Air Asia

[paperboy]

wow
just picked up 4 flights from BKK to phuket
7.50 euros each way amazing.
So my cambodian bf instead of going to Hui Hin is going to phuket
15 euros return each
best deal ever.
I think the specail deals are up to the 11 sept
so if your planning to travel have a look

[Surfcrest]

...and if you can score a free flight on top of that to somewhere like Melbourne with Air Asia you'd be way far ahead....until it's time to fly back to Thailand.

http://ca.complex.com/life/2016/09/airasia-plane-lands-in-wrong-country-due-to-pilot-typing-error?utm_campaign=complexmag&utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social

Surfcrest

[fountainhall]

I have written elsewhere about my experiences on Air Asia. I will never fly it again. A 12-hour delay on an 08:30 departure from Penang to Bangkok, endless cancellations of flights between Bangkok and Chiang Mai, and worst of all the complete cancellation one February of flights to Hanoi and back for later in June - and I was never once informed about it. I learned a couple of weeks beforehand when i checked if the departure times might have changed slightly due to the summer schedule. I was informed that an sms had been sent to me in February. Finally, after a lot of pressure, they admitted the sms had bounced back as undeliverable (for unknown reasons). They even sent me the note which confirmed the lack of delivery. Yet did they send me an email or try to call since they had both my email and phone number? No!

Want to complain? I spent 45 minutes on the phone to Head Office in Kuala Lumpur before I was put through to extension 4 which I was told was customer relations. It was in fact Gate Services and the poor lady said they always direct complaints to her and she had nothing to do with them! Since by then I was locked in to non-refundable flights in from Singapore (allowing a 5 hour connection to the Air Asia outward flight) and a hotel in Hanoi, that 3-say Vietnam trip cost me something like Bt. 20,000 extra. Seven letters to the CEO Tony Fernandez went unanswered.

[dinagam]

I have been flying with AirAsia practically every month for the past few years, with no serious issues.
When making a booking I always buy the basic ticket, with no add-ons.
Whenever I need to contact them I do so using "live chat" on their website, where I type out the issues I may have as I interact with a staff online, with positive outcome.
I have traveled twice to Japan & back without any issues.
I've also been able to get refund for airport taxes when I decided not to take a previously booked flight.
Since most of my flights are within Asean, a 30-45 minutes delay on departure has never affected my schedules. Often enough the captain was able to make up for lost time.

[Oliver]

My experience with Air Asia is much the same as dinagram's. I travel three times a year, usually to Thai cities but sometimes to Bali, and can only remember one flight in seven years- that forty-two flights in total- that was delayed for more than a few minutes.

[pong]

me too agrees with both oliver and dinagr: have made by now around 30 (single) flites on it-by the original Malay, the Thai, the Indonesian branches and even 1x on AirAsiaXL (KUL to LST=stansted-years ago) and only 1 out of these was seriously delayed (in fact partly cancelled and merged with another). Fly in EUR often enough on RYAN and WIZZair (the Ryan for Easyt-EUR), by now roughly same nrs and same experience. Average price paid [except for XL] is likely around the 20/25 EUR mark or maybe even less.
Have had even more serious delays/cancellations on those ''heritage/national pride'' airlines, notably also QF=Qantas, old BR=Brit caledonian CI=CHina Airw. and last yr on EY=etihad (best compensation though from all these).
BTW: on this subject: there is yet anOTHER new domestic airline starting up in TH, named as Thaivietjet (or so), with also dirt-cheap introduction offers. As ThaiLION this is also a split-off/branch from a VN airline VietJet, also low-cost. They use Swampy and not DMK.

[justaguy]

Shitty airline, I only fly with them if I have no options left.

I have flown with them numerous times, but the times they actually got me to my destination on time are easily countable on one hand.

They way their website is designed is a real disgrace, people should NOT have to opt out on dodgy insurance, they should not be forced to check in online (at which time they try to force another insurance on you), and they should not be required to print their boarding pass, with a thread of another charge if one fails to do so.

Classic example of dishonest business practices. They would have a field day with this sorry excuse for an airline in the EU and rightly so.

Their cheapskate approach on baggage allowance has been taken to the extreme. Once we were a whopping 1,2 KG over our allowance with a party of six people 121,2 when 120 was allowed. The checkin lady still was whinging, this was the point where I decided enough is enough, ludicrous, ridiculous and unbelievable are terms that come to mind. This was the very flight for which we had to stay in the dodgy Low cost terminal in KL for almost six hours, because they cancelled the flight we paid for, and then stalled us long enough, so we couldn't get on the flight that would have left two hours earlier. Once they have your money, they seem to believe offering service is of no concern.

Why people let themselves be treated like stupid sheep is beyond me.

[Couple]

Shitty airline, I only fly with them if I have no options left.

I have flown with them numerous times, but the times they actually got me to my destination on time are easily countable on one hand.

They way their website is designed is a real disgrace, people should NOT have to opt out on dodgy insurance, they should not be forced to check in online (at which time they try to force another insurance on you), and they should not be required to print their boarding pass, with a thread of another charge if one fails to do so.

Classic example of dishonest business practices. They would have a field day with this sorry excuse for an airline in the EU and rightly so.

Their cheapskate approach on baggage allowance has been taken to the extreme. Once we were a whopping 1,2 KG over our allowance with a party of six people 121,2 when 120 was allowed. The checkin lady still was whinging, this was the point where I decided enough is enough, ludicrous, ridiculous and unbelievable are terms that come to mind.

Why people let themselves be treated like stupid sheep is beyond me.

As if in Europe it's any better. Thinking of flying Ryanair, Vueling, Easyjet, .... exactly the same fees and extras as AirAsia. When flying a low-cost, you know that's happening.
And what to think about the European low cost trying to sell you car hire, hotel, ...

I did fly a lot with AirAsia and have always been happy with them. Delayed 2 times, but always less than 1h. Ryanair does a lot worse in my history using them.
The only thing annoying me is changing flights when you book long upfront. You need to be careful making plans based on your arrival time, as that could change. But again, had that with Ryanair also.

I have to admit I fly full service airlines more and more as the fares are more and more in line with the low cost carriers for typical tourist destinations.

[Nirish guy]

Shitty airline............. people should NOT have to opt out on dodgy insurance, they should not be forced to check in online (at which time they try to force another insurance on you), and they should not be required to print their boarding pass, with a thread of another charge if one fails to do so.

Classic example of dishonest business practices. They would have a field day with this sorry excuse for an airline in the EU and rightly so.

You've obviously never heard of or travelled on Ryan Air here in the EU, they probably taught Air Asia all those tricks and MORE ! :-(

[scottish-guy]

...Why people let themselves be treated like stupid sheep is beyond me.

In regard to my own business sector I've been saying for decades that low-cost providers have illustrated that you can treat people like shit as long as they believe they're getting a bargain - or even better something for nothing.

For most people the transaction whether it's a Ryanair flight or a Specsavers pair of spectacles will go through without any significant problem and the average consumer is left with the impression that not only did they get a bargain, they somehow got one up on the retailer by bagging their purchase at a low price. So they become repeat business.

Of those who are dissatisfied, most do nothing about it. Others are directed to Customer Service lines at premium call rates which just ring out - so a significant number just give up. Ditto with email and postal complaints - poor or no response.

So what you are left with is a tiny percentage of dissatisfied people who are determined to pursue matters - and the cost of that is easily absorbed by the number of fresh sheep every day who think they're getting a bargain, don't notice all the add-ons, and are prepared to be herded like cattle on and off a flight where there are sales announcements every 10 minutes - or to be sold a 50p pair of spectacle frames for £69 and think they're getting one over on Specsavers or Boots because they got another 50p pair of frames "free"

[justaguy]

Another dodgy airline, this one even treats their own personell like shit. I did hear about them, but luckily never tried them. I doubt they get away with charging fees AFTER you already purchases their goods, like the check-in fee and boarding pass fee at Air Asia.

If they are, it certainly is time something is being done about it.

Edit, forgot to quote, in reaction to the ryan air remarks.

Wanted to add, being a 'low cost' airline does not give them the right to treat customers in a certain way or charging extras after the fact.

In light of this, I never book far in advance, simply because that would mean loosing flexibility. When you, like me book only a few days in advance, they aren't that less expensive as the likes of NOK or Thai Smile.

Thai Smile is heaps better and just the odd hundred baht more expensive, a no brainer really.

[scottish-guy]

You only need to read the Ryanair reviews on Skytrax to see that they can and DO get away with charging extras after the sale - for example if your luggage doesn't fit their (smallest in the industry?) baggage measuring device or if the weight is over by even a small amount . There's even cases where people traveling out and back with the same luggage have been charged penalties on one sector but not the other.

Likewise if you don't or can't (maybe somewhere without a printer) print off your own boarding pass then you're charged a very hefty fee for each passenger - families have been charged hundreds of euros with that particular scam. Likewise if you can't or don't check in online it's something like €50 per person penalty.

The biggest racket of all was the Credit/Debit card fees whereby they charged a significant fee (around 10€) not per booking but per PASSENGER per SECTOR !!!! They were forced kicking and screaming to knock that one on the head.

As to the "how can they get away with it" well it's all in the T&Cs you sign up to, and it's your responsibility to read them before accepting - which practically nobody does

[justaguy]

You only need to read the Ryanair reviews on Skytrax to see that they can and DO get away with charging extras after the sale - for example if your luggage doesn't fit their (smallest in the industry?) baggage measuring device or if the weight is over by even a small amount . There's even cases where people traveling out and back with the same luggage have been charged penalties on one sector but not the other.

Likewise if you don't or can't (maybe somewhere without a printer) print off your own boarding pass then you're charged a very hefty fee for each passenger - families have been charged hundreds of euros with that particular scam. Likewise if you can't or don't check in online it's something like €50 per person penalty.

The biggest racket of all was the Credit/Debit card fees whereby they charged a significant fee (around 10€) not per booking but per PASSENGER per SECTOR !!!! They were forced kicking and screaming to knock that one on the head.

As to the "how can they get away with it" well it's all in the T&Cs you sign up to, and it's your responsibility to read them before accepting - which practically nobody does

time to do something about it. It is pretty simple, I purchase a ticket to take me from A to B and once I hit the submit button and hand over my credit card, they need to get me from A to B for the price agreed. So no checkin fees, no boarding pass fees and other bollocks fees. I can relate to baggage allowance fees, but not to the previous mentioned fees, they are an essential part of getting me from A to B, therefore they should be included in the price I agreed upon.

[frequent]

In regard to my own business sector ...Rent boys?

[scottish-guy]

Justaguy - I don't disagree at all with your view on these extra charges but the fact remains that other than the EU ruling that the payment card fees be reduced and the headline price having to include taxes (which was another unavoidable "extra"), Ryanair and others have been operating this way for decades with apparent impunity.

[Nirish guy]

other than the EU ruling that the payment card fees be reduced .........Ryanair and others have been operating this way for decades with apparent impunity.

One other SMALL but important victory / ruling by the EU ( well for those it mattered to anyway ) that REALLY got up Ryan airs nose was the ruling that the airline ( every airline) HAD to provide FREE wheelchair assistance from the arrival at the airport to the gate and back again for passengers who require it. Ryanair especially fought this one tooth and nail and were out and out cunts about it and said almost point blank "it's not our problem if someone is disabled, book a flight or not, we don't care and we certainly aren't helping you or giving you free wheelchair use etc" - the courts begged to differ ! Even after the ruling Ryanair fought and appealed the decision right to the end - all without success I'm pleased to say and I think that one decision more than most for some reason REALLY pissed them off.

[scottish-guy]

Yes I forgot about that one - and the ruling that they have to pay delay compensation of up to €600(?) on even a €10 ticket (though I don't know if they HAVE actually paid any compo to anybody) .

Anyhow O'Leary is still at it:

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-37304650