A320 from Kuala Lumpur International Airport to Kota Kinabalu here Thursday.

The flight AK102 with 172 guests on board was welcomed by Sabah Deputy Chief Minister, Datuk Seri Yahya Hussin.

Touching on the AirAsia operational development in Singapore, he said he was unhappy with the Republic for not allowing AirAsia shuttle buses to ferry passengers from Senai Airport in Johor Baharu to Orchard Road in Singapore and vice versa.

"We hope to have total access," he said.

AirAsia currently has one daily flight from Kota Kinabalu to Johor Baharu.

Fernandes said the company planned to use Kota Kinabalu as one of its regional hubs to tap the lucrative market in China.

He said the company was phasing out its current Boeing 737 fleet and it would take about seven years to replace them with Airbus A320 aircraft.

He said the second airbus would arrive this Christmas and the third with Manchester United's logo would be delivered next January.

Fernandes said the phased out Boeing 737 would be used by its joint-venture companies in Thailand and Indonesia.

babystan03

December 19th, 2005, 03:27 PM

Business Times - 19 Dec 2005

AirAsia plans strong growth in SE Asia with new A320 jets

KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysia's AirAsia, the No. 1 budget airline in South-east Asia by revenue, plans to rapidly expand services in the region next year as it takes delivery of new Airbus A320 jets, chief executive Tony Fernandes says.

The airline has ordered 60 of the 182-seater A320s with the option to buy another 40. It took delivery of its first A320 earlier this month, with the rest to be delivered over five years.

AirAsia has grown rapidly in recent years, tempting many first-time and budget air travellers in the region with cheap seats to popular destinations throughout Asia. The purchase of the new jets would make the upstart airline the region's largest budget carrier by fleet size.

In a recent interview with Dow Jones Newswires, Mr Fernandes said that the new A320s will allow the Malaysian airline to overcome capacity constrains and focus on developing a strong regional network to stay above growing competition, including Singapore Airlines spinoff Tiger Air and Thai Airways' Nok Air.

By June 2006, AirAsia's fleet will grow to 41 planes including seven A320s, up from 35 now, allowing it to beef up the operations of its Thai and Indonesian affiliates, he said. -- AP

Copyright © 2005 Singapore Press Holdings Ltd. All rights reserved.

fairul

December 19th, 2005, 03:47 PM

can't wait for the new Manchester United livery for the new Airbus..heard that it will be their third Airbus..

nazrey

December 24th, 2005, 12:03 PM

Air Asia to launch Solo - KL route

Antara reports that AirAsia plans to open a Solo-KL route on December 22, 2005, using Boeing 737-300 aircraft. In order to increase the number of passengers on the route, AirAsia plans to promote Solo as a tourist destination as well as those in Yogyakarta province. Meanwhile, the head of the Solo Tourism and Cultural Office said the opening of the new flight route would rise Solo’s tourism profile.

nazrey

December 27th, 2005, 04:35 PM

They can sponsor the greatest football team.
by jasmeet

http://static.flickr.com/6/76188599_d57f5b7299_b.jpg

nazrey

January 4th, 2006, 11:17 AM

AirAsia Introduces New Flights From Johor

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 4 (Bernama) -- AirAsia Bhd, the low-fare airline, is adding more frequencies and new routes to Ipoh, Tawau, Kota Baharu and Sandakan from its hub in Johor Bahru.

In a statement here Wednesday, the airline said starting February 6 this year, it would operate four flights weekly to Ipoh and Tawau and three flights weekly to Kota Bharu and Sandakan.

Besides the new routes from Johor, the airline said it would boost frequencies to several of its existing destinations, namely from Johor to Kuching, Kota Kinabalu and Penang.

It would operate 10 flights a week to Kuching, 11 flights a week to Kota Kinabalu and 10 flights a week to Penang. All the flights would depart from the Senai International Airport in Johor Bahru.

"The expansion of Johor Bahru hub is a direct response to the overwhelming demand from the public to boost accessibility between the southern part of Malaysia with that of North and East Malaysia," said the airline's executive vice president of commercial, Kathleen Tan.

Moving forward, she said AirAsia would continue to strengthen its services and operations in Johor. The airline would deploy a second aircraft to Johor to serve the new routes and added frequencies, she added.

AFL

January 4th, 2006, 04:05 PM

how long does it take to fly from KL to Sandakan?

nazrey

January 4th, 2006, 06:51 PM

AirAsia expands route network from Johor Baru
04 Jan 2006 7:01 PM

AirAsia Bhd is expanding its domestic route network by introducing new flights from its southern hub in Johor Baru to Ipoh, Tawau, Kota Baru and Sandakan, as well as increasing frequency to other locations in the country.

Beginning Feb 6, AirAsia would operate four weekly flights to Ipoh and Tawau, and three weekly flights to Kota Baru and Sandakan, the low cost carrier said in a statement on Jan 4.

Other than introducing new routes, AirAsia said it will also boost frequency to several of its existing destinations, namely from Johor to Kuching, Kota Kinabalu and Penang.

AirAsia will operate 10 flights a week to Kuching, 11 flights a week to Kota Kinabalu and 10 flights a week to Penang, it added.

All flights will depart from Senai International Airport (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=139824&page=1&pp=20) in Johor Baru.

The expansion of the Johor Baru hub was a direct response to the “overwhelming demand” from the public for greater accessibility between the southern part of Malaysia and north as well as east Malaysia, said AirAsia’s executive vice president for the commercial section, Kathleen Tan.

“These latest developments are all part of our continued efforts to stimulate greater domestic tourism and to grow business travel within Malaysia.

“For the first time, not only would Malaysians have access to additional air links, but our neighbours in Singapore can also benefit from the opening of these new routes as Johor is affordably linked to Sipadan, one of the top diving spots in the world, through Tawau, while Ipoh is widely known for its gastronomic delights,” she said.

“Moving forward, AirAsia will continue to strengthen our services and operations in Johor, as development in Johor is pivotal to support our growing network of flights in the region,” she added.

Tan said AirAsia had successfully transformed Senai International Airport into Malaysia’s southern hub for low cost travel in recent years.

She said AirAsia, with just one aircraft operating in Johor, had carried over one million passengers and successfully promoted Johor as a gateway to east Malaysia and neighbouring Singapore.

AirAsia will be deploying a second aircraft to Johor in February to serve the new routes.

To commemorate their latest expansion in Johor, AirAsia is offering an online fare promotion for travel from Johor to the relevant destinations between Feb 6 and Oct 28.

fairul

January 5th, 2006, 02:35 AM

how long does it take to fly from KL to Sandakan?

exactly 2 hr 45 mins

ZaHiRnYa???

January 5th, 2006, 06:52 AM

exactly 2 hr 45 mins

Almost the same time when you fly from KL to Bali :runaway:

fairul

January 5th, 2006, 07:47 AM

Almost the same time when you fly from KL to Bali :runaway:

yerp..almost the same..flight to Bali usually takes 3hr..depending in the wind.

ZaHiRnYa???

January 5th, 2006, 07:54 AM

yerp..almost the same..flight to Bali usually takes 3hr..depending in the wind.

I believe so. On the way to Bali, it took 2 hours n 45 minutes... but on the way back..it was 2 hours 30 minutes. :eek2:

fairul

January 5th, 2006, 08:07 AM

I believe so. On the way to Bali, it took 2 hours n 45 minutes... but on the way back..it was 2 hours 30 minutes. :eek2:

if ur flying with Air Asia..then I'm not suprised..heheh..since the plane will cruise at the maximum speed...

ZaHiRnYa???

January 5th, 2006, 08:14 AM

if ur flying with Air Asia..then I'm not suprised..heheh..since the plane will cruise at the maximum speed...

ha.ha...true. That was while taking the old fleet.

Wonder what happen if I try the new Airbus later this year to Bangkok...can't wait for that :D

fairul

January 5th, 2006, 08:30 AM

ha.ha...true. That was while taking the old fleet.

Wonder what happen if I try the new Airbus later this year to Bangkok...can't wait for that :D

the new Airbus 320 and the old Boeing..not much different..just that the new airbus has a wider cabin..
but im sure any Air Asia plane will cruise at a maximum speed..regardless new or old..very time consuming..:D

Farid....u planning to go to bangkok this year?

ZaHiRnYa???

January 5th, 2006, 09:01 AM

the new Airbus 320 and the old Boeing..not much different..just that the new airbus has a wider cabin..
but im sure any Air Asia plane will cruise at a maximum speed..regardless new or old..very time consuming..:D

Farid....u planning to go to bangkok this year?

Im going there from 27 April till 2 Mei :D

fairul

January 6th, 2006, 05:17 AM

i saw this livery in their site...but not sure whether this is the real livery or just artist impression..coz this plane will arrive next month..
but it sure looks cool..

http://www.airasia.com/manutd/microsite/images/guess_plane.gif

ZaHiRnYa???

January 6th, 2006, 06:00 AM

So RED

fairul

January 6th, 2006, 06:07 AM

So RED

yerp..so red...
wanna join the contest? maybe u could get urself free Air Asia ticket Farid..:D

ZaHiRnYa???

January 6th, 2006, 06:22 AM

Na...i got 3 free ticket already so far....no yet liao..I have not use the other 2 yet ;)

nazrey

January 6th, 2006, 10:22 AM

Malaysia's AirAsia Nov Passenger Traffic Up 44% On Yr
Updated : 06-01-2006
Media : Dow Jones

KUALA LUMPUR (Dow Jones)--Malaysia's AirAsia Bhd. Friday said it carried 44% more passengers in November compared with a year earlier, due mostly to contributions from its fledgling Indonesian operations.

The airline - Southeast Asia's biggest low-cost carrier in fleet size terms - carried a total of 738,915 passengers in November, AirAsia said in a statement.

AirAsia's 49%-owned associate PT Indonesia AirAsia carried 108,524 passengers in November, less than a year after AirAsia bought into the company.

AirAsia's 100%-owned Malaysian operations carried 451,127 passengers in November, up 22% on year.

Traffic in November may have also been boosted by increased travel during the Hindu Deepavali and Muslim Hari Raya Puasa holidays in Malaysia, analysts said.

Its 49%-owned Thai AirAsia associate carried 25% more passengers at 179,264.

Analysts expect AirAsia's traffic to continue rising steeply in 2006 as it receives the new Airbus 320 planes it has bought. Each A320 can carry about 27% more passengers than AirAsia's existing Boeing 737 planes.

AirAsia has bought 60 new A320s and has the right to buy another 40 such planes. So far, two new A320s have been delivered, and one new plane will be delivered every month this year.

fairul

January 14th, 2006, 04:25 AM

AK's third A320..with the faces of Ronaldo,Rooney,smith and ruud on this side

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y59/payrol/Air_Asia_A320_F-WWIO_9M-AFC_12jan20.jpg

and Ferdinand..Ferguson? and park ji sung
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y59/payrol/IO_PD1024.jpg

ZaHiRnYa???

January 14th, 2006, 04:47 AM

Cannot see wor :(

fairul

January 14th, 2006, 06:01 AM

Cannot see wor :(

cannot see meh? how come i can see..

ZaHiRnYa???

January 14th, 2006, 06:49 AM

It just mention JETPHOTOS.NET

fairul

January 14th, 2006, 11:42 AM

It just mention JETPHOTOS.NET

Farid..problem solved :)

nazrey

January 19th, 2006, 02:25 PM

Galileo tie-up boost for AirAsia
Thursday January 19, 2006

KUALA LUMPUR: AirAsia Bhd is expecting to register a 10% to 15% growth in booking transactions this year, buoyed by its collaboration with global distribution system (GDS) provider Galileo International.

Under this partnership, AirAsia would have its low fares and inventory available on the Galileo Flight Integrator, enabling travellers worldwide to book AirAsia tickets via travel agents who subscribe to the GDS system.

Galileo is a technology company whose core business is to provide electronic global distribution services for the travel industry through its computerised reservation systems, products and Internet-based solutions.

It is a subsidiary of US-based Cendant Travel Distribution Services, which has one of the world’s biggest collections of travel brands and distribution businesses.

AirAsia executive vice-president (commercial) Kathleen Tan said after the launch of the Galileo Flight Integrator yesterday the collaboration with Galileo was expected to enhance the revenue and productivity of travel agents.

http://biz.thestar.com.my/archives/2006/1/19/business/leadpicairasiapg3i.JPG

AirAsia Bhd deputy group chief executive officer Kamarudin Meranun (left)and
Cendant Travel Distribution Services managing director, airline services Asia
Pacific Brad Holman at the launch of Air Asia and Galileo Flight Integrator and
media conference in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday.

“For AirAsia, it would help increase sales in markets where we are not represented through a well-established distribution channel while enhancing our branding,” she said.

The agreement includes AirAsia subsidiary airlines in Thailand and Indonesia.

Cendant managing director for airlines services, Asia Pacific, Brad Holman said the collaboration was a first for both companies.

“Currently, about 200 travel agents in Malaysia subscribe to the Galileo system,” he said.

AirAsia deputy group chief executive officer Kamarudin Meranun said AirAsia hoped to begin operations from a new hub at the KL International Airport but that discussions were still being held on departure tax levels.

He said the company was asking for a departure tax lower than the current RM45 per passenger.

jeeshyan

January 20th, 2006, 11:33 AM

Wednesday I went to Ipoh Sultan Azlan Shah Airport, didn't see any "AirAsia" sign board or office there... but we lay carpet for a small office with 132+ sq.ft. room, may be it is AirAsia's check in counter.

nazrey

January 20th, 2006, 12:59 PM

China's Spring Air Seeks to Cooperate With AirAsia
Updated : 19-01-2006
Media : Bloomberg
Story By : Vicki Kwong

(Bloomberg) -- Spring Airlines, China's first low-fare carrier, said its office in Xiamen city is in talks with Malaysia's AirAsia Bhd. to connect its passengers to Southeast Asia, as rising incomes encourage more travel overseas.

The two carriers are in discussions to cooperate in sales, Liu Dan, a spokeswoman for Shanghai-based Spring Airlines, said by telephone today. It wants to feed passengers to Xiamen in southeastern China, where they can take AirAsia flights to Southeast Asian cities, she said.

Economic growth and the easing of travel restrictions are increasing travel demand in China, Asia's second-largest economy. An estimated 100 million Chinese citizens will travel abroad every year by 2020, triple the global average, according to the United Nations' World Tourism Organization.

AirAsia Chief Executive Officer Tony Fernandes in Kuala Lumpur said he wasn't aware of any discussion between the carriers.

Spring Airlines flies to Xiamen and 10 other Chinese cities using three leased Airbus SAS A320 planes. The carrier may lease two more A320s this year, Liu said. The A320 can fly as far as 3,000 nautical miles (5,700 kilometers) with about 150 passengers on board.

The airline began flights last June after China opened up its aviation industry, allowing more private ownership. Okay Airways Co. and United Eagle Airlines Co. are among the other privately owned carriers that have started operations in China in the past year.

AirAsia, Southeast Asia's biggest discount airline, is seeking to fly to more cities in China. Thai AirAsia Co., its venture with Thailand's Shin Corp. Pcl, began flights to Xiamen from Bangkok last year.

jeeshyan

January 21st, 2006, 09:06 PM

Cool... Looking for more Malaysia-China flight in future...

nazrey

January 31st, 2006, 02:49 PM

http://img485.imageshack.us/img485/8507/352359056s1wy.jpg

nazrey

February 2nd, 2006, 05:03 PM

AirAsia’s ‘The Red Devil’ lands in KLIA
June Ramli
SEPANG, SELANGOR, Thurs.

AirAsia’s Red Devil Airbus A320 aircraft (picture, below) landed at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport yesterday bearing the colours of the famous English club.

The aircraft livery also bears portraits of several United stars — manager Sir Alex Ferguson, Park Ji Sung, Wayne Rooney, Ruud Van Nistelroy, Cristiano Ronaldo, Alan Smith and Rio Ferdinand.

http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/nst/Thursday/NewsBreak/plane.JPG

Named “The Red Devil”, the 180-seater A320 landed at 11.30am from Toulouse, France.

AirAsia chief executive officer Datuk Tony Fernandes and company staff were at the airport to witness the arrival of the aircraft.

“Manchester United has one of the biggest followings in Asia,” Fernandes said.

“As the official low-fare airline for Manchester United, AirAsia hopes to create opportunities and exciting avenues to reach out and connect with MU’s loyal fan base in Asia.

“As such, it is only befitting that we dedicate the aircraft to all United fans in Asia.”

“The Red Devil” is AirAsia’s third A320 delivered in the past two months. It will start servicing Penang, Kota Kinabalu and Surabaya in Indonesia from tomorrow.

nazrey

February 7th, 2006, 09:25 AM

Airbus eyes LCC and freight sectors
By Alfean Hardy and Joyce Au-Yong

Airbus SAS is eyeing the growth potential of the low cost carrier (LCC) and air freight sectors in Asia Pacific as possible markets for expansion, its regional communications representative Anthony Phillips said.

He said: “Out of the 1,111 aircraft we sold last year, 511 aircraft were for the Asia Pacific market. Out of that, about 460 were A320s of which 270 were for low cost airlines.

“This means that more than 45% of our orders came from Asia Pacific of which 25% of the A320 were from the low cost airlines alone.”

Last year was a record year for Airbus, which had 1,111 new gross orders and 1,055 net orders compared with Boeing Company’s 1,029 gross and 1,002 net orders. The gross total of 2,140 orders and net total of 2,057 orders have a value of RM791.98 billion and RM754.69 billion respectively.

It also had a backlog of 2,177 aircraft worth about RM823.85 billion, the largest ever in aviation history.

http://www.theedgedaily.com/cms/storage/images/com.tms.cms.image.Image_3f42b294-cb73c03a-1e807610-10888bbc/1/Airbus_inside.jpg

Speaking at a media briefing in Kuala Lumpur on Feb 6, Phillips said the LCC market was the fastest growing in the current market with room for expansion as LCCs represented only 6% of the passenger aircraft market.

Phillips said that they sold 270 A320 aircraft (last year) to low cost airlines, which is about 25% of global sales. As LCCs account for only 6% of the local air traffic in Asia Pacific, Airbus see this as a continuing growth area.

“By contrast, only a few years ago, nobody could forecast the number of new airlines. AirAsia Bhd is a good example by ordering 60 aircraft last year with an option for 40 more. You can imagine the energy in that sector that is by far the fastest growing segment,” he added.

On the importance of the Asia Pacific air freight market, Phillips said Airbus had a good market with 270 freighter aircraft in service around the world despite the competitor's 4,000.

He said Airbus would focus on the air freight sector in recognition of the fast freight air cargo growth rates in comparison with passenger aircraft growth rates in the long-term.

“Airbus’ confidence in the air freight market was such that, when the A380 was launched, we launched both the passenger and the air freight aircraft side by side.

“Asia is a strong market for freighters. If you look around the region, most of the major passenger carriers also have major freight operations with Boeing 747 freighters. With trade and business growing (in the region), we see enormous potential for the A380 freighter,” he added.

Phillips said the freight aircraft would be delivered by the end of 2008.

On the late delivery of the passenger A380 to Malaysian Airline System Bhd and other regional buyers, Phillips said all customers had agreed to a revised delivery date and that Airbus was ramping up its production facilities.

nazrey

February 8th, 2006, 08:30 AM

AirAsia Dec passenger traffic rises 35pc
February 8 2006

AirAsia Bhd, South-East Asia’s biggest low-fare airline, said it carried 35 per cent more passengers in December compared with a year earlier as more people chose to fly for leisure and business in the region.

December traffic rose to 812,492, bolstered by a sevenfold growth in the number of people flying to Indonesia, where AirAsia began serving in December 2004, according to an AirAsia's statement.

AirAsia said it flew 97,484 people to Indonesia in December.

The number of passengers flying to Malaysia rose to 514,161 in December, 19 per cent higher than a year earlier, while the number of people flying to Thailand rose 27 per cent to 200,847 in December from a year earlier, AirAsia said. - Bloomberg

klbloke

February 15th, 2006, 05:59 AM

INDONESIA AIRASIA OFFERS US$3.25 PRMOTIONAL FARE TO PENANG

Wednesday February 15, 2006, 10:25 am

MEDAN, Feb 15 Asia Pulse - Indonesia AirAsia, as of March 10, 2006, is offering a promotion one-way air fare of Rp 29,999 (US$3.25) per person for the new Medan-Penang route.

Sendjaja Widjaja, president director of PT Indonesia AirAsia in his press release made available to Antara in Medan on Tuesday said that the promotional tickets could be purchased from February 13 till March 15, 2006 and would be valid only for flights from March 10 to October 28, 2006.

The Medan-Penang route is the first stage of a daily flight of three new flight routes to be opened by Indonesia AirAsia by using a its new Boeing 737-300, he said.

In addition, he added, Indonesia AirAsia also fly over the Surabaya-Kuala Lumpur route and a Balikpapan-Surabaya route once every day.

The maiden flight with the fifth airliner of Indonesia AirAsia is scheduled on March 10, 2006.

According to him, Boeing 737-300 aircraft would also fly over the Jakarta-Surabaya route three to four times a day.

(ANTARA)

klbloke

February 15th, 2006, 06:00 AM

THAI PRESS: Shin Transfers Thai AirAsia Stake To New Co

Wednesday February 15, 2006, 12:40 pm

DJ THAI PRESS: Shin Transfers Thai AirAsia Stake To New Co

BANGKOK (Dow Jones)--Thai AirAsia Co. Ltd. has escaped having the its aviation license revoked after Shin Corp PCL (SHIN.TH) transferred its 50% stake in the airline to a new Thai unit called Asia Aviation Co. Ltd., in a bid to keep the carrier's foreign ownership level below the 49% limit, The Nation reported.

The foreign ownership level of Thai AirAsia increased after Singapore's Temasek Holdings Pte. Ltd. (TEMAH.YY) bought a 49.6% stake in the carrier's major shareholder Shin Corp.

Chaisak Angsuwan, director-general of the Aviation Department, said that Shin will hold a 49% stake in Asia Aviation Co. Ltd., while Thai businessman Sithichai Veerathammanoon will be the other shareholder with a 51% stake, according to the Nation.

The report didn't provide further details.

Following the Shin-Temasek deal in late January, the Aviation Department told Thai AirAsia to resolve the foreign ownership issue within two weeks or see its aviation license revoked.

Previously, Shin held 50% of Thai AirAsia and Malaysia's AirAsia Bhd. (5099.KU) held 49%.

Newspaper Web sites: www.nationmultimedia.com

-By Bangkok Bureau, Dow Jones Newswires; 662 266 0744; djnews.bangkok@dowjones.com

-Edited by Leslie Shaffer

klbloke

February 15th, 2006, 04:48 PM

AirAsia's aviation licence assured

UDON THANI, Feb 15 (TNA) - Thailand's Transport Minister confirmed on Wednesday that the budget airline Thai AirAsia's aviation licence would not be revoked, following its belated compliance with Thai law regarding foreign ownership.

Pongsak Raktapongpaisal said he was informed by the Aviation Department that ThaiAirAsia has altered its shareholding structure in accordance with the foreign ownership law which states that Thai-registered airline must be at least 51 per cent Thai-owned.

The new company registered with the Ministry of Commerce on Tuesday and its registration was communicated to the Aviation Department.

The move means that the airline's aviation licence has been assured and its aviation service is immediately authorised to operate, Mr. Pongsak said.

The new business partner under the company's new shareholding structure is Asia Aviation, a registered Thai company which now owns a 50 per cent stake of the shares, replacing telecommunications giant Shin Corp, while 49 per cent is held by Malaysia's AirAsia and the remaining one per cent is held by Thai AirAsia CEO Tassapon Bijleveld.

Asia Aviation has Shin Corp holding 49 per cent of its shares while the rest are held by Thai investor Sittichai Veerathammanoon.

Last month's sale of shares in Shin Corp by Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's family to Singapore's Temasek Holdings caused a major shake-up in Thai AirAsia's shareholding structure. It had become a
majority foreign-owned business.

As such, it was disqualified from holding a licence to operate aviation services in Thailand, according to regulations governing the commercial airline business.

Temasek's 49.6 per cent stake in Shin Corp pushed Thai AirAsia's foreign ownership above the 49 per cent limit under the Foreign Business Act.

Earlier, Aviation Department director general Chaisak Angkasuwan warned Thai AirAsia to make the necessary correction to its shareholding composition, or face the loss of its licence and the immediate termination of its services.

klbloke

February 15th, 2006, 05:04 PM

Thai AirAsia to fly the Bangkok - Krabi route.

Starting Mach 1st, 2006, Discount Airline Thai AirAsia will fly the Bangkok - Krabi route.
One way fare start at 499.- Thai Baht. (some limitation apply, taxes and fee excluded)

how to book and pay

Book your flight on the internet at: http://www.airasia.com/site/en/home.jsp

What is a ticketless booking?
Ticketless concept is a replacement of the current method of traditional air tickets that has been used by AirAsia over the last many years. With Ticketless travel, all you need to do is to book your flight and you will be issued a booking number.

Instead of the traditional air ticket, a flight itinerary with your travel details will be emailed or handed to you after you have made your payment. It is important that you provide us with correct numbers where you can be reached.

You do not have to bring your flight itinerary with you for Check-In. All you need to remember is your booking number, or mention your name. You must show your identity card or passport for identification and Check-In purposes.

klbloke

February 17th, 2006, 05:44 AM

Press Releases

15 February 2006

AirAsia Announces shareholding changes changes to its associate company, Thai AirAsia

Kuala Lumpur, 15 February 2006 – Thai AirAsia, AirAsia’s associate company in Thailand, today announced a change in the company’s ownership structure to comply with Thai laws on foreign ownership.

Under the near shareholding structure, Shin Corp’s 50% stake in Thai AirAsia will be liquidated to a local Thai company named Asia Aviation Co. Ltd. AirAsia International Limited’s (AAIL) 49 % stake in Thai AirAsia will remain unchanged, while Tassapon Bijleveld, Chief Executive Officer of Thai AirAsia holds the remaining 1%.

Asia Aviation Co. Ltd is a registered company with the Commerce Ministry's Business Development Department, and consists of the following shareholders:

Mr. Sittichai Veerathummnoon - 51%

ShinCorp - 49%

The total investment for this new entity is THB400 million. With this new shareholding in place, Thai AirAsia remains a majority Thai holding company since Asia Aviation is a Thai domicile company with majority Thai shareholders. Thai AirAsia complies with all the regulations of the Department of Civil Aviation of Thailand, and will maintain its current operations. Shin Corporation has already notified the Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) of this transaction, earlier today.

Tony Fernandes, Group CEO of AirAsia said, "We are pleased that Thai AirAsia has taken on a new partner to ensure the continuity of a very successful airline business. Thai AirAsia's change in shareholding complies with the Thai civil aviation regulations.

We have enjoyed a strong partnership with ShinCorp, we are glad that they remain as our partners. Thai AirAsia has grown from strength to strength, from our humble beginnings two years ago to where we are now, the largest low cost carrier in Thailand with 15 routes to our name.

We believe that we have a strong product that caters to the needs of the mass traveling market in this part of the region. We look forward to further develop Thailand as the gateway for low cost travel to the region with our new partners.”

Thai AirAsia has to date carried over 3million guests since commencing operations in 2003. The Thai based low fare airline currently operates 241 weekly departures from its hub in Bangkok International Airport to 15 domestic and regional destinations such as Malaysia (Kota Kinabalu, Penang, Kuala Lumpur), Singapore, Macau, China, Cambodia, and Vietnam. Thai AirAsia presently operates a fleet of 9 Boeing 737-300s.

klbloke

February 17th, 2006, 05:47 AM

Press Releases

14 February 2006

Indonesia AirAsia Tambah Boeing 737-300

Tambah Tiga Rute Baru
Jakarta, 14 Februari 2006 - PT. Indonesia AirAsia, maskapai dengan filosofi hemat biaya dan konsep tanpa embel-embel, yang 49% sahamnya dimiliki oleh Grup AirAsia, maskapai bertarif rendah yang terbesar dan terkemuka di Asia Tenggara, hari ini mengumumkan penambahan satu armada Boeing 737-300.
Armada Boeing 737-300 tersebut akan hadir untuk melayani tiga rute baru, yaitu satu rute domestik Balikpapan – Surabaya, serta dua rute internasional, Medan – Penang (Malaysia) dan Surabaya – Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia). Selain penambahan rute, pesawat kelima ini juga akan melayani penambahan frekuensi penerbangan Jakarta – Surabaya dari tiga kali sehari menjadi empat kali sehari. Penjualan untuk penerbangan yang dilayani oleh pesawat kelima ini telah dibuka pada hari Senin, 13 Februari 2006 dan dijadwalkan untuk terbang perdana pada hari Jumat, 10 Maret 2006.

“Dibukanya ketiga rute baru ini merupakan bukti komitmen kami untuk terus mengembangkan diri dan menghadirkan lebih banyak rute kepada seluruh tamu kami. Seiring dengan bertambahnya jumlah tujuan yang kami terbangi berarti bertambah juga kesempatan bagi masyarakat untuk merasakan penerbangan dengan tarif rendah yang ditawarkan Indonesia AirAsia.

Sejak pertama kali diluncurkan pada bulan Desember 2004, Indonesia AirAsia terus menunjukan peningkatan yang signifikan. Hinggi kini Indonesia AirAsia telah menerbangkan lebih dari 840,000 tamu. Selain itu, penetrasi pembelian kursi penerbangan Indonesia AirAsia melalui website kami di www.airasia.com juga meningkat dua kali lipat dari awal masa operasional kami.”
- Sendjaja Widjaja, Presiden Direktur PT. Indonesia AirAsia

Dalam rangka peluncuran armada kelima ini, Indonesia AirAsia menyediakan harga promosi mulai dari Rp. 29,999,-. Kursi penerbangan dengan harga promosi tersebut hanya dapat diperoleh dari tanggal 13 Februari 2006 hingga 15 Maret 2006, serta hanya berlaku untuk jadwal terbang dari tanggal 10 Maret 2006 hinggal 28 Oktober 2006.

MEDAN – PENANG (MALAYSIA), HARGA PROMOSI MULAI RP. 29,999,-
Indonesia AirAsia akan terbang satu kali sehari Medan ke Penang dan sebaliknya mulai tanggal 10 Maret 2006 dengan harga promosi mulai dari Rp. 29,999,- sekali jalan*.

Jadwal penerbangan dari Medan - Penang (mulai 10 Maret 2006)
Penerbangan dari
Berangkat/Tiba
No. Penerbangan
Frekuensi
Medan – Penang
17.20/19.20 (waktu lokal)
QZ 7626
Setiap hari
Penang - Medan
19.45/19.40 (waktu lokal)
QZ 7627
Setiap hari

BALIKPAPAN – SURABAYA, HARGA PROMOSI MULAI RP. 159,000,-
Untuk penerbangan dari Balikpapan ke Surabaya dan sebaliknya, Indonesia AirAsia akan terbang satu kali sehari, mulai tanggal 10 Maret 2006 dengan harga promosi mulai dari Rp. 159,000,- sekali jalan*.

Jadwal penerbangan dari Balikpapan - Surabaya (mulai 10 Maret 2006)

Penerbangan dari
Berangkat/Tiba
No. Penerbangan
Frekuensi
Balikpapan – Surabaya
09.25/09.55 (waktu lokal)
QZ 7354
Setiap hari
Surabaya – Balikpapan
10.20/12.50 (waktu lokal)
QZ 7355
Setiap hari

SURABAYA – KUALA LUMPUR (MALAYSIA), HARGA PROMOSI MULAI RP. 239,999,-
Sedangkan untuk penerbangan dari Surabaya ke Kuala Lumpur dan sebaliknya, Indonesia AirAsia akan terbang satu kali sehari mulai tanggal 10 Maret 2006 dengan harga promosi Rp 239,999,- sekali jalan*.

Jadwal penerbangan dari Surabaya – Kuala Lumpur (mulai 10 Maret 2006)
Penerbangan dari
Berangkat/Tiba
No. Penerbangan
Frekuensi
Surabaya – Kuala Lumpur
08.35/12.10 (waktu lokal)
QZ 7613
Setiap hari
Kuala Lumpur - Surabaya
12.40/14.20 (waktu lokal)
QZ 7614
Setiap hari

JAKARTA – SURABAYA, HARGA PROMOSI MULAI RP. 99,000
Efektif mulai tanggal 10 Maret 2006, jadwal penerbangan Jakarta – Surabaya dan sebaliknya akan mengalami perubahan jadwal penerbangan serta penambahan frekuensi penerbangan dari tiga kali sehari menjadi empat kali sehari.

Jadwal penerbangan dari Jakarta – Surabaya (mulai 10 Maret 2006)
Penerbangan dari
Berangkat/Tiba
No. Penerbangan
Frekuensi
* Jakarta - Surabaya
06.50/08.10 (waktu lokal)
QZ 7210
Setiap hari
** Jakarta - Surabaya
15.15/16.35 (waktu lokal)
QZ 7214

Setiap hari
** Jakarta - Surabaya

18.40/20.00 (waktu lokal)

QZ 7216

Setiap hari

** Jakarta - Surabaya

20.35/21.55 (waktu lokal)

QZ 7218

Setiap hari

* Surabaya - Jakarta

14.45/16.00 (waktu lokal)

QZ 7211

Setiap hari

** Surabaya - Jakarta

17.00/18.15 (waktu lokal)

QZ 7215

Setiap hari

** Surabaya - Jakarta

20.25/21.40 (waktu lokal)

QZ 7217

Setiap hari

** Surabaya - Jakarta

22.20/23.35 (waktu lokal)

QZ 7219

Setiap hari

* Frekuensi penerbangan baru
** Jadwal baru

CARA BELI DAN BAYAR PENERBANGAN INDONESIA AIRASIA

1. Website www.airasia.com (kartu kredit).

2. Telepon call center Indonesia AirAsia 0804 1 333 333 atau 6221 - 808 99099 (kartu kredit, tunai ke BTN Indonesia dan Pos Indonesia).

3. Untuk pemesanan secara berkelompok (lebih dari sembilan orang) diterapkan pelayanan khusus dengan aturan dan ketentuan yang berbeda dibanding proses reservasi biasa, terutama dalam metode pembayaran. Group Desk Support dapat dihubungi melalui di 6221 80899088.

4. Kantor penjualan Indonesia AirAsia di Bandara atau Town Office (kartu kredit dan tunai):

Bandara
- Jakarta: Terminal Keberangkatan 1A dan 2D. Bandara Internasional Soekarno – Hatta Cengkareng. Jakarta, Indonesia.
- Padang: Terminal Keberangkatan Minangkabau International Airport. Padang, Sumatera Barat, Indonesia.
- Surabaya: Teminal Keberangkatan Domestik & Internasional Bandara Internasional Juanda. Surabaya, Jawa Timur, Indonesia.
- Bali: Terminal Keberangkatan Domestik & Internasional Bandara Internasional I Gusti Ngurah Rai. Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia.
- Medan: Terminal Keberangkatan Domestik & Internasional Bandara Polonia. Medan, Sumatra Utara, Indonesia.
- Bandung: Ruangan Nomor 34 Bandara Husein Sastranegara. Bandung, Jawa Barat, Indonesia.
- Balikpapan: Terminal Keberangkatan Bandara Sepinggan. Balikpapan, Kalimantan Timur, Indonesia.
- Batam: Terminal Keberangkatan Bandara Internasional Hang Nadim. Batam, Kepulaan Riau Indonesia.
- Solo: Terminal Keberangkatan Bandara Internasional Adisumarmo. Surakarta, Jawa Tengah, Indonesia.
- Pekanbaru: Bandara Sultan Syarif Qasim II. Pekanbaru, Kepulaan Riau, Indonesia.

Town Office
- Padang: Hang Tuah Hotel. Jl. Pemuda No. 1. Padang, Sumatera Barat, Indonesia.
- Surabaya: Garden Palace Hotel. Jl. Yos. Sudarso 11. Surabaya, Jawa Timur, Indonesia.
- Medan: Jl. Sisingamangaraja No. 19C. Medan, Sumatra Utara, Indonesia.
- Solo: Lobby Arcade #1. Sahid Raya Hotel. Jl. Gajah Mada 82. Solo 57132, Jawa Tengah, Indonesia

5. Travel agent resmi di Jakarta dan kota-kota yang diterbangi Indonesia AirAsia (kartu kredit dan tunai). Untuk bantuan Travel Support Team dapat menghubungi di 6221 80899098

MENGENAI INDONESIA AIRASIA

PT. Indonesia AirAsia merupakan kerjasama gabungan dengan maskapai berbiaya rendah yang terbesar dan terkemuka Asia Tenggara, Grup AirAsia—yang memiliki 49% sahamnya. Indonesia AirAsia diluncurkan kembali pada tanggal 8 Desember 2004 sebagai maskapai penerbangan berbiaya rendah dan mengusung konsep yang sama dengan Grup AirAsia. Indonesia AirAsia hadir dengan harga terjangkau dan tanpa embel-embel (tanpa tiket, tempat duduk bebas dan tanpa makanan komplimen).

Indonesia AirAsia sekarang telah mengoperasikan empat armada Boeing 737-300 yang melayani enam rute domestik, yaitu dari Jakarta ke Medan, Padang, Denpasar (Bali), Balikpapan, Surabaya, Batam dan satu rute internasional ke Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia). Mulai 10 Maret 2006, Indonesia AirAsia akan menambah satu armada Boeing 737-300 untuk melayani tiga rute baru, yaitu satu rute domestik Balikpapan – Surabaya dan dua rute internasional, Medan - Penang dan Surabaya – Kuala Lumpur. Hingga akhir tahun 2005, Indonesia AirAsia telah menerbangkan lebih dari 710.000 tamu.

Bagi Indonesia AirAsia keselamatan penumpang merupakan hal terutama. Indonesia AirAsia selalu mengedepankan keselamatan penumpang beserta awak pesawat dan pilot. Tidak hanya saat di udara, tetapi juga saat pemesanan, check-in, boarding, terbang, hingga tiba di tujuan. Indonesia AirAsia mempercayakan seluruh perawatan armadanya di Garuda Maintenance Facilities (GMF). Di sini dilakukan pemeriksaan rutin dan pemeriksaan pemeliharaan tingkat rendah "A" check, hingga pemeliharaan tingkat tinggi “C” check.

Indonesia AirAsia akan terus melakukan pengembangan serta penambahan armada untuk memenuhi antusiasme masyarakat terhadap hadirnya maskapai dengan konsep Low Cost Carrier (LCC) yang aman dan nyaman di Indonesia. Kami ingin semua masyarakat Indonesia, baik tua-muda, balita-lansia, sehat maupun cacat merasakan terbang dengan nyaman dan aman dengan Boeing 737-300 Indonesia AirAsia yang berkursi empuk dan mewah serta lorong kabin yang ditebari karpet merah.

xsw05

March 3rd, 2006, 05:22 AM

is air asia safe for travel?

klbloke

March 8th, 2006, 07:40 PM

AirAsia eager to start operations in Dhaka

The Daily Star
Publication Date : 2006-03-08
Malaysia-based AirAsia is eager to start operations in Dhaka as the airline sees huge business prospects in Bangladesh.

"We see a huge prospect of operating flights from Bangladesh, with a large number of passengers flying to Malaysia, Thailand and other cities in the region," Kamaruddin Meranun, group deputy chief executive officer of the airline, told a press conference in Dhaka yesterday (March 7).

The high official of the company is now in Bangladesh to explore the possibilities of regional airline operation in association with East-West Airlines of Bangladesh.

East-West Airlines, a sister concern of Orion Group, has already obtained Provisional Air Transport Operating Licence. The airline is planning to operate flights on domestic routes.

"The expected deal between AirAsia and East-West Airlines on operating both domestic and international flights will be the first foreign direct investment in Bangladesh's aviation sector," K. Mojibul Hoq, executive president of Orion Group, told the briefing at Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Centre.

In the open sky policy regime, the initiative of joint co-operation between East-West Airlines and AirAsia will be a huge boost for the development of the aviation sector, Hoq noted.

AirAsia began its operations in Malaysia in 1996 and now has expanded its services to Thailand and Indonesia through joint ventures.

The airline is now operating 100 flights a day from four hubs located in Kuala Lumpur and Johor Baru in Malaysia.

aen

March 9th, 2006, 03:54 AM

is air asia safe for travel?

it's a lcc, but i don't think safety is compromised.

ZaHiRnYa???

March 9th, 2006, 03:56 AM

I dont have any issue so far..thought im scared of flying :D

klbloke

March 16th, 2006, 01:25 AM

Indian market beckoning AirAsia
Mar 15, 06 | 10:15 am

By Y. Sulaiman l eTN Asia
Officials from Asia’s biggest low-cost carrier AirAsia are to meet with Indian aviation officials in Calcutta this week to discuss the prospects of bringing AisAsia’s services to Indian destinations. The move has been given added credence following Malaysia Airlines’ announcement that it plans to discontinue service to Calcutta and Ahmedabad as part of the its three-year turnaround plan.

Sources indicate AirAsia is keen on starting service to Chennai, Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore and Calcutta. Service to these Indian cities may begin sometime this year.

"It makes sense for the carrier to tap the trunk routes as the smaller airports are not equipped to handle any additional traffic," said a travel industry analyst.

Southeast Asian airports at Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Bangkok collectively are estimated to get the highest share of Indian outbound market at 35 percent, acting as hub-and-spoke point for airlines. AirAsia flies to these destinations directly, or through its joint-venture airline in Thailand.

Indians travelers too, will find flying with AirAsia more appealing due to its affordable budget fares, compared to full service airlines, apart from the three countries being attractive shopping destinations.

To win a share of the lucrative Indian market, AirAsia is expected to retain its highly competitive and aggressive pricing, which is its strongest attraction. It will also be facing competition from Singapore budget carriers.

fairul

March 16th, 2006, 03:03 AM

AK to India?
have to see what tycoons such as Mr Vijay Mallya has to say about this..he wont be please for sure

Subangite

March 16th, 2006, 08:46 AM

I hope they fly to India. Always wanted to visit.

klbloke

March 19th, 2006, 06:44 AM

AirAsia looks to China, India for Asian ambitions to take-off

Weekend • March 19, 2006

Low-cost carrier AirAsia hopes to launch more flights to China and subsequently to India as part of its ambitious plans to become an Asia-wide airline.

Southeast Asia's most profitable budget carrier is also looking at forming new joint-ventures in the region to boost revenue, group deputy chief executive Kamarudin Meranum told AFP over the weekend.

"We continue to talk to various parties to explore the possibility of establishing joint-ventures," Kamarudin said.

Kamarudin said Indochina countries and the Philippines were on AirAsia's radar to form joint-ventures.

"From our experiences in Thailand and Indonesia, we can set up joint-ventures fairly quickly.

"But it must fit into our strategic plan to make AirAsia become an Asian carrier and to provide easy and affordable access for people to travel in the region," he said.

The Malaysia-based AirAsia has already managed 49 percent-owned joint venture low-cost carriers in Thailand and Indonesia since 2004.

Kamarudin declined to state with which Indochina country -- Cambodia, Laos or Vietnam -- the carrier would establish a joint-venture.

"In any joint-ventures, we will try to retain as much stake as allowed by the law of the country without contravening the air services agreement," he said.

The AirAsia official also declined to comment on a report in January that the carrier had partnered with privately-owned Spring Airlines in hopes of tapping China's budget travel market.

Kamarudin said with the arrival of new Airbus 320 aircraft, AirAsia hoped to increase both flights and frequency to China and other destinations.

"Our Thai hub will cover China and may look at the possibility of going to the Indian subcontinent of India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
"It is a natural plan of action to capture the leisure and business market in that region," he said.

Kamarudin said AirAsia Thailand hoped to mount daily flights from the Thai capital Bangkok to Xiamen in southeast China, up from four flights a week now.

"We want to have a minimum of one flight a day to all our destinations. From there we will increase the frequency," he said. Besides Xiamen, AirAsia flies to the southern Chinese territory of Macau.

But with the arrival of the A320s, airline officials said AirAsia would consider flying from Kuala Lumpur to China's southern cities of Guangzhou and Shenzhen, which neighbours Hong Kong.
Kamarudin, however, said AirAsia now faced a shortage of aircraft but when more of the A320 planes arrive, "we will increase the frequency and routes."

Since last December, AirAsia has taken delivery of five of the 100 A320 aircraft it had ordered. By end of 2006, it will have 15 in service along with the Boeing 737-400s that would be slowly phased out.

AirAsia, which has welcomed the Malaysian government's domestic rationalisation plan, Friday said that it would hold talks with flag carrier Malaysia Airlines to acquire its 737-400 aircraft and staff.

AirAsia on Thursday secured approval to fly most of Malaysia's domestic routes.

Under the rationalisation programme, AirAsia would operate all secondary domestic services while also operating on perhaps the five-10 busiest routes with Malaysia Airlines.

The government has ordered both AirAsia and Malaysia Airlines to identify and workout the division of routes by March 27.

Malaysia Airlines has 39 737-400 aircraft which are primarily used for domestic and regional routes.

AirAsia was launched as a budget carrier in December 2001 with just two aircraft. It offers more than 100 domestic and international flights to Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, Cambodia, Vietnam and the Philippines. — AFP

White_soX

March 26th, 2006, 08:57 PM

Yes I can fly cheap to more destinations, but company pay for MAS!

Subangite

March 27th, 2006, 10:03 AM

KUALA LUMPUR, March 21 (Bernama) -- Members of Parliament (MPs), Tuesday questioned AirAsia's commitment in fulfilling its responsibility to the nation since the Low Cost Carrier (LCC) was only interested in profit.

-As if profits were an evil thing?

During the debate on the motion of thanks for the Royal Address in the Dewan Rakyat, Tuesday, they raised the issue of distribution of domestic routes to Malaysia Airlines (MAS) and AirAsia, and asked the government to review its decision.

Datuk Paduka Badruddin Amiruldin (BN-Jerai) said it was not impossible that AirAsia might sell the company to foreigners some day if it were to experience losses.

"When this happens, problems will arise as AirAsia not only controls domestic flights but also has at its disposal a Low Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT) provided by the government.

"When AirAsia is owned by foreigners, what are we going to say? We have already provided the facilities," he said.

In addition, he said, AirAsia behaved like a village taxi which only commenced its journey when it had a full load and was not tied down with social responsibilities like MAS.

He was supported by Datuk Mahadzir Mohd Khir (BN-Sungai Petani) who said AirAsia was not like MAS which had social responsibilities as a national carrier.
"I am worried that AirAsia, if it runs into cashflow problem, will collude with Singapore and ask the latter to take over our domestic routes as the company only seeks profits," he said.

Lau Yeng Peng (BN-Puchong) suggested that the government ask AirAsia to focus only on regional routes and leave domestic flights to MAS.
"Now AirAsia is focusing on taking over profitable local routes," he said.

The issue of Malaysia-Singapore relations was also a subject of heated debate with several backbenchers and opposition MPs voicing their anger over the attitude of the republic's leaders who they described as bad neighbours.

Datuk Bung Moktar Radin (BN-Kinabatangan) said Singapore was a neighbour which was "kurang ajar" (ill-bred) for trying to fool around with Malaysia on outstanding issues between the two countries. "The government must defend Malaysia's sovereignty. Don't let ourselves be belittled by others," he said.

Badruddin said it was time for Malaysia to be firm with the city-state and not simply follow its dictates.

"They want water, we give water...they want durian, we give durian...they want durian without the skin, we give and throw the skin in Johor. Enough is enough.

"They were once part of Malaysia. Now they want to teach us. If we keep entertaining them we will end up the losers," he said.

Datuk Abdul Halim Abdul Rahman (PAS-Pengkalan Chepa) suggested to Bung Moktar to table an emergency motion to prevent the government from selling sand to Singapore and allowing the neighbour's jet fighters to use Malaysian airspace.

Bung Moktar replied that his responsibility as an MP was to admonish the government when there were matters the people were unhappy about but not to warn it.

Hamim Samuri (BN-Ledang) said the building of a new bridge to replace the existing causeway involved national pride and it should proceed.

The government, he said, should not bow to the selfish demands of Singapore.

"It does not matter if the bridge is crooked or straight, we have decided to build it. We should go ahead with our decision," he said.

Datuk Mohamed Aziz (BN-Sri Gading) said the question of selling sand or opening Malaysia's airspace did not arise after Malaysia decided it would proceed with a crooked bridge, now called the "scenic bridge".

"We want to tell the government, there is no need to think any more.

"We just go ahead with the crooked bridge, no need to worry about whether we have to sell sand or open up our airspace as the conditions set by Singapore are for a straight bridge," he said.

The Dewan will sit again, Wednesday.

-- BERNAMA

This is so bloody cringing to read!! Do we have ignorant MP's or what? Comparing Air Asia to a "village taxi"?? Being worried that it might be controled by "foreigners". Are these guys in tune with the economics of the 21st century? Its better to have an efficient, highly profitable airline, than an airline consistently abused and draining public funds like MAS!!!!! And people wonder why foreign investment in Malaysia is not what it used to be, why the KLSE is now the worst preforming bourse in Asia. We've got parliamentarians, clueless and scared about the global economy, afraid of a private, market oriented firm. I just hope they won't pass any piece of legislation that would hinder Air Asia. In fact the government should get out of the private sector, leave MAS to their own without government meddling. If MAS operated with the market in mind, stressing for profits like Air Asia, it won't be in the pooh hole it's in right now. Bleh, what do to?

fairul

March 27th, 2006, 11:54 AM

what do they know about running an airline..all they do is just sit in the parliment and complain complain complain....sick of it... :bash:

szehoong

March 27th, 2006, 12:22 PM

Seriously I am sick and tired of our MPs and ministers! :ohno:

Remember when there was a time when they tot AirAsia's cheap air tickets as a scam? So much for those 'overseas study trips' I guess.

Then there is this non-sense involving DiGi not getting the 3G license. Just because of the majority foreign ownership, it is not termed as a local company. Well......most Malaysians have no issues when our telcos starts buying into other telcos. How about Wessex Water purchase by YTL? How about Lotus? How about Guthrie?

They say that Singaporeans are kiasu and unreasonable but they never looked into the mirror. Did the Singaporeans make any noise when Syed Mokhtar bought MPH? Or that when TM bought into M1? :ohno:

AFL

March 27th, 2006, 12:26 PM

POLITICIALNS AND POLITICS...they are plain stupid...the stupidest of all things...they dont even know how to run business...it irks me on the way they behave and speak this way in the parliament in television...yucks!!!

Magician

March 28th, 2006, 03:38 AM

Honestly, I really don't see the point why Malaysia always want argue or bring up the topic to argue with Singapore.

Please do not get me wrong, I am not standing on Singapore site, nor I am standing on Malaysia's.

What I see is that why can't both countries work together and bring benefits to their citizens instead of fighting and arguing. We can read from the news, the MPs are afraid that Airasia will sell its stake to Singapore. Come on... why must only be Singapore? How about Thailand? Indonesia? Is that solely because Singapore is richer than Malaysia, then these MPs start to afraid of that? I think any other country /company has the ability will be able to buy, not only Singapore.

I live in Singapore now, as a Malaysian, I think there are a lot of good point we can learn from Singapore instead of critisizing Singapore on the way they live and manage their country.

White_soX

March 28th, 2006, 03:44 AM

^^ yeah , Singapore want talk and want demands.......hard ler!

Subangite

March 28th, 2006, 05:54 AM

I live in Singapore now, as a Malaysian, I think there are a lot of good point we can learn from Singapore instead of critisizing Singapore on the way they live and manage their country.

Damn straight!! I used to live in Singapore too!! Want to build better public transport? Learn from Singapore!!!!!

I don't think our MP's are just ignorant!! They don't see the hypocracy!! Its ok for Malaysian companies invest abroad, buy foreign firms but not the other way around!

Magician

March 29th, 2006, 02:41 AM

^^ yeah , Singapore want talk and want demands.......hard ler!

Come on.... I dont mean to argue...

Everyone has his/her demand or expectations. You cant expect Singapore to say YES for everything... and in the same place, Singapore shouldnt expect Malaysia to say YES to everything too.

And I don't see the point why Malaysia wants to keep arguing with Singapore while both countries can work together. We have never seen Malaysia argue with Thai. Well, is that because Singapore used to be part of Malaysia and is doing well now. So, those MPs are jealous about that? I am guessing, please don't get me wrong. If they have this mindset, then don't blame anyone, blame yourself for being such a lousy MP, when people can manage to rule their country so well, how come you cannot.

Just a point of view... don't mean to provoke anyone or bring up any argument...

White_soX

March 29th, 2006, 03:16 AM

szehoong

March 29th, 2006, 03:31 AM

^^^^ of course, Malaysia wants to make new bridge, why Singapore wants airspace, if that, Malaysia can ask something from SIN, Singapore indeed can learn from, but sometime they just ignorant. What happen to Pulau Batu Putih aka white stone? Is it right KTM own land(looks like a line from top) that go thru Singapore(which divided Singapore)?

Well, this is AK thread, don't wanna go to Singapore-Kuala Lumpur issue right.
Well, AK Tony say MAS and AK alliance can put Singapore in danger.......will see

Okay White_Sox......Imagine you are Singapore. Your neighbour Malaysia wants to built a bridge and it is not a neccessity in your point of view. You have to fork out hundreds of millions but see no benefit from it so you demand to have the right for airspace which IMO is nothing to lose on our side. Not like they are gonna bomb us or could take away our airspace. ANyway the situation is more complicated than this and from my point of view after reading extensively documents from BOTH sides, I conclude that Malaysia is acting like a big bully....no offense :ohno:

You can't say they are ignorant. In fact an ordinary Singaporean is more knowledgeable than an average Malaysian in issues involving both countries. That is because their media is honest (much more than ours although theirs is controlled as well) about the issues and frankly, they are also less bias. (they report what our newspapers report here too). ANyway Singapore learns from others a lot.....not just from our country but from all countries throughout the world. That is why they are so good now. :yes:

Just to fill ya in, The Pulau Batu Putih a.k.a. PEDRA BRANCA is currently awaiting trail and hearing at the International Court of Justice next year. ;)

Yes....KTMB owns the land that divided Singapore and it is due to the legacy of the British Administration that this happened. If our govt are more sensitive, they would have let the railway line goes. How would ya feel if your neighbour owns a pathway across your garden? :D

A good comparison is the M1 and TimeDotCom deals. When Singtel wanted to buy TTDotCom, our govt refused to sell. Then TM bought M1 (a Singaporean Telco)......there are not a bit of noise from the Singapore side. Why? Because they do know that this is part and parcel of globalisation. And when a foreign entity owns a majority share in a local company.....it doesn't mean that the company is foreign. Maybe MCMC and our Telco minister can learn from this.

I have a question........Do you guys consider Mazda an American carmaker or a Japanese one?

White_soX

March 29th, 2006, 04:11 AM

^^^ AH DANG IT, i WRONG AGAIN!. Great, now I don't even know which side am I.

szehoong

March 29th, 2006, 04:14 AM

^^ I am not trying to prove you wrong or what.......you just need to read up more esp on Singaporean media and articles. They tell a lot. Knowing issues single-sidedly wouldn't be accurate ;)

Magician

March 29th, 2006, 04:46 AM

^^^ AH DANG IT, i WRONG AGAIN!. Great, now I don't even know which side am I.

Come on... you are not wrong... no one is wrong... we just share our point of views... which might be different from each other.

What we like to see is that both countries can get along with each other well. However, sometimes, political issues are just outrageous. We can voice or say whatever we want, but the final decision is still with the big boss.

I can say that. I have asked a few of my Johor friends. Well, they never said they support Singapore's decision on the bridge but they said that Malaysia's decision on building the half bridge was a big too rush. The traffic congestion is not solely caused by the causeway, but mainly the immigration complex which is old and very much less efficient compared to Woodland's checkpoint. So, even if you build 100 bridges and underground linkways, but the effectiveness of the main gateway to Malaysia is not improved, then there will be huge jam anyway. A lot of Johor people are actually against the idea of building the half bridge (of course there are a lot supporting too). So, I do think that our Government needs to listen to its citizen's view because they are the daily user and not going on with some rushing plan just to prove that Malaysia Boleh.

Well, AK Tony say MAS and AK alliance can put Singapore in danger.......will see

Ya i just read the news about MAS and AA working together. This is cool. But, the way Tony put it like they want to make SIA a run for their money, I really hate it. Come on... how can a big CEO can be so short sited. He only focus on SIA... the whole airline industry is not ruled by SIA. There are a lot more competitors. ThaiAirways of Thailand, Qantas of Australia, Cathay Pacific of Hong Kong, even China Airlines of Taiwan, these are all big players. Do you really think SIA can be so easily brought down? You can rule the domestic air routes, but you think you can easily rule the international routes? There are a lot of factors involved.

Honestly, I really don't like the way Tony put it. Maybe I am way too over reacted. But, I don't like 1 to 1 attack. Also, if I were him, I won't say a single word about SIA even I am sure I will post a hard time to SIA, because why give a warning alarm to your competitor/enemy so that they can react/fight back when you can easily take him down without giving a warning. Now SIA will be prepared for the war, and it will be harder for MAS/AA to win.

White_soX

March 29th, 2006, 05:30 AM

Thanks guy, u guys r so friendly. In other forums I'm in, one li'l' mistake, people can get bash :) Well, bout the topic, I'll try read both medias and make some comclusion later on :)

Magician

March 29th, 2006, 05:33 AM

Actually haha I dont think there's any conclusion about it... because those big boss never listened to us... hahahaha... do you think Badawi will ever come to Skyscrapercity.com?

Joking...

Anyway just share points of view... always nice to listen to others'

Cheersssss

White_soX

March 29th, 2006, 05:55 AM

^^^^^^ Well, SIA international routes indeed very well doing eventhough their profit going down a little bit. AK uses single isle planes(A320 N B737) but SIA use all widebodies including 777,747, and 340 are more spacious especially with luxury, plus world class IFE onboard make every penny worth. I still can see they can bit them in regional based on high loads factors on most AK routes. AK connects people from one region, but SIA market are throughout the world. Regardless what they say, I think Tony say this because he is so hyper that day after making a join venture with MAS. As far they can put SIA in jeopardy is in regional market, futher than that-can't really see. SIA already prepared with incoming obstacles especially with more aircrafts orders to increase frecuency, adding routes and upgrade services. Funny thing I read at the news is Tony word to threaten SIA, when reporters call SIA CEO for opinion, he said "Ï don't know what he's talking about".

About the airport, SIA manage to survive because of more connection flights than O/D. With major world airlines flying there which is not in KUL such as Qantas of Australia, United Airlines of USA, British Airways of Britain etc. give more advantages airline flying in/out of SIN. KUL just lack of this airlines(yet they doing great), if this airlines start to fly to KUL as their Asian hub, we will see more demands in/out of KUL, no doubt KUL will be the superhub. This major airlines have lot of flights for connection passengers. MAS and AK steps to make strong reginal airlines can help this airlines back to KUL as they were at Subang era. Whatever they plan now, it's for the best of tomorrow. :)

All the best..............malaysia :nocrook:

aen

March 29th, 2006, 06:43 AM

Honestly, I really don't like the way Tony put it. Maybe I am way too over reacted. But, I don't like 1 to 1 attack. Also, if I were him, I won't say a single word about SIA even I am sure I will post a hard time to SIA, because why give a warning alarm to your competitor/enemy so that they can react/fight back when you can easily take him down without giving a warning. Now SIA will be prepared for the war, and it will be harder for MAS/AA to win.

IMHO, Tony said this because SIA is clearly the yardstick of aviation industry in this region, and perhaps even the world. hence, it's only logical to benchmark yourself with the BEST in order to move forward and be competitive ! Having said that, don't you guys think this is a very very rare trait in a Malaysian. I mean, just look at our MPs, they only know how to compare Malaysia with the likes of weaker countries, so this will project a good image (a political propaganda) even if a project fails, i don't have to elaborate on this la...right ? :wink2: so...the uneducated folks in kampung will always think the gomen is doing a good job....

Subangite

March 29th, 2006, 07:30 AM

Yes....KTMB owns the land that divided Singapore and it is due to the legacy of the British Administration that this happened. If our govt are more sensitive, they would have let the railway line goes. How would ya feel if your neighbour owns a pathway across your garden? :D

Do you guys consider Mazda an American carmaker or a Japanese one?

The KTM land bank is HUGE in Singapore, since KTM is a Malaysian government owned company, its Malaysian government land. Thats why once upon a time the KTM Tanjong Pagar station deep in the heart of Singapore city had the big signs "Welcome to Malaysia" on the entrance. I absolutely agree it was not sensitive on the Malaysian side BUT if Singapore would want to buy KTM land, it would amount to multiples of billions of dollars, purely because of the sheer huge size of the KTM land bank in land starved Singapore, but also because of some land location. Singapore might find it an irritant that Malaysia has huge swathes of land in Singapore, that Malaysian customs and immigration is actually deep in Singapore but for Singapore to be able to wholly acquire the KTM land, it would be an extremely costly exercise.

I don't know if or what I am at liberty say about the "joint development" of the KTM lands by Malaysia and Singapore, but there have been agreements inked about KTM land between the 2 countries.

Also, I think Mazda is Japanese, just as I think Skoda is Czech, or Volvo is Swedish. Eventhough foreign companies have the controlling majority stake.

White_soX

March 29th, 2006, 07:39 AM

I belive, KTM can own that land for 999 years approved(not from Singapore). Here now, KTM use that land, wonder how much KTM would like to sell that land....billions billions billions of dollars................j/k, i would.

Subangite

March 29th, 2006, 07:59 AM

Flying together

By B.K. SIDHU AND GOH EE KOON

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s two airlines – Malaysia Airlines (MAS) and AirAsia Bhd – have pledged to work together and promised to give airlines in Singapore including Singapore Airlines (SIA) a run for their money.

The co-ordinated approach by the two Malaysian carriers, on top of the existence of a state-of-the-art airport in KL International Airport, will help to groom Malaysia’s air service sector into a regional powerhouse.

“Watch out, Singapore. A strong MAS and AirAsia will pool their strengths and pose a threat to SIA. We will give Singapore a run for its money,” said AirAsia group CEO Datuk Tony Fernandes.

THE FUTURE: Jala and Fernandes and sharing a light moment at their joint press conference in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.
The two chiefs – Fernandes and MAS managing director Idris Jala – came together at a joint press conference for the first time after the announcement of the rationalisation of the domestic air services sector on Monday.

Under the plan, MAS and AirAsia will ply 19 trunk routes that provide international connectivity and have a significant volume of business traffic.

AirAsia will also manage 99 non-trunk routes and the rural air services on behalf of the Government.

Jala said: “We do compete with SIA like any other airline. We collaborate with the same people where it makes sense and compete where it does not make sense.”

At the press conference, both airlines would not commit themselves to whether airfares would rise or fall.

But Fernandes did point out: “It is not our philosophy to raise airfares. It is hard to determine what the average fares are, as we are adding new routes, but I think it would be around the RM156 to RM160 mark.”

Later, he told The Star that there would be more low airfares for Malaysian travellers.

The two chiefs set a timeline of two weeks to a month to conclude discussions on various issues with regard to staff and fleet requirement, frequencies and capacities. AirAsia will also outsource the rural air services.

MAS said on Monday that it would axe 6,500 of its 23,000 employees.

“We have to right size the staff numbers and are working to determine precisely the quantity we need,” Jala said.

“In two weeks time, we should be able to come up with the final numbers. It will be done in consultation with the union and staff and carried out in a humane way.” (See StarBiz for more details)

On that issue, Malaysia Airlines employees have urged Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to intervene, M. KRISHNAMOORTHY reports.

MAS Employees’ Union president Alias Aziz said: ”The sharing of domestic routes is not win-win for both airlines.

“It is sad that the Government wants to help a private airline at the expense of MAS employees. It’s not fair.”

Transport Minister Datuk Seri Chan Kong Choy said that under the domestic rationalisation plan, MAS would reduce the number of its aircraft from 40 to 21, stations from 32 to 16, and manpower from 23,000 to 16,500.

On the employees who would be affected, he said: “We will discuss this matter carefully with the MAS management.”

Chan said the Government would continue to provide subsidies for the rural air services, mainly served by Twin Otter aircraft, with an annual allocation of between RM10mil and RM15mil.

AFL

March 29th, 2006, 02:28 PM

Damn straight!! I used to live in Singapore too!! Want to build better public transport? Learn from Singapore!!!!!

I don't think our MP's are just ignorant!! They don't see the hypocracy!! Its ok for Malaysian companies invest abroad, buy foreign firms but not the other way around!

I think that country offers the best solution to maintain a balance between urban growth and keeping the green spaces intact...

AFL

March 29th, 2006, 02:33 PM

Subangite

March 30th, 2006, 07:18 AM

Move on people!!! government subsidies are no more, prices gone up, entry for university courses becomes tighter, and bla bla bla...its not like the old days, Malaysians, like it or not will have to face the challenges...

^^ What do you mean government subsidies are no more? There are still subsidies on fuel, the prices in Malaysia still do not reflect true current market prices!! The government has its fingers and tentacles in quite a lot of the private sector!! :(

I'm all for liberalisation of the market, it is not in the governments business to be in the private sector! Just look at the success of Air Asia and look at MAS as a clear example of government intrusion and meddling, compared with the success of Air Asia where market realities, dictate corporate actions to MAS which has been a drain on public coffers!! Every Malaysian should be angry that public funds (your money, my money) have been used to prop up this mis-managed, incompetently run airline!! I hope the government has now learnt this painful lesson and now gives MAS free reign to operate as it wishes.

Magician

March 30th, 2006, 07:33 AM

Let's hope they see their failure...

AFL

March 30th, 2006, 12:42 PM

^^ What do you mean government subsidies are no more? There are still subsidies on fuel, the prices in Malaysia still do not reflect true current market prices!! The government has its fingers and tentacles in quite a lot of the private sector!! :(

I'm all for liberalisation of the market, it is not in the governments business to be in the private sector! Just look at the success of Air Asia and look at MAS as a clear example of government intrusion and meddling, compared with the success of Air Asia where market realities, dictate corporate actions to MAS which has been a drain on public coffers!! Every Malaysian should be angry that public funds (your money, my money) have been used to prop up this mis-managed, incompetently run airline!! I hope the government has now learnt this painful lesson and now gives MAS free reign to operate as it wishes.

OKlah...i am a bit wrong here...but surely life is not as used to be right...cost has gone up for sure...

White_soX

April 2nd, 2006, 10:27 AM

klbloke

April 3rd, 2006, 01:41 PM

AirAsia’s Malaysia-HCMC route denied

Scheduling difficulties have caused Vietnam’s Civil Aviation Administration to decide against accepting flights to Ho Chi Minh City by AirAsia, Nguoi Lao Dong newspaper reported Monday.
With Tan Son Nhat airport in HCMC more congested, the CAA has decide against Malaysian budget carrier AirAsia’s flights to the city, as national flag carriers Vietnam Airlines and Malaysia Airlines currently service the routes.

The administration suggested the carrier focus on northern Hanoi’s Noi Bai International Airport and others in central Vietnam as attractive alternatives and promised licenses would be issued soon.

AirAsia was also asked to consider Da Nang and Phu Bai international airports as viable options.

Licensing formalities are normally completed within 30 days if the carrier’s documentation is valid and the market is available.

However the carrier has yet to take up the offer because the southern economic hub HCMC, where most Malaysian enterprises are based, is a target destination in its ambitious plan to become an Asia-wide airline.

The Malaysia-based AirAsia was launched as a budget carrier in December 2001, offering over 100 domestic and international flights to Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, Cambodia, Vietnam and the Philippines.

More than 20 domestic and international airlines now operate in Vietnam, including budget carriers Tiger Airways and Thai Air Asia, who are now pursuing expansion plans with new routes and increased frequencies.

Under the proposed ‘open skies’ agreement among ASEAN nations slated for 2008, the Vietnamese aviation market door will swing wide open for international carriers, resulting in increased competition.

Source : Nguoi Lao Dong – Translated by Ha Viet

pedang

April 5th, 2006, 01:41 PM

AirAsia CEO to enter budget hotel business

By Vasantha Ganesan
April 5 2006

http://www.btimes.com.my/Current_News/BT/Wednesday/Frontpage/BT560353.txt/Article/Current_News/BT/Images/dailyn/tune.jpg

THE group chief executive officer of low-cost airline AirAsia Bhd Datuk Tony Fernandes is venturing into the budget hotel business.

A source told Business Times that Fernandes is going into the new business in his personal capacity and to synergise with that of AirAsia's.

A chain of between 60 and 70 budget hotels is being planned, starting first in Malaysia before expanding across the region later. The first is expected to start business as early as at the end of this year.

Each hotel will have between 100 and 250 rooms, depending on their locations, the source said. The hotels will charge a room rate of between RM50 and RM100.

The source said the budget hotel business will complement AirAsia's, which now is the region's most successful low-cost carrier.

Many budget travellers prefer to book their airline tickets and hotels together and Fernandes will offer AirAsia customers the facility of making room reservations online as they book their flights.

The hotel chain is expected to be called Tune Hotel.com, after AirAsia's holding company, Tune Air.

Fernandes is expected to either purchase or lease existing hotels and remodel them or build completely new ones.

"His long-term plan is to eventually have hotels in all Air Asia destinations," the source said.

A few will be opened in the Klang Valley including possibly at the just opened Low Cost Carrier terminal in Sepang.

AirAsia's domestic destinations include Penang, Langkawi, Kuching and Kota Kinabalu. Within the region, the airline flies to cities such as Phnom Penh, Bali, Phuket and Manila.

Meanwhile, Fernandes is said to be working closely with Singapore-based SkyServ Holdings, a company which holds food and beverage concessions at airports and provision of retail F&B services.

SkyServ has a subsidiary called CafeCanteen Sdn Bhd which will focus on providing retail F&B services at this new hotel chain.

Fernandes and his team have made AirAsia a robust budget carrier within a short time. He was unreachable for comment.

travellator

July 7th, 2006, 04:39 PM

Air Asia may 'fast-track' KK-Sandakan service

AIR Asia Bhd, the leading regional low-cost carrier, may consider including a Kota Kinabalu-Sandakan route in addition to two new destinations to be introduced next week, said its group chief executive officer Datuk Tony Fernandes.

Air Asia is introducing the two new daily flights, Kota Kinabalu to Tawau and Kota Kinabalu to Miri, in conjunction with the launch of its new East Malaysia hub at the Kota Kinabalu International Airport.

The hub is expected to start operations next Tuesday.

"There has been huge request for us to start Kota Kinabalu-Sandakan quicker than we have planned. So we are looking at whether we can launch it at the same time next week," Fernandes told reporters after the launching of the hub in Kota Kinabalu yesterday by Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman.

At the moment, he said the hub would operate with two Boeing 737-300 aircraft.

He said the airline is also aiming to recruit more locals including pilots to operate the hub.

The airline's chairman Datuk Pahamin Rajab said that the setting up of the hub in Kota Kinabalu was significant for Air Asia's expansion because it suited the nature of lower cost carrier operations to fly from point to point without any transit to cut down operational cost.

"We cannot bring passengers from Kuala Lumpur to Kota Kinabalu and then from Kota Kinabalu to Miri. That is why the hub is important for Air Asia," he said.

He also said with the usage of new Airbus aircraft, the volume of passengers from Kuala Lumpur to the state had increased tremendously.

To date, it has carried over three million passengers to or from Sabah.

Musa said the introduction of the two new routes and additional frequencies from Kota Kinabalu hub would certainly create more economic opportunities in terms of tourism and business travel.

In the last five years, he said, the number of both international and domestic arivals in Sabah had gone up by 18.7 per cent annually to 1.83 million in 2005 from 774,475 in 2000. "The numbers continue to be encouraging as between January and May this year, Sabah recorded 286,038 international and 415,184 domestic arrivals, making it a combined total of 701,222 visitors so far," said Musa. - Bernama

jeeshyan

July 8th, 2006, 10:32 AM

Will AirAsia take Ipoh-KL route?

jeeshyan

July 8th, 2006, 10:34 AM

Long time ago, AirAsia said will launch Ipoh-Medan route. But until today still got no respond on it.

Magician

July 8th, 2006, 01:08 PM

Will AirAsia take Ipoh-KL route?

Honestly I dont see the point... since Ipoh is so near to KL... maybe I am wrong

globocentric

July 8th, 2006, 05:45 PM

Business folk certain AirAsia will pick Alor Star

ALOR STAR: From eight flights a week to 15. The increase in frequency from this month has convinced the business community here that AirAsia is making preparations to make the airport here its northern hub.

Kedah executive councillor Chong Itt Chew said that although AirAsia had yet to make an official announcement, hoteliers and investors had started making enquiries about business prospects.

FLIGHT ARRIVAL: An AirAsia plane taxiing to the Sultan Abdul Halim Airport terminal in Kepala Batas, Alor Star, yesterday.
“Hoteliers are looking for potential sites in Alor Star. The existing hotel operators are looking into expansion plans,” he said, adding that a few minor details still needed to be sorted out.

“We will be able to announce next week if AirAsia has chosen Alor Star airport as its northern region low-cost-carrier hub.”

AirAsia chief executive officer Tony Fernandes said in May that it would choose either Alor Star or Bayan Lepas in Penang.

Chong said Kedah would be the ideal choice because of its proximity to southern Thailand and the business-friendly attitude of the state government.

“We project that the passenger load would double from the present 350,000 per year,” he said.

He said the proposed Alor Star-Hong Kong route would attract passengers from southern Thailand, especially Haadyai.

Chong, who is Industry, Transport, Trade, Consumer Affairs and Chinese Community Affairs Committee chairman, said passengers flying from Haadyai to Hong Kong now have to wait for long hours while on transit in Bangkok.

“It will only take the passengers about three hours to travel by road from Haadyai to Alor Star, and four more hours to reach Hong Kong by air,” he said, adding that flights from Alor Star to Guangzhou and Bangkok would be popular.

“It will be convenient for passengers from southern Thailand to fly to international destinations via our airport here.”

This person is one of the biggest fools i've ever seen. 15 flights a week?a hub with connection to nowhere? There is only one destination that alor setar serves and a hub cannot exists technically with only one desitination. There might be an increase of 8 flights a week since the rationalization of domesitic air services but i've checked air asia website and they have added an extra daily filght to both JB and KUL from Penang which is a bigger increase than Alor Setar. As a councillor, he has an obligation not to give people false hope

Magician

July 10th, 2006, 03:29 AM

globocentric

July 10th, 2006, 08:23 AM

I wouldn't want to say that Kedah has no potential at all to become a air-transportation hub nor Bayan Lepas has 10000 over reasons to become a hub. I think every single airport stands the potential to become a hub given the correct time, location as well as opportunity.

Most probably Alor Setar will be choosen instead of Bayan Lepas due to the fact that the airport tax is lower? I am not sure about this, but besides this strong point, I do not see any other stronger point that the Airport Authority from Alor Setar can come out to win over Bayan Lepas.

1. Talking about flight connectivity, I think we do not need to argue over this point. Penang has more flights connecting to KL, JB, Bangkok (AirAsia hubs) and even the other part of the world. I think Penang - KL route is one of the most important routes for MAS and AirAsia.

2. Talking about people from Hatyai travel from Hatyai to Alor Setar to transfer to other places. Well, I guess this is a big joke to me. First of all, if i were from Hatyai, why would I want to travel all the way to Alor Setar just to use the airport while I can just simply take a flight from Hatyai to Bangkok, which is the busiest airport in SEA region, and have more connecting flights than Alor Setar.

3. Again, Kedah has another international airport in Langkawi. Well, then what is the point of having the airport in Langkawi? I see more rationality of transforming Langkawi into a hub than Alor Setar. Not to forget that Langkawi is an international airport.

4. Honestly speaking, Alor Setar is not really a very high profile tourist spot (maybe I am wrong, correct me if I am). Most of the passengers are local citizens. So, does the tourism industry really help to boost the air travel?

Well, afterall we are not the decision-maker, we can come out 1001 points but with 1 point they can do whatever they want!

Anyway, I still support Bayan Lepas or Langkawi to be a hub than Alor Setar.

Exactly. Hat Yai has an international airport and it is a busier airport than Alor Setar as well. The airport has flights to both KL and Singapore. If they want to catch an international flight they can fly to KL or Sin directly instead of going to Alor Setar only to take another flight to KL or Sin. Lower taxes? KLIA has failed to woo many airlines from Singapore despite waiver of landing fees. In fact, KLIA has the lowest fees in the region but it's passenger volume is still leave a lot to be desired. Taxes only play a small role in airlines decision as they cannot afford to fly an empty plane due to the high petrol prices and Alor Setar will not give them the load factor that they desperately need especially for budget airlines. This is because their profit margin is lower and it is more important for them to fly with a high load factor. Given the high petrol prices nowadays, i think landing fees only consist of less than 3 or 4% of the airlines operating costs. Therefore, any decision to establish a hub in Alor Setar can only be based on one consideration, political correctness.

klbloke

July 14th, 2006, 02:32 AM

Agence France Presse: Thai Air Asia to launch Bangkok-Yangon flight in August
Thu 13 Jul 2006

The Thai subsidiary of AirAsia, the region’s largest budget airline, said Thursday it will launch a new daily flight from Bangkok to Yangon, Myanmar, next month.

The flight will begin on August 16, becoming the ninth international destination served by Thai AirAsia from Bangkok, a company spokeswoman said.

The airline will use a Boeing 737 with a capacity for 148 passengers to fly to the military-ruled country.

Myanmar has a small but growing tourism industry. More than 660,000 foreigners visited the country last year, up 59 percent from five years ago, according to official statistics.

That increase came despite calls by the country’s detained pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi for a tourism boycott to pressure the ruling junta to make democratic reforms.

Thai AirAsia is a joint venture between Malaysia’s AirAsia and Thai telecommunications giant Shin Corp., which Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra’s family sold to Singapore state investment arm Temasek Holdings earlier this year.

klbloke

July 14th, 2006, 02:34 AM

เปิดประตูสู่พม่า..ดินแดนแห่งอารยะธรรม

บินสบายๆ ในราคาเบาๆ ไปกับเรา..แอร์เอเชีย

ช่วงเวลาสำรองที่นั่ง : 12 ก.ค. 2549 - 25 ก.ค. 2549
ช่วงเวลาเดินทาง : 16 ส.ค. 2549 - 7 มี.ค. 2549
หมายเหตุ : - ไม่มีอัตราค่าโดยสารดังกล่าวในบางช่วงเวลา
- ต้องสำรองที่นั่งล่วงหน้า

ออกเดินทาง จาก/สู่ ท่าอากาศยานนานาชาติกรุงเทพ (สนามบินดอนเมือง)

ราคาประหยัดออนไลน์
ย่างกุ้ง 5,000 ที่นั่ง เริ่มต้นเพียง THB999 / USD25.00

klbloke

July 15th, 2006, 01:16 AM

AVIATION BUDGET AIRLINES

Thai AirAsia ready to become first low-cost carrier to penetrate Burmese skies

BOONSONG KOSITCHOTETHANA

Thai AirAsia is breaking into Burmese skies by securing the rights to begin daily scheduled flights from Bangkok to Rangoon on Aug 16.

The local affiliate of Malaysia's AirAsia will become the first low-cost carrier (LCC) to operate to and from Burma, after the successful but painstaking lobbying of the Burmese military authorities, according to industry sources.

Thai AirAsia will be the third commercial airline from Thailand to operate on the Bangkok-Rangoon route, competing with Thai Airways International and Bangkok Airways.

Another local airline, Phuket Air had earlier scrapped scheduled flights to Rangoon in favour of non-scheduled flights arranged with package tours.

AirAsia has also been keen to introduce no-frills flights from its Kuala Lumpur hub in Malaysia to Rangoon but efforts to secure the rights from the junta have not been successful.

Sources said the budget airline would focus mainly on carrying tourists by offering attractively priced packages, while it also expected to attract some business travellers.

While most of its passengers will be Thai tourists, Thai AirAsia expects to carry onward passengers from AirAsia's regional network onto the Rangoon-bound flights.

But sources say that the difficulties many travellers have obtaining entry visas could set a challenge for Thai AirAsia to fill its 148-seat Boeing 737-300 jetliner.

Burma does not allow anyone, including citizens of Asean countries, to enter the country without a visa.

As well, the timing of the launch is not auspicious as it is the low tourist season, marked by heavy rain.

However, Thai AirAsia management want to establish the route as soon as possible to build a market presence.

The introduction of Rangoon service constitutes a part of Thai AirAsia's expansion to all neighbouring markets including Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, and southern China.

It currently operates flights from Bangkok to nine domestic cities and eight overseas destinations.

It has not announced the ticket prices for the Bangkok-Rangoon route but sources said they would be consistent with AirAsia's low-fare structure.

klbloke

July 17th, 2006, 07:07 AM

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Will revolutionize the ASEAN “economy / budget” lodging market.

Will be a price leader with dynamic pricing allowing room rates as affordable as RM9.99.

Will be a product leader offering safe and secure accommodation, cool designer rooms and high quality furniture and fittings.

Is looking for smart, driven, dynamic team players to implement aggressive expansion plans positioning Tune Hotels as the #1 ASEAN “No Frills” hotel chain.

http://www.tunehotels.com/

klbloke

July 18th, 2006, 10:44 AM

AirAsia gears up for flights to China, India

Photo : AFP
KUALA LUMPUR (AFP) - Low-cost carrier AirAsia said it plans to fly to Asia's booming economies of China and India in early 2007 as Malaysia liberalises its aviation industry.

Mohamad Azmi, the budget carrier's chief financial officer, told AFP that AirAsia could now pick up new regional routes after the government allowed rival Malaysia Airlines to offer discounts on domestic services.

"Now it is free competition. We are comfortable with this environment. We can probably fly to the lucrative markets of China and India in 2007," he said on Tuesday.

Azmi described India and China as markets with huge potential and "we foresee the positive impact ... on our bottomline."

AirAsia, which has already said it hopes to fly to China's southern cities of Guangzhou and Shenzhen, would probably fly the new routes from its Borneo island hub of Kota Kinabalu in Sabah state, he said.

The budget carrier late Monday said the government had "handed AirAsia access to fly to India and China."

It also said the government would monitor domestic ticket pricing by Malaysia Airlines to ensure "a level playing field" and "no predatory pricing environment."

"We anticipate some very positive developments in terms of domestic airports and foreign route access," it said in a statement.

Azmi said the carrier was targeting all Asian capitals including Singapore and leisure destinations where there was a sizeable movement of people.

Under a new aviation policy which takes effect on August 1, AirAsia is to take over 99 of Malaysia Airlines' domestic routes, many of which are currently losing money.

The AirAsia share price fell sharply after the controversial decision by the government just over a week ago to allow Malaysia Airlines to offer discounts on its remaining 22 domestic routes despite strong opposition from AirAsia.

AirAsia, which was listed in November 2004, plunged 12.2 percent last week to 1.30 ringgit (0.36 dollars) on Friday -- the lowest level in one-and-half years.

On Tuesday, the stock was firmer at 1.32 ringgit.

Azmi said despite challenges posed by rising fuel prices and fears of a possible price war, the carrier's growth plan remained intact.

"Come August, when rationalisation begins, we will have more routes to fly. It will accelerate our growth plan," he said.

hkskyline

July 19th, 2006, 02:40 PM

Malasyia's AirAsia to raise fuel surcharge Aug.1, its third this year
18 July 2006

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) - Southeast Asia's largest low-cost carrier AirAsia will raise its fuel surcharge -- its third this year -- from Aug. 1 to offset a surge in jet-fuel prices due to hostilities in the Middle East, company executives said Tuesday.

The Malaysian-based carrier has no plans to hedge its fuel needs but will increase fuel surcharge to between 15 to 66 ringgit (US$4-18, €3-15) per sector, up from 10 to 50 ringgit previously, said its chief financial officer Raja Mohamad Azmi.

The measure "should give us a cost recovery of US$29-30 per barrel of oil equivalent," he told an analyst briefing.

AirAsia had imposed surcharges in March on select routes and in May for all its domestic and international destinations.

The airline's chief executive Tony Fernandes earlier Tuesday told Dow Jones Newswires in an interview that the company saw no need to hedge its fuel needs because it believed oil prices would drop.

"We won't believe oil prices will stay (high)," he said. "We may tweak our fuel surcharge up a bit. There's been no decline in demand despite fuel surcharge rises (in the past)."

Jet fuel prices are 27 percent higher from a year ago, hovering at around US$90 a barrel. They have risen in tandem with benchmark crude oil prices that have surpassed the US$78 a barrel mark on rising tension in the Middle East.

AirAsia Bhd. is the region's only publicly listed low-cost carrier, with a fleet of 43. It has plans to buy 60 new Airbus A320s over the next five years for nearly US$4 billion (€3.3 billion).

Fernandes also downplayed a price war with national carrier Malaysia Airline System Bhd. over domestic routes, with the government recently announcing it would remove a floor price for the suffering national airline, pitting it in a direct fight with AirAsia. The Malaysian government owns nearly 70 percent of Malaysia Airlines.

"The floor price (on domestic fares) would have been nice to have but it was never critical (to AirAsia's success)," Fernandes said.

After plunging last week, AirAsia shares firmed up to 1.33 ringgit (US$0.36, €0.3) Tuesday on bargain hunting. Analysts predict will strengthen further on news of the fuel surcharge.

klbloke

July 19th, 2006, 06:58 PM

Air Asia opens KL link
16:44' 18/07/2006 (GMT+7)
VietNamNet – The Vietnam Civil Administration of Aviation has licensed Malaysia Air Asia to open its Kuala Lumpur – Hanoi air route.

The first flight on the route is scheduled for this October.

Air Asia began operating in Vietnam in mid-2005, when Thai Air Asia was allowed to open the Hanoi – Bangkok route. The firm is now running two flights each week.

Vietnam is considered a market with good growth for airlines. So far 28 foreign airways have linked air routes to Vietnam.

On July 19, China Airlines will conduct its first cargo flight from Taipei to Hanoi. In the initial period, the airline will run two Boeing 747-400F flights per week to Hanoi.

(Source: VNE)

travellator

July 20th, 2006, 10:02 AM

Air Asia has been very active lately...

AirAsia Orders 40 More A320 Family Aircraft
Business
July 20, 2006 13:23 PM
KUALA LUMPUR, July 20 (Bernama) -- Low cost carrier AirAsia has signed a contract for 40 more A320 Family aircraft and taken another 30 on option, Airbus said in a statement Thursday.

This bring their total orders for the Airbus Single-Aisle Family to 100, it said.

A total of seven A320s are currently in service with AirAsia.

"Over time they will completely replace the Boeing 737-300 fleet currently operated by the AirAsia Group, which comprises AirAsia in Malaysia, Thai AirAsia in Thailand and AirAsia Indonesia," the statement said.

All A320 aircraft will be configured with 180 seats.

"The A320 has heralded a new era for AirAsia. The sophistication of these aircraft has enhanced our image and brand and enable us to capture a wider market segment than previously," AirAsia Bhd's group chief executive officer, Datuk Tony Fernandes said.

"The superiority of the A320s in terms of fuel burn, maintenance requirements, increased capacity, wider cabin and larger cargo payload, has allowed us to have greater operational efficiency, while ensuring that our cost optimisation programme remains as the lowest in the world," he said.

AirAsia is one of many low cost carriers (LCC) from the Asia Pacific region to introduce A320 Family aircraft, with 12 LCC from Australia, India, Indonesia, Japan, New Zealand, the Philippines and Singapore already having the aircraft in service.

More than 520 Airbus A320 Family aircraft are in service with 39 airlines in Asia Pacific, with total orders from the region now close to 1,000 aircraft.

The A320 Family has a widespread reputation for high dispatch reliability on short hops, with wide aisles facilitating quick turnarounds for efficient operations.

"Over the past years, the A320 Family has proven to be the outstandingly popular choice with both start-up and established low-cost carriers in the Asia Pacific region and I am delighted that the popularity of the A320 with AirAsia and its discerning passengers has resulted in this latest vote of confidence in the aircraft," Airbus' president and chief executive officer, Christian Streiff said.

"With its superb economics and high passenger appeal, the A320 is winner that will further spur AirAsia's success," he said.

The A320 is a member of Airbus' single-aisle Family, comprising the A318, A319, A320 and A321 and has a seat capacity between 107 and 220 seats.

It is the fastest selling aircraft family with over 4,300 sold so far.

klbloke

August 16th, 2006, 05:30 AM

AVIATION / EXPANSION AND BUSINESS STRATEGY

New airline for AirAsia?
BOONSONG KOSITCHOTETHANA

Sepang, Malaysia _ The budget airline AirAsia may set up another low-cost carrier (LCC) in Southeast Asia as it prepares to acquire 30 additional Airbus A320 jets to bring its fleet to 130 by 2012. AirAsia group chief executive Tony Fernandes hinted about the plans during a briefing on the launch earlier this month of Fly Asian Xpress (Fax) and the signing of a firm order contract in July for 40 A320 aircraft worth US$2.7 billion.

''We may set up another [airline] in another country in Southeast Asia. But I cannot say too much now,'' Mr Fernandes told the Bangkok Post.

However, he said it was ''very likely'' that AirAsia would exercise the options to purchase 30 additional A320s, the basic agreement reached in July with Airbus, for delivery between 2010 and 2012.

Fax, which began to fly Malaysia's domestic routes in Sabah and Sarawak on Aug 1, is the fourth member of the group, which already includes Thai AirAsia and Indonesia AirAsia, in addition to its flagship carrier in Malaysia, AirAsia Bhd.

The new airline was created to take over the domestic routes in Sabah and Sarawak from Malaysia Airlines which is cutting back loss-making local services.

Barely five years old, the airline group surpassed the 20-million passenger mark in June this year. It offers 2,450 weekly flights in the region spanning 11 countries covering Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Macau, China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia, Singapore, Brunei and, recently, Burma, with 44 aircraft.

Mr Fernandes was optimistic about the growth potential of budget traffic demand in Southeast Asia that would support AirAsia's expansion.

For this year alone, he sees the LCC traffic surge by 15-20%, spurred by aggressive marketing by budget carriers and low fares being offered.

Also as part of its expansion, AirAsia on Monday officiated the launch of two Airbus 320 full-flight simulators, valued at $10 million each, as it geared up to prepare pilots, cabin crew and engineers for its fast-growing fleet of A320 jetliners.

Plans are afoot to procure another three A320 simulators at its AirAsia Academy, its new flight-training centre near the LCC Terminal, part of the Kuala Lumpur International Airport.

The AirAsia chief noted that the group planned to retire its entire fleet of 737-300s, now numbered at 35, and replace them with brand-new A320s, configured to 180 seats, to make it an all-A320 fleet.

Commenting on last week's foiled London terror plot to blow up commercial airplanes, Mr Fernandes said the issue was unlikely to affect LCC traffic in the region.

''I don't think [there would be any effect]. We have been through so many terrors [and] the tsunami. We had Bali bombs right in our LCC territory. But we are doing better than ever in Bali.

''We have 500 million people in Asean and they are less worried about what's happening in the US or Europe. People still have to travel, they want to have holidays,'' he said.

However, Mr Fernandes stated that AirAsia still had to go on with aggressive marketing, offering low fares and a greater network to ward off outside factors from affecting future growth.

Regarding Airports of Thailand Plc's plan to set up a terminal dedicated for LCC at Suvarnabhumi Airport, Mr Fernandes did not see the Thai LCC terminal as competing with but rather complementing Kuala Lumpur's LCC terminal that opened earlier this year.

''They are different markets. The LCC terminal here won't really serve the larger part of the area that Thailand will. Thailand is further north, closer to China,'' he said.

''The LCC model is made for the three-hour radius. So from three hours, you can't cover many destinations from KL. The Thai LCC probably won't cover a lot of Indonesia. So each LCC terminal will have its strengths, creating more flights.''

nazrey

September 7th, 2006, 05:39 AM

AirAsia doubles capacity for Sabah, Sarawak
By Joseph Chin, 06 Sep 2006 8:59 PM
THEEDGEDAILY

AirAsia Bhd will double its capacity for the routes in Sabah and Sarawak, including introducing new routes periodically to meet the demand from these sectors.

With two hubs in place in Kota Kinabalu and Kuching, AirAsia said on Sept 6 that it would pursue route network expansion within the region out of these two hubs.

AIrAsia added the Sabah and Sarawak hubs could be utilised to monitor the capacity to better respond to market demand and to further stimulate inter- and intra-state travels.

"A second aircraft will be placed in Kuching hub from Sept 18, while Kota Kinabalu hub will receive its second aircraft on Sept 22," it said.

AirAsia said in line with the expansion, AirAsia would service new flights to Sandakan twice daily from its Kota Kinabalu hub effective on Sept 22.

To mark the new Kota Kinabalu-Sandakan route, AirAsia was offering promotional fare starting from RM9.99. Sale of tickets was available for travel period between Sept 22 to March 24, 2007, and bookings could be done through www.airasia.com.

With effect from Sept 22, AirAsia would have two new daily flights from KK to Sandakan. For the KK-Tawau route, it had increased the frequencies to three daily flights from the two currently, with effect from Sept 22.

For KK-Kuching, the flights would be increased to two daily with effect from Sept 18, from one daily flight now.

From the Kuching hub, there would be four daily flights to Sibu with effect from Sept 18, from the two daily flights now. The flights to Bintulu and Miri would be increased by an additional flight to three effective Sept 18.

AirAsia's executive vice president – commercial, Kathleen Tan said the increased frequencies meant providing travellers with more flight options and to stimulate market growth.

"We believe this is just as important as connecting people from one point to another," she said.

Tan added that AirAsia's winning formula of low fares proved to be very popular among the locals and this was evident from the scores of feedback and requests it has been receiving to fly to various points within the two states.

klbloke

September 7th, 2006, 07:37 PM

SKYBUS TICKETS CAN NOW BE BOOKED ONLINE

http://www.skybus.com.my/

travellator

October 3rd, 2006, 05:16 PM

Santa arrives early with 10,000 free seats

BUDGET carrier AirAsia Bhd is playing early Santa Claus by giving away 10,000 seats for free in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, and Kuching, Sarawak.

It must be noted that these free seats, however, exclude airport taxes and fees, fuel surcharges and are applicable for one-way travel.

In a statement released yesterday in Kuala Lumpur, AirAsia said these seats are for domestic flights between Kota Kinabalu and Miri, Sandakan, Tawau and Kuching, as well as between Kuching and Bintulu, Miri and Sibu.

"We'd like to once again show our commitment in developing the Sabah and Sarawak market by stimulating inter- and intra-state travel from the Peninsula," executive vice-president-commercial, Kathleen Tan said.

"The free seats campaign is also co- ordinated to coincide with the festive season, allowing more students and working professional in the Peninsula to fly back to their hometowns," she added.

Bookings must be made online at www.air asia.com or via mobile.airasia.com from October 3 to 6 for travel period between October 10 and December 31.
© Copyright 2006 The New Straits Times Press (M) Berhad.

ggaaxx

January 10th, 2007, 05:08 PM

It is not totally free, but it may be useful to somebody:)

For those whose New Year resolution includes “travel more”, here’s a lucky break – AirAsia is giving one million free seats.The no-frills airline is launching the biggest regional marketing campaign by offering one million seats for all its hubs in Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur, Kota Kinabalu, Kuching, and Senai), as well as Bangkok and Jakarta.

Timed to coincide with Visit Malaysia 2007, it will not only allow Malaysians to fly abroad, but also bring tourists to Malaysian destinations.

Over 80 AirAsia routes across 10 countries will be available for online booking at www.airasia.com (http://www.airasia.com) from today until Jan 19 on a first come, first served basis.

Travel period will be from April 1 to Oct 27.

AirAsia Bhd executive vice-president-commercial Kathleen Tan said the previous free seats campaign in 2005 generated overwhelming response, and had enabled many to experience flying for the first time.

“We are confident this regional marketing campaign will stimulate even more people to fly,” she said in a statement yesterday.

She added that a RM2mil regional advertising budget was in place to promote this campaign in Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Macau, China, the Philippines, Brunei, Cambodia and Myanmar.

AirAsia has also set up direct flights connecting Sabah and Sarawak to Penang, as well as Kota Kinabalu to Macau, Bangkok to Langkawi, and Jakarta to Kuching.

The offer is for one-way travel only and excludes airport taxes and fees, and fuel surcharges.

klbloke

February 8th, 2007, 05:06 PM

AirAsia launches direct Kuching-Penang flights

KUCHING: AS part of the 2nd AirAsia Plan, the leading low cost carrier in Asia continues its efforts to connect all the cities in the region. Starting yesterday, both of the airline’s hubs in East Malaysia are serving direct flights to Penang, the Pearl of the Orient and the introduction of the Kuching-Penang and Kota Kinabalu-Penang would make AirAsia the sole operator serving these routes.

The inaugural flight from Kuching to Penang via AK5951 yesterday carrying 100 guests was sent off at 5:35p.m. by Yang Berhormat Dato’ Sri Wong Soon Koh, Minister for Finance (II) & Minister for Urban Development & Tourism Sarawak and Dato’ Kamarudin Meranun, Deputy Group Chief Executive Officer, AirAsia Berhad at a ceremony held in Kuching Airport. Passengers were presented with souvenirs from the airline and Sarawak Tourism Board as they boarded the aircraft. The inaugural flight from Penang is scheduled to touch down at 10:10p.m. with 141 guests on board.

The inaugural flight from Kuching to Penang will be received at the Penang International Airport by YAB Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Khoon, Chief Minister of Penang and Dato’ Tony Fernandes, Group Chief Executive Officer, AirAsia Berhad.

AirAsia will operate four flights weekly (Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Sunday) to Penang from its hub in Kota Kinabalu and Kuching respectively.

Dato’ Tony Fernandes, Group Chief Executive Officer, AirAsia Berhad, said, “With the addition of Penang, our Kuching hub will benefit from passenger traffic passing through the island including tourists from Thailand, Vietnam, Macau/China, Cambodia and Indonesia as well as European countries.”

“We always strive for connectivity and these two routes certainly fit into our plan of strengthening the network. Our point-to-point direct service allows flexibility for our guests and we anticipate great demand from the business segment, students, families, leisure travellers and migrant workers. We believe this is a much awaited route for frequent business travellers too.”

“As of today, the passenger load for inbound guests into Kuching is recording a high of 70% for the month of February. For both Kuching-Penang and Kota Kinabalu-Penang routes, we have sold over 13,000 seats for the next four (4) months. The high load factors clearly demonstrate the insatiable demand for East Malaysia to connect to the island. Currently, Penang is recording the highest loads for both of our Kuching and Kota Kinabalu hubs. This proves that we have made the correct move to operate these routes.”

“Both of our hubs in East Malaysia are in good positions to support the traffic from Penang and vice versa. Sarawak has so much to offer from authentic food, beautiful caves, scenic beaches, rich tropical rainforests and the cultural flair to attract tourists. And with our low fares everyday, now one can fly to Kuching for Sarawak Laksa or fly to Penang for a beach getaway, all within a couple of days,” quipped Dato’ Tony.

Being the largest state in Malaysia, Sarawak is the most diverse state in Malaysia and has a unique tourism appeal to cater to various segments of visitors. Sarawak, lined by a scenic coastline of over 700km and anchored by the 810m Mount Santubong offers endless adventures for visitors. Looking at the low cost travel trend sweeping across the region, the spill over effect of both of these routes is tremendous with the local economies benefiting the most from the growth.

The direct flights are also a boon for students studying in the local state universities which enable them to easily travel home. This means more students will enjoy lower fares resulting in greater savings on their tickets without having to re-route to Kuala Lumpur to reach Kota Kinabalu or Kuching, or vice versa.

wmkp

February 14th, 2007, 04:07 AM

13,000 seats on flights sold

AIRASIA has sold over 13, 000 seats for its Penang-Kuching-Penang and Penang-Kota Kinabalu-Penang flights over the next four months.

The low-cost carrier recorded a 70% passenger load this month for the re-cently introduced flight routes, AirAsia chief executive officer Datuk Tony Fernandes said before welcoming 100 AirAsia passengers from Kuching on Wednesday.

Fernandes was at the Penang Inter-national Airport to launch the budget carrier’s inaugural Kuching-Penang flight.

“Penang currently records the highest passenger loads for our Kuching and Kota Kinabalu hubs.

“This proves that we have made the correct move to operate the routes although many were initially sceptical about our decision,” he said, adding that AirAsia was the only operator flying the routes.

He was also optimistic of operating an AirAsia hub in the state once the airport charges are agreed upon.

“I hope an agreement can be reached in the next six months,” he said.

On introducing direct flights from the state to India and China, Fernandes said they would be introduced in “the not too distant future.”

“AirAsia is in the courting period of a relationship with Penang.

“We are very committed to introducing more flights into the state and if we can iron out issues concerning the airport tax rates, we will introduce direct flights to India and China,” he said.

He added that the state had “lost its edge” in attracting tourists.

“The state still has lots of tourism potential and low-cost carriers are an important factor in attracting tourists.

“We need more budget price hotels to support the industry. Penang must remind the world that she is 'The Pearl of the Orient',” he said.

Also present was state Tourism Deve-lopment and Environment Committee chairman Teng Chang Yeow and Com-mercial Air Asia executive vice-president Kathleen Tan.

Earlier, 81 passengers arriving from Kota Kinabalu were given a rous- ing kompang reception at the air- port.

It was AirAsia’s inaugural Kota Kina-balu-Penang flight.

klbloke

February 28th, 2007, 08:39 AM

from the February 07, 2007 edition - http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0207/p06s02-woap.html

Asia's discount airlines reach for the West

Budget airlines, such as Oasis, JetStar, and AirAsiaX are offering low-cost flights to the US and Europe.
By Simon Montlake | Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor

BANGKOK, THAILAND
Long-haul budget travel, anyone?

Spurred by open-skies policies and booming tourism, low-cost airlines are mushrooming across Asia. Most have adopted the business model pioneered in the 1970s by Southwest Airlines – lean, mean, and affordable – to fly budget-conscious passengers around the region. Competition on popular routes such as Bangkok-Singapore – a 2-1/2-hour hop – has cut round-trip fares to just over $100, including taxes.

Now airline entrepreneurs are setting their sights on more distant destinations, betting that long-haul travel is equally ripe for discounting. If proven right, they could represent the first fluttering of a new era of low-cost air travel to and from Asia's dynamic economies.

Oasis, a start-up airline in Hong Kong, has begun daily flights to London for as low as $147 one way and plans this year to offer similar deals to Oakland, Calif. and Chicago. Jetstar Airways, a subsidiary of Australia's Qantas Airways, sells bargain tickets on routes between Australia and Southeast Asia. And Malaysia's AirAsia, the largest budget airline in Asia, recently founded a new operator, AirAsiaX, to ply long-haul routes to China and Britain starting in July.

For vacationers with open itineraries, such ventures offer a cheap way to reach Asia. "For leisure travelers, it's okay. They're flexible and don't mind a bit of inconvenience. There's definitely a market for it," says Don Ross, editor of a travel-industry newsletter in Bangkok.

Creating long-haul budget airlines that can take on the state-run carriers that dominate in Asia could prove more challenging, though. Such airlines are naturally reluctant to see competitors ply profitable intercontinental routes, having already lost market share on regional flights within Asia.

Connecting lesser-known hubs

Few countries have open-skies policies on routes to and from the US that would allow low-cost airlines to use popular routes such as New York-Tokyo. Instead, start-ups are often diverted to lesser hubs: Malaysia's AirAsiaX, for example, will launch low-cost flights to London – a global hub – and also to the cities of Birmingham and Manchester.

Analysts say this is one reason why frequent fliers are likely to stick with the existing carriers. "I think you may see a split between business travelers in Asia who want to get from point A to point B as quickly as possible, versus leisure travelers who have time and are prepared to put up with a lot more," says John Koldowski, research director at the Pacific Asia Travel Association, an industry group in Bangkok.

Airline executives say that low-cost travel doesn't necessarily mean bare-bones. Oasis offers free meals and in-flight entertainment, while Jetstar, which flies between Sydney and Honolulu, has blankets, food, and movies for sale. Nor should passengers expect to be squeezed in tighter: Oasis says its economy-seat size and comfort is comparable to other full-service carriers.

Competitive edge in business class?

So how can they keep fares so low? The secret, says Steve Miller, CEO of Oasis, lies in the efficient use of aircraft and crews, flexible pricing, and an attractive business class. Advertised one-way fares from Hong Kong to London start at $147, but most flyers pay more, and business-class seats start at $920. Fares between Hong Kong and Oakland, due to begin in June, will be slightly higher on this longer route, he says.

At the front of its Boeing 747-400 plane, where business-class passengers can stretch out on reclining beds, is where Oasis spies a competitive edge among self-employed travelers who pay their own way, unlike corporate fliers. Business people who would otherwise settle for coach can now afford an upgrade. "Every business man or woman should be able to fly business class and arrive in a state where he or she can get down to work immediately," says Miller.

That may sound ominous for large carriers who rely on business-class revenues to cover their overheads. But industry analysts say that growth in low-cost airlines in Asia has expanded the market by luring price-sensitive passengers who might otherwise not travel, particularly on short vacations or family visits, so start-up carriers may not directly cannibalize full-service airlines.

Air travel in the Asia-Pacific region grew 4.7 percent in the past year, an industry association said Wednesday. Its 17 airline members flew 134 million passengers in 2006, up from 128 million the previous year.

As budget carriers carve out routes in India and across much of East Asia, with the exception of China's tightly regulated skies, short breaks have become the norm for more travelers. Resort islands like Phuket in Thailand have embraced low-cost carriers, becoming an alternative to the capital, Bangkok.

However, the choice of airline can be misleading. Industry analysts say that passengers who swoop on the cheapest online fares often arrive at their destination and check in at five-star hotels, using the money saved from their bargain round-trip tickets. By adding long-haul flights to the mix, quick getaways to luxury resorts in Asia are within reach.

Stuart McDonald, an Australian who runs a website, www.travelfish.org, on independent travel in Asia, calls this the "flash packer" phenomenon: young salaried backpackers who like to splurge on vacations and wouldn't dream of joining a cruise ship. He says long-haul budget carriers like AirAsiaX can funnel more independent travelers and first-time visitors to Malaysia, an emerging hub for low-cost airlines, giving them a taste of what the region has to offer. [ Editor's note: The original version misnamed Stuart McDonald's website.]

"This is precisely the sort of development that will see more backpackers turn into 'flash packers.' The bucks they save on their fare will translate into increased spending on the ground," Mr. McDonald says.

Long flights for less

Oasis – This Hong Kong-based start-up boasts $147 one-way flights from London to Hong Kong, but business seats start at $920.

Jetstar – This subsidiary of Australia's QantasAirways flies from Honolulu to Sydney for $280 but offers "StarClass"seats for $810.

AirAsiaX – The Malaysia-based airline plans to sellround-trip tickets between Kuala Lumpur and London. The prices for itsinaugural flights in July range from $80 to $450.

travellator

March 1st, 2007, 12:53 PM

AirAsia eyes Philippine operations

KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysian low-cost carrier AirAsia said on Thursday it was considering new operations in the Philippines as the airline posted a record half-year profit.

The airline, which dominates the crowded Southeast Asian low-cost carrier market, currently has joint venture operations in Indonesia and Thailand.

'I have always been interested in the Philippines as another possibility in the region besides Thailand and Indonesia, as it also has high traffic and a sizeable population,' said AirAsia's chief executive Tony Fernandes.

'If another (operation) were to happen in the future, then it will be in the Philippines,' he told AFP.

His comments came after AirAsia's net profit for the first half of its financial year in the six months to December soared to a record RM226.546 million (US$64.7 million) from RM59.907 million last year.

Mr Fernandes said the bulk of AirAsia's profits were still coming from Malaysia's AirAsia, but that its Thai and Indonesian operations are 'consistently profitable'.

He said the company's half-year profit had soared on the back of higher traffic and what he said was a 'level playing field' in Malaysia.

'I am very pleased with the results and it finally reflects what we've always been fighting for, which is a level playing field ... where no more subsidies were given to Malaysia Airlines,' he said.

Under a new aviation policy to rationalise domestic routes from August 1 last year, AirAsia took over 99 of Malaysia Airlines' domestic routes, many unprofitable.

The government also stopped subsidising the national carrier's domestic routes.

The airline was launched as a budget carrier in December 2001 with just two aircraft.

It now offers more than 100 domestic and international flights to Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, Cambodia, China, Vietnam and the Philippines. -- AFP

pedang

March 15th, 2007, 11:06 AM

Australia sokong AirAsia X

Oleh Mohamed Farid Noh

Penerbangan tambang murah jarak jauh pertama tempatan bermula Julai

AUSTRALIA mengalu-alukan cadangan AirAsia X, syarikat penerbangan tambang murah jarak jauh pertama tempatan, untuk meneroka ke pasaran negara itu, terutama penerbangan terus ke Adelaide dan Melbourne.

AirAsia X yang dikendalikan Fly Asian Xpress (FAX), dijadual mula menawarkan penerbangan tambang murah ke beberapa lagi destinasi popular di China, India, London selain Australia mulai Julai ini.

Pengerusi Tourism Australia, Tim Fischer, berkata langkah itu dapat membuka peluang lebih besar kepada AirAsia X memasuki Australia kerana dijangka lebih banyak syarikat penerbangan murah menerokai pasarannya menjelang akhir tahun ini.

Katanya, syarikat tambang murah, Jetstar milik bersama Australia dan Singapura juga akan memulakan penerbangan terus Kuala Lumpur-Sydney September ini.

Beliau juga bekas Timbalan Perdana Menteri Australia, Menteri Perdagangan dan pemimpin Parti Nasional berkata, lebih banyak syarikat penerbangan akan turut menawarkan perkhidmatan mereka di Australia tidak lama lagi.

“Ini akan menjadikan industri penerbangan tambang murah serantau lebih kompetitif dan membuatkan mereka memberikan khidmat terbaik untuk menarik pengguna.

“Ia juga akan menguntungkan Australia kerana lebih banyak pelancong dapat masuk ke negara kami dengan lebih kerap,” katanya pada sidang media di Kuala Lumpur, semalam.

Sementara itu, Fischer berkata, tahun lalu jumlah pelancong Malaysia ke Australia menurun sembilan peratus kepada 150,300 orang berbanding 2005.

Katanya, penurunan itu bersifat sementara kerana Tourism Australia akan mengadakan promosi berterusan untuk menarik pelancong Malaysia, termasuk mengadakan Promosi Makanan Mei ini dan memperhebatkan iklan di panggung wayang.

“Kita juga sudah menerbitkan Panduan Pelancong Muslim ke Australia yang memuatkan senarai penuh restoran halal dan masjid seluruh Australia untuk kemudahan umat Islam. Kita juga memberi jaminan tiada diskriminasi diamalkan terhadap pelancong Islam, terutama dari Malaysia.

“Ini kerana pelancong Malaysia adalah di tempat kesembilan penyumbang terbesar industri pelancongan Australia dan kita mahu ia kekal terus berada dalam senarai 10 pelancong utama kita,” katanya.

Beliau berkata, pelancong Malaysia ke Australia tahun ini dijangka meningkat 4.3 peratus kepada 155,000.

“Ketibaan pelancong dari Malaysia juga dijangka berkembang sehingga 10 tahun akan datang dengan purata pertumbuhan tahunan mencapai 5.1 peratus sehingga 2015,” katanya.

Fischer berkata, pelancong Malaysia membelanjakan kira-kira RM1.75 bilion (AUD$636.2 juta) di Australia sepanjang tahun lalu dan menyumbang kepada 2.7 peratus perbelanjaan pelancong antarabangsa.

Katanya, purata perbelanjaan pelancong Malaysia pada 2006 kira-kira RM12,900 (AUD$4,713) dan ia termasuk perbelanjaan tambang penerbangan dan pakej pelancongan.

Waldenstrom

March 15th, 2007, 09:37 PM

Has anyone here tried their service? Is it OK?

Pablo

March 16th, 2007, 02:25 AM

try once, fly to KL...

It is just a low-cost flight, so we cant aspect more like, big and comfortable seats. but for short distance, like Penang to KL, i dont mind to use Air Asia..and it is worth too, as it save time:D

But, for long distance like KL to other countries, i actually hv no idea how is the plane. ;)

Skyprince

March 16th, 2007, 02:31 AM

Air Asia has very nice on-board service, the only problem is delay. My previous flight from TGG to KUL scheduled to edpart at 20:20 but it arrived at 22:35 before taking off to KUL at around 23:00....my Korean fren nearly missed his connecting flight to Incheon at 01:00 :( When we arrived at LCCT My mom and dad pulled our luggage quickly into the car and dashed to KLIA Main Terminal at 145km/h , what a thrilling experience . But finally we made it on time. I didn't apply for Air Asia's RM 15 insurance coverage when I booked the tickets online so that means AK has no responsible to compensate my Korean fren if he missed his connecting flight ? :(

AhChuan

March 16th, 2007, 04:53 AM

^^ Hoho, so lucky.

Btw, now Air Asia got many new planes liao....so, dun worry, new plane kinda nice and more comfortable. Hehehe..

travellator

March 17th, 2007, 07:55 AM

Saturday March 17, 12:32 PM
Malaysia's AirAsia takes off with Toyota in Formula One

KUALA LUMPUR (AFP) - Malaysia's budget carrier AirAsia has signed a 10 million ringgit (2.8 million dollar) sponsorship deal with Toyota for the 2007 Formula One season.

The New Straits Times newspaper said that the Southeast Asia's pioneering low-cost carrier completed the deal with the giant Japanese constructor in Britain just before Sunday's season-opening Australian Grand Prix.

AirAsia officials could not be reached for comment.

The AirAsia's Formula One partnership comes after the carrier entered into a sponsorship deal with Manchester United in 2005 to attract global business.

Citing an industry source, the newspaper said the Formula One partnership would cost about 10 million ringgit a year and was for at least three years.

"Taking a cue from their English Premier League tie-up, this AirAsia partnership with Toyota will once again earn them a global visibility," it said.
The bright red AirAsia logo was fixed on the nose of Toyota's two race cars and just above the drivers helmet visor during the practice session at Melbourne's Albert Park, the newspaper said.

In January Toyota unveiled the car they believe can finally bring them a coveted first grand prix win after five barren years in Formula One.

Toyota are pinning their faith on the all new TF107 and their team of drivers Jarno Trulli and Ralf Schumacher and new test driver Franck Montagny.

AirAsia recently said its net profit for the six months to December soared to 227 million ringgit (64.7 million dollars) from 59.9 million ringgit.

AirAsia was launched as a budget carrier in 2001 with just two aircraft. It now offers more than 100 domestic and international flights to Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

Subangite

March 17th, 2007, 08:48 PM

^^:bash: :bash: :bash: :bash: :bash: :bash: :bash: :bash: :bash: :bash: :bash: :bash: :bash:

This piece of news is being syndicated all over the world, when its bull! Seriously, how hard is it for journalists to check on facts before printing?? :ohno: :ohno:

AirAsia has signed up a sponsorship deal with AT&T Williams team, who drive the the Williams-Toyota FW29 Car, not the Toyota F1 team and its TF107 car like the article is suggesting. Toyota F1 and Williams F1 share the same Toyota RVX-07 engine but the teams are separate with different sponsors!!!

http://williams.latphoto.co.uk/media/image/2007/03/WIL2007031709217_PV.jpg
AT&T Williams F1 car with the AirAsia sponsorship, the bright red AirAsia logo driver’s helmet visor and the AirAsia logo in black on the front nose of the car can be seen. Sorry, the picture is small but anyways you can still make the AirAsia logos out.

AirAsia flies into Formula One
17 Mar 2007
Tony Emmanuel from the NST

KUALA LUMPUR: From the English Premier League to Formula One.
Malaysia’s much talked-about budget airline, AirAsia, has once again taken international branding by storm.

After pulling off a coup of sorts with the Manchester United partnership for the 2006/2007 English Premier League season, the low-cost carrier has now concluded a multi-million ringgit sponsorship deal with one of the world’s leading Formula One teams — AT&T Williams F1.

The deal was inked in England, barely hours before the 2007 F1 season revved off, with the Australian Grand Prix to be held this weekend.

Sources said the deal, signed by AirAsia chief executive officer Datuk Tony Fernandes and Sir Frank Williams on Thursday, was swiftly concluded to coincide with the government’s Visit Malaysia Year/Malaysia Grand Prix campaign.

Yesterday, the 2007 F1 season got underway with the Australian Grand Prix free practice sessions at Melbourne’s Albert Park.

The AT&T Williams F1 team’s recently launched Williams-Toyota FW29 race cars were taken round the track by Kakuzi Nakajima and Alex Wurz in the morning sessions, with the young Japanese driver clocking a credible sixth fastest time on his debut.

The bright red AirAsia logo was affixed on the nose of the car and just above the driver’s helmet visor.

The advertising partnership campaign will continue as the F1 travels through 17 countries this year until the curtains come down in Brazil on Oct 21.

The second leg of the season will be the Malaysian GP on April 8.

A source said AirAsia’s Formula One partnership, reportedly costing more than RM10 million, could continue for the next three years.

"Taking a cue from their EPL tie-up, this AirAsia partnership with William F1 will once again earn them global visibility," said a source.

fairul

March 18th, 2007, 07:14 AM

to have Air Asia's name on the nose of the car...Tony have to fork out at least minimum of USD15million for that..

James Foong

March 18th, 2007, 09:51 AM

$15 million? Just wonder how much petronas is sponsoring sauber yearly?

Subangite

March 18th, 2007, 07:48 PM

$15 million? Just wonder how much petronas is sponsoring sauber yearly?

Not sure, but probably a whole lot more.. Nice to see Malaysian companies gaining more international exposure through F1. First Petronas now AirAsia..

OshHisham

March 19th, 2007, 05:29 AM

$15 million? Just wonder how much petronas is sponsoring sauber yearly?

petronas not only sponsors...but join develop the engine for the team

Greg

March 19th, 2007, 01:09 PM

LONDON, England (CNN) -- AirAsia X, the region's newest budget airline, has shelved plans for a July launch.

The airline was scheduled to start its service from Kuala Lumpur to Europe and China this summer, but it now seems more likely that it will launch in 2008.

While the low-cost start-up airline believed they had the right business plan in place, it became clear there was a "minor technical issues" - no planes.

The airline had planed to begin its services to China and the UK with just a few leased aircraft, either Airbus A330-300s or Boeing 777-300s, but the cost was thought to be too high.

"We are looking at the cost structure... we want the right aircraft and we won't start until the right mix of aircraft is finalized," the airline's chief executive Raja Mohamad Azmi told Dow Jones newswires.

Mr Azmi blames for the rise in cost of leasing wide-bodied aircraft on Airbus. The failure of the European plane maker to deliver its new superjumbo A380s on time has meant that many airlines are hanging on to their current fleet, plus more airlines are looking to lease large capacity aircraft to fill the gap.

Many industry observers thought the summer launch of the airline to be overly ambitious when it made the announcement in January.

"The delay is not really surprising," Brendan Sobie of Airline Business Magazine told the BBC.

"The expectations of being able to start a service in July seemed unrealistic given the lack of availability of aircraft."

AirAsia X are planning to splash out on 15 aircraft, but they probably will not delivered until the end of 2008 and will cost about $850 million.

Ultimately the airline hopes to have a network covering Asia, Australia, China, Europe, India and the Middle East and plans to offering return ticket prices between $80 and $450 between Malaysia and the UK.

AirAsia X is owned by regional airline Fly Asian Express (FAX), which is part owned by tycoon Tony Fernandes who controls South East Asia's biggest budget airline AirAsia.

AirAsia X has a 30 year franchise to use the AirAsia brand and its Web site for online bookings.

Subangite

March 19th, 2007, 03:41 PM

petronas not only sponsors...but join develop the engine for the team

Not really and not anymore.. Its been more than a year since this was the case. BMW which owns the Sauber team now provides and develops the engines, they've been doing so ever since they took over, which was after the 2005 season! Petronas no longer "develops" engines for the team, they are currently merely corporate team sponsors!!! By the way, even back when Petronas had a stake in the Sauber team, they didn't really "develop" Sauber F1 engines, Sauber Petronas licensed nearly every legally licensable part from Ferrari and even had several Ferrari engineers on staff, it was mere slapping on a Petronas badge on the Ferrari engines, not what I call "develop the engine for the team" as you said.

James Foong

March 19th, 2007, 05:22 PM

I get it. All the while i was feeling petronas sponsors come from the free supply of petrol to the team. :dunno:

OshHisham

March 19th, 2007, 08:18 PM

Not really and not anymore.. Its been more than a year since this was the case. BMW which owns the Sauber team now provides and develops the engines, they've been doing so ever since they took over, which was after the 2005 season! Petronas no longer "develops" engines for the team, they are currently merely corporate team sponsors!!! By the way, even back when Petronas had a stake in the Sauber team, they didn't really "develop" Sauber F1 engines, Sauber Petronas licensed nearly every legally licensable part from Ferrari and even had several Ferrari engineers on staff, it was mere slapping on a Petronas badge on the Ferrari engines, not what I call "develop the engine for the team" as you said.

it was reported that petronas was about to produce engine for F1 team..but soon after the economic crisis hit malaysia..the plan had been stopped.but then they have to use ferrari's....
and yes. petronas now no longer active in current team...not sure what they're doing there....

travellator

March 30th, 2007, 06:32 PM

Air Asia X to buy long haul Airbus jets
By John Burton in Singapore
Financial Times
Updated: 10:40 a.m. ET March 30, 2007

AirAsia X, the new Malaysian long-haul low-cost airline, is expected to announce next month that it will buy up to 15 Airbus A330-300 aircraft, according to people familiar with the order.

AirAsia X is also planning to start service in the fourth quarter of 2007 by leasing several aircraft until it takes delivery of the new Airbus aircraft.

The new carrier is being launched by Tony Fernandes, the founder and chief executive of AirAsia, Asia's biggest budget carrier.

AirAsia X is owned separately by Fly Asian Xpress, which operates on domestic routes in Malaysia and is majority controlled by Mr Fernandes. However, AirAsia is considering taking an equity stake later. AirAsia X is paying a licence fee to AirAsia to use its brandname.

The selection of Airbus for the long-haul fleet is not a surprise since AirAsia has ordered up to 100 Airbus A320s, which ensures compatibility between the two airlines in terms of maintenance and servicing.

The bulk order with Airbus also means that AirAsia and AirAsia X are likely to buy the aircraft at a discount. The A330-300 lists for about $170m, putting the potential value of the new order at $2.63bn.

Mr Fernandes is seeking to revive the concept of long-haul discount service pioneered by Freddy Laker with his trans-Atlantic SkyTrain in the 1970s.

AirAsia X will initially fly to Birmingham or Manchester in the UK and Tianjin or Hangzhou in China before adding other routes later to China, India, the Middle East, Australia and the US.

There are suggestions that AirAsia X may seek alliances with other carriers, with Virgin Atlantic and Air Canada both being mentioned as possible partners. Malaysia has supported the launch of AirAsia X as it seeks to establish Kuala Lumpur International Airport as a regional hub for low-cost carriers in competition against Singapore and Bangkok.

AirAsia X's launch of long-haul discount flight service between Asia and Europe would follow the launch last year of Oasis Hong Kong Airlines, which operates two Boeing 747-400 aircraft to fly to London. Viva Macau, another startup, also plans to launch European routes.
© The Financial Times Ltd 2007.

AhChuan

March 31st, 2007, 03:10 AM

^^ 15 Airbus A330-300 planes!!! So many!!! I wonder A330 can fly so long to UK....Well, congrats Airasia X!!! :okay:

ddes

March 31st, 2007, 05:00 AM

Way to go AirAsia X with the A330-300!! If only they open up SIN- KUL to other airlines, so I can fly to Europe via KUL on AirAsia X.

fairul

March 31st, 2007, 05:00 AM

^^ 15 Airbus A330-300 planes!!! So many!!! I wonder A330 can fly so long to UK....Well, congrats Airasia X!!! :okay:

for the UK flight...there will be one technical stop for refuelling...most probably at Sharjah....

cant wait for the China flight..can fly to Tianjin and can go sightseeing Beijing..:banana:

AhChuan

March 31st, 2007, 07:04 AM

fairul

March 31st, 2007, 07:57 AM

^^ Really?? Stop for refuelling?? I tot Airbus 330-300 can terus tahan till to UK.....Btw, where is Sharjah??

YEA!!! Is good to hav flight to Tianjin and other China cities....I hope got flight to Tokyo and Seoul...

nope..A330-300 is not capable to fly nonstop to UK..A330-200 have better range than the 300 series...sharjah is somewhere near UAE..

AhChuan

March 31st, 2007, 08:01 AM

nope..A330-300 is not capable to fly nonstop to UK..A330-200 have better range than the 300 series...sharjah is somewhere near UAE..

Well, I dun really like the idea of stopping by to refuel the plane...make ppl more tired...Flight times to UK almost 8 hrs...is it??? Then stop by again...maybe take 1-2 hrs again...

Why dun they stop at dubai at least...dubai more famous mah...:D

fairul

March 31st, 2007, 08:18 AM

Well, I dun really like the idea of stopping by to refuel the plane...make ppl more tired...Flight times to UK almost 8 hrs...is it??? Then stop by again...maybe take 1-2 hrs again...

Why dun they stop at dubai at least...dubai more famous mah...:D

nonstop flight to UK takes about 12++-13hrs depending on the wind..dubai? the landing fees is way expensive i suppose...well, sharjah is well known for technical stop...

AhChuan

March 31st, 2007, 08:25 AM

nonstop flight to UK takes about 12++-13hrs depending on the wind..dubai? the landing fees is way expensive i suppose...well, sharjah is well known for technical stop...

Haarrr???? Landing oso need to pay ah??? I really dunno lo...Not the planes with damage the runway also...Also, the airport's aerobridges oso need to pay rite?? I really confuse la...the aerobridges juz move a little bit oni mah....why need pay all this things?? Dun tell me those money for airport maintenances??

Oh I see, sharjah is well known for tht...ok lo.

chrishung

April 2nd, 2007, 01:15 AM

Haarrr???? Landing oso need to pay ah??? I really dunno lo...Not the planes with damage the runway also...Also, the airport's aerobridges oso need to pay rite?? I really confuse la...the aerobridges juz move a little bit oni mah....why need pay all this things?? Dun tell me those money for airport maintenances??

Oh I see, sharjah is well known for tht...ok lo.

Ei ei...you drive on road also need to pay road tax okay....everything need to pay one....you think MAB is a charity company ah? People still need to make money lah.

Nissan_FUGA

April 2nd, 2007, 03:01 AM

Airbus A330-300 range

Source : www.airbus.com

http://img139.imageshack.us/img139/3486/a3301od7.jpg

fairul

April 2nd, 2007, 03:10 AM

Way to go AirAsia X with the A330-300!! If only they open up SIN- KUL to other airlines, so I can fly to Europe via KUL on AirAsia X.

actually you can fly from SIN-KUL via SriLankan Airline...freaking cheap too...only RM150 with tax...depending on the days..u might be lucky coz some of the flight arrive at KUL around 1700++(other days will be morning arrival)...and most probably the AKX flight to UK will depart around late night....

AhChuan

April 2nd, 2007, 05:16 AM

Ei ei...you drive on road also need to pay road tax okay....everything need to pay one....you think MAB is a charity company ah? People still need to make money lah.

OK lo....tht why airasia din use the airport aerobridges, coz need to pay..rite??

klbloke

April 2nd, 2007, 05:49 AM

03/30/2007

THE ASAHI SHIMBUN

In what is likely to be a boon for travelers but a nightmare for rivals, Asia's fast-growing budget airlines are getting ready to enter the Japanese market.

AirAsia Chief Executive Officer Tony Fernandes said in a recent interview that his company hopes to launch a $150 (about 18,000 yen) round-trip service between Japan and Malaysia in 2008.

That rate is stunningly low compared to current prices.

"The cheapest we can go is 30,000 yen (for the same lap)," a Japan Airlines Corp. official said.

Airline industry officials describe AirAsia, Asia's largest budget airline, as the "Black Ship in the Sky," referring to U.S. Commodore Matthew Perry's fleet that cracked open an isolated Japan in the 1850s.

AirAsia, which was established in 2001, is known for offering the world's lowest fares.

A 150-minute one-way flight from Kuala Lumpur to Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia, costs a mere 7,000-8,000 yen when reserved a week in advance.

By comparison, a 120-minute flight from Tokyo's Haneda to Fukuoka costs about 20,000 yen on either JAL or All Nippon Airways Co. Discount carrier Skymark Airlines Inc. offers seats for about 25 percent less.

AirAsia, which serves as many as 12.1 million passengers a year, currently flies only within Malaysia or to nearby countries such as Thailand and Indonesia.

In January, however, the company said it will launch long-distance international services, first linking Kuala Lumpur with London and Chinese cities Tianjin and Hangzhou.

AirAsia is not the only budget airline crossing borders and going long-haul.

In October, Oasis Hong Kong Airlines started service between Hong Kong and London for a tax-exclusive 15,000 yen one way.

Indonesia's Lion Air plans to launch flights to Narita and Nagasaki in 2008.

President-Director Rusdi Kirana said the company hopes to link the two cities with Jakarta or Bali for about $300 round trip.

Peter Harbison, executive chairman of the Center for Asia Pacific Aviation, an Australian think tank, said Japan offers a lucrative market for Asia's start-up airlines expanding into long-distance international services.

Harbison predicts that the number of carriers looking to serve the Japanese market will increase in the future.

In Asia, budget airlines account for about 10 percent of all the seats offered in the region, far smaller than the share of nearly 50 percent in Britain and about 30 percent in the United States.

Still, the dozen or so start-ups in the region are attracting a growing number of travelers.

The companies trim frills throughout their operations, from reservations and in-flight services to aircraft maintenance.

AirAsia, for example, can fly one seat at 2.33 cents per kilometer, about 30 percent of the costs of major airlines.

"In addition to cheap labor costs, the company has successfully adapted the cost-cutting measures of U.S. and European budget airlines," said Ryu Tanji, JAL's corporate planning manager.

In principle, AirAsia accepts reservations only on the Internet and does not issue boarding passes.

Passengers bring the printouts of the computer screen to confirm reservations.

All seats are economy class, and passengers get seated on a first-come-first-served basis, which helps shorten boarding time.

It takes only 25 minutes for an AirAsia aircraft to land and take off for a turnaround trip, half the time at major airlines.

The company does not provide meal services on board. A cup of coffee is sold for about 140 yen, and a light meal for about 240 yen.

AirAsia also uses only two types of aircraft to save maintenance costs. Its fleet mostly consists of new models, which seldom break down.

Besides all these cost-cutting measures, the secret to AirAsia's ultra-lean operations lies in a special terminal at Kuala Lumpur International Airport.

The Low Cost Carrier Terminal is located in the cargo area, a 10-minute drive from the airport's grand international terminal building.

The two-story building, which looks more like a warehouse, serves 5 million passengers a year, a quarter of those at the international terminal.

Passengers walk across the tarmac to aircraft because there are no boarding bridges that connect the terminal with the airplanes.

Chan Kong Choy, Malaysia's transport minister, said he hopes that AirAsia will help position Malaysia as the hub for Asia's budget airlines.

Other no-frills airlines in Asia are also getting the backing of their governments.

Singapore has set up a terminal exclusively for low-cost carriers at Changi International Airport.

Thailand reopened a former international airport to discount carriers, partly because cracks were found on the tracks of the new airport.

The former airport was closed when Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport opened in September.

Experts question, however, whether Japanese passengers will fly on obscure airlines simply because they offer rock-bottom prices.

It also remains unclear whether the Japanese government will approve rates the airlines hope to offer or whether they can establish working relationships with Japanese travel agencies.

AirAsia's Fernandes appeared confident, however.

He indicated that the company is already looking for an airport that is willing to provide a terminal for discount carriers.

Fernandes said low fares have won a large following for AirAsia, although no one paid attention when the company launched operations in Malaysia.

The 43-year-old chief executive officer said the company will hang tough in Japan, too.

* * *

The stories on this page were written by Asahi Shimbun Senior Staff Writer Shinichi Mishima. The photographs were taken by Eijiro Morii and Shinichi Mishima.(IHT/Asahi: March 30,2007)

nazrey

April 16th, 2007, 08:24 AM

AirAsia, FAX finalising terms on long-haul services
By Isabelle Francis
11-04-2007:
THEEDGEDAILY

AirAsia Bhd and Fly Asian Xpress Sdn Bhd (FAX) are finalising the terms of the licensing of the AirAsia brand for FAX's proposed budget long haul international air services.

In a statement yesterday, AirAsia said the finalisation of the terms was being carried out as it continued to closely monitor the latest developments in FAX's proposed services.

"Discussions regarding the appropriate form, timing and amount of investment by AirAsia are on-going.

"Should the discussions progress positively, then the parties envisage that the relevant agreements will be ready for approvals and execution within six months of the signing of the MoU," AirAsia said.

The parties entered into the MoU on Jan 5, 2007 whereby AirAsia would grant FAX the right to operate and market its service under the AirAsia brand name for a licence fee or royalty.

FAX has invited AirAsia to participate in 20% of the equity of FAX via a capital injection at par value in FAX, with an option to increase it to 30%.

FAX, a private limited company, is a commercial airline currently plying domestic routes within Sabah and Sarawak.

travellator

April 22nd, 2007, 10:56 AM

looks like its going to be Airbus A330 instesd of boeing 777

Malaysia's AirAsia X to acquire 15 Airbus

KUALA LUMPUR (AFP) - Malaysia's long-haul budget carrier AirAsia X has decided to buy 15 Airbus A330-300, selecting the plane over the Boeing 777-200, an executive familiar with the deal said on Sunday.

"AirAsia X decided to pick the A330-300 because Airbus came with a better commercial deal and the delivery of the aircraft will be faster," he told AFP on condition of anonymity. He said the official announcement would come Monday.

AirAsia X was unveiled in January by low-cost aviation pioneer Tony Fernandes, who launched AirAsia as a regional budget carrier more than five years ago.

The new carrier will be operated by Fly Asian Express (FAX), which currently operates rural air services on Borneo island. It expects to carry half a million passengers in its first year of operation.

fairul

April 22nd, 2007, 11:30 AM

^^ easy conversion for their pilots...cant wait for the new livery..yeah..

pedang

April 25th, 2007, 05:05 AM

AirAsia offering 600,000 seats from RM1

Email us your feedback at fd@bizedge.com

AirAsia Bhd is celebrating its partnership agreement with the AT&T Williams Formula One racing team by offering 600,000 seats with fares as low as RM1 via its Fast & Furious campaign.

The tickets are available online only at www.airasia.com, and guests can start making their bookings from midnight April 23 to April 29 for flights between Oct 1, 2007, and March 2008.

One-way tickets to Penang, Langkawi, Johor Bahru, Kelantan and Kuala Terengganu start from as low as RM1.

Fares for international destinations start from as low as RM11. A flight to Macau (Hong Kong) starts from RM61, and Chiang Mai from RM41.

A flight to Palembang, Jakarta or Padang starts from RM11 and Bandung from RM21. Fares to Phuket start from RM21 and Hanoi from RM51.

All prices exclude airport taxes and fees, and fuel surcharges and are applicable for one-way travel only.

In a statement on April 24, AirAsia executive vice president, commercial, Kathleen Tan said: “We want to keep the momentum going. As fast as the Formula One cars go, we want to do the same with our low fares, offering unbeatable low fares that no other airline can beat.”

“Looking at how fast our seats were instantly grabbed in the past with similar promotions and campaigns, we encourage guests to book early for this deal as seats will be snapped up fast and furious as the travelling period is during the holiday and festive season.

“Our aim is simple, offer low fares to stimulate travel. We want more people to take AirAsia as their preferred way of travel and allow our guests to experience flying by bringing families and friends together while offering great new business opportunities to the people regionally,” she added.

Nissan_FUGA

April 25th, 2007, 05:23 AM

Source : http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2007/4/24/business/17528642&sec=business

http://biz.thestar.com.my/archives/2007/4/24/business/02airasia.jpg

klbloke

April 26th, 2007, 07:46 AM

fly asian xpress selects A330 for new long haul low cost operation

23 April 2007 - Fly Asian Xpress (FAX), the world’s first and newest long haul low cost airline, has announced its intention to order ten A330-300s with options on five additional aircraft. A Memorandum of Understanding signing ceremony between FAX Chief Executive Officer, YM Raja Mohd Azmi Raja Razali and Airbus Chief Operating Officer - Customers, Mr. John Leahy took place in Kuala Lumpur today. Also present to witness the signing ceremony were the Transport Minister of Malaysia, Dato’ Sri Chan Kong Choy and FAX Director, Dato’ Tony Fernandes.

The A330 is already the aircraft of choice for 60 customers and operators around the world and is the unquestioned leader in its class with a commanding market share and a continually expanding operator base. The A330 has excellent flexibility for a wide range of route structures, providing the operator with a very low operating cost per seat, as well as the widest and most comfortable cabin in its category. Its proven record of superior economics and passenger comfort provides the operator with a significant competitive advantage in the market today. The A330-300 has a range of up to 10,500km/5,650nm and has flown over five million operational hours.

"AirAsia’s long haul low cost business model is built on sustainable and continued delivery of every day low fares and the introduction of A330 superior operating dynamics plays an all-important part in bringing affordable air travel to customers. The A330s allow us to operate most cost effectively due to the aircraft’s excellent operational and fuel efficiency capabilities and hence will be one of the catalysts for the exciting fares our passengers will enjoy", said FAX Chief Executive Officer, YM Raja Mohd Azmi.

“The acquisition of the A330 aircraft marks a very important milestone in our journey to become the world’s first and most successful long haul low cost airline. We are very focused in realising this vision and believe we will offer an overall customer value proposition that will revolutionise the aviation industry. We believe this venture will be important for Malaysia as we will strive to make Malaysia the world’s biggest low cost hub, and are confident the route network of AirAsia domestic, regional and long haul operations will complement each other to drive passenger traffic from both long haul and regional destinations into and from Malaysia," said FAX Director, Dato’ Tony Fernandes.

“AirAsia has already successfully pioneered the introduction of low-cost airline operations across the region and is committed to a large fleet of A320s for long-term growth. We are delighted to see this innovative low-cost spirit extended to longer range routes operated by AirAsia Long Haul and are confident that the A330’s unbeatable combination of low seat costs and high passenger appeal will ensure great success for this new airline," said John Leahy, Chief Operating Officer – Customers, Airbus.

The A330 cabin is optimized for both flexibility and comfort. With generous, true wide-body fuselage, the A330 is able to accommodate seat and class configurations to suit operators’ requirements. Whatever the arrangement selected, the passenger’s comfort will not be compromised. The spaciousness of the A330 main deck is echoed in the lower deck since the large underfloor cargo capability allows airlines to carry more revenue-generating cargo consolidated on pallets and containers loaded side-by-side, something which is not possible in competing aircraft.

The new A330-300 aircraft are scheduled for delivery from the fourth quarter of 2008. In the meantime, FAX is in the final stages of firming up its interim fleet.

The new AirAsia Long Haul Low Cost Carrier aims to begin operations from the Low Cost Carrier Terminal in Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) to three destinations which will be announced in the fourth quarter this year. About Fly Asian Xpress Fly Asian Xpress (FAX) is the operating company for the new Long Haul Low Cost airline in Malaysia, launched in January 2007. Having franchised the AirAsia brand from AirAsia Berhad, the new Long Haul Low Cost airline aims to cover destinations which are more than four hours in flight duration from Kuala Lumpur, offering daily point-to-point frequencies to popular destinations in China, India, Europe and Australia at affordable fares.

FAX, a private limited company helmed by a board of directors Dato Kamarudin Meranun, Dato’ Tony Fernandes and YM Raja Mohd Azmi, was borne out of the rationalization of domestic routes to take over the Rural Air Services (RAS) to provide inter and intra state flight connectivity among all major cities in East Malaysia, operating turbo prop aircrafts, with a network distribution of 22 routes and 104 flights daily within Sabah and Sarawak.

About Airbus
Airbus is a leading aircraft manufacturer whose customer focus, commercial know-how, technological leadership and manufacturing efficiency have propelled it to the forefront of the industry. With a turnover of 26 billion euros in 2006, Airbus today consistently captures about half of all commercial airliner orders. The company also continues to broaden its scope and product range by applying its expertise to the military market.

Headquartered in Toulouse, France, Airbus is owned by EADS. It is a truly global enterprise of some 57,000 employees, with fully-owned subsidiaries in the United States, China, Japan and in the Middle East, spare parts centres in Hamburg, Frankfurt, Washington, Beijing, and Singapore, training centres in Toulouse, Miami, Hamburg and Beijing and more than 150 field service offices around the world. Airbus also relies on industrial co-operation and partnerships with major companies all over the word, and a network of some 1,500 suppliers in 30 countries.

For further information, media please contact:

Fly Asian Xpress/Air Asia
Name Position Tel Email Address
Arzila Arshad Marketing Manager (+603) 8866 4488 arzilaarshad@flyasianxpress.com
Kaarthik Velu Distribution Manager (+6017) 3355 868 kaarthikvelu@flyasianxpress.com
Shaku Kandan Snr. Marketing Executive (+6017) 3232904 shakuntala@flyasianxpress.com
Janet Leow Snr Executive, Media Relations (+6012 387 3358) janetleow@airasia.com

Airbus
Name Position Tel
Mei K Kuan Quattro Communications (+603) 7804 3088
(+6012) 3341 384
Aishah Mohd Nasir Quattro Communications (+603) 7804 3088
(+6012) 2350 123

klbloke

April 26th, 2007, 07:48 AM

web check-in

Enjoy a hassle free check in anytime*, anywhere from your computer.

From 23 April 2007, you can check in online when you:

• travel within Malaysia (Peninsula Malaysia, Sabah & Sarawak)
• has no check-in baggage and carry only 1 hand baggage (does not exceed the dimensions of 56cm X 36cm X 23cm and does not weigh more than 7kg)
• do not carry risk item / dangerous goods.
• are not any of the following guest(s):
- Expectant mothers.
- Guest(s) travelling with Infant(s) less than 8 days old.
- Guest(s) that require Special Assistance/Requirements.
- Guest(s) travelling alone below 16 years old.

All you need to do:
• Have your booking detail (booking number, destination & date) ready.
• Get the printer ready and connected to print out the boarding pass.
• Check in within 6 hours prior and up to 2 hours before Scheduled Time of Departure (STD).

Note:
*You can only check-in 6 hours prior and up to 2 hours before Scheduled Time of Departure (STD)

AhChuan

April 26th, 2007, 08:06 AM

OMG!!! :omg:...FAX wanna order Airbus?? Wowww!!! I tot FAX oni for very short haul??

klbloke

April 26th, 2007, 09:44 AM

AirAsia X to order up to 15 A330-300

Kuala Lumpur - Malaysian long-haul budget airline pioneer AirAsia X said Monday it will buy up to 15 new Airbus A330-300 aircraft to begin services as it branches out from its short-haul beginnings.

AirAsia X operator, Fly Asian Express (FAX), said it would buy 10 of the aircraft with an option for five more.

"Fly Asian Express, the world's first and newest and long-haul low-cost airline, has announced its intention to order 10 A330-300s, with options on five additional aircraft," FAX said in a statement.

"The new A330-300 aircraft are scheduled for delivery in the fourth quarter of 2008. In the meantime, FAX is in the final stages of firming up its interim fleet," it said.

AirAsia X was unveiled by aviation tycoon Tony Fernandes in January, who launched regional budget carrier AirAsia more than five years ago.

"Over the next five years we hope to have 25 (A330-300) aircraft," said Fernandes, who also announced a re-branding of the carrier.

"AirAsia X will go and will now be known as AirAsia long-haul," he said.

The catalogue price is 175 million dollars, and FAX chief executive officer Raja Mohamad Azmi said the purchase would be funded with a combination of borrowings and equity, but ruled out bond issues.

He said FAX would soon finalise the order for the optional five A330-300s.

"We are looking at it right now," Azmi said.

Fernandes is not the first to try budget long-haul travel but analysts say the model remains to be proven despite its success on short-haul flights.

AirAsia X was originally scheduled to begin flights to Britain in July this year, with seats to be available on the Internet from February with fares as low as 9.99 ringgit (2.97 dollars).

Operations hit a snag when Azmi said in March services may be delayed up until September 2008, with delays in Airbus's new super-jumbo disrupting the aircraft leasing market.

FAX Monday issued a new timeline, saying it would begin flights in the fourth quarter of 2007 from the low-cost carrier terminal at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA).

"Our first flight is out of KLIA in September 2007," said Azmi. "Essentially we are looking at China, Japan and Korea."Fernandes also said the airline, which now only has one leased A330-300 and is looking for two more, was changing its plans to start with shorter distance Asian destinations, rather than Britain.
"We need more aircraft. We have to get the right numbers of aircraft before we fly to Europe," Fernandes told reporters.

Destinations for AirAsia long-haul will include those in Japan, Korea, India, Australia, the Middle East and Europe, he said.

"We have secured a couple of landing rights to China. Among the routes are Tianjin and Hangzhou," AirAsia deputy chief executive, Kamarudin Meranum, added.

The A330-300 announcement cements a growing relationship between AirAsia and the European aircraft manufacturer.

In 2005-2006, AirAsia bought 100 A320s to service its expanding short-haul operations in the region and in January signed contracts buy 50 more of the aircraft, with an option for another 50.

"AirAsia has already successfully pioneered the introduction of low-cost airline operations across the region and is committed to a large fleet of A320s for long-term growth," John Leahy, Airbus chief operating officer, said in the statement.

Fernandes launched AirAsia as a regional budget carrier in December 2001 with two aircraft. It now has 50 planes flying to Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, Cambodia, Vietnam and the Philippines.

Agence France Presse

=========================

Skyprince

April 26th, 2007, 10:41 AM

^^and how about its destinations in Japan ? Hopefully I will be Fukuoka, which was slashed by MH last year. So that I could return home for less than RM 1000 every time :D

April 26th, 2007, 10:50 PM

Hey! I have choosen to fly Air Asia from Singapore to Bangkok in summer...what would you recommand to buy tickets via i-net right now or when I'm in Asia? can I save more money then?

Magician

April 27th, 2007, 02:58 AM

OMG!!! :omg:...FAX wanna order Airbus?? Wowww!!! I tot FAX oni for very short haul??

Oh I read the news... FAX wanna return all the rural routes to MAS/government, probably Firefly... anyway those routes are not money-making routes

Hey! I have choosen to fly Air Asia from Singapore to Bangkok in summer...what would you recommand to buy tickets via i-net right now or when I'm in Asia? can I save more money then?

Of course, the earlier you buy your ticket, it will be more cheaper... but, before you buy Airasia, check other budget airlines in Singapore as well, namely Jetstarasia, Tiger... the prices are very competative... but buy now you can save more money hehehe

AhChuan

April 27th, 2007, 05:55 AM

Oh I read the news... FAX wanna return all the rural routes to MAS/government, probably Firefly... anyway those routes are not money-making routes

Hmmm...well then, why still need FAX anyway?? Oledy got Airasia...

Magician

April 27th, 2007, 11:00 AM

FAX is a subsidiary of AirAsia, set up to manage the east Malaysia rural routes....

Now FAX wanna focus on its long-haul service... so those routes will be given back to MAS/Government... probably Firefly will take those routes...

fairul

April 27th, 2007, 01:11 PM

^^ correct me if im wrong..but what i know is that FAX is not a subsidiary of Air Asia..FAX is a private company which is under the control of directors Tony Fernades, Kamarudin Meranun and Raja Mohd Azmi..

at the moment..Air Asia does not own a stake in FAX...but this will change when Tony Fernandez announced that AK might take up at least 20% stake in FAX...

fairul

April 27th, 2007, 01:13 PM

Hmmm...well then, why still need FAX anyway?? Oledy got Airasia...

from my guess that the big guns don't want to mix up Air Asia business...its simple...say if this FAX's long haul project fail one day...so it wont affect Air Asia at all....

Magician

April 30th, 2007, 09:45 AM

fairul

April 30th, 2007, 02:06 PM

^^ yeah..he is everywhere now...:lol:

johnsonooi

April 30th, 2007, 03:51 PM

^^ yeah..he is everywhere now...:lol:

because

Everyone Now can fly!

:D

baqthier

April 30th, 2007, 06:03 PM

^ahhh my first time on AirAsia they were playing RKelly's I believe I can fly before taking off!

Skyprince

May 2nd, 2007, 06:45 AM

Why not Muscat ??!! :bash: :bash: :bash:

Airline plans Bahrain hub

MALAYSIA-based Air Asia Group, which owns the world's largest budget airline, is considering Bahrain as the hub for its new airline's Middle East operations, it was revealed yesterday.The new airline, Air Asia X, will operate on long-haul routes including Europe, India, China and Australia, with stops in the Gulf, group chief executive officer Tony Fernandes said yesterday.

"We find Bahrain, which is the gateway to the larger Middle East markets, including Saudi Arabia, an excellent location for our hub in the region," he told the GDN.

Mr Fernandes is in Bahrain along with Air Asia group deputy chief executive officer Kamarudin Meranun, to attend the Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix. Air Asia has sponsored the Williams F1 team.

"We hope to come back to Bahrain within two months and hold talks with the Civil Aviation Affairs to discuss our plans to fly to Bahrain," said Mr Fernandes.

"The initial feedback we received here has been very encouraging."

Air Asia, launched five years ago with two aircraft, now has 54 aircraft, which operate to 80 destinations in South East Asia.

"We have placed orders for 150 brand new Airbus 320 aircraft," Mr Fernandes revealed.

"We carried 11 million passengers last year and our forecast for this year is 18m.

"Since the launch we have carried 32m passengers and we offer the lowest fares in the world at $30 (BD11.3) for a 90 minute flight ."

The phenomenal success of Air Asia and its low cost, no frills customers philosophy has seen the airline expand its horizons both throughout the Asia Pacific region, said Mr Fernandes.

Air Asia currently operates narrow-bodied aircraft of a type which cannot fly long distances, he added.

"We have therefore decided to launch the new airline, Air Asia X, to operate wide-bodied aircraft to longer routes," said Mr Fernandes.

"We shall operate to many points in the Gulf, including Bahrain. Once in operation, we are confident of offering Bahrain-Malaysia return tickets at fares as low as $100-$200 (BD37.8- BD75.6).

The return fare from Kuala Lumpur to London will be only $250 (BD94.5), said Mr Fernandes.

"Air Asia's mission is to create new markets and to connect to points which were not connected before", he noted.

"We want to stimulate someone who never plans to fly by offering seats on our flights at an affordable cost."

Mr Fernandes said he was highly impressed with the marketing campaign undertaken by the Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix organisers.

fairul

May 2nd, 2007, 08:58 AM

muscat???? ^^ and your point is?

Skyprince

May 2nd, 2007, 09:05 AM

Yelah.. kalau Air AsiaX terbang ke Muscat.... senanglah nak ulang alik antara Malaysia dengan Oman nanti :D. Tak perlu beli tiket asing dari Bahrain ke Muscat-- harga tiket kapal terbang kat negara Arab mahallah.... ada jugak Air Arabia yang menawarkan tambang murah tapi tetap mahal

tbc

May 3rd, 2007, 12:48 PM

MALAYSIA-based Air Asia Group, which owns the world's largest budget airline, .....

Wah, big claim !! Since when ah ?!:ohno:

White_soX

May 3rd, 2007, 01:00 PM

Wah, big claim !! Since when ah ?!:ohno:

thought so.....

patchay

May 3rd, 2007, 01:33 PM

AirAsia to launch flights from KL and Bangkok to Shenzhen, China from 15 July, according to website and online newsletter.

klbloke

May 14th, 2007, 01:45 PM

AirAsia introduces 'Xpress Boarding'

May 14, 2007
SEPANG – AirAsia, the leading and largest low cost carrier in Asia, will soon introduce a new service; ‘Xpress Boarding’ beginning 15 May 2007. ‘Xpress Boarding’ will offer guests greatest choice over their seating arrangements onboard the aircraft. This new service provides guests the opportunity to be amongst the first to board and have the greatest choice of seats, ahead of the general boarding group at an introductory fee of RM20 one way. By paying a little more, guests may select their choice of seating, from front row seats, to aisle and window seats for their own expediency and convenience.

AirAsia, who practices a free-seating policy will extend the Xpress Boarding service to all airports within its network including those serviced by its sister companies, Thai AirAsia and Indonesia AirAsia. This service allows those who are prepared to pay a little extra to enjoy a head start to select the seat of their choice on a first come first served basis.

The airline’s free-seating policy encourages guests to be punctual at the boarding gate which is a crucial element for the airline’s 25-minute turnaround. A quick turnaround translates to cost savings, enhance operation efficiency which will in return be passed on to the guests, enabling the airline to offer consistent low fares.

Kathleen Tan, Executive Vice President, Commercial of AirAsia, said “We are constantly on our toes in innovating our product and services and with our extensive route network with the Airbus A320, AirAsia is attracting a more diverse group of travelers with special requests who are prepared to pay a little more for the enhanced service. We believe at the initial stage, most of our guests that are likely to take up this boarding service will consist of business, corporate and middle income travelers who are keen to get off the aircraft ahead of the rest upon landing. We believe this service will also prove enormously attractive for families who want to be able to sit together without the fuss of rushing to reserve seats and avoid the frustrating long queues upon boarding.”

“Today’s announcement is one of our steps to offer innovative products that meet the demand of the ever changing schedule of diverse target segment profiles; adapting to new consumer needs. This service has proven to be very popular amongst the other low cost carriers such as Europe’s leading and largest low fare airlines like EasyJet and Wizz Air. Xpress Boarding is nice to have; but it is not a must have” added Kathleen.

Xpress Boarding is sold online on a first come first served basis as part of the normal flight booking process at www.airasia.com or at any of the airline’s Sales Offices, Airport Sales Counters or Call Centre. Guests with Xpress Boarding may proceed directly to the boarding gate and be amongst the first to board and should be at the boarding gate no later than 30 minutes before the flight is scheduled to depart.

Fees:

Currency Xpress Boarding Fee
Malaysian Ringgit (MYR) 20.00
Thai Baht (BHT) 215.00
Indonesian Rupiah (IDR) 55,000.00
US Dollar (USD) 6.50
Macau Patacas (MOP) 50.00
Singapore Dollar (SGD) 9.50
Brunei Dollar (BND) 9.50
Chinese Yuan (CNY) 50.00
Philippine Peso(PHP) 300.00

klbloke

May 17th, 2007, 08:00 PM

Air Asia eyeing Adelaide, Melbourne

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=267914

Thursday May 17 17:56 AEST
Asia's biggest low cost airline - Air Asia - is eyeing Adelaide and Melbourne as new destinations for its new medium to long haul carrier.

Air Asia X will announce its entry point into Australia in July.

An offshoot of the highly successful, no frills, high frequency Air Asia brand - it will begin flights between Australia and Malaysia in September, Chief Executive Officer Tony Fernandes said on Thursday.

"My two favourite routes are Adelaide and (Avalon) Melbourne," Fernandes said.

"I would love to repay their faith in us, especially South Australia."
The new carrier will fly from Malaysia to Australia, Japan, Korea, China, Europe and the Middle East.

"Our philosophy is to get the fare as low as possible," he said at his airline base in Setang Airport.

"We are not appealing to the corporate market, we are appealing to the market that has never flown."

The company, due to announce its new chief executive next week, has ordered 15 new Airbus A330 aircraft which are due to be on line from September next year.

"There's no turning back," he said.

"We have launched that (Air Asia X), we have got staff, we have got one plane, 15 planes (on order), we are actively looking for routes."

Fernandes expected return flights between Australia and Malaysia would cost around 800-900 Malaysian Ringgit (A$285-320) return, with two flights daily.

He said his preferred first flight for the new carrier would be to Australia.

"If we get the pricing right there is no reason why we can't do two (flights) a day from KL (Kuala Lumpur)."

Australia's low cost carriers were "kidding themselves" with their fares saying they were "not really low cost," he said.

Since its launch in 2001, Air Asia has flown more than 20 million passengers around the region for prices as low as US 99 cents.

"We want to be the lowest cost product," he said.

"I don't see the fares being particularly low (in Australia).

"I would imaging that to Australia we will be doing an airfare of 800-900 ringgit return."

He explains that the Air Asia X medium to long haul flights would be a "different experience," with only limited seating allocations and passengers likely to pay for food and baggage requirements.

Fernandes said the South Australian government had approached the company about its plans to fly to Australia, which he expected would open the country up to 600 million South-East Asians for travel.

"Over 600 million South-East Asian people will be flying ... to KL then catch X to Australia," he said.

"They will fly from Cambodia, they will fly from Vietnam."

He ruled out Sydney Airport as a potential destination.

"I think Kingsford Smith is an expensive airport... I'd look at Newcastle before I go to Sydney."

Battling the effects of the tsunami, skyrocketing fuel prices and terrorism, Fernandes has turned the company into a 4.5 billion ringgit ($A1.6 billion) success, after buying a debt-laden Air Asia five years ago for just 36 Australian cents.

The former music industry businessman bought the airline three days before the September 11 terrorist attack in the US.

"It was a great introduction because from that day there has been nothing but strife," Fernandes said.

fairul

May 18th, 2007, 02:49 AM

i guess the reporters still get confuse...its no longer Air Asia X for the long haul...its Fax Airlines now....

forrestcat

May 18th, 2007, 03:00 AM

Skyprince

May 18th, 2007, 03:11 AM

^^ Good luck :banana:

Hopefully Air Asia will choose Fukuoka as its Japan hub. MAS terminated Fukuoka-KL from Sep 2006, hope AK will take it over.

fairul

May 18th, 2007, 03:21 AM

^^ Good luck :banana:

Hopefully Air Asia will choose Fukuoka as its Japan hub. MAS terminated Fukuoka-KL from Sep 2006, hope AK will take it over.

could be..since there's no more slot at at Narita or Haneda...lepas ni selalu ler awak balik Shah alam ye skyprince..

travellator

May 18th, 2007, 05:00 AM

AirAsia expands network its way

WHILE airlines across the globe are busy forming strategic partnerships, be they through code-share or alliances, budget airline AirAsia Bhd is adamant about expanding its network entirely on its own.

Within the next five years, AirAsia aims to double its current routes to 150 from 75, while associate airline AirAsia Long Haul intends to fly to 75 medium- and long-haul destinations across the globe - under the point-to-point model.

Among the areas to be covered by AirAsia Long Haul are South Asia, North Asia, Australasia, the Middle East, Africa and Europe.

Datuk Tony Fernandes, AirAsia's chief executive officer and Fly Asian Express director, feels that code-share will not fit into its overall expansion plan, and will interfere with its business focus.

"We do not believe in code-share as we feel that it will jeopardise the sovereignty of an airline. Besides that, the whole concept of sharing seat inventory as well as interlining will complicate the entire operations and this, in the end, will interfere with our focus."

While some might be sceptical about AirAsia's expansion strategy, Fernandes pointed out that Emirates is among the legacy carriers which have benefited from the point- to-point method.

In his recent meeting with his counterpart in Dubai, he was inspired to see how Emirates had managed to turn itself into one of the world's most profitable carriers, despite being in operations only for slightly over 12 years.

"Emirates is not in any alliance. Point-to- point enables them to be more focused, and this is the reason why they are successful. Through this method they don't have to worry about politics, local competition nor how neighbouring airlines or partners feel about their business decisions.

"This is basically what we envision AirAsia to be. We have, from the start, been very focused in what we do. Emirates' success is an inspiration to us in our network expansion plan," Fernandes told Business Times in an interview.

Most legacy airlines today are forming links with one another, and slowly moving away from the point-to-point network expansion model as a result of the increasingly challenging global aviation scene.

In light of volatile fuel prices and further air liberalisation talks, many airlines feel that strategic partnerships will enable them to enhance network efficiencies and eventually reduce risks of operating non-profitable routes.

In response to this, Fernandes argued that with the right marketing effort, there is no such thing as an unprofitable route.

He said that all destinations have the potential to be profitable if the right marketing and branding approach is adopted

"AirAsia has all the while been brave in introducing new routes that were not served by other airlines. Today, all these routes are making money.

"Every route can make money. It all depends on how you market these destinations," he said.

Fernandes further explained that a nation stands to gain a lot from having a strong airline, and that this is what Emirates has contributed towards making Dubai one of the world's economic powerhouses.

He pointed out the spin-off effects of the airline business on other sectors, such as tourism, hospitality, trade and property.

"Just look at Dubai. Because of Emirates' success, it is easier for them to develop other sectors, such as tourism, trade as well as property.

"This is something that we want to do as well. AirAsia, for a long time, has been in the shadows of Singapore Airlines (SIA). That is why we are going all out in beefing up our product as well as branding in an effort to turn Kuala Lumpur into the Dubai and Changi of low-cost carriers," Fernandes said.