#AK/FD/QZ/D7 | AirAsia / Thai AirAsia / Indonesia AirAsia / AirAsia X [Archive] - Page 9

patchay

April 28th, 2010, 03:35 PM

Give us Sydney, not Pyongyang, says AirAsia X
By Lee Wei Lian
The Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, April 28 — The government’s efforts to protect Malaysia Airlines is hurting the country’s economy as it is discouraging more connectivity, says AirAsia X which is involved in a tussle over rights to fly to Sydney and other key cities.

In an interview with The Malaysian Insider, AirAsia X CEO Azran Osman Rani said that he was told not to “disturb” Malaysia Airlines and consider flying to 34 cities not served by the incumbent including North Korea’s capital Pyongyang, Peshawar in Pakistan, Dili in East Timor, Almaty in Kazakhstan, Mahe in the Seychelles and Darwin, Australia.

Azran said that such thinking is bad for the country as Malaysia’s connectivity to key cities such as Beijing, Tokyo and Sydney is being compromised which will impact tourism, the second highest source of foreign exchange, as well as business as corporations take connectivity into account when deciding where to locate regional headquarters.

“You are spending so much money on Malaysia Truly Asia (tourism campaign) and does she (the minister of tourism) want the plane to fly to Pyongyang or Seoul?” said Azran. “Does she want the plane to fly to Sydney or Darwin? Does she want the planes to fly to key markets or small peripheral markets that we can’t even spell?”

He said that competition was good as it would grow the overall market and said that since AirAsia X started flying to Perth and Melbourne, traffic increased by 66 per cent and 48 per cent respectively while on the Kuala Lumpur and Sydney route, which it does not have rights to, traffic dropped by 27 per cent.

“The funny thing, the absolute irony is, the absolute irony – do you know where Malaysia Airlines is strongest?” said Azran. “It is domestic and Asean where they have the most competition from AirAsia. Look at their financial results. They are most profitable in domestic and Asean.”

“We seem to be paralysed, not being able to make what should be a very clear decision on how we are going to catch up to our regional rivals and yet we wrestle with what seems to be ‘Oh we have to protect national interest,” said Azran.

“Malaysia Airlines is not national interest. National interest is the Malaysian economy. But we still can’t make that distinction.”

He also said that some 110,000 Malaysians were flying to London indirectly via other cities while some 80,000 Malaysians were flying to Sydney indirect.

“The number of Malaysians going to Sydney via Singapore is growing phenomenally, more than 15 per cent per year,” said Azran adding that flights from Kuala Lumpur to Sydney via Singapore were cheaper than flying from Singapore to Sydney.

“Go to the Singapore Airlines website. What they quote KL-Sydney via Singapore is cheaper than what they quote for buying a ticket from Singapore to Sydney alone. Why do Malaysians take that option? It is cheaper, they have a choice of three flights a day, they fly the A380. It hurts our country because we are being hollowed out,” he said.

“Passengers flying to London are now being hubbed out of the middle east because the middle east carriers realise Malaysia has untapped demand. The number of Malaysians travelling indirectly to London is bigger than the direct flights to London.”

He suggested that the government look at Singapore which stressed connectivity and choice which ultimately benefitted Singapore Airlines.

“For all of Singapore Airlines successes, just about every flight that Singapore Airlines flies out of Singapore, there are alternative choices, there are other airlines that fly those routes,” said Azran.

“Despite all the innovations and service quality that Singapore Airlines is known for, it is one of the most cost efficient airlines and it is 15 per cent more efficient in terms of unit cost than regional peers. So it has a cost advantage and it has a quality advantage which is a winning proposition. If Singapore Airlines were to fly to Australia, it has to compete head to head with Qantas, British Airways and Emirates, with Qatar. If it goes to Europe it has to compete with Lufthansa, British Airways, Air France.”

“In contrast, Malaysia, you have an airline that flies a lot of routes that doesn’t have direct competition. It’s no surprise that Singapore Airlines has learned to innovate its business model. What the Singapore government has said is that what is important is the connectivity that Singapore as country is depending on, not ‘oh, we have to protect Singapore Airlines.’”

Touching on other matters, Azran said that AirAsia X would not be able to mount more flights to Europe or fly to the US until the new A350 jets are ready starting 2015.

Asked about whether long-haul budget airline is going to start flights to Paris after reportedly being given the rights by the French government, Azran said that he has yet to receive confirmation of the rights.

“It has yet to land on my desk,” he said. “Until it does, we cannot initiate detailed plans.”

Asked about complaints on airline review websites about AirAsia X food by Australian customers, Azran said that it was because the food on flights coming from Australia came from Australian caterers who were unable to replicate certain tastes.

“No matter how hard they try, they just can’t replicate the sambal taste of Malaysian caterers,” he said.

He also said that the AirAsia website will also be overhauled for a better customer experience and to enhance revenue and that he is looking at introducing new innovations to the AirAsia X menu but declined to elaborate.

Excerpts of the interview:

Q: What is our national policy?

A: That’s the problem. The national policy framework and the decision making framework isn’t clear. It should have been crystal clear, which is — what is in it for the country? But the problem we have and one of the issues we have in this country is the dichotomy of government as policy maker vs government as shareholder. Because therein lies the conflict. Am I interested in the economy and interested in consumers or, ‘I am a shareholder of a GLC so I am looking out for the interest of the GLC’ at the expense at the expense of consumers?

That is the fundamental problem. Today, if you still have policy makers, i.e. senior civil servants on the boards of these companies, you can see why there is a conflict. Then if you are on the board of the company, you want to see it succeed. The easiest way to be successful — protect lah. You can raise high fares, you don’t have to change and transform yourself, you can generate profits. But those are artificial profits, if you don’t go through the rigours of being more efficient.

Q: What have you proposed to the government?

A: The proposal is very simple. You have to allow airlines routes. You have to allow competition. The funny thing, the absolute irony is, the absolute irony – do you know where Malaysia Airlines is strongest? It is domestic and Asean where they have the most competition from AirAsia. Look at their financial results. They are most profitable in domestic and Asean. When you look at their latest results, domestic is a lot more profitable. Remember in the days before AirAsia? MAS was losing money on domestic routes. They needed hundreds in millions in subsidies.

Now because of AirAsia and lower prices, suddenly domestic is profitable. Why? Because you have to be a lot more efficient. And guess where they want to expand. If you look at their expansion plans — where are they adding flights? Perth! Where are they cutting back flights? Sydney! It (KL-Sydney) used to be 14 times now it’s 12 times a week! Perth they are adding flights! How do you explain that when we come in, more competition and they decide to add flights? Because when there is competition, the market grows. We grew the Perth total market in 2009 by 66 per cent. If you look at Malaysia Airports data, 2009 vs 2008, last year was 166 per cent that of 2008. Sydney — it was minus 27 per cent! So what gives? Melbourne is up by 48 per cent.

Q: You’ve suggested allowing competition on routes? What have they said?

A: You can even say (that we should be given) routes where we are far behind Singapore and Bangkok. Doesn’t that make sense? So that’s basically what we’re saying is allow us to address segments where Malaysia is strategically behind Singapore and Bangkok. That should make sense. The response has been frankly muted because they can’t seem to reconcile what is good for the country and the need to protect Malaysia Airlines. And we really need to address Malaysia Airlines and say – what is so problematic that you can’t accept competition? And the only argument that they raise is that when AirAsia X was first raised, it was meant to be complementary to Malaysia Airlines and not competition. Does that mean you don’t want competition? Does Singapore Airlines say ‘eh – I don’t want Qantas flying, I don’t want BA flying, not at all.’

Most of Singapore routes are flown by another carrier. They don’t complain. They get better. Just ask Malaysia Airlines, if competition is so bad, how come you are better now in Asean and domestic where competition with AirAsia is really intense? It used to be KL to Kota Kinabalu, someone would have to pay RM800 and maybe about six to seven flights a day. Now between AirAsia and Malaysia Airlines, they have 18 flights per day. It has tripled the number of flights, fares have come down, and Malaysia Airlines is profitable. So isn’t that a win-win-win? Good for the customer, trade and airlines.

Q: A lot of the public would tend to agree with you but what is going on with the decision makers?

A: The decision makers are struggling because number one, it’s unfortunate that you have senior members of the cabinet who have experience in the aviation sector who have opted to take a stance that competition between Malaysia Airlines and AirAsia is not good. We’ve had the opportunity to present to the economic council members and cabinet and to be fair, a lot of them see the clear rationale. But don’t listen to AirAsia X, ask the minister of tourism (Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen). She has to deliver on her KPIs. She has growth targets to meet. Where does she want her planes to fly? You need planes because you can spend RM100 million on campaigns but you will get zero extra tourists if you don’t have flights. So you are spending so much money on Malaysia Truly Asia and does she want the plane to fly to Pyongyang or Seoul? Does she want the plane to fly to Sydney or Darwin? Does she want the planes to fly to key markets or small peripheral markets that we can’t even spell?

It was positioned to us that AirAsia X does not bring tourists, we only bring transit passengers. Complete nonsense. Go to Tourism Malaysia websites, look at their 2009 numbers, inbound traffic. They look at bona fide tourists. Where are the biggest growth countries? Australia grew by 25 per cent. Now, Malaysia Airlines reduced their flights (to Australia) in 2009. So how did we get 25 per cent growth in inbound Australia tourists if it was not AirAsia X as no other airlines flies there? China grew, Taipei grew, UK grew, basically where AirAsia X flies. Korea — minus 15 per cent, Japan minus 7 per cent. So where we don’t fly, the market shrank.

Does competition really hurt Malaysia Airlines? If competition is really bad, and we just taking away passengers away from them, why are they adding flights to Perth? Why are they now having direct flights to Brisbane?

Q: One of the arguments is that Malaysia Airlines has to shoulder the burden of flying to unprofitable domestic destinations in the interior.

A: That is separate. That is under MAS Wings. That is completely sheltered. There is a specific programme for that. Their choice of international travel has nothing to do with that. The sad thing is that we look at a narrow view – that it is Malaysia Airlines and it is national interest. We need to look at the big picture and say we are falling further and further behind Singapore and Bangkok.

Korea — 64 flights a week from Seoul to Bangkok. Six airlines compete. Guess how many flights a week from Seoul to KL? 12! Where do you think Korean golfers want to spend their weekend? They will go to Bangkok because it is easy and flights are cheaper. And now there is opportunity because Thailand is struggling because of political instability so let’s grab the opportunity.

Q: Is that why they finally allowed you to fly to Seoul?

A: I think so and also because we told them that 2010 is a critical year because it is the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations, the president of the republic of Korea is going to visit Malaysia. That helps but this is a decision that was more than a year… to decide on something that is very obvious in terms of benefit to the country.

Q: Do you think that this signals a change, that they will now give you Sydney?

A: I am optimistic. Number one, we are very confident that when we start flying to Seoul, people will see the benefits very clearly on both sides. We should see a reversal of the trend of negative growth in 2009 to a positive growth in 2011. And that should pave the way. Because the facts are overwhelming, it is just a matter of time. If you are trying to protect Malaysia Airlines, you are going to run out of excuses very soon.

Q: I do get comments from visitors to KL that they only see Malaysia Airline planes on the tarmac and none from other countries.

A: Why? That is a very good question. You know, we used to have British Airways flying here. We used to have Virgin Atlantic. We used to have Air France. We used to have All Nippon Airways. We used to have Northwest. Why? Because, they have all been lured by Singapore and we have sat down and instead of saying ‘this is a national crisis and we need to be better at marketing and more aggressive’, we thought ‘oh good — less competition for Malaysia Airlines.’

Q: Do you really think it is a crisis situation?

A: I think it is a crisis situation, absolutely. Because the stakes are so high now. We can’t afford for the tourism sector to falter. We can’t afford for trade..Malaysia is one of the few countries where trade is bigger than GDP. We need international trade. How are we going to get international trade if we don’t have connectivity. Indirectly, the number of flights also affect decisions about where businesses should locate. That’s why most people locate in Singapore rather than KL. Because it is more convenient. A lot of economic activity comes when you have connectivity. When Khazanah National did a study, they identified that the aviation sector has a 12 times multiplier effect on the economy. For every one ringgit of revenue that an airline generates, there is twelve ringgit of impact to the economy because travellers have to use ground transportation, catering and maintenance.

Q: Do you have a breakdown of how many transit passengers you carry?

A: It’s not numbers we carry directly but we have numbers from government statistics that we carry anywhere from 35 to 40 per cent transit passengers on long haul flights, especially Australia. What’s interesting is that the Malaysia Airlines number is higher which is not surprising as from here they have flights going to India, to Rome, Frankfurt, Amsterdam. Malaysia Airlines numbers are closer to 45 to 50 per cent. Frankly transit also helps the economy. They still buy stuff, they still fill up the plane. Changi’s transit is more than 50 per cent. Dubai’s transit number is 80 per cent.

Q: What other innovations are you looking at for AirAsia X?

A: Without going into specifics, one of the new things for AirAsia as a group that is huge this year is a migration to a next generation booking engine. When that gets done, we’ll be able to introduce a whole range of new things that we are currently constrained from doing because of IT.

Q: Are you happy with the progress of the new LCCT?

A: I haven’t seen progress. I think it is important that a commitment was made by Malaysia Airports to get it ready by 2011 and that is about as tight as we can possibly manage. Originally it was mid-2011 and now it is end-2011. Anything beyond that will be painful. Already we are struggling with parking space.

The wide body AirAsia X planes, sometimes we have to park them way on the other side of the airport and tow the plane here which takes up a lot of time and cost. As we add more planes, that exacerbates the problem.

Q: What other European cities are you eyeing?

A: It all depends on the planes. If we were to use existing planes, that means we have to make one stop in the Middle East. If we do one stop in the Middle East, for that same plane we can go three flights a week to Zurich or Manchester as opposed to seven flights a week to Sydney. That means you can carry 40,000 passengers a year or 110,000 passengers a year. You fly double the distance but not double the revenue. We lose out if we are told to fly to European countries until we get the A350. We’ve done our part. More than 50 per cent of AirAsia X flights are to new airports — Gold Coast, Hangzhou, Tianjin, Chengdu. We’ve pioneered a lot of routes.

Q: Do you plan to take up any of the 34 cities that have been offered to you?

A: No plans to take it up. It makes no economic sense. Does Maybank tell Hong Leong bank to go to South America so there is less competition?

[B]Tee Keat chides AirAsia X over tussle for Sydney rights
By Boo Su-Lyn
The Malaysian Insider

PUTRAJAYA, April 28 — Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat (picture) hit back today at AirAsia X for suggesting the government was protecting Malaysia Airlines and hurting the economy by discouraging more connectivity.

“It’s unfair for any airline to make such allegations,” Ong told reporters here today.

He said there were reasons behind the government’s decision in awarding routes, but he did not disclose those reasons.

The Malaysian Insider understands that Malaysia Airlines had lobbied hard to the Cabinet for it to be given exclusive rights for the KL-Sydney route.

In an interview with The Malaysian Insider published today, AirAsia X CEO Azran Osman Rani said that he was told not to “disturb” Malaysia Airlines and consider flying to 34 cities not served by the incumbent including North Korea’s capital Pyongyang, Peshawar in Pakistan, Dili in East Timor, Almaty in Kazakhstan, Mahe in the Seychelles and Darwin, Australia.

Azran said that such thinking is bad for the country as Malaysia’s connectivity to key cities such as Beijing, Tokyo and Sydney is being compromised, and will impact tourism, the second highest source of foreign exchange. In addition, business and corporations take connectivity into account when deciding where to locate regional headquarters.

Responding to Azran’s statement this afternoon, Ong said that just because AirAsia X did not get approval for landing rights to Sydney, it did not mean that “forever you are not going to get it.”

Ong would not, however, divulge the criteria used by the government to allocate routes to both AirAsia X and Malaysia Airlines.

“But one of the criteria I can tell you…one of the criteria is how much it will benefit the economy of the country,” he said.

“We need to acknowledge whether that route is a dedicated route or a parallel route,” he added.

“A parallel route means…someone is already servicing that particular sector. And you come in and apply for the same route. Now definitely we have to take a hard look.”

The criteria which the government will consider in that case are passenger load and market capacity, according to Ong.

“I know that someone made a statement,” Ong said. “But the thing is, my advice is, don’t jump the gun.”

Azran from AirAsia X had argued that competition was good as it would grow the overall market and pointed that since AirAsia X started flying to Perth and Melbourne, traffic increased by 66 per cent and 48 per cent respectively, while on the Kuala Lumpur and Sydney route, which it does not have rights to, traffic dropped by 27 per cent.

“We seem to be paralysed, not being able to make what should be a very clear decision on how we are going to catch up to our regional rivals and yet we wrestle with what seems to be ‘Oh we have to protect national interest,” said Azran.

“Malaysia Airlines is not national interest. National interest is the Malaysian economy. But we still can’t make that distinction.”

He also said that some 110,000 Malaysians were flying to London indirectly via other cities while some 80,000 Malaysians were flying to Sydney on an indirect route.

SHAH FIRDAUS

April 29th, 2010, 12:40 AM

Air Asia to use nasi kandar as selling point
By Marina Emmanuel
Published: 2010/04/29

PENANG'S gastranomic icon - the nasi kandar - will be the marketing channel tapped by low-cost carrier AirAsia Bhd to promote its newly launched Penang-Chennai route.

Chairman Datuk Aziz Bakar said nasi kandar outlets in the island state will be one marketing source for the airline, where restaurant workers are mainly Indian nationals.

"The nasi kandar operators, who themselves are wealthy, are also another potential group of travellers for us," he told reporters at the Penang International Airport yesterday.

Aziz welcomed 165 passengers on board AirAsia's inaugural AK 5702 flight, which landed from Chennai at 3.40pm. The route is a welcome relief to South Indian-bound passengers from the northern states who have had to fly either via Kuala Lumpur or Singapore to Chennai previously.
Malaysia Airlines had stopped serving the Penang-Chennai route more than eight years ago.

"With this new route connecting Malaysia's most popular northern state and India's fifth most populous city, we hope to bring in more Indian tourists to discover Penang, and the rest of Malaysia, in line with Tourism Malaysia's target of 650,000 Indian tourist arrival this year," said Aziz.

AirAsia conquered the Indian skies in January this year by launching six new routes to the sub-continent. They include Bangalore, Hyderabad, Mumbai and New Delhi.

The Kuala Lumpur-Chennai route will be operating on May 17.

Read more: AsiaAsia to use nasi kandar as selling point http://www.btimes.com.my/Current_News/BTIMES/articles/nasik/Article/#ixzz0mRAy8rBZ

musang

April 29th, 2010, 05:40 AM

hakz2007

April 29th, 2010, 06:48 AM

MALAYSIAN BUDGET AIRLINE AIRASIA PLANS TO COVER ALL MAIN CITIES OF ASEAN
PENANG, MALAYSIA, April 29 (NNN-BERNAMA) -- Malaysia's AirAsia, the region's biggest budget airline, plans to expand its network to cover all the main cities within the 10-country Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean), says its Chairman, Aziz Bakar.

He said in this northern Malaysian state Wednesday that the airline had submitted applications to the relevant parties to operate flights to almost all the key cities in the countries.

"We have put in the applications according to the set procedures," he told reporters after welcoming 165 passengers who were on board the first AirAsia flight from Chennai in southern India to the Bayan Lepas International Airport here.

He added that AirAsia, which has successful affiliates in Indonesia and Thailand as well as a long-haul, low-cost affiliate, AirAsia X, is giving priority to raising the number of destinations it flies to within Asean, followed by coverage of other Asian countries.

Asean groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

On the Chennai-Penang flight, Aziz said the airline would offer one flight daily for now and increase thefrequency if the response was good. "With this flight, we hope more tourists from India will visit Penang and other states in the country."

AirAsia also flies to other cities in India namely Bangalore, Hyderabad, Mumbai and New Delhi from Kuala Lumpur. http://www.namnewsnetwork.org/v2/read.php?id=118480

Cerulean

April 29th, 2010, 09:10 PM

hmm azran can be quite a pain in the neck.. but then again he was well known for 'oh yes we can do for RAS with FAX' and eventually and conveniently handed it over to MAS/Govt... ha haa what a joke that guy is, always lingering behind DTF shadow.

pls dont get me wrong, i am all for fair competition. but i am not so fond of this guy whenever he came up with something in the news. he cant even explain why 'he' pulled out from Abu Dhabi when in actual AAX cannot compete with Etihad. this is so surreal.. if they had proven they are the 'market pioneer' y cant he market well of those 34 cities 'we can't even spell.' as if foreigners can spell KL correctly...
Azran did explain about the reasons on why D7 pulled out of AUH in many business related journals and interviews. If I could recall, it was because of underwhelming demand especially ex KUL and high operation cost on top of jetfuel price in AUH that is triple the cost of the same in KUL. D7 deployed the 4 engines A343s to AUH, a type of airliner which consumes more jetfuel than the standard A333s in D7's fleet.

But I do agree with you that part of the failure is because of EY. I think EY has outstanding products that are competitively priced. Just do any random online search or ask for quotation from any travel agents, chances are EY flights will come out the cheapest.

musang

April 30th, 2010, 08:30 AM

it was because of underwhelming demand especially ex KUL ...

cud be rite there, had tried b4 they pulled out from Abu Dhabi but cudnt get a single seat to KUL.. hence decided to fly back with Jet Airways via Madras to KUL ha haa

musang

May 1st, 2010, 03:50 AM

COMMENT
By TENGKU DATUK AZMIL ZAHRUDDIN from The Star...

AIRASIA X has been lobbying its cause aggressively in the media locally and abroad to fly to destinations operated by Malaysia Airlines (MAS).

On the surface, its argument appears logical: Open up Sydney, Seoul, etc., as that is best for the country.

There are two sides to any argument and I would like to take this opportunity to put forward the MAS point of view.

A bit of history: Under the domestic rationalisation exercise in March 2006, MAS was asked to give up the operations of the rural areas in Sabah/Sarawak and hand them over to AirAsia Bhd.

MAS was awarded 19 trunk routes to operate and AirAsia was granted both the trunk and non-trunk routes (about 96 routes). AirAsia subcontracted non-trunk routes to its wholly-owned subsidiary, Fly Asian Xpress Sdn Bhd (FAX).

FAX operated the service from September 2006 to September 2007. There were countless complaints about the unreliability of its services which severely and negatively impacted communities, tourism and businesses in Sabah and Sarawak.

The Government asked MAS to take back the rural air services and MAS’s wholly-owned subsdiary, MASwings, took over on Oct 1, 2007. During that one year of FAX’s operation, it was paid more than double what MASwings received for the same scope of services over the past two years.

FAX was subsequently renamed AirAsia X.

In just some three years of operations after dumping the rural air services, AirAsia X has obtained rights for nine routes: London, Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane, Mumbai, New Delhi, Taipei, Beijing and Shanghai.

Flight rights and hubs

Recently, AirAsia X announced it has been given rights to fly to Seoul. But to date, there has been no Government announcement. AirAsia X was recently also granted the rights to fly to Male and the rights were transferred to AirAsia.

Excluding the rights to fly to Seoul and Male – assuming this is official – 90% of AirAsia X’s routes overlap with those operated by MAS. On the other hand, only 17% of Tiger, Singapore Airlines (SIA) and SilkAir’s routes overlap.

We will stand up and be counted. Yes, MAS lobbies the Government. So do AirAsia and AirAsia X. As an airline, we have transformed and we are fighting for our rights, as are AirAsia and AirAsia X.

Let me outline our viewpoints and why we stand behind the facts – not blind accusations – that we presented to the Government:

What makes Suvarnabhumi and Changi great hubs is that these airports provide customers with many destination choices.

Some 93 airlines operate out of Suvarnabhumi to over 187 cities in 71 countries. About 85 carriers operate from Changi to more than 200 cities in 60 countries.

On the other hand, some 50 airlines operate from KL International Airport (KLIA) to 100 cities in 44 countries.

What makes Changi a good hub is the number of destinations it offers. This gives consumers greater choice. For example, someone who wants to fly to Moscow has to go via Changi as there are no airlines flying to Moscow directly from KLIA.

If someone from Melbourne wants to fly to Moscow, he is likely to go via, say Changi, and not KLIA. AirAsia X can fly 10 times a day to Melbourne and this passenger is still more likely to use Changi.

If AirAsia X is serious about providing customers “with choices”, it should fly to new destinations. There are 34 or more new destinations that currently do not have direct flights from KL. All these destinations are within the range of AirAsia X’s A330-300s.

AirAsia X has been lobbying the Malaysian Government saying that it deserves to get the rights to fly to any destination because it has bought so many aircraft.

Yet, it is not willing to consider any of these 34 cities because it claims that these cities do not make economic sense.

Amongst the 34 are Fukuoka and Nagoya in Japan, and Chongqing in China. All these routes are operated by both SIA and Cathay Pacific. SIA also operates to Ahmadabad in India and Cairo in Egypt.

One of the destinations which the Transport Ministry lists as being granted to AirAsia X is Paris/Orly. Interestingly, AirAsia X CEO Azran Osman-Rani told MalaysianInsider in an interview dated April 28, 2010: “It (the rights) has yet to land on my desk. Until it does, we cannot initiate detailed plans”.

If AirAsia X’s argument is that it does not have planes or the correct aircraft, note that it has two A340s, each of which has a 12-hour flying range. It can also operate the A330s with one stop in the Middle East.

In addition, AirAsia X has applied for and been granted the rights to fly to many cities which it is not exercising. These cities include Amritsar, Cheongju, Pusan, Tianjin, Xian, Bahrain, Sharjah, Berlin, Manchester, Dublin, Vienna and Moscow.

AirAsia X is not keen to operate to these new destinations as it is well aware that it takes years of investment to make a route profitable.

Case in point is Abu Dhabi. SIA flies to Abu Dhabi. Yet, AirAsia X pulled out from Abu Dhabi after just three months in operation, citing that the route is not profitable.

When MAS flies to a new route, we are likely to incur losses in the first year up to the first five years as we spend money to develop awareness in the new destination and expand the market. This is an investment we are prepared to make, as short-term losses can result in long-term profits. In the long run, it is good for the country and gives consumers more choice.

For example, for the past 20 years, we invested tens of millions (of ringgit). Even today, we invest some RM100mil annually in marketing costs alone in Australia.

If AirAsia X is really serious about “choices for the people”, it will fly to destinations where it has the rights to. But the reality is that AirAsia X is only interested in MAS’ routes. Is this then in the best interest of the country?

For the record, we have been competing with various global, full service carriers for the past 60 years and competition is not new to MAS. We welcome competition as it means that we have to constantly transform ourselves – which is what we have been doing intensely in the past four years.

Passenger numbers

Let us also set the record straight on the information that AirAsia X has been providing to the media to support its claim to fly to Sydney and Seoul.

Azran claimed in the same interview that “some 80,000 Malaysians were flying to Sydney indirect.”

PaxIS (passenger intelligence services) data (collated by the International Air Transport Association), which captures all full service airline transactions, shows that in 2009, only 2,848 passengers travelled from KL to Sydney via Singapore. In 2010, the number is reduced to only 2,359. It would be good if AirAsia X can substantiate its allegations.

For Seoul, Azran claimed: “We should see a reversal of the trend of negative growth in 2009 to a positive growth in 2011” on the assumption that AirAsia X were to fly to Seoul.

For the first three months of 2010, tourist arrivals from South Korea grew by 26% compared with the same period in 2009. MAS’ passenger growth was up 48%. The trend is already strongly positive.

Both MAS and AirAsia X bring in tourists to the country. Tourism studies indicate that there is a 12 times multiplier effect to the country.

This year, we expect to fly in 5.5 million passengers. We expect this to generate some RM12.7bil of tourism dollars for the country.

However, most of AirAsia X’s passengers are in transit. For example, AirAsia X has said that 80% of its Australian passengers on AirAsia X self-connect to other destinations after arriving in KL.

In other words, while AirAsia X increases traffic into the country, most of their passengers transit in KL to other destinations. Although this makes the arrivals figures look higher, these passengers may not spend much money in Malaysia. This means less economic value to the country.

However, if AirAsia X operates to new destinations and invests in promoting Malaysia, it will go a long way to attract tourists from different countries and boost tourism in Malaysia.

In July 2008, when we met the Transport Minister, we proposed a clear framework for the aviation sector.

This framework will involve airlines, airports as well as a range of services to airlines and airports, MRO (maintenance, repair and operation) and catering. The sector contributes about 4% to Malaysia’s gross domestic product. Beyond its direct contributions to the economy, the aviation sector is a key enabler of tourism and commerce.

It is never too late to start. Malaysia needs a clear aviation policy – one that offers real choices to consumers and that benefits the country. It must be a long-term, comprehensive and impartial policy that will ensure that the country and rakyat takes precedence.

One that will ensure that KLIA becomes a regional hub, on par with Changi and Suvarnabhumi and that all local airlines – MAS, Firefly, AirAsia and AirAsia X – are given equal treatment, with consideration given to what is best for the country.

At the time we made the proposal, AirAsia was not advocating this. I am glad that it now thinks that this is a good idea.

The winner should not be the one who shouts the loudest in the media. Nor lobby the hardest. We need to learn to compete and collaborate, and work with the Government to achieve the nation’s aspirations.

● Tengku Datuk Azmil Zahruddin is managing director/CEO of MAS.

nazrey

May 9th, 2010, 04:07 PM

AirAsia selesaikan hutang dengan MAHB akhir 2009
May 6, 2010, Thursday
http://www.theborneopost.com/?p=28370

KUALA LUMPUR: Syarikat penerbangan tambang murah AirAsia telah menyelesaikan segala tunggakan hutangnya kepada Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (MAHB), Dewan Negara diberitahu semalam.“Sehingga akhir 2009 tiada sebarang hutang tertunggak oleh syarikat penerbangan AirAsia kepada MAHB dan pihak MAHB sentiasa memantau dari semasa ke semasa bagi memastikan tidak terdapat sebarang hutang oleh syarikat tersebut,” kata Timbalan Menteri Pengangkutan, Datuk Abdul Rahim Bakri di Dewan Negara di sini semalam.

Beliau menjawab pertanyaan Senator Zainun A. Bakar yang ingin tahu jumlah tunggakan lapangan terbang AirAsia kepada MAHB sehingga akhir 2009 dan langkah-langkah yang diambil MAHB untuk mengutip hutang berkenaan.

Zainun juga ingin tahu mengapa MAHB memberi diskaun sebanyak RM25 juta daripada RM132 juta tunggakan hutang AirAsia terhadap MAHB.

Bagi menjawab soalan itu, Abd Rahim berkata inisiatif tersebut diberi berdasarkan persetujuan kedua-dua pihak setelah rundingan diadakan.

Katanya, sehingga akhir 2009 AirAsia telah menjelaskan segala tunggakan mereka kepada MAHB dengan siri pembayaran bermula pada 19 Ogos 2009 sebanyak RM20 juta, 28 Ogos (RM20 juta), 4 Sept (RM20 juta), 18 Sept (RM20 juta) dan 30 Sept (RM32.6 juta). “MAHB memberi diskaun berkenaan setelah satu rundingan komersial antara kedua-dua belah pihak dijalankan sekali gus bagi menjaga kepentingan masing-masing.

“Hutang yang dibayar itu juga bukan hanya untuk caj lapangan terbang tetapi ia turut melibatkan beberapa caj lain seperti caj parkir, caj pendaratan dan sewa pejabat,” katanya.

Dalam pada itu, beliau menafikan dakwaan AirAsia yang menyatakan syarikat itu tidak diberi laluan seperti yang dipohon mereka.

Ini kerana, katanya, terdapat 14 laluan yang diluluskan untuk syarikat berkenaan termasuk laluan yang menghubungkan Manchester dan Zurich yang belum beroperasi.

“Selain itu, kementerian juga akan melihat kesan kepada syarikat sedia ada dan jika kesannya membawa kerugian kepada kedua-dua syarikat itu, kita tidak akan membuat keputusan mengenainya.

“Sumbangan kepada negara juga diambil kira, jika ia memberikan sumbangan meningkatkan imej Lapangan Terbang Antarabangsa Kuala Lumpur (KLIA) sebagai hab penerbangan, maka kita akan memberikan kelulusan terhadap laluan dimohon,” katanya menjawab dakwaan yang dibangkitkan Senator Datuk Daljit Singh Dalliwal bahawa AirAsia tidak diberikan laluan seperti yang dimohon syarikat berkenaan. — Bernama

nazrey

May 10th, 2010, 02:53 PM

AirAsia introduces new baggage policy
Published: 2010/05/10

LOW COST carrier AirAsia has introduced the Pre-booked Baggage Supersize Fees, which allow its customers savings up to 50 per cent, when they "supersize" their baggage online.

In a statement, AirAsia said the step towards revamping its baggage fee structure, is to offer more affordable rates to its customers with baggage of 20kg to 30kg.

Under the "Supersize" option online, 20kg of baggage is offered at RM30 while for non-Supersize, it is RM30 for the first 15kg and up to RM20 for each subsequent kilogramme at the counter, it added.

Its Head of Ancillary Income, Rafizah Amran said customers are often faced with problem of excessive weight and exorbitant baggage fees and last year 660,000 people paid RM91 million for excess baggage.

Customers are invited to log on to the Airline''s website at www.airasia.com to know more about the fees.

BERNAMA

arodzi

May 12th, 2010, 09:03 PM

JFK??,hmmm normally airlines here would land in Newark Liberty,but it will be nice to see AirAsia flying to JFK one day :)

Newark pun tak pe... just curious how much they will charge for air fare...

rizalhakim

May 13th, 2010, 05:00 AM

AirAsia to offer multi-currency e-ticketing system
http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/5/13/business/6250785&sec=business

rizalhakim

May 14th, 2010, 05:03 AM

AirAsia starts flying toTeheran in July
Published: 2010/05/14

AIRASIA (5099)will be flying to Teheran, Iran, from July onwards, expanding its range of destinations in the Middle East.

Transport Minister Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat said this will make the airline the only low-cost carrier to serve the region.

He said the flights, which will run five times a week, was consistent with the government's aim to strengthen greater air links with the Middle East.

"In the future and subject to market demands, we hope to establish greater air links with the Arab world and take advantage of the enormous economic potential the Middle East countries offer."
Malaysia Airlines currently flies to eight Arab countries including Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Oman and Lebanon at a frequency of 33 times a week, including 21 routes under the MAS codeshare policy.

"We currently have Air Service Agreements with 11 Arab countries. Of the 11, we have liberal traffic rights or no restrictions on passenger capacity, frequency and aircraft type in six countries.

The countries with liberal traffic rights are namely Bahrain, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen.

"It is the government's wish that we continue to promote Malaysia as an important destination for Middle Eastern tourists," he told reporters in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

Earlier, Ong launched the Marhaba Golden Card, a discount card targetted at Arab tourists.

The card provides users with discounts and promotions in some 200 retail outlets and restaurants and 10 hotels.

The hotels include several in Kuala Lumpur and Langkawi while the retail outlets cover a variety of products such as electrical goods, watches and cameras.

The discount card is an initiative under the Marhaba Programme which was launched in 2009 and managed by IMAF Sdn Bhd, a locally-based Arab company.

Ong said the success of the Marhaba Programme is proof of the growth in the country's tourism industry.

"The expectations of the increasing number of Arab tourists have also become more complex.

"New and unconventional methods are needed to give these tourists a more comfortable stay and to ensure that they return," he said.

hakz2007

May 15th, 2010, 11:30 AM

AIRASIA OFFERS THREE FREE FLIGHTS PER DAY TO LUCKY JOB APPLICANTS
KUALA LUMPUR, May 14 (NNN-Bernama): AirAsia Bhd is offering three free flights per day to selected AirAsia destinations to lucky job applicants during the National Youth Day 2010 carnival in Putrajaya starting Friday to May 16.

In a statement here Friday, the airline said it would conduct walk-in interviews for flight attendants, ground operations personnel and executives.

"So come to the carnival and visit AirAsia's career booth and get yourself a job," it said.

AirAsia will also have a booth at the Jobstreet career event at the Putra World Trade Centre on May 14-16.

"Prospective job-seekers are invited to come and talk to representatives about career opportunities at AirAsia," it said.http://www.namnewsnetwork.org/v2/read.php?id=120315

Johnvb

May 17th, 2010, 05:45 PM

free seat sale on now

buiscasey

May 17th, 2010, 08:55 PM

server is busy...

Johnvb

May 18th, 2010, 11:08 AM

Very busy! I just booked cheapo seats to STN though

ZaHiRnYa???

May 18th, 2010, 04:26 PM

got RM544 return to Melbourne last nite. okay la.

dengilo

May 19th, 2010, 08:47 AM

got RM544 return to Melbourne last nite. okay la.

:banana:That is a deal!!!:cheers:

nazrey

May 19th, 2010, 12:33 PM

AirAsia offers one-way fare of A$378 from Australia to London via KL
May 19, 2010, Wednesday

MELBOURNE: AirAsia is offering a one-way fare from Australia to London via Kuala Lumpur for A$378, as part of a special network sale that sees virtual giveaway fares as low as A$3 a flight.Also, Tiger Airways is vowing to keep pushing down domestic air fares and has its eyes on expanding services that may include the Pacific Islands and flights to Indonesia, the Sydney Morning Herald reports.

As of yesterday until May 23, AirAsia is offering cut-price fares to 70 of its destinations, for travel between Jan 3 and May 8 next year.

An airline spokesman told the newspaper “tens of thousands” of seats were being offered in the sale across the AirAsia network.

AirAsia is also selling seats from Melbourne, Gold Coast or Perth to Kuala Lumpur from A$129. Fares include mandatory taxes and charges.

Return fares from London to Australia may not be identical (airport taxes differ) but are similarly low.

AirAsia has A$3 fares available on the routes of Kuala Lumpur to other Malaysian destinations, including Langkawi, Kuching and Penang, with A$9 and A$18 fares to other parts of Asia. The cheapest fares are for bookings made through the AirAsia website only. — Bernama

World 2 World

May 23rd, 2010, 09:16 AM

:applause: Congratulations Air Asia:)

AirAsia is the world's best low-cost airline again, says Skytrax.

Some 18 million travellers polled worldwide chose AirAsia as the World's Best Low-Cost Airline for the second consecutive year, says the respected London-based aviation consultants in its annual global survey.

AirAsia said it came out top in the independent survey that measured airlines' products and services standards.

AirAsia chairman Datuk Abdul Aziz Abu Bakar received the award on behalf of the airline at a ceremony in Hamburg, Germany, yesterday. The carrier was also named Best Low-Cost Airline Asia at the ceremony.
AirAsia group chief executive officer Datuk Seri Tony Fernandes said the Skytrax award was very special to AirAsia as it was voted in by passengers.

"The award is public and global recognition for the efforts of my colleagues, the AirAsia Allstars. They are the foundation of AirAsia's success". he said.

He said the dedication, commitment, creativity and hardwork they displayed everyday, day in and day out, enables AirAsia not just to compete but also succeed on the global stage. And we're just over eight years' old," he added.

AirAsia has flown more than 92 million passengers todate. -- Bernama

Read more: AirAsia top low-cost airline: Skytrax http://www.btimes.com.my/Current_News/BTIMES/articles/20100521140824/Article/index_html#ixzz0ojasX2w6

Magician

May 24th, 2010, 03:02 AM

Great to see AirAsia top the Budget Airline category but kinda sad to see our National Airline MAS is going down the list...

rizalhakim

May 24th, 2010, 04:41 AM

Tony Fernandes named Masterclass Global CEO of the Year at the Malaysia Business Leadership Award 2010

rizalhakim

May 27th, 2010, 06:14 AM

10,000 free seats to Bangkok

The promotion will be launched on Wesak Day on May 28, for travel between June 7 and Aug 31.

Johnvb

May 28th, 2010, 09:52 AM

Any news on the following?

a) Tokyo flights
b) France flights

hakz2007

May 29th, 2010, 10:32 AM

MALAYSIA’S AIR ASIA WINS WITSA ICT EXCELLENCE AWARD
AMSTERDAM, The Netherlands, May 29 (NNN-Bernama) -- Malaysia's low-cost carrier AirAsia, won the private sector category of the World Information Technology and Services Alliance (WITSA) ICT Excellence Award in conjunction with the World Congress on Information Technology (WCIT 2010) here.

In a statement, WITSA said AirAsia had demonstrated the strategic value of ICT to increase competitiveness of busines, whereby a very high majority of the airlines' passengers booked online.

AirAsia is also the world's first airline to allow SMS booking and payment of airline tickets,

Meanwhile, WITSA also announced seven ICT Award winners during a recent gala dinner which saw the Chairman's Award being presented to the Institute for Information Industry of Taiwan.

Other awards include that for the public sector category, which went to American President Barack Obama's Open Government Initiative and the Seoul Metropolitan Government.

Beside AirAsia, the other recipient of the private sector award was Mondero, a leading means of payment in the micro-payment segment in Argentina.

Meanwhile, the Digital Opportunity Award went to Mobile Link Service and Nick White of Consulting & Interim Management Solutions Ltd and Mercy Corps.http://namnewsnetwork.org/v2/read.php?id=121875

Victor18

May 29th, 2010, 03:31 PM

^^ Great news,AirAsia is really outdoing MH these days...

alienation

June 4th, 2010, 02:45 AM

Just want to know, will there be any flights to Korea this year?

AsianDragons

June 4th, 2010, 04:31 AM

^^ no because the Malaysian government won't let them, same as sydney

AsianDragons

June 4th, 2010, 08:20 AM

Airasia To Have Two Daily Flights To Phnom Penh

KUALA LUMPUR, June 1 (Bernama) -- AirAsia will begin its second direct daily flight from Kuala Lumpur to the Phnom Penh International Airport on August 25 to meet the increased demand from business and leisure travellers.

The low-cost carrier will start with 14 weekly flights to the city, it said in a statement Tuesday.

Phnom Penh is the first Cambodian destination to be serviced from Kuala Lumpur and AirAsia currently flies to Siem Reap daily from here.

AirAsia's regional head of commercial, Kathleen Tan, said the Phnom Penh route had recorded a strong demand with over 480,000 passengers carried since its first flight to Cambodia.

"This service will give travellers better connectivity by reducing transmit times when connecting to further destination from Kuala Lumpur hub to other cities," she said.

Tan said with the second daily flight, passengers will have a smarter alternative travelling choices to fly low cost and enjoy other value-added services offered via online booking.

The airline also announced its new promotion from as low as RM69 for bookings made from June 1 to 6, 2010, for travel between August 25, 2010, to May 8, 2011

http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v5/newsbusiness.php?id=502735

rizalhakim

June 10th, 2010, 09:33 AM

Frustration erupted Melbourne-London fare selling RM685

MELBOURNE June 9 - Australians hope to get AirAsia X fares priced at A $ 240 (RM685) from Melbourne to London turns into anger among those who failed to get the tickets.

The fare is advertised for sale by AirAsia yesterday at 2 am on Wednesday, but was sold out within an hour, according to newspaper reports the Age.

The newspaper has received many calls from people complaining about AirAsia disappointed.
They are angry because of failure to access the sale fare - the bid is still being promoted at AirAsia's website at 2 pm Wednesday.

A customer who's upset that the reservation ended with cecahan cost thousands of dollars were pledged to complain about AirAsia Competition and Consumer Commission Australia.

But the public relations agent for the sale while AirAsia maintain state between different fare sale that offers up to a total of 4.000 seats from Australia (flight out of Melbourne, Gold Coast or Perth) to the hub of Kuala Lumpurnya - the first stage of the journey to London - have been offered.

About 1,000-seat discounts are offered to the Kuala Lumpur-London.
All of these also have been sold, said AirAsia spokesperson to the newspaper.

A total of 1.500 seats more sales from Australia to Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday following increased customer demand, but in fact, may have sold out, he said. -

SHAH FIRDAUS

June 13th, 2010, 07:59 PM

From flickr
by savvas garozis

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4037/4692987054_c4ec9d1f87_b.jpg

rizalhakim

June 14th, 2010, 10:27 AM

AirAsia to fly to Yangon July 20, from RM29
Published: 2010/06/14

Low-cost carrier AirAsia is extending its route network to another Southeast Asian country, with direct daily flights to Yangon, Myanmar, from July 20.

To celebrate the introduction of the new route, the airline is offering all-in-fares for Kuala Lumpur – Yangon, from as low as RM29 one way.

"Booking starts from June 14 to June 20, for the travel period of July 20 to May 8, 2011.

"Promotional seats are limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis and made exclusively online via www.airasia.com," AirAsia said in a statement today.

The new route will be serviced by a Airbus A320 aircraft with a 180 passenger capacity.

"Myanmar will see a big boost in tourist entries with this direct daily flight from Kuala Lumpur to Yangon.

"Customers from Europe, China, India, Australia and around the Asean region utilising our Kuala Lumpur hub now, have a more affordable option to travel to Myanmar," AirAsia's regional head of commercial Kathleen Tan said.

AirAsia’s foray into Myanmar completes the 10 countries under the Asean network.

The low-cost carrier now flies to Yangon from its Bangkok hub with daily flights. -- Bernama

ZaHiRnYa???

June 14th, 2010, 10:28 AM

bought mine already this morning :)

AirAsia to fly to Yangon July 20, from RM29
Published: 2010/06/14

Low-cost carrier AirAsia is extending its route network to another Southeast Asian country, with direct daily flights to Yangon, Myanmar, from July 20.

To celebrate the introduction of the new route, the airline is offering all-in-fares for Kuala Lumpur – Yangon, from as low as RM29 one way.

"Booking starts from June 14 to June 20, for the travel period of July 20 to May 8, 2011.

"Promotional seats are limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis and made exclusively online via www.airasia.com," AirAsia said in a statement today.

The new route will be serviced by a Airbus A320 aircraft with a 180 passenger capacity.

"Myanmar will see a big boost in tourist entries with this direct daily flight from Kuala Lumpur to Yangon.

"Customers from Europe, China, India, Australia and around the Asean region utilising our Kuala Lumpur hub now, have a more affordable option to travel to Myanmar," AirAsia's regional head of commercial Kathleen Tan said.

AirAsia’s foray into Myanmar completes the 10 countries under the Asean network.

The low-cost carrier now flies to Yangon from its Bangkok hub with daily flights. -- Bernama

AsianDragons

June 14th, 2010, 10:56 AM

^^ cheapest is AUD $10.67, on 14 Nov
Damn Air Aisa is expanding fast, two weeks ago added Phnom Penh to 2x daily now Yangon daily
Is Air Asia the largest Airline in Malaysia Yet?

patchay

June 14th, 2010, 03:56 PM

^^ cheapest is AUD $10.67, on 14 Nov
Damn Air Aisa is expanding fast, two weeks ago added Phnom Penh to 2x daily now Yangon daily
Is Air Asia the largest Airline in Malaysia Yet?

AirAsia, a 9-year old company, is by far going to be Malaysia's largest airline by revenue, fleet and passenger volume in 2015. In fact, it will be a top 3 Asia's largest airline by then.

Schoolboy95

July 8th, 2010, 08:34 AM

AirAsia To Shutdown Booking System For 3 Days From Friday

KUALA LUMPUR, July 7 (Bernama) -- Low cost airline AirAsia Bhd will temporarily shutdown its current booking system for three days starting Friday to replace it with a new system that can cope with the company's current growth.

As part of the system implementation process, AirAsia's booking services will be temporarily unavailable from Friday, July 9 (1pm Malaysia time/GMT 8) to Sunday, July 11 (6pm Malaysia time).

Kathleen Tan, Regional Head of Commercial, AirAsia said guests are strongly encouraged to make bookings in the next few days prior to July 9 (1pm) to avoid disappointment.

She said the new system will be available starting July 11 (6pm).

"The current system, which is a 20-year old system, cannot cope up with our current growth. Previously, the system can only cope as high as half a million a day. With the new system, it can book up to almost one million flights a day," she told a media briefing here Wednesday.

AirAsia will spend about RM10 million for the first year of operating the new system.

Tan said the airline has been investing heavily in technology to support its expansion across its markets, largely in Asia, Australia and Europe.

For this year, the company is allocating about RM80 million to RM100 million to its IT department.

With the implementation of the new system, guests would also benefit from more innovative sales and marketing campaigns, product and service offerings tailored to guests' preferences, and better self-service facilities, including direct access to their Credit Shell accounts.

During the shutdown, guests would not be able to book seats online, at AirAsia sales offices and counters or through their call centre.

Self check in, through the web, by mobile and at the kiosks and the facility to self-manage bookings online would also not be available for the three days.

Tan said the airline would also only accept cash for purchase of any ancillary product at the check-in counters, including excess baggage fees, during this period.

During the period, guests have been also advised to check in at least three hours before departure to avoid missing their flights as check-in will be done manually at the airport check-in counters.

However, hotel bookings and reservations for tours and activities on airasiago.com will remain available throughout the AirAsia system upgrade.

Tan said two to six weeks after the upgrade of the system, the airline will be launching several new destinations including Seoul, South Korea and Haneda, Japan.
__________________________________________

Fights to Tehran have been finalised pending launching soon. It appeared on Airasia website. Also read reports that stated Airasia X plying the KUL-Maldives route. While the rumours of Gold Coast-Christchurch services have hit a cul-de-sac.

Flights to Paris will commence by St.Valentines Day 2012 some say.

AsianDragons

July 8th, 2010, 10:15 AM

^^ Seoul refering to Incheon Airport right? If so finally the Malay Government would allow direct competition with MAS, hope Sydney is also allowed

forrestcat

July 8th, 2010, 02:54 PM

After all this years, Air Asia flights are still synonymous for delats.In 2009 I went to Singapore, delayed 1 hour, last 2 weeks, went to Singapore too, pun delay:nuts:...it's practically no use arriving early for an AK fight:lol:.Air Asia is ok if your are on holiday and have leisure time, but for working trips..bye bye Air Asia..I rather spend on MAS.

t3ars_culprit

July 8th, 2010, 03:31 PM

^tamago^

July 8th, 2010, 06:38 PM

just take jetstar or tiger ;)

Johnvb

July 10th, 2010, 05:49 AM

Great news re Tokyo, Seoul and Tehran. Great to see the expansion plans of d7 after a period of inactivity. I flew their a330 the other night and it is much upgraded

^tamago^

July 10th, 2010, 06:33 AM

wow Haneda!

rizalhakim

July 14th, 2010, 08:01 AM

More AirAsia flights to Brunei
Published: 2010/07/4

LOW-cost carrier AirAsia Bhd will increase its flight frequency from Kuala Lumpur to Brunei to twice daily beginning August 25.

To celebrate the additional frequency, AirAsia is offering all-in-fares from as low as RM29 one-way for travel period from August 25 2010 to May 8 2011.

Guests are able to book this fare from July 14 to 25 2010, available online on www.airasia.com or mobile.airasia.com.

dengilo

July 14th, 2010, 08:02 AM

Well done AirAsia their website is superfast!!!!

Johnvb

July 14th, 2010, 10:48 AM

Pictures from a330 recently, new fitout

http://a.imageshack.us/img12/3391/img2664q.jpg (http://img12.imageshack.us/i/img2664q.jpg/)

http://a.imageshack.us/img130/7876/img2663y.jpg (http://img130.imageshack.us/i/img2663y.jpg/)

Johnvb

July 16th, 2010, 04:05 PM

Seoul flights on d7 just announced...

forrestcat

July 19th, 2010, 02:13 PM

Seoul flights on d7 just announced...

Starting October..when will booking starts eh?

9MMRD

August 2nd, 2010, 07:12 AM

Air asia flies to seoul this nov 1. booking start aug 4. air fare - rm99

rizalhakim

August 2nd, 2010, 10:51 AM

AirAsia X to launch Seoul route in Nov

Long-haul budget airline AirAsia X said Monday it would introduce daily flights to Seoul on November 1, its eleventh destination since the carrier’s launch in 2007.

“We estimate that more than 60 percent of AirAsia X passengers to and from Seoul will be first-time visitors, which will contribute significantly to tourism growth,” AirAsia X’s chief executive officer, Azran Osman-Rani, said.

“We are confident that AirAsia X’s direct connection will be able to stimulate new travel demands and further tap new markets, especially that of young working adults and families.”

The carrier currently flies to 10 destinations — London, Taipei, China (Tianjin, Hangzhou, Chengdu), Australia (Gold Coast, Melbourne, Perth) and India (Mumbai, Delhi).

An affiliate of regional low-cost carrier AirAsia and Virgin Group, AirAsia X was launched in January 2007. AirAsia and AirAsia X have common shareholders, including AirAsia founder and CEO Datuk Seri Tony Fernandes.

The airline currently has eight aircraft and will have 11 by December. It has also placed an order for 17 Airbus A330s and 10 A340s. - AFP

rizalhakim

August 2nd, 2010, 10:53 AM

MAS, AirAsia X get rights to fly to Haneda
Published: 2010/08/02

TWO Malaysian carriers have each been granted rights to fly to Haneda in Japan three times a week by the local government.

Although the Malaysian government secured traffic rights for seven flights a week to the alternative airport in Tokyo, it allowed Malaysia Airlines (MAS) (3786) and low-cost long-haul carrier AirAsia X three flights each and retained one.

AirAsia X's flights to Haneda Airport are "still pending application", its chief executive officer Azran Osman-Rani said as to when it would begin operation.

MAS will introduce three flights a week between Kota Kinabalu and Haneda from November 15, its managing director and chief executive officer Tengku Datuk Azmil Zahruddin said.
"Haneda is basically like our Subang airport, while Narita Airport is a bigger airport. Haneda is a lot nearer to Tokyo and was previously open to domestic flights only. But due to the congestion at Narita, the Japanese government is opening it up to international flights," he added.

MAS plans to use its new B737-800 aircraft, which will be delivered in October, for this route.

In addition, MAS will increase its weekly frequency from Kuala Lumpur to destinations such as New Delhi, Hyderabad, Sydney, Brisbane, Narita and Kansai.

Starting next month, MAS will fly 12 times a week to New Delhi, from seven times currently, and increase its weekly flights to Hyderabad to five, from four.

In October, MAS will offer two additional weekly flights on top of the 12 to Sydney and increase its flights to Brisbane to five, from two at present.

In November, its Kuala Lumpur-Narita flights will be increased to 11 times a week, from nine.

As of January next year, MAS will start flying between Kota Kinabalu and Kansai in Japan twice a week.

The airline will also increase flights between Kuala Lumpur and Kansai to six times a week, from four.

Cerulean

August 2nd, 2010, 09:37 PM

Lots of errors and misleading information.

The airline currently has eight aircraft and will have 11 by December. It has also placed an order for 17 Airbus A330s and 10 A340s. - AFP
D7 (AirAsia X) has a firm order of 10 A350 aircrafts. Not the A340. The airline is currently operating 2 A340 aircrafts of the -300 variant which are leased and will surrender them once the A350 comes online.

Although the Malaysian government secured traffic rights for seven flights a week to the alternative airport in Tokyo, it allowed Malaysia Airlines (MAS) (3786) and low-cost long-haul carrier AirAsia X three flights each and retained one.

"Haneda is basically like our Subang airport, while Narita Airport is a bigger airport. Haneda is a lot nearer to Tokyo and was previously open to domestic flights only. But due to the congestion at Narita, the Japanese government is opening it up to international flights," he added.
The other one slot into HND (Haneda) was reportedly being assigned to Transmile Air. Not sure what will happen to it since Transmile's very top honcho is currently being investigated under the PKFZ scandal. Such a waste a very valuable slot like that not being utilised.

And it is even more questionable when MH (Malaysia Airlines) plans to use the slot for BKI (Kota Kinabalu) instead of KUL (KLIA). To illustrate on how precious the slot in Haneda is, just look at how SQ (Singapore Airlines) used their 'veto' to deny Jetstar's application and grab all 14 weekly slots designated for Singapore entirely for themselves. SQ will start flying into Haneda on 31 October 2010 using their B77W fleet which features the airline's current best long-haul product (although the airline's other Japanese stations - Kansai, Centrair and Fukuoka - are given the A333s, which feature the airline's current best regional product. Narita receives the mighty A380 [for terminator service] and B744 [which continues on to Los Angeles]).

Haneda is WAYYY bigger and busier than Narita. Haneda handled 61.9 million passengers in 2009 versus Narita with only 32.3 million passengers. Haneda is the 5th busiest airport in the entire world and it handles double the traffic of Narita.

MH always came up with sugarcoating PR release like this, which is very not appreciated.

prophecus1

August 3rd, 2010, 11:01 AM

from Facebook of Tony Fernandes at 16:00 today

AirAsia flights to Seoul opens for sale midnight; fares from RM99 nett (wowzers!) one way.

soo folks! grab tickets as fast as you can!

AFL

August 3rd, 2010, 01:38 PM

And it is even more questionable when MH (Malaysia Airlines) plans to use the slot for BKI (Kota Kinabalu) instead of KUL (KLIA).

I thought it is already mentioned in post #2062...MAS is going to serve Haneda from Kota Kinabalu beginning this November...

Or am I misunderstood your statement here?:)

nazrey

August 5th, 2010, 09:19 AM

AirAsia defers taking 7 new Airbus planes
By Presenna NambiarPublished: 2010/08/05
http://www.btimes.com.my/Current_News/BTIMES/articles/paff-2/Article/index_html#ixzz0viJHawrM

Asia's largest budget airline has deferred the delivery of seven A320 ordered from European planemaker Airbus to 2015 instead of next year.

Asia's largest budget airline, AirAsia Bhd (5099), has deferred the delivery of new aircraft for a third time, blaming capacity constraints at the existing low-cost carrier terminal (LCCT-KLIA) in Sepang.

It has deferred the delivery of seven A320 ordered from European planemaker Airbus to 2015 instead of next year.

AirAsia's deferment now numbers 23 A320.

It postponed the delivery of new aircraft for the first time in July last year, for eight A320 it was to have received this year. The second deferment was in October, for another eight slated for delivery next year.
The latest deferment brings the number of new planes to be delivered next year down to eight and those it will receive in 2015 up to nine.

The orders in 2007 for a total of 175 A320 were initially over delivery schedules from 2010 to 2014.

In 2007, the airline was still operating out of the existing LCCT-KLIA.

"Until the new LCCT is constructed, the current infrastructure at the low-cost terminal is not able to accommodate AirAsia's fleet expansion in the number of aircraft originally scheduled to be delivered in 2010 and 2011," it told Bursa Malaysia yesterday.

The new LCCT is expected to be ready by March 2012.

When announcing the first set of deferments in July last year, AirAsia group chief executive officer Datuk Seri Dr Tony Fernandes had said that it would deploy most of the planes to its Indonesian and Thai operations.

The latest deferment appears to point to a change in its plans.

Fernandes had warned of another round of deferments during its first quarter teleconference with analysts and media in June.

He said the airline would look to reducing rollouts to match cash flow.

"We want to maintain our current gearing level," Fernandes had said.

AirAsia's net gearing ratio as at March 31 this year was 2.25 times.

rizalhakim

August 10th, 2010, 05:40 AM

http://www.airasia.com/iwov-resources/my/ms/images/AirAsia/mainbanner/extension_myms.gif

rizalhakim

August 12th, 2010, 08:15 AM

AirAsia tickets sell like hot cakes

PETALING JAYA: Over half a million AirAsia tickets were snapped up within a day when the airline’s “Mind Blowing Fare” promotion of RM1 per seat started on Tuesday.

AirAsia also recorded its highest number of sales in an hour, selling 36,871 seats, which is a 47.5% increase from the previous record of 25,000.

The campaign offers flights to selected domestic and Asean desti*nations at RM1, including Alor Setar, Johor Baru, Langkawi, Penang, Singapore, Bandung (Indo***nesia), Phnom Penh (Cam*bodia) and Krabi and Phuket in Thailand.

The RM1 fare is applicable for one-way travel only and does not include taxes.

AirAsia group chief executive officer Datuk Seri Tony Fernandes said the low-cost airline credited a newly implemented system for expanding its booking capacity.

“With the new booking system New Skies, AirAsia can now accept up to almost one million flight bookings a day,” he said in a statement yesterday.

Booking for the RM1 air fare campaign is open until Aug 15, 2010 and is valid only for travelling next year between April 1 and Aug 11.

When asked about the return ticket price, AirAsia communications executive Daphne Cheah said “our fares are based on a tier system.”

“We (AirAsia) might say return fares are from RM50, but if it’s all snapped up and people can’t find it, we would be branded liars.

“We try not to put return fares as it may mislead people,” she said, adding that AirAsia kept to its practice of displaying one-way fares.

rizalhakim

August 16th, 2010, 10:14 AM

AirAsia X starts low-fare campaign
Published: 2010/08/16

AirAsia X, Asia's leading long-haul and low-fare airline launched its low-fare campaign for booking from tomorrow till Thursday to all destinations excluding South Korea.

The destinations are Stansted in London, Taipei, Tianjin, Hangzhou, Chengdu, Gold Coast, Melbourne, Perth, Mumbai and New Delhi.

The bookings are for travel from April 1 to Aug 11, 2011, said the budget airline in a statement today.

The fare offer is from RM99 to Tianjin and Chengdu to RM2,249 to
Stansted.

AirAsia X is also offering one-way free seats to Mumbai and New Delhi excluding airport tax. - Bernama

rizalhakim

August 19th, 2010, 04:30 AM

AirAsia flies into Q2 profit
By Jeeva Arulampalam
Published: 2010/08/19

Budget carrier AirAsia Bhd (5099) posted a 43 per cent growth in its second quarter net profit of RM198.93 million, mainly due to a deferred tax credit recognition of RM58.7 million.

But the airline's revenue for the three months ended June 30 2010 was up 26 per cent to RM940.66 million due to higher passenger volumes and a rise in average fares.

Group chief executive officer Datuk Seri Dr Tony Fernandes said forward bookings for the second half of the year looked good.

"September will be a strong month for us given the Muslim religious holiday, more so for Malaysia and Indonesia," he told analysts during a conference call on the company's results yesterday.

The airline will continue to grow its market in India, especially from its other hubs in Thailand, and continue to connect the Asean capitals from Kuala Lumpur.
Load factors are expected to climb as these routes begin to mature.

Fernandes said that the second quarter results was the first time that AirAsia and two of its associates in Thailand and Indonesia have made a good profit whereby both are reaping the benefits from the replacement of the older B737 aircraft with new A320 planes.

Listing plans for both associates will be within the next 12 months, he added.

AirAsia carried some 3.9 million passengers for the second quarter, an 11 per cent year-on-year growth while the average fare was up 8 per cent to RM173.

Ancillary income jumped 59 per cent to RM43 per passenger. Load factor also gained 2 per cent to 77 per cent from a year ago.

AirAsia Thailand posted a net profit of 49 million baht (RM4.9 million) in the quarter compared with a loss of 80 million baht (RM7.9 million) a year ago.

Its revenue grew 30 per cent to 2.66 billion baht (RM265 million) due to a 11 per cent passenger volume growth, stronger ancillary income contribution and improving yields.

AirAsia Indonesia made a net profit of 111 billion rupiah (RM39 million) in the second quarter from a loss of 64 billion rupiah a year ago.

Its revenue was up 44 per cent to 656 billion rupiah (RM229m million) due to a rise of passenger volumes by 10 per cent, 88 per cent growth in ancillary income per passenger and higher base fares.

"AirAsia Indonesia has grown from strength-to-strength and this is its best quarter ever. We plan on continuing the expansion of its international routes," said Fernandes.

For the first half of the year, AirAsia saw its net profit rising by 24 per cent to RM423.04 million and revenue growing by 18 per cent to RM1.82 billion.

nazrey

August 19th, 2010, 09:19 PM

THE MERDEKA AWARD: Dare to dream the impossible
2010/08/19

http://www.nst.com.my/nst/Images/tony-merdeka.jpg

AIRASIA Bhd group chief executive officer Datuk Seri Tony Fernandes equates being a Malaysian to rojak.

“Just like the favourite local dish, it signifies being a part of a diverse, multicultural society,” he told the New Straits Times.

Fernandes, who is now an icon in the growing low-cost airline industry, attributed his success in part to proving people wrong.

“I was (also) inspired by the many success stories of Malaysians and their ability to succeed despite the obstacles ahead of them,” he said.

His advice to young Malaysians?

“You should dare to dream the impossible, believe the unbelievable and never take no for an answer to bring Malaysia ahead.”

“We are lucky to be born in a post-Merdeka country where we have freedom to be what we desire,” he said, adding that Merdeka to him means to have “a land of our own”.

However, he felt that the younger Malaysian generation did not fully appreciate Merdeka as they were not in the era when the country was ruled by colonials.

“I think we have lost a little bit of the Merdeka spirit. We should appreciate the strongest brand we have, that is our multicultural society.”

He said the country still had a long way to go and hoped the spirit of Merdeka would be instilled in every Malaysian to stay united.

“The best part of Malaysia is our people, but I believe we don’t appreciate and praise it enough.

“If we all work together, we will see the benefits of putting Malaysia first and our cultural race second. We will be a much stronger nation,” he said.

“I am very proud to be a Malaysian and I want to show that we can be the best in the world.”

On his most memorable Merdeka memory, Fernandes said it was watching the National Day parade at Dataran Merdeka with his father when he was 6 years old.

“It was my first and I was amazed by the fast jets in the sky,” he recalled, not knowing that he would be in the airline industry today.

This National Day, Fernandes will be at home watching the fireworks with his family.

kealchg

September 2nd, 2010, 04:35 PM

CHECK-IN FEE (http://www.airasia.com/my/en/myflights/ccifee.html)

It is so sad that after so many years of supporting AirAsia, they on the other hand never stopped at finding ways to suck more money from us. First it was the luggage fee, from RM3 to 5 to 10 and now 20 for just 15kg. Ticket issued at Sales Office is RM15, now checking over the counter is RM5...for 1 passenger...if you travel in a group of 10? That's RM50! AND ONE WAY!

This is certainly not fair for some people who are without Computer, Printer and the Internet, i.e. Rural Sabah and Sarawak. This is really sad...just sad...I know we can choose not to fly with them, but there should be a better awareness among the consumers of the what is "low-cost" and to better educate them on their options when travelling.

So choose wisely people...

^tamago^

September 2nd, 2010, 06:47 PM

i think check-in is essential....

travellator

September 9th, 2010, 03:56 PM

September 9, 2010,

AirAsia X still in talks to start Paris route: CEO

KUALA LUMPUR - Long-haul budget airline AirAsia X said on Thursday it has no plans to begin flights to Paris this year, according to a top official, after French reports it had been given a slot at Orly Airport.

French media had reported that the carrier, which will operate the route after its affiliate AirAsia won landing rights in October last year, has been given a slot at the southern Paris airport starting from next month.

'We are not looking at flying to Paris on October 31,' AirAsia X's chief executive officer Azran Osman-Rani told AFP.

'It is still premature (to set a date), it is definitely not this year,' he said, adding that the carrier was still in talks with the French authorities on 'operational matters'.

French newspaper La Tribune, without specifying its source, reported that AirAsia has been given a slot to operate the Kuala Lumpur-Paris route twice a week from October 31.

The paper said the airline however intends to start these flights in 2011 and was targeting to fly four times a week.

Approval for the carrier to land in Paris was announced by Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak during a visit to Paris last year after a meeting with French President Nicholas Sarkozy.

It will be the Southeast Asia's biggest budget carrier second route in Europe after it began a London service in March last year.

An affiliate of regional low-cost carrier AirAsia and Virgin Group, AirAsia X was launched in January 2007. AirAsia and AirAsia X have common shareholders, including AirAsia founder and CEO Tony Fernandes.

The airline currently has eight aircraft and will have 11 by December. It has also placed an order for 17 Airbus A330s and 10 A340s. -- AFP

Cerulean

September 9th, 2010, 04:01 PM

The airline currently has eight aircraft and will have 11 by December. It has also placed an order for 17 Airbus A330s and 10 A340s. -- AFP
What's with the repetitious mistakes? D7 has 10 A359s on firm order. The airline does NOT have any A340 on order. There's only 2 A340s in the fleet and both are leased.

nazrey

September 9th, 2010, 04:26 PM

AirAsia X not flying to Paris this year
Published: 2010/09/09
http://www.btimes.com.my/articles/20100909204817/Article/

Long-haul budget airline AirAsia X said Thursday it has no plans to begin flights to Paris this year, according to a top official, after French reports it had been given a slot at Orly Airport.

French media had reported that the carrier, which will operate the route after its affiliate AirAsia won landing rights in October last year, has been given a slot at the southern Paris airport starting from next month.

“We are not looking at flying to Paris on October 31,” AirAsia X’s chief executive officer Azran Osman-Rani told AFP.

“It is still premature (to set a date), it is definitely not this year,” he said, adding that the carrier was still in talks with the French authorities on “operational matters”.

French newspaper La Tribune, without specifying its source, reported that AirAsia has been given a slot to operate the Kuala Lumpur-Paris route twice a week from October 31.

The paper said the airline however intends to start these flights in 2011 and was targeting to fly four times a week.

Approval for the carrier to land in Paris was announced by Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak during a visit to Paris last year after a meeting with French President Nicholas Sarkozy.

It will be the Southeast Asia’s biggest budget carrier second route in Europe after it began a London service in March last year.

An affiliate of regional low-cost carrier AirAsia and Virgin Group, AirAsia X was launched in January 2007. AirAsia and AirAsia X have common shareholders, including AirAsia founder and CEO Tony Fernandes.

The airline currently has eight aircraft and will have 11 by December. It has also placed an order for 17 Airbus A330s and 10 A340s. -- AFP

nazrey

September 15th, 2010, 04:10 AM

AirAsia X opens tickets to Tokyo from next week
By B.K. SIDHU Wednesday September 15, 2010
http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/9/15/business/7035685&sec=business

http://biz.thestar.com.my/archives/2010/9/15/business/p4-azran.JPG

Azran Osman-Rani says flying to Tokyo would be ‘super exciting.’

Airline will be first foreign low-cost carrier serving Haneda airport from Dec 9

PETALING JAYA: AirAsia X will begin flights to Haneda airport in Tokyo on Dec 9 and open ticket sales for the sector next week.

The airline plans to mount three weekly flights and it will be the first foreign low-cost carrier serving the airport that is expected to open for international flights in late October.

Asashi newspaper in Japan reported that AirAsia X was expected to price fares far lower than those charged for existing services between the capitals of Japan and Malaysia offered by Japan Airlines and Malaysia Airlines (MAS).

AirAsia X chief executive officer Azran Osman-Rani declined to reveal any pricing when contacted yesterday by StarBiz. But the market is abuzz with talk that the introductory price could range from RM99 to RM199.

Azran said that flying to Tokyo would be “super exciting as finally people will have choices and low fares to go to great places.’’

Three flights per week may be too few for AirAsia X but for now the airline does not have much of a choice.

It is learnt that the Japanese authorities had accorded seven rights and the Malaysian authorities awarded three each to AirAsia X and MAS, and one to Transmile.

“Japan is a high fixed cost city and with so few flights it would be difficult to make the sector sustainable so we will have to convince the authorities to grant us daily flights,” Azran said.

MAS will introduce three flights a week between Kota Kinabalu and Haneda from Nov 15.

Haneda airport is the main domestic hub for Tokyo but due to congestion in Narita, it will start receiving international flights next month. Haneda is just a 20-minute monorail or cab ride from downtown Tokyo whereas Narita is at least an hour’s train ride, and the trip can take over two hours by car on clogged roads.

To beat potential competition from six foreign low-cost carriers from China and South-East Asia, both Japanese carriers – Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways (ANA) – want to set up low-cost airlines.

ANA has inked a deal with Hong Kong’s First Eastern Investment Group to set up a new airline that will start operations in the second half of 2011. ANA will own 39% in the venture and Far Eastern 33%. The balance equity will be sold to other investors.

rizalhakim

September 22nd, 2010, 04:35 AM

AirAsia may fan price war in Japan skies
Published: 2010/09/22

TOKYO: AirAsia (5099), the first international budget carrier to fly to Tokyo's Haneda airport, plans to kick off service with US$58 (US$1 = RM3.10) flights between Tokyo and Kuala Lumpur and said it could expand to three more Japanese airports.

In a move that could pour fuel on increasing price competition over Japan's skies, the 5,000 yen (100 yen = RM3.62) flights are on offer from December until July next year, after which prices will start at 10,000 yen, with premium lie-flat seats costing 48,000 yen.

That compares with current prices of around US$650 to US$2,000 for the same route from airlines such as Japan Airlines, All Nippon Airways, Malaysian Airline System Bhd and Cathay Pacific.

The pricing comes on the heels of tickets between Shanghai and Japan's Ibaraki airport, 85km north of Tokyo, for as little as 4,000 yen from China discount carrier Spring Airlines.
Until recently, low-cost airlines had found it difficult to expand to Japan due to high labour costs and limited slot availability at key airports.

But Haneda, which is closer to central Tokyo than Narita International, Japan's major international airport, will open a fourth runway next month while a new "open skies" pact will cut government restrictions on airlines to flying in and out of Japan.

"The power of Haneda is its very strong domestic network, with dozens of flights to Sapporo, Osaka, Fukuoka ... and its very central location thanks to which it already has a strong cargo operation that we can tap," Azran Osman-Rani, chief executive of AirAsia X, the carrier's long-haul unit.

"We could operate in at least three different airports in Japan, just give us a couple of years as airports like Fukuoka, Osaka and Sapporo are all places that we have a strong interest in," he added.

The Tokyo-Kuala Lumpur flights will use Airbus A330 aircraft and the company hopes to eventually offer flights daily from an initial three per week.

The incursions by budget carriers into the Japanese market have prompted Japan's No.2 carrier All Nippon Airways to announce a plan this month to start a low-cost carrier to fly between Japan and China in partnership with Hong Kong-based private equity firm First Eastern Investment Group.

Japan Airlines has also said it would look at creating a low-cost carrier. - Reuters

World 2 World

September 26th, 2010, 11:23 AM

F1 Lotus livery:)

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ugWk-rnkqXM/TJy_Qes8ABI/AAAAAAAAGMA/RHdTe_x6Kvw/s1600/Air_Asia_Airbus_A320_Team_Lotus_Livery_2.jpg

keithgan

September 26th, 2010, 03:57 PM

okay that vomit green is really not flattering

Zulhelmi

September 26th, 2010, 05:19 PM

okay that vomit green is really not flattering
Yeah I think.

But Vietnam Airlines green is really nice.

Skyprince

September 27th, 2010, 02:05 AM

Kolkata and Thiruvananthapuram have been reduced to 3X weekly :(

Hopefully they will launch more Indian lines like these:

Pune
Madurai
Ahmedabad
Vishakapatnam

ashishp

September 27th, 2010, 06:48 AM

Hopefully they will launch more Indian lines like these:
Pune

wow,
it will be a good news for me if AK fly from Pune.

Skyprince

September 27th, 2010, 07:24 AM

wow,
it will be a good news for me if AK fly from Pune.

Even Lufthansa is flying Frankfurt- Pune, so why not Air Asia ? Of course it's closer to Baramati ;)

Oh and Ashish bhai, if you're coming again don't forget to PM me okay ?

Vishakapatnam is very high potential line, as it will draw people from both AP and Orissa.

nazrey

September 27th, 2010, 08:17 AM

Hatyai-KL pleaseeeeeeee!!!

Skyprince

September 27th, 2010, 08:18 AM

^^ Hat Yai- KL has been launched already , you don't know it ??

nazrey

September 27th, 2010, 08:28 AM

hah?????...btol ke!!! alamak aku kena gi check dah :D

K14N

September 29th, 2010, 05:25 AM

http://www.airasia.com/nl/id/images/100929/sub_hub_en.jpg

Don't know the price in RM...

ashishp

September 29th, 2010, 02:47 PM

Even Lufthansa is flying Frankfurt- Pune, so why not Air Asia ? Of course it's closer to Baramati ;)
Oh and Ashish bhai, if you're coming again don't forget to PM me okay ?

Hey Prince,

you got it why i am looking forward for AK from Pune,:lol:

hope, may be , one day, prince will take another India trip to visit Pune and Baramati.:)

I will definitely PM you when i will be again at KL.

dengilo

October 1st, 2010, 01:21 AM

In my mind Air Asia "trump card "is simply china,india and australia.There is no need for europe and america.Let Malaysian airlines do their dirty work:nuts:

keithgan

October 1st, 2010, 07:50 AM

In my mind Air Asia "trump card "is simply china,india and australia.There is no need for europe and america.Let Malaysian airlines do their dirty work:nuts:
Haha. I definitely adore the airline's expansion into OZ & East Asia (Korea & Tokyo) but an American route and 2 additional European routes (preferably Paris for obvious reasons, Nice since we have landing rights and as gateway to Italy and a Central European destination to link to Eastern & Central cities like Prague, Warsaw, and for passengers to rail up to Northern cities) would really kickass. I don't enjoy flying low cost for long haul but I am attempting my very first long haul with AirAsiaX to Melb this month. I hope it gives me confidence to consider low cost for future trips.

World 2 World

October 1st, 2010, 07:53 AM

Fly to Amsterdam pls:). I think d dutch market quite huge. They luv travel to Asia:)

dengilo

October 3rd, 2010, 05:16 AM

Haha. I definitely adore the airline's expansion into OZ & East Asia (Korea & Tokyo) but an American route and 2 additional European routes (preferably Paris for obvious reasons, Nice since we have landing rights and as gateway to Italy and a Central European destination to link to Eastern & Central cities like Prague, Warsaw, and for passengers to rail up to Northern cities) would really kickass. I don't enjoy flying low cost for long haul but I am attempting my very first long haul with AirAsiaX to Melb this month. I hope it gives me confidence to consider low cost for future trips.

:)Just got back from melbourne with emirates imagine departing melbourne at 02 40!!!An hour later than air asiaX:nuts:

World 2 World

October 5th, 2010, 12:13 PM

Flight Transfer

www.airasia.com/jp/en/transfer.html

Go straight through without the queue!
Our new flight transfer makes things easier for you!
Now you can conveniently connect between 2 different flights via the transfer hall, with a minimum connection time of 90 minutes!

What our flight transfer brings you.
• Your checked-in baggage will be tagged to your final destination.
• No queuing at Kuala Lumpur LCCT immigration!
• Check-in at the transfer hall to connect to your second flight.
• Easy access to the departure hall via the transfer hall.
• Free flight move for your connecting flight if your first flight is delayed.
Who’s eligible for Flight Transfer?
Applies only to guests connecting within the selected routes.
Is currently available for bookings for any time period.
Is offered when you make a single booking for both your flights
Applies only to guests with valid travel documents on-hand at the point-of-origin.
Applies only to guests with itineraries stating confirmed bookings

Flight transfer available for these routes*
Chengdu - Gold Coast
Chengdu - Perth
Hangzhou - Gold Coast
Melbourne - Taipei
Perth - London
Melbourne - London
Mumbai - Melbourne
Mumbai - Perth
Mumbai - London
New Delhi - London

^tamago^

October 5th, 2010, 12:41 PM

it's been thr for quite a while :)

World 2 World

October 5th, 2010, 12:44 PM

^^opps:colgate:

FlagshipV

October 5th, 2010, 12:48 PM

Is this only for Air Asia X flights?

Skyprince

October 5th, 2010, 02:18 PM

New Delhi- London wow

So there are people from New Delhi who transit via KUL on the way to London ? :eek: For the sake of cheap offer by AirAsia ?? :eek:

Don't say there are people from Tianjin who use AirAsia X to fly to Taipei

hakz2007

October 6th, 2010, 03:24 PM

AIRASIA TO INCREASE KL-GUANGZHOU FLIGHTS
KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 6 (NNN-Bernama): AirAsia Bhd will increase its direct flights from Kuala Lumpur to Guangzhou from twice weekly to three times daily effective Nov 15, 2010.

In a statement here today, AirAsia said in conjunction with the additional flights, it would offer a special promotional fare, starting from RM88 one way.

"The promotion booking period is from Oct 6-10 for travel from Nov 15, 2010 to Aug 11, 2011," it said.

To complement its guests' travel plans, AirAsia said its unit, AirAsiaGo, would offer up to 70,000 hotels worldwide and 5,000 personalised tours and activities to suit every budget.

Its regional commercial head, Kathleen Tan, said the route has recorded great growth and rising demand.

"The route has also spurred economic growth between the two cities," she said. http://namnewsnetwork.org/v2/read.php?id=135443

Cerulean

October 8th, 2010, 03:18 PM

The news is wrong. It should be from twice daily to thrice daily, not from twice weekly to thrice daily. That is a significant jump in frequency and capacity, which kinda absurd.

hakz2007

October 12th, 2010, 04:10 AM

AirAsia named best in Asia
PETALING JAYA: AirAsia was named the Best Asian low-cost carrier by TTG, Asia Pacific’s leading travel news publisher.

About 48,000 votes were cast in a poll which was held from June to August.

“This award reflects AirAsia’s commitment to excellence and to growing travel and tourism in the region. We have flown 100 million guests in only eight years of operations as a low-cost airline that has made it truly possible for everyone to fly,” said AirAsia chairman Datuk Aziz Bakar.

He received the award at the 21st annual TTG Travel Awards 2010 ceremony in Bangkok.

In a statement yesterday, Aziz said AirAsia would keep serving the region with low fares, an extensive network of destinations, great flight frequencies and friendly service.http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/10/12/nation/7206301&sec=nation

nazrey

October 12th, 2010, 11:00 AM

AirAsia X: Malaysia losing billions in air travel sector
Tuesday October 12, 2010
http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/10/12/business/7204043&sec=business

PETALING JAYA: Malaysia is losing billions of ringgit for not having sufficient flights to popular travel destinations such as Sydney and Jeddah, said AirAsia X Sdn Bhd chief executive officer Azran Osman Rani.

“There are a lot of destinations that we are losing out in terms of the opportunity cost and people have to pay more to go to places such as Sydney, Jeddah and Istanbul because they don’t have a choice. It’s costing the country a lot of money,” he told reporters on the sidelines after the StarBiz-ICR Malaysia forum yesterday.

“The most popular routes where Malaysia is losing billions of ringgit for not allowing us (AirAsia X) to fly there are Sydney, Jeddah and Istanbul.”

Azran said the routes, other than being popular travel destinations, were also prominent “economic centres” that promoted investment flows.

Meanwhile, on Budget 2011, Azran said: “We’re less concerned about taxes or subsidies. We’re more concerned about the Government creating a level playing field. We’d like to see policies that encourage competition and therefore innovation.

“One thing that Malaysia needs as an economic strategy is to remove the monopolistic and protectionist barriers and allow companies to compete.”

The Government will table its Budget 2011 in Parliament this Friday.

Azran also said he is hopeful that the Government would announce incentives at the Budget that would promote the local tourism industry.

“For this industry to grow, Malaysia really needs to think about promoting itself and having much better infrastructure for tourism, such as public transportation.

“This needs to be resolved to the extent that there are resources and budget allocations towards improving taxis (services) and allowing Tourism Malaysia to promote themselves better.”

rizalhakim

October 13th, 2010, 06:01 AM

http://www.airasia.com/iwov-resources/my/en/images/mb/rm1_myen.gif

nazrey

October 13th, 2010, 08:44 PM

AirAsia jangka bawa 200 juta penumpang 2013
13 Oktober 2010
http://www.utusan.com.my/utusan/info.asp?y=2010&dt=1014&pub=Utusan_Malaysia&sec=Korporat&pg=ko_02.htm

PETALING JAYA 13 Okto. - Syarikat penerbangan tambang murah AirAsia Bhd. (AirAsia) menjangkakan jumlah penumpangnya mencecah 200 juta menjelang 2013.

Ketua Pegawai Eksekutif Kumpulan, Datuk Seri Tony Fernandes berkata, sasaran itu adalah berdasarkan rekod faktor muatan yang menunjukkan peningkatan memberangsangkan sejak kebelakangan ini.

''AirAsia akan terus menunjukkan komitmen untuk menjadi jenama tambang murah yang diterima terutama dalam mengubah landskap pelancongan ASEAN.

''Selain itu, AirAsia akan terus mencari laluan dan rangkaian baru bagi memenuhi aspirasi untuk terus berkembang. Dengan penambahan lapan pesawat baru pada tahun hadapan akan mempercepatkan perkembangan tersebut,'' katanya.

Beliau berkata demikian pada sidang akhbar selepas majlis menghargai penumpang ke-100 juta AirAsia di sini hari ini.

Hadir sama pada majlis itu, Pengerusi AirAsia, Datuk Aziz Bakar, Ketua Pegawai Eksekutif AirAsia X, Azran Osman Rani dan Timbalan Ketua Pegawai Eksekutif Kumpulan, Datuk Kamarudin Meranun.

Terdahulu, AirAsia hari ini menghargai penumpang ke-100 juta selepas beroperasi dalam tempoh lapan tahun setengah.

Penumpang bertuah itu adalah Irma Dewi, 23 dari Indonesia yang berpeluang terbang 100 kali secara percuma ke semua laluan AirAsia dalam tempoh dua tahun.

Fernandes berkata, AirAsia memulakan perjalanan syarikat dengan hasrat untuk membolehkan semua orang boleh terbang, hari ini mempunyai 95 pesawat menghubungkan 22 negara, 139 rangkaian dan kakitangan sebanyak 8,000 orang di seluruh dunia.

''Bermula dengan jenama tempatan kini AirAsia adalah jenama antarabangsa dan menjadi syarikat penerbangan tambang murah terbaik dunia.

'Baru-baru ini, kami melancarkan kempen jenama serantau Real People Real Stories dan ia mendapat maklum balas menggalakkan. AirAsia akan terus menghubungkan orang ramai dan memberi peluang kepada mereka untuk terbang dengan tambah murah,'' jelasnya.

Sementara itu, bagi menghargai penumpang ke 100 juta AirAsia mengadakan promosi khas dari 13 hingga 17 Oktober.

Penumpang bakal menikmati tambang serendah RM1 ke destinasi domestik dan antarabangsa bagi tempoh penerbangan 1 April hingga 11 Ogos 2011.

World 2 World

October 14th, 2010, 12:38 PM

AirAsia Bhd group chief executive officer Datuk Seri Tony Fernandes said it was unlikely that the low-cost carrier would use aerobridges at the new permanent low-cost carrier terminal (LCCT).

“What would be best is to have some aerobridges in case it rains and we can pay as we utilise it,” he said.

source:http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/10/14/business/7222416&sec=business

keithgan

October 15th, 2010, 04:55 AM

Yikes. That sucks.

nazrey

October 22nd, 2010, 05:46 PM

AirAsia offers low-fare bargains every Friday
Published: 2010/10/21
http://www.btimes.com.my/Current_News/BTIMES/articles/20101021182438/Article/index_html

AirAsia Bhd is introducing its "Fabulous Fly-Day", which enabled customers to enjoy low-fare bargain deals every Friday to selected destinations.

Beginning tomorrow, customers are treated to the bargain deals from 11pm to 4pm for the travel period from Nov 1 to 30 this year, the airline said in a statement today.

"This is another of AirAsia's creative marketing campaign to provide our guests with the best value for their money," said its regional head of commercial, Kathleen Tan.

The weekly deals enable customers to maximise on AirAsia's route network and connectivity throughout the whole Asean region, China, Taiwan, India, Japan, South Korea, Australia and Europe.

This week's campaign offer fares as low as RM55 one-way travel to destinations like Phuket, Jakarta and Kuching, and those interested can go to the AirAsia website at www.airasia.com or www.mobile.airasia.com every Friday during the hours stated. -- Bernama

Johnvb

October 26th, 2010, 01:33 AM

Perhaps announcement of SYD coming soon? I just got an email from MAS with $599 return syd-kul special... preemptive?

Skyprince

October 29th, 2010, 10:39 AM

World 2 World

October 29th, 2010, 11:39 AM

pls fly to Amsterdam!! its a huge market here for Air Asia. d dutch luv to travel to asia:)

Johnvb

October 29th, 2010, 12:29 PM

I think they will annouce Kuala Lumpur- Paris Orly soon. The French site has been added to Air Asia website since 3 days ago :eek:

There is also rumour that Air Asia to start KL-Madurai soon.. :cheers:

Fantastic!! Great news huh. Yet another destination in southern india ;) Cannot wait for paris flights.

Schoolboy95

October 30th, 2010, 07:51 PM

They're flying, to Muan, South Korea, and Christchurch, New Zealand too, wow.!

Johnvb

October 31st, 2010, 01:03 PM

Announcement on flights to NZ

Chch Airport confident it can handle influx
Published: 10:24AM Sunday October 31, 2010 Source: Newstalk ZB/ONE News

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Aiport arrivals - Source: ONE News
Related
From Malaysia to Christchurch direct
Christchurch International Airport is confident it can handle a surge of passengers expected from a new airline deal.

An extra 70,000 people a year are will flow through its terminals after signing a contract with Air Asia X, a low-cost airline which flies from Kuala Lumpur.

Airport CEO Jim Boult said the airport can comfortably cope, and that it will be good for Christchurch because the flights are expected to arrive late in the afternoon.

He said that will make it more likely that passengers spend a night in the city.

Christchurch Mayor Bob Parker said yesterday the deal was fantastic news for Christchurch travel and tourism.

"We are looking at up to 70,000 more visitors a year, bringing in an estimated $70 to $80 million more to the region and creating hundreds of new jobs," he said.

AirAsia X chief executive Azran Osman-Rani said yesterday the choice of Christchurch - over Auckland - as its first New Zealand port reflected its "great destinational appeal".

With its parent company, Air Asia, AirAsia X has a network of 130 routes covering 75 destinations.

forrestcat

October 31st, 2010, 01:33 PM

Cayala Air Asia..bile lagi nak gi Adelaide..still have the Eyre Peninsular to tour before I complete South Australia!!!

It is good Air Asia go to NZ..the currency not that expensive and they have loads more to offer..nature..and extreme sports. I went to South Island in 2009 and it was amazing although Christchurch is abit of a dump..hahaha. KL-CHC will have alot of appeal if it is very affordable. So I guess the flight will be 10 hours? As Chc is 4 hours from Melbourne if I recalled correctly.

Skyprince

October 31st, 2010, 05:00 PM

So in the coming 1-2 months we can expect launch of these destinations from Kuala Lumpur:

Paris-Orly
Christchurch
Muan
Madurai
Kathmandu

Schoolboy95

October 31st, 2010, 06:59 PM

Skyprince

November 1st, 2010, 02:14 AM

Not to mention Iran, which has been on its website for months but not, publicized.. Does UN-backed multilateral economic sanctions or trade embargoes got anything to do with it o.o? Btw, how are they gonna fly these routes in such short notice? Are the A330s viable for long-haul KUL-CHC?, they, come in in December i think..

I posted in Air Asia facebook and they replied saying that, one of their planes is "chartered" by an Iranian travel agency and Air Asia has no control over prices.

Means, the plane is chartered but if there are seats available, AirAsia sells them to public but not at promo prices.

Johnvb

November 1st, 2010, 12:56 PM

I posted in Air Asia facebook and they replied saying that, one of their planes is "chartered" by an Iranian travel agency and Air Asia has no control over prices.

Means, the plane is chartered but if there are seats available, AirAsia sells them to public but not at promo prices.

Very interesting!

Schoolboy95

November 2nd, 2010, 02:02 PM

Airasia X To Fly To Paris Soon, Jeddah And New Zealand Next Year

SEOUL, Nov 2 (Bernama) -- AirAsia X, the low-cost long-haul arm of AirAsia, is to expand its long-haul destination to Paris after Tehran, Tokyo and Seoul.

An official announcement will be made in France soon once flight details were finalised with the French authorities, said chief executive officer Azran Osman-Rani.

He said Paris, a keenly-awaited destination, is expected to be a hit among Malaysians.

"Our company is in a strong position, enabling us to expand to new destinations, more so with the addition of another Airbus A330 aircraft by middle of this month, bringing to 11 such aircraft," he told reporters at the launch of AirAsia X's inaugural Kuala Lumur-Seoul direct flight which landed at the Incheon International Airport last night.

Azran said the airline intends to fly to Jeddah, Sydney and New Zealand next year.

On the Kuala Lumpur-Seoul direct flight, Azran said that it was a lucrative market for the airline to take advantage of and to promote tourism between the two countries which would help stimulate economic growth.

He said bookings for the KL-Seoul and Seoul-KL sectors were almost full daily. The airline is using the 365-seat A330 Airbus with 12 premium flat-bed seats.

"We receive encouraging response from Malaysians and South Koreans and we hope to fly 110,000 passengers a year, earning some RM15 million," he said.

The promotion fare starts from RM199 from Kuala Lumpur or KRW100,000 from Seoul. The offer price is from tomorrow to Nov 10 for travelling between April and June next year.

-- BERNAMA

rizalhakim

November 3rd, 2010, 06:49 AM

Incheon makes it a grand dozen for AirAsia X
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/11/3/nation/7353802&sec=nation

World 2 World

November 4th, 2010, 06:31 PM

ukdc8f-ZDAY

Vrooms

November 9th, 2010, 09:15 AM

Source:http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/travel/traveller-tips/flight-test-airasia-x-budget-bed-to-london-20101109-17ls7.html

Flight test: AirAsia X budget bed to London
November 9, 2010 - 4:18PM

Aircraft: AirAsia X Airbus A330-300

Route: Melbourne to Kuala Lumpur (connecting to London)

Class: Premium, seat 1A
Advertisement: Story continues below

Seat pitch and width: 20 inches wide, 60-inch pitch expanding to 77 inches in full recline position

Seat configuration: 2-2-2 for a total of 12 seats in the premium cabin

Luggage allowance: One piece of check-in luggage up to 20 kilograms. One item of hand luggage up to seven kilograms

Scheduled flight time: Eight hours, 15 minutes

On-time performance: A headwind combined with airport congestion sees us touch down 35 minutes late, then a FedEx plane steals our parking spot creating a further delay.

Aircraft condition: AirAsia X recently refitted its interiors (including the addition of the premium seats) so the cabin is in excellent shape.

Comfort: Unbeatable for the price. The seats are more spacious than most premium economy products and better than even some airline's business class seats, reclining to a near-flat position and with enough leg room for even tall passengers (like me) to fully stretch out. For long haul, it's an exceptional bargain.

Entertainment: None, but portable entertainment screens with a variety of films and TV shows can be rented for $MYR30 ($A10). However, premium seats have a power supply, so I spend the flight watching from my own collection of TV shows on my netbook.

Service: The young crew achieves the good cabin crew trifecta: friendly, efficient and good looking. Premium passengers with pre-ordered meals can get them served when they feel like.

Food and beverage: Meal is included in premium class (hot meals start from $6 for economy passengers, but can be pre-ordered at a 20 per cent discount). The 'international' option - chicken with barbecue sauce, a smattering of green beans and one piece of potato - is hardly a substantial meal but it tastes OK. The Asian options (nasi goreng, chicken biryani) are the better choice. Premium passengers are kept hydrated with regular deliveries of bottled water. Snacks and other drinks can be purchased on board.

Amenities: Premium passengers get a decent-sized pillow and blanket. An additional amenity pack can be purchased with a neck pillow, eye mask and another blanket for $A12.

In transit: One drawback to the flight is the long waiting time (more than four hours) at the drab Low Cost Carrier Terminal – a long way from Kuala Lumpur International's main terminal and its many entertainments and comforts (the LCCT is essentially a separate airport). In addition, at the time of my flight bags could not be checked through to London, leaving me stuck with my large suitcase at the airport for a couple of hours until check-in for my connecting flight opened. The airline says it is aiming to fix this issue.

Flight frequency: AirAsia X flies to Kuala Lumpur from Melbourne, the Gold Coast and Perth daily.

Price: Return premium class flights from Perth to London from $3624, Gold Coast to London from $4024, Melbourne to London from $4124. All flights go via Kuala Lumpur (prices are approximate).

Photos: AirAsia X's budget beds

Online: www.airasia.com/au/en

Tested by Craig Platt, who travelled courtesy of AirAsia X

Arkdriver

November 9th, 2010, 03:10 PM

gosh that was my junior

Vrooms

November 11th, 2010, 03:52 PM

Source:http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporebusinessnews/view/1092882/1/.html

AirAsia introduces S'pore-Miri route
Posted: 11 November 2010 1846 hrs

SEPANG - Malaysian low cost airline AirAsia is enhancing its connectivity from Singapore with the introduction of a new route to Miri, Sarawak, and increased frequencies to Kuala Lumpur and Penang.

AirAsia will be flying four times a week - Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday - from Singapore to Miri.

To celebrate the new addition to its route network, the Malaysian budget carrier has launched promotional fares from Singapore to Miri from S$39 per way. The travel period is from 21 January 2011 - 30 June 2011.

AirAsia will also increase the frequencies of flights from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur and Penang.

Flights from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur will be raised to 10 times daily, effective 17 December 2010, from the current eight times a day.

For the Singapore-Penang route, with the addition of another frequency from 21 January 2011, the number of flights will increase to 3 times daily.

Kathleen Tan, regional head of commercial, AirAsia, said: "AirAsia is committed to connecting people and the new addition of Singapore to Miri route as well as increased frequencies from Singapore reiterates that commitment as Singapore is our virtual hub with 401 weekly flights to 13 cities internationally.

"This new route is definitely sustainable as Singapore is an international gateway, while Miri is the second largest city in Sarawak with a significant number of expatriates and international students.

"With this new route, Singapore is now connected to six cities in Malaysia – Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Langkawi, Kota Kinabalu, Kuching, and now Miri."

- CNA/al

Schoolboy95

November 14th, 2010, 11:49 AM

Found this on Airasia's website: BONJOUR PARIS!
Paris, je t’aime (Paris, I love you)

Get ready to fall in love with Paris as AirAsia X will be landing in France soon!
Paris, the city of love, or so as most movies paint them to be. But this city of over 11 million, is more than just a pretty picture Hollywood painted. Beneath that love potion like mist lays the heart of a city that has seen the suppleness of Moulin Rouge, the eccentricity of Notre Dame, the bold Arc de Triomphe, the deeply intriguing yet sometimes beguiling arts of the Lourve and of course how could anyone miss out the most memorable souvenir model, the Eiffel Tower.

Though the fun doesn’t just end there, where there is a past a present is usually lurking around the corner. Champs-Elysées is one of the most talked over places in Paris that is deemed to be the kryptonite to shopaholics worldwide. With the crème de la crème (very best) of all the Parisian, European, American, and even Asian designers and brands; from cufflinks to cars, nothing is left out. But in Paris, the shopping experience is equal for both side as everyone knows, Parisians are one of the sharpest dressers in Europe.

Though if all that is not your cup of latte, then a cruise on the river Seine would be perfect for you to just lull in the softly sweet melodic pace of Paris. Many have fallen in love with Paris’s laid back nature, where locals and tourists alike sit by al fresco cafe’s and watch the world go by.

Just don’t take our word for it, go and experience it for yourself! As AirAsia X will be flying to Orly International Airport, Paris!

DUDE i really hope they ply routes to the cote d'azur région. Marseilles est tres beau surtout au printemps!

Schoolboy95

November 14th, 2010, 02:05 PM

D7's first A333, 9M-XAA repainted livery which features Sydney and Paris.

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs116.snc4/36149_444506363471_506548471_5402729_469308_n.jpg
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs096.snc4/36149_444506368471_506548471_5402730_2814603_n.jpg

Schoolboy95

November 14th, 2010, 02:21 PM

official announcement and further details on new routes by AirAsia X expected on 18th of November. stay tuned!

Vrooms

November 14th, 2010, 02:31 PM

^^Nice livery!!

Skyprince

November 14th, 2010, 03:53 PM

official announcement and further details on new routes by AirAsia X expected on 18th of November. stay tuned!

Just one new route or multiple routes ?

Is this what you heard from AirAsia FB page ?

Vrooms

November 15th, 2010, 03:19 PM

Source:http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles/BransonlosesbettoLotuscounterpartFernandes/Article/

Branson loses bet to Lotus counterpart Fernandes
2010/11/15

http://www.nst.com.my/articles/BransonlosesbettoLotuscounterpartFernandes/single
This photoshop by Lotus Racing (Fernandes' team) first appeared when they announced their bet at the start of the season.

KUALA LUMPUR: Richard Branson will serve as a “stewardess” on an Air Asia flight after losing a bet to Lotus team principal Tony Fernandes over which of their Formula One teams did better this season.

Although neither team scored a point in their debut season, Lotus slightly outperformed the Virgin.

The two had made a bet before the season that the loser must serve as a “stewardess” on the winner’s airline. Fernandes owns Air Asia and Branson runs Virgin.

Fernandes says “it’s time for Richard to start preparing himself for some hard work and the likely pain of a pair of high heels.”

The date of the Kuala Lumpur-London flight has yet to be set, but seats will be auctioned off and money given to Branson’s chosen charity.

AP

Meanwhile, Bernama reports:

In the midst of the celebrations on track last night, Lotus Racing Team Principal Tony Fernandes gave Richard an AirAsia uniform and pinned an AirAsia stewardess’ badge on the Virgin Racing Team Principal and the two agreed how the bet would be settled, it said.

Tony Fernandes said: “There has been a fantastic spirit of competition between us and Virgin Racing all season, and one of the first people to come and congratulate us on the pitwall was Richard.

"We have had this great bet running all season and now it’s time for Richard to start preparing himself for some hard work and the likely pain of a pair of high heels!".

"We agreed last night that we will run an online charity auction for the seats on our Kuala Lumpur/London route to raise money for a charity of Richard’s choice and give fans of both teams the chance to be on the flight," he said.

"The date of the flight will be announced very soon and the aim is to raise as much money as we can for a good cause so the discomfort Richard will go through is worth as much as it possibly can be!" he added.

More details on the date of the flight and how to enter the charity auction to bid for a seat will be announced very soon.

trip

November 15th, 2010, 03:47 PM

Air Asia X Check In Counters in Seoul Incheon International Airport Korea

Night flight out from Seoul Incheon departs for KL at about 11 pm from Seoul

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1386/5178091675_30e6c8e6db_b.jpg

nazrey

November 16th, 2010, 01:13 PM

Grab tickets under AirAsia X promotion
Tuesday November 16, 2010
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/11/16/nation/7434137&sec=nation

PETALING JAYA: AirAsia X will be offering low fares from Kuala Lumpur to Australia, China, Taiwan, United Kingdom, India and South Korea.

Tickets for the travel period from July 1 to Nov 10 next year are up for grabs until Wednesday.

All-in fares to India start from as low as RM49 to Mumbai and RM99 to Delhi.

China (Hangzhou, Tianji, Chengdu) destinations are from RM105, Taiwan from RM169, Australia from RM149 to Perth and RM199 to Gold Coast and Melbourne.

To Seoul the fares are from RM199 and RM499 to London (Stansted).

AirAsia X chief executive director Azran Osman-Rani said it had launched its new flight transfer ser-vices, which would provide a more convenient transit process for connecting guests across selected destinations on the AirAsia X network via its hub in Kuala Lumpur.

Yesterday, AirAsia also announced that it would increase its frequency on the Kuala Lumpur-Chennai route from Jan 21 next year.

It would now operate a total of 11 flights weekly from Chennai.

AirAsia would be offering all-in fares from RM149 one-way to mark this.

Booking is from Nov 16 to 21 for travel from Jan 21 to June 30 next year.

nazrey

November 17th, 2010, 04:48 AM

‘Branson must shave his legs’ :lol:
By FLORENCE A, SAMY Wednesday November 17, 2010
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/11/17/nation/7443514&sec=nation

http://thestar.com.my/archives/2010/11/17/nation/n_10branson1.jpg

PETALING JAYA: Wearing the striking red AirAsia flight attendant uniform could be the least of Sir Richard Branson’s worries. He now also has to deal with requests to shave his legs.

“We want him to shave his legs. We are going to try and get him to shave his legs and wear some make-up.

“But we will leave his moustache alone as it is his trademark,” said Lotus Racing team principal and AirAsia Group chief executive officer Datuk Seri Tony Fernandes yesterday.

The Virgin Atlantic boss, who has already received his AirAsia badge and uniform for the Kuala Lumpur-London charity flight on AirAsia, has been a good sport about the whole deal, added Fernandes.

Branson has to dress up as a flight attendant after his Formula One Virgin Racing team ended behind Lotus Racing in the overall team rankings.

The budget airlines owners had wagered the friendly bet at the start of the Formula One (F1) season in March.

Lotus Racing finished 10th while Virgin Racing came in last (12).

The online world has been abuzz about the bet, with blogs, Twitter and news portals worldwide picking up on the result of the wager.

The excitement is fuelled further by the fact that Fernandes said Branson would be expected to wear high heels during the flight and perform tasks like any other crew member, including cleaning the toilets.

Reuters had previously reported that Branson was looking for loopholes to get out of shaving his legs.

The money raised on the flight would go to the Virgin Group boss’ charity of choice.

forrestcat

November 17th, 2010, 12:08 PM

You could go to the UK for as low as RM1700 two ways under the promo. Amazing

Vrooms

November 17th, 2010, 05:48 PM

Source:http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles/AirAsiaopensnewhubinChiangMai/Article/

AirAsia opens new hub in Chiang Mai
2010/11/17
By Jamaluddin Muhammad, BERNAMA

BANGKOK: Beginning Jan 24, AirAsia will open a new hub in Chiang Mai, and launch daily flights from there to Hat Yai and Singapore.

Thai AirAsia chief executive officer Tassapon Bijleveld said the move would offer more connectivity for people who wished to travel to or from the northern city of Thailand to Singapore or Hat Yai in Southern Thailand.

Chiang Mai is known for its abundant natural beauty and rich culture and about five million tourists visit the destination every year.

Hat Yai is Thailand's important financial city in the south and Singapore is known as a shopping haven and excellent weekend destination.

Tassapon said the new hub would also allow travellers to connect to Bangkok, Phuket and Kuala Lumpur.

AirAsia, the leading and largest low-cost carrier in Asia, offered a special promotional price starting from 690 Baht (about RM69) per way from Chiang Mai-Hat Yai and 1,490 Baht (about RM149) per way for Chiang Mai-Singapore, he added.

Booking is open Wednesday until Nov 28 for traveling on Jan 24 until Nov 10. - BERNAMA

Vrooms

November 18th, 2010, 07:39 AM

Source:http://www.asianewsnet.net/home/news.php?id=15579&sec=2

AirAsia confirms plans to axe Brunei-Kota Kinabalu route
Debbie Too
The Brunei Times
Publication Date : 18-11-2010

AirAsia has confirmed that they will be cancelling their routes from Brunei to Kota Kinabalu effective Jan 3, 2011.

Air Asia Berhad's Communications department informed The Brunei Times that this was due to "commercial reasons".

In the past few months local consumers who had wanted to book tickets out of Brunei to Kota Kinabalu using the low-cost carrier found that they could not book their tickets for the new year, and rumours started circulating that the airlines had cancelled their flights. No further comments could be reached as of press time yesterday (November 17).

The Brunei-KK route was announced last year and the booking period for daily Kota Kinabalu-Brunei flights opened in July for September 9. "The new route caters to the emergent demand from East Malaysia," stated the press statement that was issued for the inaugural flight last year.

AirAsia stated that the service was targeted to "stimulate and enhance connectivity but also tap the existing market from brunei and feed the traffic to AirAsia's vast route network in the region".

Kathleen Tan, regional head of commercial AirAsia, said: "We are launching this new service with direct daily flights which is a testament of our confidence in this sector. Our low fare will certainly benefit the immense demand from business travellers and foreign workers especially... from Indonesia and the Philippines."

Kota Kinabalu is AirAsia's second and biggest hub after Kuala Lumpur and serves nine domestic routes including Penang, Kuching and Sibu while the international sectors are Macau, Shenzhen, Clark, Jakarta and Singapore.

Johnvb

November 19th, 2010, 10:01 AM

Paris here we come! $360 AUD return

AirAsia X is offering a promotional fare between Kuala Lumpur and Paris from RM499 (€99) one way. Paris is AirAsia X's second European destination after London.

The promotional fares are available for booking online from 22 to 24 November, 2010 (22 November – 00:00 hrs Paris time, 7am Malaysia) for the four times weekly direct flights which will commence on 14 February 2011 between Paris- Orly International Airport and Kuala Lumpur International Airport’s Low Cost Carrier Terminal. The travel period for the special fare is between 14 February and 10 November, 2011.

Promotional seats are limited and available on first-come, first-served basis. Terms and conditions apply.

AirAsia Group CEO and AirAsia X Founder Tony Fernandes said, “AirAsia X’s Paris-Kuala Lumpur route is the realisation of one of its long-held ambition to open up yet another affordable access between Malaysia and Europe for both ASEAN and European communities. We have an incredible route network and at €99, the opportunity for French and Europeans to explore the ASEAN region has never been greater.”

The new route will be serviced by the Airbus A340 aircraft with 327 passenger capacity including 18 Premium seats.

Guests in France can contact AirAsia X - Paris Booking & Enquiry Hotline daily from Monday to Sunday at 01 70 48 07 22 from 8.00 am to 9.00 pm (France).

http://www.asiatraveltips.com/news10/1911-AirAsiaX.shtml

kekgi

November 19th, 2010, 08:31 PM

Good move AirAsia..i have been flying with you to London, Perth, Bali, Jakarta, Padang, Pekanbaru etc..cant wait to fly with you to Christchurst, Paris and more..

Paris..here i ll come again for third time..huhu..

Johnvb

November 20th, 2010, 07:33 AM

Official announcement flights from Bali to Darwin set to start soon...

Zulhelmi

November 21st, 2010, 02:53 PM

Official announcement flights from Bali to Darwin set to start soon...
Will that be operated by AK or QZ?

Vrooms

November 23rd, 2010, 04:39 AM

Source:http://www.thaipr.net/nc/readnews.aspx?newsid=E8016682755FA9DBD2F3B5BCE79E05E3

AirAsia X Connects Paris to Asia Announcing 2nd European destination after London for as low as 4,510 bath one way

AirAsia X, the long-haul low fare affiliate of AirAsia, today officially announced an all in fare from as low as 4,510 bath(€99) one way from Kuala Lumpur to Paris, France; announcing its second European destination, connecting Paris to Asia after London.

Flights for the special offer is available for booking online from 22 to 24 November, 2010 (22 November – 00:00 hrs Paris time, 7am Malaysia) for the four times weekly direct flights which will commence on 14th February 2011 between Paris- Orly International Airport and Kuala Lumpur International Airport’s Low Cost Carrier Terminal. Travel period for the special fare is from 14 February to 10 November, 2011. From an all in fare as low as 4,510 bath (€99) one way, the route will make travel between Asia and Europe more accessible and affordable as ever.

Promotional seats are limited and available on first-come, first-served basis and made exclusively available online via www.airasia.com.
AirAsia Group CEO and AirAsia X Founder Tony Fernandes said, “AirAsia X’s Paris-Kuala Lumpur route is the realisation of one of its long-held ambition to open up yet another affordable access between Malaysia and Europe for both ASEAN and European communities. We have an incredible route network and at €99, the opportunity for French and Europeans to explore the ASEAN region has never been greater.”

“Being a truly ASEAN airline, we are committed to promoting tourism and travel throughout and beyond that region. This new route will benefit everyone, enabling magnificent holidays in beautiful locations, encouraging economic and tourism activity, bringing in revenue and creating job opportunities,” he added.

The new route will be serviced by the Airbus A340 aircraft with 327 passenger capacity including 18 Premium seats. Guests flying on this new route will have the chance to experience the new comfortable ‘Premium FlatBed seats’ which are standard business class specifications of 20” width, 61” pitch and stretches out to 77” in full recline position. The seats feature universal power sockets, adjustable headrests and built-in personal utilities such as tray table, drink holder, reading light and privacy screen. This new improvement offers unmatched comfort to the guests and position AirAsia as the market leader, further bolstering the brand as the epitome of innovation and excellence.

AirAsia X covers destinations which are more than four hours in flight duration from Kuala Lumpur, complementing the existing AirAsia network of over 76 destinations throughout ASEAN, China and India. Via AirAsia’s 9 major hubs in Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia, passengers can enjoy unparalleled access to destinations throughout Asia, including Langkawi, Kota Kinabalu, Phuket, Borneo, Bali, Seam Reap, Phnom Penh and Ho Chi Minh City.
AirAsia X Chief Executive Officer, Azran Osman-Rani said, “The Paris route is a significant achievement for us, allowing those who have always wanted to travel between Europe and ASEAN to achieve their dream, at an affordable price. The commencement of the inaugural flight from Kuala Lumpur to Paris on February 14, 2011 is our Valentines gift for loved ones, and families from the Asian region who wants to celebrate the occasion in the romantic city of Paris. Likewise, Parisians may now look into Asia as their dream travel getaway. Some of the world’s most famous attractions awaits guests from South East Asia region namely the iconic Eiffel Tower, Moulin Rouge, Notre Dame, Arc de Triomphe, the Louvre and many more,”

“We have always been enthusiastic in venturing into a new European country since we launched London. The establishment of this new route is a significant achievement for us and is a reflection of our commitment to expanding our international operations further. Like Kuala Lumpur’s Low Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT) - the gateway of ASEAN – Paris, Orly has true potential to be the gateway of Europe. Our renowned low-fare offerings will stimulate more demand from the European community to discover ASEAN and vice versa”, Azran concludes.

In just 3 years AirAsia X has flown more than 2 million passengers. The airline now flies to 14 destinations in Australia (Gold Coast, Perth and Melbourne), China (Hangzhou, Tianjin and Chengdu), Taiwan (Taipei), Iran (Tehran), Korea (Seoul), India (Delhi and Mumbai), UK (London), Japan (Tokyo) in December and soon to France (Paris) in February, bringing the well known brand on to a global stage. Supported by the wide route network of AirAsia, it has brought new definition to low cost long-haul travel. As a group, AirAsia has carried more than 100 million passengers to date.
AirAsia is also offering great hotel rates and personalized travel packages under AirAsiaGo, its one stop travel portal at www.airasiago.com. Guests can obtain greater savings and more value for money on their accommodation in addition to the low fares that AirAsia X offers. Currently, AirAsiaGo has a wide range of over 70,000 hotel partners globally and over 5,000 activities and tours to cater to every traveler’s budget.

Guests from France may contact AirAsia X - Paris Booking & Enquiry Hotline daily from Monday to Sunday at 01 70 48 07 22 from 8.00 am to 9.00 pm (France).

Never miss out on updates and promo deals by following AirAsia via Facebook (facebook.com/AirAsia) and Twitter (twitter.com/AirAsia).

For more information, log on to www.airasia.com.
*Promo Fares include airport taxes.
Flights and fares are subject to availability and are for one way travel only.

nazrey

November 23rd, 2010, 01:23 PM

AirAsia opens hubs in Darwin
Published: 2010/11/23
http://www.btimes.com.my/Current_News/BTIMES/articles/20101123143938/Article/index_html

Budget airline AirAsia will establish its fourth Australian hub in Darwin.

Indonesia AirAsia president director Dharmadi announced in Darwin today that daily flights would begin from Dec 23 between Darwin and Denpasar in Bali, the Australian Associated Press (AAP) reports.

AirAsia will become the second airline to fly the route currently serviced by JetStar. AirAsia already operates flights out of Melbourne, Perth and the Gold Coast, primarily to Kuala Lumpur.

AAP says concerns had been raised this year about the fees charged by Northern Territory Airports for carriers to operate out of Darwin Airport, as well as the flight time restrictions imposed.

Earlier this month, Tiger Airways cancelled flights on which some passengers were already booked, between Darwin and Melbourne for a period of almost two months due to poor demand.
Dharmadi said AirAsia would put the route on trial for up to six months but that he was confident of its success.

"We will stay as long as you fly ... hopefully forever," he is quoted as saiying.

He said AirAsia had not dumped any of its routes, either in Australia or Asia,since it began operating a decade ago.
He said the cost of operating out of Darwin per unit would reduce as passenger load numbers increased.

Northern Territory Airports chief executive officer Ian Kew said "exciting new airlines" were being attracted to Darwin to establish themselves in the "Australian gateway to Asia" market.
He said A$40 million would be spent expanding the airport over the next two years.

To celebrate the new route, Dharmadi said, 10,000 A$99 one-way flights would go on sale at mid-night today, for flights between Dec 23 and November 2011. -- Bernama

Johnvb

November 23rd, 2010, 05:22 PM

Flights to New Zealand announced on their website today...

http://www.airasia.com/my/en/presignup/kulchc.html

Must be soon?

Skyprince

November 23rd, 2010, 05:27 PM

^^ Thats great... Jeddah is actually already added in destination list

So in next few months they may launch these destinations:

Christchurch
Jeddah
Kathmandu
Madurai
Maldives (?)

patchay

November 23rd, 2010, 06:43 PM

http://www.airasia.com/nl/images/2010/paris-main.jpg
from AirAsia

Vrooms

November 23rd, 2010, 06:45 PM

^^ Thats great... Jeddah is actually already added in destination list

So in next few months they may launch these destinations:

Christchurch
Jeddah
Kathmandu
Madurai
Maldives (?)

I think Maldives would be a great destination to fly to!! Not many connections to and from Maldives and if there is, ticket costs are pretty high.

razpatrol99

November 24th, 2010, 04:19 AM

http://www.airasia.com/nl/images/2010/paris-main.jpg
from AirAsia

think that the Ad just brilliant..!! Luv it... :D

constipation

November 24th, 2010, 10:56 AM

http://www.airasia.com/nl/images/2010/paris-main.jpg

i hope there will be no ultra nasionalist malay leaders againts this ad(previously they even asked TF to change the AA steward's uniform coz too sexy).. we malaysian , open minded

AFL

November 24th, 2010, 11:19 AM

i hope there will be no ultra nasionalist malay leaders againts this ad(previously they even asked TF to change the AA steward's uniform coz too sexy).. we malaysian , open minded

But, I won't tolerate naked person wrapped in Malaysian flag (which happened before), something that I find unacceptable.:ohno:

Skyprince

November 24th, 2010, 12:54 PM

. we malaysian , open minded

If "open-minded" then would they dare ( or would you yourself agree ) to showcase ladies in tudung in their ads ?

kekgi

November 24th, 2010, 02:07 PM

that kind of advertisment is not suitable in Malaysia since kissing in public is not our culture...

Vrooms

November 25th, 2010, 03:38 PM

Source:http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/fmt-english/business/13340-airasia-chalks-up-increased-pre-tax-profit-of-rm309857m-in-q3

AirAsia chalks up increased pre-tax profit of RM309.857m in Q3
Thu, 25 Nove 2010 21:07

KUALA LUMPUR: AirAsia Bhd recorded an increased pre-tax profit of RM309.857 million for the third quarter ended September 30, 2010, compared with RM136.260 million in the same period last year.

In a filing to Bursa Malaysia, the airline said its revenue appreciated to RM987.558 million from RM739.668 million previously.

The airline attributed the higher revenue to several factors, including the higher average fare and the contribution from ancillary income.

AirAsia said the increase was supported by a 12% growth in passenger volume and an average fare that was 22% higher at RM173 as compared with the RM142 achieved in the third quarter of last year.

The seat load factor was at 78% compared with 75% in the same period last year.

For the nine-month period ended Sept 30, 2010, its pre-tax profit advanced to RM709.078 million compared with RM398.538 million in the same period last year.

The airline's revenue increased to RM2.806 billion from RM2.285 billion previously.

During a conference call, AirAsia group chief executive, Tony Fernandes, said based on the current forward booking trend, the underlying passenger demand in the fourth quarter for the Malaysian, Thai and Indonesian operations remain positive.

"November and December will be very promising and the first quarter of next year will also be stronger," he added.

He said the fourth quarter is the peak season for tourist arrivals and a higher demand for leisure travel in Thailand.

In Indonesia, he said, the outlook for the final quarter is positive with encouraging passenger and yield growth.

Indonesia's focus on longer international routes is expected to continue to drive improved financial performance, he said.

Fernandes said AirAsia will stay focused on its own strategy by driving down costs, raising yields, improving productivity, expanding its route network and strengthening the emotional bonds with the region's communities.

"We are heading into our strongest quarter on the back of what is already an amazing performance this year. We are looking forward to delivering the numbers for the fourth quarter, actually," he added.

- Bernama

Zulhelmi

November 26th, 2010, 04:59 AM

If "open-minded" then would they dare ( or would you yourself agree ) to showcase ladies in tudung in their ads ?
Agree to that.

Skyprince

November 26th, 2010, 05:07 AM

Agree to that.

Tudung is worn by like 60% or so of Muslim ladies in Malaysia so for an airline that potray itself as a proud Malaysian brand it should showcase the reality of Malaysian populace, right ?

Not that am against Air Asia but I think they can consider more "humble" presentation without compromising their strong brand and great revenue :)

Zulhelmi

November 26th, 2010, 05:16 AM

Tudung is worn by like 60% or so of Muslim ladies in Malaysia so for an airline that potray itself as a proud Malaysian brand it should showcase the reality of Malaysian populace, right ?

Not that am against Air Asia but I think they can consider more "humble" presentation without compromising their strong brand and great revenue :)
Western influence, that shows how strong they are.

I mean seriously, my recent trip to the Middle East surprised me. I found myself getting out of the al-Haram in Makkah and into a Starbucks in front of the mosque. LOL

Vrooms

November 26th, 2010, 07:24 AM

Source:http://www.asianewsnet.net/home/news.php?id=15738

AirAsia to charge passengers who check in at its counters

Business Desk
The Star
Publication Date : 26-11-2010

AirAsia would start charging its passengers who check in at its counters within the next three months.

Web check-in is free but we will start charging counter check-ins within the next three months. We want to drive everyone to the website, AirAsia group chief executive officer Tony Fernandes said In a teleconference on Thursday (November 25).

He did not disclose further details.

Yesterday, Fernandes also said it was the carrier's best-ever quarter and he was confident of an even better fourth quarterwithout disclosing further details.

Meanwhile, low-cost carrier AirAsia's net profit surged 151.6 per cent to 327.3 million (US$1.05 million) for the quarter ended September 30, against 130.1 million a year earlier, on the back of strong growth in passenger volumes, ancillary income and higher average fares.

Revenue for the third quarter was 33.5 per cent higher at 987.5 million ringgit ($315.4 million) from 739.7 million previously. It reported earnings per share of 11.90 sen versus 5.3 sen a year ago. For the nine months ended Sept 30, AirAsia posted a net profit of 750.3 million ringgit ($239 million) on revenue of 2.8 billion ringgit ($894.5 million).

The revenue growth was supported by a 12 per cent rise in passenger volumes and average fare that was 22 per cent higher.

Fernandes said it was the carrier's best-ever quarter and he was confident of an even better fourth quarter.

His optimism was based on the strong demand and forward booking. He said AirAsia would continue its focus on lowering costs, improving returns and expanding its network.

During the quarter, the group carried a total 6.48 million passengers while the load factor increased to 78 per cent from 75 per cent a year earlier.

Fernandes said the carrier's cost per available seat kilometre stood at 3.62 US cents quarter-on-quarter but increased year-on-year due to the rise in the average fuel price.

Commenting on the ancillary growth, he said he expected the spending per pax would reach RM50 per person soon from RM44 now.

He said the group would continue to identify ancillary income opportunities. The budget carrier would start charging its passengers who check in at its counters within the next three months.

On fuel hedge, he said the group had hedged 33 per cent of its requirement for the rest of the year at $83.38 per barrel, and aimed to place more hedges for 2011. It added that the current market price was averaging US$97 a barrel.

Asked for his opinion on the fuel price next year, he said: If I know that I would not be in this business We have budgeted fuel price to be at $95 a barrel.

Fernandes said the group would make a decision within three weeks to finalise the deployment of the number of planes for 2012.

We have revised the number a bit. We are looking at 12 to 16 planes, he said.

rizalhakim

November 26th, 2010, 10:13 AM

AirAsia Indonesia ops may pass Malaysia's
Published: 2010/11/26

AirAsia Bhd chief executive officer Tony Fernandes said the carrier’s Indonesian operations may surpass its Malaysian unit, which is now more than three times as big.

The Indonesia business may pass Malaysia in the “not-too- distant future,” Fernandes said today in a Bloomberg TV interview in Kuala Lumpur, without elaboration. “We’re really in the best playground for growth.”

Southeast Asia’s largest budget carrier more-than-doubled third-quarter net income as it grows its main Malaysian unit and ventures in Indonesia and Thailand to take advantage of rising regional travel demand. The airline plans to add as many as 12 planes a year and is targeting opportunities in Vietnam, the Philippines, India and China, Fernandes said.

“We believe that the market has underestimated AirAsia’s growth potential in riding the sector recovery,” Juliana Ramli, an analyst at HwangDBS Vickers Sdn Bhd in Kuala Lumpur, wrote in a note to clients today. The analyst recommends buying the stock.

AirAsia rose 5.5 per cent to RM2.69 at 11:49 am in Kuala Lumpur. The stock has risen 95 per cent this year compared with a 19 per cent gain on the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI Index.

The carrier, based in the Malaysian capital, reported net income of RM327.3 million for the third quarter, with sales climbing 34 per cent to RM987.6 million, the company said yesterday.

Indonesia AirAsia’s passenger number rose 8 per cent to 1.1 million in the quarter, according to a statement. The Malaysian operations boosted passenger numbers 12 per cent to 4 million, it said.

Malaysian Airline System Bhd returned to profit in the same period to Sept. 30, reporting net income of RM233.2 million, it said in a separate exchange filing yesterday.

AirAsia could also be “very interested” if Airbus SAS decides to offer a revamped version of its A320 single-aisle plane with a new engine, Fernandes said. The Toulouse, France- based planemaker has said it is considering such move.

Airbus is already working through orders for 175 A320s from AirAsia, according to data on its website. -- Bloomberg

Skyprince

November 26th, 2010, 10:25 AM

^^ I dunno whether to be happy or sad with above news

constipation

November 26th, 2010, 12:18 PM

If "open-minded" then would they dare ( or would you yourself agree ) to showcase ladies in tudung in their ads ?

for Kelantan market,fine for me,wearing tudung in their billboard ads.. this is all about business strategy, most malaysian including the muslims r liberals nowadays..

erwinkarim

November 26th, 2010, 03:23 PM

^^ I dunno whether to be happy or sad with above news

malaysia is 29 mil w/ 7 mil living in kl

indonesia is 268 mil w/ 24 mil living in jakarta..

if air asia can't haul more people from jakarta than kl, i feel sad...

anyways, the more money indo airasia makes, the more money it goes to malaysia (parent) airasia and end up in malaysian tax chest... better for the country in the long run...

Skyprince

November 26th, 2010, 05:25 PM

malaysia is 29 mil w/ 7 mil living in kl

indonesia is 268 mil w/ 24 mil living in jakarta..

if air asia can't haul more people from jakarta than kl, i feel sad...

anyways, the more money indo airasia makes, the more money it goes to malaysia (parent) airasia and end up in malaysian tax chest... better for the country in the long run...

I know this point but, this will hamper KUL's growth, dun u think so ?

They already defered several planes per year and now they will deploy more planes into Indonesia operations. So what will be left for Malaysian operation then ?

erwinkarim

November 27th, 2010, 04:23 AM

I know this point but, this will hamper KUL's growth, dun u think so ?

They already defered several planes per year and now they will deploy more planes into Indonesia operations. So what will be left for Malaysian operation then ?

if they are smart, (and i know they are), flights from jakarta will go to KUL as a gateway to europe.

AFAIK, indon carriers still banned from going to EU... that's the reason why there's more than 400 flights a week between jakarta and singapore...

downsouth

November 27th, 2010, 06:51 AM

if they are smart, (and i know they are), flights from jakarta will go to KUL as a gateway to europe.

AFAIK, indon carriers still banned from going to EU... that's the reason why there's more than 400 flights a week between jakarta and singapore...

The reason why Tony said that is because Indonesia has 10 times more population and Islands than Malaysia, thus air connectivity is a vital.

A lot of people from Jakarta prefer to use SIN as connecting hub because it provides more airlines options, KUL only becomes a choice when the chosen airlines were either MH or AK.

The best way for KUL to get more passengers from Indonesia is not by increasing CGK (Jakarta) - KUL flights, but connecting to more cities in Indonesia: Medan, Padang, Pekanbaru, Palembang, Jambi, Batam in Sumatra, Pontianak, Banjarmasin, Balikpapan, Palangkaraya in Kalimantan, Makassar, Manado, Palu, in Sulawesi, Semarang, Jogja, Malang, Surabaya, Solo, Bandung, in Java, etc.

Because most airports in those cities need to connect somewhere to go overseas (some provide regional international connections, but only to several destinations)

Skyprince

November 27th, 2010, 05:35 PM

^^ Am afraid that they will launch the likes of Jakarta- India, Jakarta- China , Jakarta- Australia instead of boosting Indonesia- Malaysia lines.

Arkdriver

November 27th, 2010, 05:37 PM

^^ I dunno whether to be happy or sad with above news

CIMB Niaga contributes more than local CIMB profit to the coffers of CIMB Group. You still feel sad?

It's a game of money. Nationalistic aside, let money do the talking.

Air Asia is going regional dude. Malaysia is not big enough. Sane businessman have Indonesia in their mind. It's SEA's biggest economy dude.

SleMarKen

November 29th, 2010, 04:59 AM

Just wanna ask if I can still add additional baggage check in before my flight this thursday... I've already purchased a ticket without baggage but my backpack is quite big and more than 7 kilos. I don't wanna buy during check in coz it's more expensive. thanks.

my AA flight is from Penang to KL, then KL to Sg (connecting).

Will they still weigh my luggage (60L backpack) that I want to hand carry if it is stated in my ticket that I didn't purchase luggage check in?

my luggages:
60L backpack (IMO weights more than 7 kg) and a shopping bag (with laptop and slr bag)

Can I hand carry them all in AirAsia?

I've flown AA before but I checked in all my luggage.

thanks:)

Skyprince

November 29th, 2010, 05:01 AM

^^ You can add.. in Air Asia website. Enter ur bkg no. and other details and u can add the baggage.

No, u can't carry more than 1 luggage into cabin. And must be less than 7 kg

SleMarKen

November 29th, 2010, 05:21 AM

weee.. cannot. If I click Find Itinerary, nothing comes out

Skyprince

November 29th, 2010, 05:37 AM

^^ its the usual site prob. U may try after 1-2 hrs.

SleMarKen

November 29th, 2010, 05:44 AM

^^Thanks @Sir Skyprince:)

SleMarKen

November 29th, 2010, 05:55 AM

^^ You can add.. in Air Asia website. Enter ur bkg no. and other details and u can add the baggage.

No, u can't carry more than 1 luggage into cabin. And must be less than 7 kg

btw, If I'll add baggage, how about the payment?

Vrooms

November 30th, 2010, 09:31 AM

Anybody see this happening in the future??
http://www.cardatabase.net/modifiedairlinerphotos/photos/big/00011583.jpg
http://www.cardatabase.net/modifiedairlinerphotos/photos/big/00011583.jpg

asd5139

November 30th, 2010, 11:54 AM

^^ then how many passengers will be fitted inside it?? 1000+??

Vrooms

November 30th, 2010, 11:57 AM

^^ then how many passengers will be fitted inside it?? 1000+??

I woder too......... Singapore Airlines sits about 500 people.

asd5139

November 30th, 2010, 12:02 PM

The new Airbus was initially offered in two models. The A380-800 original configuration carried 555 passengers in a three-class configuration[88] or 853 passengers (538 on the main deck and 315 on the upper deck) in a single-class economy configuration.-->wiki..

you know airasia love to put as much sit as they can.. so i suppose 1000+ is feasible..
but in near moment i dont think they are going to buy it.. maybe the next generation of a380..

kekgi

November 30th, 2010, 02:33 PM

Vrooms

Wow..nice A380 Airasia just like real one. btw UK flag at wing end should be replace by red X too.

Any new development about KL to CHC route?

Vrooms

November 30th, 2010, 02:47 PM

Wow..nice A380 Airasia just like real one. btw UK flag at wing end should be replace by red X too.

Yup i noticed too. Dont know why they put that there..............It would be nice to see it happen one day even if its not in the near future.....:cheers:

Schoolboy95

December 1st, 2010, 06:46 AM

By NG CHENG YEE

KUALA LUMPUR: AirAsia X announces its latest international route from Kuala Lumpur to Christchurch, New Zealand with four non-stop weekly services between the two cities from April 1 next year.

The airline is offering all-in fare from as low as RM199 one-way from Kuala Lumpur to Christchurch for the booking period of Dec 3 to 5 for the travel period between April 1 and Nov 10 next year.

Booking starts noon in New Zealand and 7am Malaysia.

Promotional seats are available online via www.airasia.com.

Schoolboy95

December 1st, 2010, 12:45 PM

AirAsia X eyes North America/Europe Expansion

The head of budget long-haul carrier AirAsia X said today the eurozone debt crisis would not prevent the airline expanding in Europe and that he hoped to open a route to New York next year.

Tony Fernandes said he would “absolutely not” rethink plans to begin new flights into Russia, Hungary and the Czech Republic, adding that the company had survived other crises in the past.

“No (cut back in expansion),” the airline’s founder told AFP.

“Absolutely not. We have been through the last nine years — many financial crises, many oil crises and many political crises — but people still want to fly.

“I think AirAsia actually provides a relief from all these financial troubles. People want to get away and have a break. So not at all.”

Fernandes was speaking after launching the carrier’s inaugural flight to Christchurch, to which it will begin four non-stop weekly flights from Kuala Lumpur from April 1.

The route will add to AirAsia X’s expanding network, which already includes Australia, India, Taiwan, China, Britain, South Korea, Japan and Iran, and will from February 14 also boast France.

AirAsia X, an affiliate of regional low-cost carrier AirAsia and Virgin Group, was launched in January 2007.

Fernandes cited strong bookings for the Kuala Lumpur-Paris route, which the airline began taking last month, as evidence of the firm’s ability to weather the European financial crisis.

“Our strategy has always remained the same despite calamity in the world. I was looking at our load factors to Paris, it is truly unbelievable. We are really full. It is one of our best routes,” he said.

The airline is aiming to start new routes to Moscow, Budapest and Prague from 2012 after it takes delivery of new aircraft.

“To me if we can have an entire fleet of A330’s that will be fantastic,” said Fernandes.

He added that he also hoped to kick of flights to New York next year, describing North America as being “definitely on our plan”.

He added: “We would like to fly from one of the European points into New York and at some stage into Los Angeles. It may come in 2011.”

Fernandes said the airline has ordered 25 A330-300 and was “pushing” Airbus to provide more range for the planes.

“If we can get the A330 into most of Europe then European expansion will be much larger than it is presently,” he said.

On the outlook for the company next year, Fernandes said: “We are optimistic. We had a fantastic three quarters. Our fourth quarter is going to be strong. Bookings for the first quarter is looking good.” -- AFP

kekgi

December 1st, 2010, 01:56 PM

yeahhh..finaly KL - Christchurch route launched.. must buy..must buy on sale Nov 3rd..

patchay

December 1st, 2010, 06:26 PM

The airline is aiming to start new routes to Moscow, Budapest and Prague from 2012 after it takes delivery of new aircraft.

He added that he also hoped to kick of flights to New York next year, describing North America as being “definitely on our plan”.

He added: “We would like to fly from one of the European points into New York and at some stage into Los Angeles. It may come in 2011.”

:banana:
Moscow
Budapest
Prague
New York City
Los Angeles

idiamindada

December 1st, 2010, 06:56 PM

Los Angeles…? sure kena hentam dengan MAS punya! :lol:

Zulhelmi

December 2nd, 2010, 03:56 AM

Wow, AK is expanding like crazy over the years, yet I've never flown internationally with them.

First international AK flight tomorrow to Saigon, AOR-KUL-SGN.

rizalhakim

December 3rd, 2010, 11:06 AM

Dato Seri Tony Fernandes

Businessman of the Year by Forbes Asia

http://www.btimes.com.my/Current_News/BTIMES/articles/20101203113624/Article/index_html

:banana::banana:

kekgi

December 3rd, 2010, 02:33 PM

Stuff.co.nz
Stuff.co.nz
Ad Feedback

LATEST: Nearly 11,000 cheap Air Asia tickets were snapped up in the first two hours of their launch today.

The cut-price Malaysian airline launched ticket sales for flights between Christchurch and Kuala Lumpur.

Packages to Bali, other Asian destinations and Paris and London also proved popular, travel agents said this afternoon.

The $99 one-way fare promotion runs until Sunday.

The first Air Asia flight from Christchurch to Kuala Lumpur leaves on April 1.

Earlier, customers trying to nab cheap flights from Christchruch to Malaysia have encountered problems booking their tickets online.

Thousands of customers flooded the Air Asia website, www.airasiax.com, when the $99 one-way fare promotion opened at noon.

The Malaysian-based cut-price airline will fly out of Christchurch four days a week from April 1.

One Christchurch customer, who tried to book a flight online early this afternoon, said the booking experience went smooth until she submitted payment and the website said it had not accepted her payment.

The website then directed her back to the original booking dates she had filed but with prices about double the special $99 offer.

The cut-price long-haul airline will start a four-weekly service between the two cities from April 1.

Specials on the Air Asia website to Paris could mean customers could potentially fly from Christchurch to Paris for about $700 return.

I woke up early this morning only to grap the promotional ticket RM199 one way Kuala Lumpur to Christchurch (Return RM400 ++) On the dot 7.00 am i on line but in the middle of transaction suddently interupted with line buzzy and i have to start it all over again. But within a minute, the promotional price disappear. Meaning someone has been taken it. So there left a bit higher price but still 70% cheap rather than others. So i did and sucessfull grap that ticket for whole family. Can you imagine KL-CH-KL for 4 seat is only RM4000.00.

I save almost RM6000 on ticket compared to my last S'pore - Sydney - S'pore trip (7 hours flight with Qantas-is the cheapest that time) but this CHC one a far distance away with exceed 12 hours flight i guess. So where else i can get a huge discount like this...

So....ALIVE AIR ASIA...WELL DONE AIR ASIA..TQ AIR ASIA..

razpatrol99

December 3rd, 2010, 02:53 PM

Wow, AK is expanding like crazy over the years, yet I've never flown internationally with them.

First international AK flight tomorrow to Saigon, AOR-KUL-SGN.

i have fly with them couples of time and i dont have any complaint at all... and looking at their expansion plan, i predict that in 5years time they will be as big as Emirates today :banana::banana:

idiamindada

December 3rd, 2010, 02:59 PM

Emirates? no way! Emirates got money pumped like water from Dubai's government and without questions. while AirAsia….it's all from their own pocket.

kekgi

December 3rd, 2010, 03:19 PM

Air Asia group in term of total passenger and number of aircrafts they overtake MAS already..

But the revenue is still low and the size of planes are different compare to MAS.

Ask wikipedia for further detail..

Skyprince

December 3rd, 2010, 06:07 PM

I woke up early this morning only to grap the promotional ticket RM199 one way Kuala Lumpur to Christchurch (Return RM400 ++) On the dot 7.00 am i on line but in the middle of transaction suddently interupted with line buzzy and i have to start it all over again. But within a minute, the promotional price disappear. Meaning someone has been taken it. So there left a bit higher price but still 70% cheap rather than others. So i did and sucessfull grap that ticket for whole family. Can you imagine KL-CH-KL for 4 seat is only RM4000.00.

I save almost RM6000 on ticket compared to my last S'pore - Sydney - S'pore trip (7 hours flight with Qantas-is the cheapest that time) but this CHC one a far distance away with exceed 12 hours flight i guess. So where else i can get a huge discount like this...

So....ALIVE AIR ASIA...WELL DONE AIR ASIA..TQ AIR ASIA..

It's like, Malaysians enjoy the same buying power as most Europeans when it comes to foreign travel, right ?

razpatrol99

December 3rd, 2010, 07:53 PM

Anybody see this happening in the future??
http://www.cardatabase.net/modifiedairlinerphotos/photos/big/00011583.jpg
http://www.cardatabase.net/modifiedairlinerphotos/photos/big/00011583.jpg

Think that this will be a feasible once they have a route someting like this...
"Kuala Lumpur - London - New York/Los Angeles" :banana::banana:

Skyprince

December 4th, 2010, 06:16 AM

AFL

December 4th, 2010, 07:08 AM

^^^^Why would Union Jack being painted at the wingtip? Should be Jalur Gemilang or Airasia X logo on it...

Emirates? no way! Emirates got money pumped like water from Dubai's government and without questions. while AirAsia….it's all from their own pocket.

Strange, Emirates always claim they never being financially supported by Dubai government, except during the year the carrier was established when the government injected startup capital to the then new airline.

Skyprince

December 4th, 2010, 07:34 AM

Emirates? no way! Emirates got money pumped like water from Dubai's government and without questions. while AirAsia….it's all from their own pocket.

Who said that ? Western media ? :lol:

Emirates is making good use of Dubai's great geographical location. Also, they are hiring the best of the best. That's it, I think ?

idiamindada

December 4th, 2010, 07:44 AM

Air Asia should launch Cairo as soon as possible. It has nearly 20 mil people and they are relatiely cash-rich. Egyptians are somewhat unique - they tend to use LCC like Air Asia for long-haul flights but once they arrive, they tend to spend loads just like Gulf Arabs. Also, Malaysians can take advantage to visit Egypt, where Ringgit streches a long way.

European tourists, from what I see, don't spend much when they come to Malaysia. Also, while it's interesting to see Air Asia launching flights to Europe, Malaysians travelling there are suffering the high exchange rate of Euro/ European currency.

I'd prefer Air Asia to launch flights to Middle East instead of Europe/ US :cheers:

some 'exotic' destinations eventho has low exchange rate compared to Malaysian, can be risky. Marrakech, Cairo, Luang Prabang, etc are emerging destinations. but how many Malaysian travelers ready to walk on chaotic street, breathing highly polluted air? Malaysian are not as 'tough' as white people who are willing to go deep inside the jungle where even local afraid touching it?

that's why we can see AirAsia X only seeing market for traveller who want to 'travel with style'. tokyo, seoul, paris etc.

some exotic destinations are exception; Kathmandu, Dhaka, etc. This is bcoz numbers of its citizens working here.

remember Kolkata? AirAsia is reducing the frequency due to low response.

Skyprince

December 4th, 2010, 07:48 AM

some 'exotic' destinations eventho has low exchange rate compared to Malaysian, can be risky. Marrakech, Cairo, Luang Prabang, etc are emerging destinations. but how many Malaysian travelers ready to walk on chaotic street, breathing highly polluted air? Malaysian are not as 'tough' as white people who are willing to go deep inside the jungle where even local afraid touching it?

But then why there are so many Malaysians travelling to other developing countries, most notably our neighbors ? Loads of them in Bangkok, which is comparable to Cairo in terms of air pollution.

Marrakesh & Luangphrabang have small pop. thus definitely dey r not feasible. Cairo has massive population and Egyptians are obsessed about Malaysia. But as there is no cheap flight between KUL and CAI their number is quite small here.

idiamindada

December 4th, 2010, 07:51 AM

But then why there are so many Malaysians travelling to other developing countries, most notably our neighbors ? Loads of them in Bangkok, which is comparable to Cairo in terms of air pollution.

Marrakesh & Luangphrabang have small pop. thus definitely dey r not feasible. Cairo has massive population and Egyptians are obsessed about Malaysia. But as there is no cheap flight between KUL and CAI their number is quite small here.

dude, Cairo and Bangkok is sooo different! u know that!

and our neighbors? u mean Indonesian cities? the condition are better than those cities i mentioned. and also, malaysian goes to indonesian cities mostly to get cheaper garments. do we need to go as far as cairo to get that?

Skyprince

December 4th, 2010, 08:05 AM

dude, Cairo and Bangkok is sooo different! u know that!

and our neighbors? u mean Indonesian cities? the condition are better than those cities i mentioned. and also, malaysian goes to indonesian cities mostly to get cheaper garments. do we need to go as far as cairo to get that?

Even if Cairo is more polluted than Bangkok, most of passengers are inbound from Cairo to KL so there is great potential to attract Egyptians into here.

Also there are many Malaysian students studying in Egypt, and there are many budget travellers in ASEAN region who want to explore the hustle and bustle of Egypt ?

patchay

December 4th, 2010, 10:02 AM

I think Egypt is not gonna be very successful for Malaysia given it is quite far away unlike Indian destinations.

However, if AirAsia would to fly to Cairo, the Egyptians/Arabs/Africans will benefit more than us Malaysians.

Given this scenario, I think it's better for AirAsia to fly to ISTANBUL or ANKARA. Turkey is an upcoming favourite destination for Malaysians and alot of people from Turkey/Middle East/Mediterranean/Eastern Europe would love to visit Malaysia.

I think the connectivity from Turkey to Europe is better than Cairo.

idiamindada

December 4th, 2010, 11:25 AM

we can see why MAS stop flying KL-Cairo route (code share with Egypt air) while maintaining KL-Beirut (via dubai)…

yeah, for me Istanbul is much promising.

Skyprince

December 4th, 2010, 11:56 AM

I think Egypt is not gonna be very successful for Malaysia given it is quite far away unlike Indian destinations.

Huh CAI is same distance as Christchurch

Istanbul is already flown by MH and not even on daily basis so MH would be in trouble.....

Egypt Air is flying KUL-Cairo will good load, they even added 4th weekly flight so I think it's time for Air Asia.....

constipation

December 4th, 2010, 01:30 PM

Los Angeles…? sure kena hentam dengan MAS punya! :lol:

y u r so negative?give 'em try.. MAS hs government back up,they got all the privileges so far,so its unfair for MAS to hentam itu AA,if they do like that,i would never use MAS anymore,it hurts to see malaysians back stabbing another malaysians in this situation..

kekgi

December 4th, 2010, 06:01 PM

Some fact in Wiki..

'The Malaysian Government has reportedly given AirAsia X rights to 34 international destinations. Air Asia is consider flying to 34 cities especially not served by MAS including North Korea’s capital Pyongyang, Peshawar in Pakistan, Dili in East Timor, Almaty in Kazakhstan, Mahe in the Seychelles and Darwin, Australia.'

The gov looks have fully control to where AirAsia can fly. That 34 international destinations show are not included all where AA really intent to go including Sydney & US. The Malaysian gov approval does not mean the destination authority give the same approval too.

What AA can do is begging the gov for approval. Hope one day Sydney, NY, LA and CT will be in the list.

kekgi

December 4th, 2010, 06:07 PM

This will answer to all conflict..

Support airasiaX fly to Sydney n others!! Say NO to Gov Protection for MAS!

The government is blocking Air Asia X from starting new services from Kuala Lumpur to Sydney and other Malaysia Airlines' most lucrative routes.
It's said to protect MAS from aggressive new price competition from Airasia. This has deprived people of choice in Malaysia. We would like to promote fair competition and not block one airline to protect the other. Say NO to government intervention in the market !!

Interview with AirAsia X CEO Azran Osman Rani by The Malaysian Insider at April 28, 2010:

Q: What is our national policy?

A: That’s the problem. The national policy framework and the decision making framework isn’t clear. It should have been crystal clear, which is — what is in it for the country? But the problem we have and one of the issues we have in this country is the dichotomy of government as policy maker vs government as shareholder. Because therein lies the conflict. Am I interested in the economy and interested in consumers or, ‘I am a shareholder of a GLC so I am looking out for the interest of the GLC’ at the expense at the expense of consumers?

That is the fundamental problem. Today, if you still have policy makers, i.e. senior civil servants on the boards of these companies, you can see why there is a conflict. Then if you are on the board of the company, you want to see it succeed. The easiest way to be successful — protect lah. You can raise high fares, you don’t have to change and transform yourself, you can generate profits. But those are artificial profits, if you don’t go through the rigours of being more efficient.

Q: What have you proposed to the government?

A: The proposal is very simple. You have to allow airlines routes. You have to allow competition. The funny thing, the absolute irony is, the absolute irony – do you know where Malaysia Airlines is strongest? It is domestic and Asean where they have the most competition from AirAsia. Look at their financial results. They are most profitable in domestic and Asean. When you look at their latest results, domestic is a lot more profitable. Remember in the days before AirAsia? MAS was losing money on domestic routes. They needed hundreds in millions in subsidies.

Now because of AirAsia and lower prices, suddenly domestic is profitable. Why? Because you have to be a lot more efficient. And guess where they want to expand. If you look at their expansion plans — where are they adding flights? Perth! Where are they cutting back flights? Sydney! It (KL-Sydney) used to be 14 times now it’s 12 times a week! Perth they are adding flights! How do you explain that when we come in, more competition and they decide to add flights? Because when there is competition, the market grows. We grew the Perth total market in 2009 by 66 per cent. If you look at Malaysia Airports data, 2009 vs 2008, last year was 166 per cent that of 2008. Sydney — it was minus 27 per cent! So what gives? Melbourne is up by 48 per cent.

Q: You’ve suggested allowing competition on routes? What have they said?

A: You can even say (that we should be given) routes where we are far behind Singapore and Bangkok. Doesn’t that make sense? So that’s basically what we’re saying is allow us to address segments where Malaysia is strategically behind Singapore and Bangkok. That should make sense. The response has been frankly muted because they can’t seem to reconcile what is good for the country and the need to protect Malaysia Airlines. And we really need to address Malaysia Airlines and say – what is so problematic that you can’t accept competition? And the only argument that they raise is that when AirAsia X was first raised, it was meant to be complementary to Malaysia Airlines and not competition. Does that mean you don’t want competition? Does Singapore Airlines say ‘eh – I don’t want Qantas flying, I don’t want BA flying, not at all.’

Most of Singapore routes are flown by another carrier. They don’t complain. They get better. Just ask Malaysia Airlines, if competition is so bad, how come you are better now in Asean and domestic where competition with AirAsia is really intense? It used to be KL to Kota Kinabalu, someone would have to pay RM800 and maybe about six to seven flights a day. Now between AirAsia and Malaysia Airlines, they have 18 flights per day. It has tripled the number of flights, fares have come down, and Malaysia Airlines is profitable. So isn’t that a win-win-win? Good for the customer, trade and airlines.

Q: A lot of the public would tend to agree with you but what is going on with the decision makers?

A: The decision makers are struggling because number one, it’s unfortunate that you have senior members of the cabinet who have experience in the aviation sector who have opted to take a stance that competition between Malaysia Airlines and AirAsia is not good. We’ve had the opportunity to present to the economic council members and cabinet and to be fair, a lot of them see the clear rationale. But don’t listen to AirAsia X, ask the minister of tourism (Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen). She has to deliver on her KPIs. She has growth targets to meet. Where does she want her planes to fly? You need planes because you can spend RM100 million on campaigns but you will get zero extra tourists if you don’t have flights. So you are spending so much money on Malaysia Truly Asia and does she want the plane to fly to Pyongyang or Seoul? Does she want the plane to fly to Sydney or Darwin? Does she want the planes to fly to key markets or small peripheral markets that we can’t even spell?

It was positioned to us that AirAsia X does not bring tourists, we only bring transit passengers. Complete nonsense. Go to Tourism Malaysia websites, look at their 2009 numbers, inbound traffic. They look at bona fide tourists. Where are the biggest growth countries? Australia grew by 25 per cent. Now, Malaysia Airlines reduced their flights (to Australia) in 2009. So how did we get 25 per cent growth in inbound Australia tourists if it was not AirAsia X as no other airlines flies there? China grew, Taipei grew, UK grew, basically where AirAsia X flies. Korea — minus 15 per cent, Japan minus 7 per cent. So where we don’t fly, the market shrank.

Does competition really hurt Malaysia Airlines? If competition is really bad, and we just taking away passengers away from them, why are they adding flights to Perth? Why are they now having direct flights to Brisbane?

Q: One of the arguments is that Malaysia Airlines has to shoulder the burden of flying to unprofitable domestic destinations in the interior.

A: That is separate. That is under MAS Wings. That is completely sheltered. There is a specific programme for that. Their choice of international travel has nothing to do with that. The sad thing is that we look at a narrow view – that it is Malaysia Airlines and it is national interest. We need to look at the big picture and say we are falling further and further behind Singapore and Bangkok.

Korea — 64 flights a week from Seoul to Bangkok. Six airlines compete. Guess how many flights a week from Seoul to KL? 12! Where do you think Korean golfers want to spend their weekend? They will go to Bangkok because it is easy and flights are cheaper. And now there is opportunity because Thailand is struggling because of political instability so let’s grab the opportunity.

Q: Is that why they finally allowed you to fly to Seoul?

A: I think so and also because we told them that 2010 is a critical year because it is the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations, the president of the republic of Korea is going to visit Malaysia. That helps but this is a decision that was more than a year… to decide on something that is very obvious in terms of benefit to the country.

Q: Do you think that this signals a change, that they will now give you Sydney?

A: I am optimistic. Number one, we are very confident that when we start flying to Seoul, people will see the benefits very clearly on both sides. We should see a reversal of the trend of negative growth in 2009 to a positive growth in 2011. And that should pave the way. Because the facts are overwhelming, it is just a matter of time. If you are trying to protect Malaysia Airlines, you are going to run out of excuses very soon.

Q: I do get comments from visitors to KL that they only see Malaysia Airline planes on the tarmac and none from other countries.

A: Why? That is a very good question. You know, we used to have British Airways flying here. We used to have Virgin Atlantic. We used to have Air France. We used to have All Nippon Airways. We used to have Northwest. Why? Because, they have all been lured by Singapore and we have sat down and instead of saying ‘this is a national crisis [bangs table] and we need to be better at marketing and more aggressive’, we thought ‘oh good — less competition for Malaysia Airlines.’

Q: Do you really think it is a crisis situation?

A: I think it is a crisis situation, absolutely. Because the stakes are so high now. We can’t afford for the tourism sector to falter. We can’t afford for trade..Malaysia is one of the few countries where trade is bigger than GDP. We need international trade. How are we going to get international trade if we don’t have connectivity. Indirectly, the number of flights also affect decisions about where businesses should locate. That’s why most people locate in Singapore rather than KL. Because it is more convenient. A lot of economic activity comes when you have connectivity. When Khazanah National did a study, they identified that the aviation sector has a 12 times multiplier effect on the economy. For every one ringgit of revenue that an airline generates, there is twelve ringgit of impact to the economy because travellers have to use ground transportation, catering and maintenance.

Q: Do you have a breakdown of how many transit passengers you carry?

A: It’s not numbers we carry directly but we have numbers from government statistics that we carry anywhere from 35 to 40 per cent transit passengers on long haul flights, especially Australia. What’s interesting is that the Malaysia Airlines number is higher which is not surprising as from here they have flights going to India, to Rome, Frankfurt, Amsterdam. Malaysia Airlines numbers are closer to 45 to 50 per cent. Frankly transit also helps the economy. They still buy stuff, they still fill up the plane. Changi’s transit is more than 50 per cent. Dubai’s transit number is 80 per cent.

Q: What other innovations are you looking at for AirAsia X?

A: Without going into specifics, one of the new things for AirAsia as a group that is huge this year is a migration to a next generation booking engine. When that gets done, we’ll be able to introduce a whole range of new things that we are currently constrained from doing because of IT.

Q: Are you happy with the progress of the new LCCT?

A: I haven’t seen progress. I think it is important that a commitment was made by Malaysia Airports to get it ready by 2011 and that is about as tight as we can possibly manage. Originally it was mid-2011 and now it is end-2011. Anything beyond that will be painful. Already we are struggling with parking space.

The wide body AirAsia X planes, sometimes we have to park them way on the other side of the airport and tow the plane here which takes up a lot of time and cost. As we add more planes, that exacerbates the problem.

Q: What other European cities are you eyeing?

A: It all depends on the planes. If we were to use existing planes, that means we have to make one stop in the Middle East. If we do one stop in the Middle East, for that same plane we can go three flights a week to Zurich or Manchester as opposed to seven flights a week to Sydney. That means you can carry 40,000 passengers a year or 110,000 passengers a year. You fly double the distance but not double the revenue. We lose out if we are told to fly to European countries until we get the A350. We’ve done our part. More than 50 per cent of AirAsia X flights are to new airports — Gold Coast, Hangzhou, Tianjin, Chengdu. We’ve pioneered a lot of routes.

Q: Do you plan to take up any of the 34 cities that have been offered to you?

A: No plans to take it up. It makes no economic sense. Does Maybank tell Hong Leong bank to go to South America so there is less competition?