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Tag: airasia

  • AirAsia India to increase fleet size to 29 by year-end

    AirAsia India to increase fleet size to 29 by year-end

    Budget carrier AirAsia India will increase its fleet size to 29 aircraft by December-end, as it aims to increase frequencies to metro cities and prune unprofitable routes in the upcoming winter schedule, said Sanjay Kumar, chief operating officer of the airline.

    AirAsia, a joint venture between Tata Sons Pvt. Ltd and Malaysia-based AirAsia Berhad, has 23 aircraft and will induct two aircraft in the next fortnight, he added.

    Tata Sons holds a 51% stake in the airline, while AirAsia Berhad holds a 49% stake.

    AirAsia India operates 175 daily flights to over 20 destinations across the country, including New Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Ahmedabad.

    The airline operates an Airbus A320 fleet that’s powered by CFM engines. CFM International is a joint venture between US-based GE Aviation and French aerospace engine manufacturer Safran Aircraft Engines.

    “We don’t want to spread too thin and operate at stations with only one flight or so. Our aim is to strengthen our network, especially in metros, and have multiple frequencies between two cities,” said Kumar.

    The directorate general of civil aviation (DGCA) has approved the operation of 1,345 departures every week by AirAsia India in the upcoming winter schedule between 27 October 2019 and 28 March 2020. This is an increase of 326 departures every week compared to the corresponding period of the previous year.

    This will lead to the airline increasing the frequencies of flights on busy metro routes, including Mumbai-Pune, New Delhi-Chennai, Delhi-Bengaluru, New Delhi-Hyderabad, Guwahati-New Delhi, Guwahati-Kolkata, Guwahati-Bengaluru, and New Delhi-Srinagar.

    AirAsia India recently started a daily flight on the Delhi-Jaipur route and flights from Agartala to destinations such as Guwahati, Imphal, Kolkata and New Delhi from 20 October.

    “Agartala is now connected to four destinations in the country on the very first day of the operations. This is the kind of philosophy we are going to follow, especially when we open a (new) station and network,” Kumar said.

    All the airline’s upcoming new stations will be connected to other destinations across its network.

    During the winter schedule, Indian airlines are set to operate 23,403 departures per week covering 103 airports, as compared to 23,117 departures a week during the winter schedule of the previous year.

    About 3,600 weekly departures were reduced because of the sudden suspension of operations by Jet Airways (India) Ltd from the scheduled domestic aviation, DGCA had recently said. “Prompt steps by the government has filled the void created by Jet Airways and has helped to achieve growth of 1.2% compared to winter schedule 2018,” it had added.

    Jet Airways had grounded its operations in April 2019 following an acute cash crunch.

    AirAsia India has temporarily been allocated some of the slots at major airports that earlier belonged to Jet Airways, Kumar said. “This has helped us increase frequencies between key metro cities.”

    AirAsia India carried 725,000 domestic passengers during September to register 6.3% market share. The airline had carried 498,000 passengers during September 2018 with a market share of 4.4%.

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  • AirAsia X’s 3Q flight frequencies fail to boost overall capacity

    AirAsia X’s 3Q flight frequencies fail to boost overall capacity

    AIRASIA X Bhd’s additional flight frequencies in the third quarter of the year (3Q19) were insufficient to boost overall capacity, MIDF Amanah Investment Bank Bhd said.

    The long-haul affiliate of low-cost carrier AirAsia Group Bhd increased flight frequencies to Gold Coast, Sydney and Melbourne to cater for increased demand following the school-term holidays in Australia.

    However, this was insufficient to boost overall capacity, causing AirAsia X’s average stage length to remain flat on a yearly basis between July and August this year.

    In 3Q19, AirAsia X’s average seat per kilometer (ASK) declined by 3% year-on-year (YoY), outpacing the 2% YoY dip in revenue per kilometer (RPK).

    “This was due to seasonal capacity management which saw the total capacity (-3% YoY) decline more than the number of passengers carried,” MIDF said in a research note yesterday.

    The destinations involved were Sapporo and Taipei in response to weaker demand during the leanest season of the year for these routes.

    Meanwhile, AirAsia X Thailand recorded a 32% YoY increase in passengers carried in 3Q19, underpinned by additional seat capacity and the inauguration of the fifth Japanese destination, Fukuoka, on July 2019.

    ASK grew at a faster pace of 48% YoY due to high capacity, leading to a decline of 10 points in load factor to reach 77% in 3Q19.

    MIDF forecasts a loss of RM8.1 million for AirAsia X in the financial year ending Dec 31, 2019 (FY19), and lower earnings of RM45.6 million for FY20.

    “We are imputing a lower jet fuel estimate as our Brent crude oil estimate for FY19 has been lowered to US$63 (RM264.60) per barrel (previously US$70 per barrel).

    “Nonetheless, the effect of lower estimated fuel expenses is moderated by a higher US dollar to ringgit rate of 4.15 (previously 4.08). We have also taken into account lower growth in capacity amid the group’s ongoing network rationalization exercises in its key markets,” the research house said.

    Moving forward, lower passenger service charges (PSC) of RM50 for international departures from Asean will deliver an additional boost to the current traveling trend.

    The PSC was revised last month for passengers traveling outside of Asean from RM73 to RM50, effective Oct 1, 2019.

    “Notwithstanding this, we believe the ongoing capacity deployment will remain a headwind for the rest of FY19,” MIDF added.

    The adoption of the Malaysian Financial Reporting Standard 16 will be a hurdle to AirAsia X, since the majority of the group’s fleet are leased, with gains from lower interest to be realized beyond the fifth-year of the leased term.

    MIDF maintained a Neutral call on the low-cost long-haul carrier with a target price of 17 sen per share based on the adjustment in earnings.

    AirAsia X share price closed one sen higher yesterday at 17 sen, valuing the airline at RM705 million.

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  • AirAsia sees in-flight Wi-Fi as next income source

    AirAsia sees in-flight Wi-Fi as next income source

    AirAsia has been exemplary in using digital and disruptive technologies in increasing its ancillary income, including the introduction of in-flight Wi-Fi, which is expected to create a US$130 billion global market by 2035, according to London School of Economics research.

    AirAsia is the pioneer of low-cost airline in-flight Wi-Fi in the region.

    “Currently, we have about slightly over 50% of our aircraft (in Malaysia) Wi-Fi-enabled. We expect AirAsia Wi-Fi to be installed fleetwide in all AirAsia Malaysia in 2020,” chief executive officer Riad Asmat said.

    The other AirAsia companies are expected to follow suit, he said.

    “Wi-Fi these days is like oxygen. The moment you sit in a place the first thing we ask is if it has Wi-Fi and it is slowly gaining traction in the aviation sector,” he told Bernama when asked on the growing sector.

    For the Malaysian operation, the flights are all within the one-to four-hour range.

    “Within the AirAsia Wi-Fi ecosystem, the airline has entertainment, we have our e-shop, digital in-flight magazine and some level of entertainment, especially for kids. Besides enhancing the experience of passengers, the service also enables them to connect with their loved ones on air,” said Riad.

    “Hooking up to the AirAsia” Wi-Fi ecosystem is free (browsing kids entertainment, e-shop and magazine) but if you want to use your social media or do real work, then you’ve got to pay and I believe our rates are competitive as compared with other airlines around the region,” he said.

    A check on the service revealed that the Wi-Fi plans range from RM9 to RM58, with the most basic plan capped at 10MB. There is also a top-of-the-line 200MB plan, which is best for streaming. Riad said more than 30% of its passengers have accessed the AirAsia Wi-Fi services and the figure is expected to hit 50% soon.

    Knowing AirAsia, Riad was also quick to point out that incorporating a lot of its services in the AirAsia Wi-Fi ecosystem would also help them cut costs via fuel-saving.

    “Once the aircraft is Wi-Fi-enabled the in-flight magazine (hardcopy) should not be there. It is fuel-saving,” he said, adding that although the hardcopy uses some of the lightest paper material available, going 100% digital would save kilos for every fleet.

    Hence, Wi-Fi is crucial for AirAsia’s business, he said, noting “it is part and parcel of embracing technology.” Riad, however, said the portion of WiFi contribution now to its overall ancillary income is negligible.

    “But the growth potential is phenomenal because once all the aircraft have the service, people start using dependent on the needs of that day. I am sure you can get business out of it, directly and indirectly, especially when passengers browse and make a purchase via OURSHOP,” he said. OURSHOP is AirAsia’s e-commerce platform.

    However, for the service to have a bigger impact on its ancillary income, Riad said it has to remain attractive, noting the company is constantly on the lookout for more content providers.

    AirAsia currently uses the high-speed Ka-band platform, which claims to provide connectivity beyond basic broadband, supporting real-time video, music streaming and more.

    A recent survey by the International Air Transport Association, which represents some 290 airlines comprising 82 percent of global air traffic, revealed that some 53 percent of surveyed passengers found Wi-Fi important to have.

    The importance is highest in Africa (71 percent), followed by Latin America (68 percent) and the Middle East (67 percent), with the lowest in Europe (44 percent) and North America (49 percent).

    The 2019 Global Passenger Survey was based on 10,877 responses from passengers across 166 countries.

    “With the availability of Wi-Fi connectivity continuing to have a direct impact on the overall travel experience, adopting the latest onboard Wi-Fi technology continues to be an effective way for airlines to distinguish their product offering,” said the association.

    Besides WiFi, Riad said there is also a huge potential to increase ancillary income through its cargo business Teleport, which is the second-largest cargo airline group in Southeast Asia by capacity after Singapore Airlines Cargo as of July 2019, according to the Centre for Aviation.

    “We’re currently utilizing only approximately 15% of the available belly space for cargo, in which approximately 40% of our revenues are generated from connections through our network,” he said.

    It delivered approximately RM206 million in revenue in the financial year 2018 and is on track to deliver approximately RM400 million in financial year 2019.

    “We have invested in technology, with the goal to deliver the same day as standard anywhere within Southeast Asia. Airports are at the heart of this ability to do so,” he noted.

    Riad said AirAsia foresees bigger growth in the small parcel business.

  • AirAsia India flights on new route starts

    AirAsia India flights on new route starts

    AirAsia India will start a daily flight on the Delhi-Jaipur route from October 20. The flight will depart daily from Delhi airport at 10.35 am and arrive at Jaipur airport at 11.45 am. The return flight will depart daily at 12.15 pm from Jaipur and arrive at 1.25 pm at Delhi airport. Tickets are available for as low as ₹1,315 on the route.

    The airline had recently announced flights from Agartala to destinations like Guwahati, Imphal, Kolkata, and New Delhi, starting October 20. The airline is offering tickets starting ₹1,019 on this route. Booking of tickets can be done on airasia.com or the AirAsia mobile app.

    AirAsia India is a joint venture between Tata Sons Limited and AirAsia Investment Limited.

    The airline commenced operations on June 12, 2014, and currently flies to 20 destinations across India with a fleet of 23 A320 aircraft.

    Another budget carrier, GoAir offered tickets for as low as ₹1,296 (inclusive of taxes) for international and domestic routes in its 24-hour pre-Diwali ‘super saver fares’ deal. The ‘super saver fares’ was a boon for passengers who would like to usher in Diwali in style.

    The domestic air passenger traffic fell for the fourth consecutive month during September, the monthly decline worsening to 2.20% as compared to 0.94% during the previous month.

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  • AirAsia’s inflight WiFi is getting faster

    AirAsia’s inflight WiFi is getting faster

    WiFi on planes is the next-gen convenience, or potential annoyance, depending on your attitude to people being ‘connected’ all around you. But for business people, parents with families or bored flyers, it will be a welcome addition to the low-cost flying experience.

    Now, passengers, onboard AirAsia can look forward to an “enhanced inflight entertainment and connectivity experience” with the low-cost airlines’ recently upgraded WiFi services.

    Six AirAsia Malaysia planes and two aircraft operated by Thai AirAsia have now been equipped with Inmarsat’s high-speed Ka-band platform, GX Aviation. AirAsia Group president (RedBeat Ventures) Aireen Omar said this development is the “next logical step” for the airline.

    AirAsia formerly carried a system called ‘Rokki’ but has phased that out in preference to the newer, faster system.

    “As the pioneer of low coast inflight WiFi in the region, we are always looking for ways to redefine the digital inflight experience for our guests.”

    Guests will be able to stay connected throughout their journey and perform data-intensive activities, including live streaming. Ka-band claims to provide connectivity beyond basic broadband, supporting real-time video, music streaming and more.

    The AirAsia WiFi Internet plans range between 9 Ringgit (65 baht) and 58 Ringgit (420 baht) with the most basic plan capped at 10MB speed. There is also the top of the range 200MB plan which is best for streaming.

    The service will be rolled out to the rest of the Air Asia fleet over the next 12 months.

    The Thaiger tried out the new system on a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Phuket on Tuesday. We were only using the 10MB speed internet but was perfectly adequate for our work and saving documents in the ‘cloud’.

  • AirAsia wins World Travel Awards

    AirAsia wins World Travel Awards

    AirAsia continued its winning streak, taking the top honors at the World Travel Awards Asia and Oceania 2019 for the seventh year in a row.

    AirAsia emerged ahead of regional players such as Scoot, Jetstar, SpiceJet, Nok Air and Firefly to win the top low-cost carrier awards, Asia’s Leading Low-Cost Airline and Asia’s Leading Low-Cost Airline Cabin Crew.

    The awards were accepted by AirAsia Malaysia CEO Riad Asmat in the presence of industry representatives and key figures from across the region at a gala ceremony held at the Vinpearl Convention Centre In Phu Quoc at the weekend.

    AirAsia Malaysia CEO Riad Asmat and a group of AirAsia’s pioneer cabin crew accepted Asia’s Leading Low-Cost Airline and Asia’s Leading Low-Cost Airline Cabin Crew awards from President and Founder of World Travel Awards Graham Cooke.

    AirAsia Malaysia CEO Riad Asmat said: “It is an honor to receive these awards. Being recognized by guests and industry colleagues as Asia’s best is a testament to our ongoing efforts to develop new and innovative guest-obsessed products and services.”

    World Travel Awards founder Graham E Cooke said, “AirAsia continues to set the benchmark for low-cost aviation in Asia and beyond. Its dedication to improving its services remains unrivaled, and I am delighted that it has been acknowledged by both the travel trade and the public having been voted ‘Asia’s Leading Low-Cost Airline 2019′ and ‘Asia’s Leading Low-Cost Airline Cabin Crew 2019′.”

    The World Travel Awards are one of the most prestigious, comprehensive and sought after awards programs in the global and tourism industry.

    Established in 1993, they acknowledge, reward and celebrate excellence across key sectors of travel, tourism and hospitality. The World Travel Awards brand is globally recognized as the ultimate hallmark of industry excellence.

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  • AirAsia announces inaugural flights to Belitung

    AirAsia announces inaugural flights to Belitung

    Low-cost carrier AirAsia commenced flights from Jakarta to Belitung, Bangka Belitung, on Tuesday as well as from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to Belitung on Wednesday.

    The inauguration ceremony on Wednesday was marked by handing out flowers and souvenirs to international passengers arriving from Kuala Lumpur, who then enjoyed a traditional welcome dance.

    The Airbus A320-200 that was used for the flight can accommodate 180 passengers.

    Veranita Yosephine, deputy CEO AirAsia Indonesia, said the inauguration was the continuation of the airline’s commitment to support Indonesian tourism, especially the 10 New Balis or burgeoning tourist destinations in the country.

    “Previously, we’ve launched flights to Lombok, Labuan Bajo and Sorong. We’ve also added five new planes to support operations in these new destinations,” she added.

    AirAsia is offering promotional rates on flights from Jakarta to Belitung that start from Rp 471,000 (US$33.19) and Belitung to Jakarta from Rp 393,000. The price includes a free baggage allowance of 15 kilograms.

    Tickets from Belitung to Kuala Lumpur start from Rp 309,000 and from Kuala Lumpur to Belitung start from Rp 378,000.

    The promotional rates are available for AirAsia BIG members until Oct. 6 on airasia.com and the AirAsia mobile app for a travel period until Feb. 9, 2020.

    Belitung, one of two main islands located off the east coast of Sumatra, is known for its pristine beaches and 1,000-year-old granite rock formations. (

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  • AirAsia India Set To Switch Terminals At Mumbai Airport

    AirAsia India Set To Switch Terminals At Mumbai Airport

    AirAsia India has made the choice to change from terminal two at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, to the domestical terminal one. This will mean passengers who are traveling within India will no longer have to transfer through the international terminal to take a standard domestic flight on AirAsia India.

    Mumbai is a popular destination for airlines. So much so that AirAsia India has been unable to get departure gates from the main terminal one at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport since they launched back in June 2014. They have, instead, had to operate their domestic service from the international terminal two.

    This had several disadvantages, such as forcing passengers who are transferring from other domestic carriers to a different terminal to take an AirAsia India flight, as well as passing through different security checks that are normally reserved for international flights. And for those not in the know, the two terminals are far apart and require a bus to transfer between them.

    This is set to change however this October, when the airline begins operating from terminal one and can line up with all the other domestic low-cost-carriers.

    “We are pleased to announce that Mumbai will now be our fourth hub in India, and alongside that AirAsia India will shift its operations from Terminal 2 to Terminal 1B from October 15,” said Sunil Bhaskaran, managing director, and chief executive, AirAsia India.

    AirAsia India flies across the sub-continent. Photo: AirAsia

    But moving to a better terminal for passengers is just the beginning, with the move allowing AirAsia India to make Mumbai it’s new fourth hub in the country.

    “Mumbai will become AirAsia India’s fourth hub in the country after Bengaluru, New Delhi and Kolkata,” AirAsia India said in a press statement back in May “AirAsia India will now connect Mumbai to Kochi, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Indore, New Delhi and Bengaluru.”.

    The airline currently flies to 21 destinations across the subcontinent with 23 Airbus A320-200 aircraft. They don’t specifically have any aircraft on order at the moment, but likely that some of the vast 353 Airbus A321neos that are on order to their parent organization will find their way into their fleet.

    They are a subsidiary airline of the AirAsia group, a vast network of low-cost-carriers who’s combined network flies from the United States, to Japan, to Australia and more. AirAsia X, the international arm of the airline, recently took ownership of a brand new Airbus A330neo and is operating the cheapest flatbeds flying in the sky today.

    Needless to say, this move to the domestic terminal sets up AirAsia India for long-haul success in India.

  • AirAsia expands flights in Indonesia

    AirAsia expands flights in Indonesia

    AirAsia launched new services from Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta to the island of Belitung in Indonesia this week. The new four weekly services from Kuala Lumpur will support the Indonesian government’s agenda to develop ’10 New Bali’ destinations.

    It follows the commencement of daily Jakarta – Belitung services that started 1 October.

    AirAsia Indonesia deputy CEO Veranita Yosephine said: “These new routes from Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta continue our trajectory support of the Ministry of Tourism Indonesia’s initiative. This year alone, AirAsia Indonesia has launched new routes from Jakarta to Sorong, from Bali to Lombok and to Labuan Bajo, the gateway to the Komodo islands.”

    The airline recently added Airbus A320 aircraft which are now based in Jakarta and Lombok. By year-end, it will also take delivery of an additional two new aircraft.

    To celebrate the new route, AirAsia is offering an all-in fare from as low as MYR89* from Kuala Lumpur to Belitung, until 6 October for travel until 9 February 2020 for its loyalty program members.

  • AirAsia starts Kuala Lumpur-Belitung flights

    AirAsia starts Kuala Lumpur-Belitung flights

    AirAsia Group Bhd has began flying four times weekly services from Kuala Lumpur to Belitung. This is in addition to the daily flights between Jakarta and Belitung.

    AirAsia Indonesia deputy CEO Veranita Yosephine said AirAsia Indonesia has so far this year, launched new routes from Jakarta to Sorong, from Bali to Lombok and to Labuan Bajo.

    “To facilitate this expansion, the company has grown its fleet to include three new Airbus A320s which are based in Jakarta and Lombok. By year end, we will also take delivery of an additional two new aircraft,” she said in a statement today.

    To celebrate the new route, AirAsia is offering AirAsia BIG members special all-in fares from as low as RM89 from Kuala Lumpur to Belitung, from now until Oct 6, for travel from today until Feb 9, 2020.

    All-in non-member fares meanwhile, will start from RM94 for one-way travel, inclusive of taxes.

    AirAsia shares closed down 3 sen or 1.69% at RM1.74 today, with 8.05 million shares done, bringing a market capitalisation of RM5.82 billion.

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  • Lower AirAsia passenger service charge starts today

    Lower AirAsia passenger service charge starts today

    AirAsia’s reduced passenger service charge (PSC) of RM50 starts today at KLIA2 and other international airports in Malaysia.

    This follows Transport Minister Anthony Loke’s announcement last month that the Cabinet has decided to reduce the PSC for passengers traveling outside of Asean from RM73 to RM50 effective Oct 1.

    AirAsia Group president (airlines) Bo Lingam said as the airports belong to the government, the Cabinet has every power to implement changes to the PSC.

    Bo thanked the government for supporting its cause towards a fair PSC and making air travel affordable. “This will hugely benefit not only air travelers but also the tourism industry and economy as a whole, ” he said.

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  • AirAsia X Eyes Flights To California

    AirAsia X Eyes Flights To California

    AirAsia X’s ambitions to fly to mainland North America aren’t new. AirAsiaX has long talked about using their A330neos and Tokyo’s Narita airport as a starting point for flights to California. With the first of the aircraft now being delivered, the low-cost carrier breathed new life into the story at an aviation conference yesterday, Monday, September 23, 2019.

    AirAsiaX’s Muhammad Sharir was discussing the route at the Routes Online annual conference in Adelaide, Australia. Mr Sharir says the flights to the US mainland could start as soon as 2021, but was coy about where the flights would originate from or where they would fly to. Quite possibly because they haven’t sorted that out yet.

    Not yet a truly long haul carrier

    AirAsiaX has some form as a long haul low-cost carrier. It started flights to both London and Paris around ten years ago. But the economic downturn doomed the flights and within a few years, the flights were canceled.

    From their Kuala Lumpur hub, AirAsiaX now gets as far afield as Australia, Japan, China, South Korea and Hawaii. Strictly speaking, medium-haul rather than long haul but AirAsiaX wants to get back into the long haul business.

    2021 is the proposed starting date for California flights, because Mr. Sharir said that’s when the A330neos they need to operate the route would be delivered and ready to fly. AirAsia X has confirmed orders for 78 A330neos.

    Oakland out of favour

    Oakland, California, has long been on AirAsiaX’s horizon. As Edward Russell notes, AirAsia X held a media event at the airport back in 2012 and wheeled out a plane painted in a local sports team’s colors. All very nice, but AirAsia X flights never appeared on the arrivals board at Oakland.

    It seems Oakland has lost some of its allure for AirAsiaX, their preference swinging towards Los Angeles. But The Points Guy story thinks San Francisco is the most preferred option for the first AirAsia X North American flights.

    North America via Honolulu?

    It also offers the rather delicious option of pinging out of Honolulu on the back of existing Osaka-Honolulu AirAsia X flights.

    Whilst not a nonstop transpacific flight, it would make AirAsiaX the first low-cost carrier to offer a transpacific service. At this time, low-cost carriers coming from both east and west directions all terminate and coalesce at Honolulu. You could, technically, do the crossing on say, Southwest to Honolulu and then AirAsiaX on the last leg – which sounds like a lot of fun.

    California flights via Honolulu are an interesting scenario for AirAsia X. Photo: AirAsia.
     

    It would also see an Asian based low-cost carrier give the US low-cost incumbents a run for their money on the Hawaii-US mainland routes. The reaction at Southwest’s Dallas HQ would be priceless to see.

    While this is an interesting scenario, nonstop flights out of Japan remain a live option. AirAsia X currently flies from Kuala Lumpur to Narita. Those flights could continue onto the US mainland. It is also worth noting that AirAsia X has a history of announcing flights to North America that don’t eventuate. Whilst they do have the aircraft being delivered capable of making the flights, the 2021 starting date is still a while off and no routes have been announced

    It will be a case of wait and see.

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  • AirAsia celebrates 600 million guests flown with BIG Sale

    AirAsia celebrates 600 million guests flown with BIG Sale

    Airasia the world’s best low-cost airline for 11 years running, is celebrating 600 million guests flown with a BIG Sale and six million promotional seats.

    Enjoy promotional all-in AirAsia BIG Member fares from as low as RM12 for flights from Kuala Lumpur to Penang, Kuantan, Johor Baru, Kota Kinabalu, and Kuching, from RM50 for flights to Surat Thani, Krabi, Visakhapatnam, Maldives (Male), Bangkok, Can Tho and many more.

    Fly AirAsia X from as low as RM196 from Kuala Lumpur to Tianjin, Seoul, Taipei, Gold Coast, Osaka and other exciting long-haul destinations. For extra comfort and perks, try our award-winning Premium Flatbed from Kuala Lumpur to Wuhan, Busan, Fukuoka, Melbourne from only RM796.

    Enjoy 16% off Pick A Seat when making seat selection with flights during the initial booking stage, up to 40% off bookings for selected hotels and up to 60% off flight-plus-hotel holiday packages. BIG members will earn an additional 600 BIG points when booking activities during the BIG Sale period (minimum spending of RM200).

    Book at airasia.com or the AirAsia mobile app from September 23 (0001h GMT +8) to Sept 26 (2400 GMT +8) for travel between Feb 10 and Dec 15, 2020 .

    AirAsia group chief commercial officer Karen Chan said, “As a show of appreciation to our 600 million guests flown, we are pleased to announce a BIG Sale across our network. As we further transform into a travel tech platform company, the AirAsia BIG Sale will become more than just flight promotions. Be sure to look out for exclusive discounts on selected hotels, activities and flight-plus-hotel packages when you book your next journey on airasia.com.”

    AirAsia BIG Members, BigPay users and AirAsia Credit Card holders will be able to take advantage of a 24-hour priority access period starting Sept 22. Simply log in as a BIG Member on airasia.com to access seats at the lowest fares. (0001h GMT +8). BIG Members will also be able to redeem promotional seats from as little as 500 BIG Points one way on airasiabig.com and the AirAsia BIG mobile app.

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  • AirAsia’s BigPay Launches International Remittance Services

    AirAsia’s BigPay Launches International Remittance Services

    BigPay, the financial services venture by Malaysian low-cost carrier AirAsia, has announced the fixed-rate international remittance services across Southeast Asia.

    BigPay is rolling out cross-border transfers for its users to Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines. Such transfers can be done using its mobile application, and will be charged at a fixed rate for each corridor at competitive exchange rates, with no hidden fees or charges, the firm said in a press release.

    Technology can dramatically reduce the cost of remittance and we want to make it easy for people to move money abroad – whether it is sending money to family, friends or other overseas payments – without having to pay exorbitant exchange rates and transfer fees,» said CEO and co-founder Chris Davison.

    Davidson added that financial inclusion is a cornerstone of BigPay, and offering low-cost and accessible money transfers is part of its strategy to address this.

    BigPay was launched in 2018 by AirAsia as an e-wallet, hoping to leverage the low-cost carrier’s dominance in regional air travel in Southeast Asia. It promised to reduce the cost of air travel, including the cost of foreign transactions when traveling. A key differentiator is that it waives markups on foreign exchange, and other transactional fees charged by traditional debit and credit cards.

    Operating on a challenger bank model, BigPay has also tied up with MasterCard, which provides users access to 35 million merchants globally, and will soon venture into offering loans.

    BigPay has more than 750,000 users as of July 2019, and its transactional volume has been growing 20 percent month-on-month, which also said that BigPay plans to launch in Singapore by year-end.

  • AirAsia X Launch Flights Between Kuala Lumpur and Tokyo Narita

    AirAsia X Launch Flights Between Kuala Lumpur and Tokyo Narita

    AirAsia is set to capitalize on the growing demand for flights to Japan, with the country experiencing a tourism boom. In a response to increasing numbers of visitors to Tokyo, the Malaysian airline’s low-cost sister company, AirAsiaX is to start flying between Kuala Lumpur and Tokyo Narita airport from November 2019. This route is commencing for the second time around, after a four year absence. Read on to find out what led to this decision, as well as the details regarding the resumed flight route.

    The commencement of the route between Kuala Lumpur and Tokyo Narita comes four years after AirAsia X suspended its flights to this airport. Originally opened in 2014, the Malaysian low-cost airline operated flights between KUL airport and Narita airport for less than a year, before calling a halt in August of 2015.

    The airline endured a tough year in 2015, with significant losses reported as competition in the area increased. This competition came especially from Malaysian Airlines (MAS), and AirAsia X was forced to make some changes to its structures. Its ambitious capacity increases in 2014 could not be sustained and it necessitated the suspension of its flights to Narita airport, in a bid to counter increasing quarterly losses.

    The carrier has, for almost a decade, operated flights to Tokyo Haneda airport. In a statement supplied to Simple Flying, AirAsia X said,

    The trigger for AirAsia X’s resumption of its KUL-NRT route was the increase in demand for flights to Tokyo – stemming from a tourism boom in Japan. Between 2012 and 2017, the country saw a growth of over 200% in tourist arrivals, and the trend is set to continue.

    Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, has set the goal for tourist arrivals in 2020 at 40 million. This comes in conjunction with two major international sporting events for 2019 (the rugby world cup) and 2020 (the summer Olympics), as well as the depreciation of the yen.

    Overall, these factors have made Japan a major tourist destination. Demand amongst Malaysians for the route has increased as well, with more than 450,000 Malaysian travelers visiting Japan in 2018.

    From the 20th of November, 2019, AirAsia X will resume its route between Kuala Lumpur and Tokyo Narita airport. The airline’s fleet of Airbus 330s will be in use four times a week, flying direct on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays between the two cities. This will be in addition to its seven weekly flights between the Malaysian capital and Tokyo’s Haneda airport.

    Flight frequency for this route may well be increased in the future. Airbus has confirmed that AirAsia X has ordered 12 Airbus A330neos to boost its medium-range capabilities and to operate alongside its A330 fleet of 24 aircraft. This may free up some of its A330’s for increased flights to Japan, positioning the airline well for Japan’s goal of reaching 60 million tourist visitors by 2030.

    With direct return flights from under USD350, and under MYR1500, it is an attractive and affordable option for those flying from Malaysia.

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