AIR ASIA review : 4 June 2008 : by D O'Brien

Customer Rating : 1/5

Every flight from JKT to DPS or vice-versa I have taken has either been delayed, an engine part has needed fixing, has had to be refuelled while passengers are onboard (is that even legal?) has been retimed etc. A flight on 20 May from DPS to JKT I had the misfortune of being booked on, I received almost 7 different itineraries for the flight back to JKT. I received SMS after SMS, e-itinerary after e-itinerary and a stony wall of silence from the Indonesia Air Asia staff at DPS when asked for justification. The flight I was meant to be on was retimed from 1930, 2055, 2130, 2300, 0000 and finally leaving at 0100. When we finally arrived in JKT, instead of allowing passengers priority to disembark at the rear (in addition to the front) as they normally do, a catering truck was hungrily waiting to remove non-perishable foodstuffs (instant noodles) and we all had to leave through the front door. Add to this the fact we had to land at the International terminal and there was no-one inside to redirect us to waiting buses to take us to domestic terminal. Add to this the long wait for baggage. Where does customer satisfaction feature in this? Especially after having to endure such a delay? Indonesia Air Asia is a shambles. Speaking as a Jakarta resident, you are much better off going on Garuda. For a little more money and regular flights leaving at peak times hourly, you have a better chance of getting to places- on time and with better service. And I agree, the extra charges for Westerners is just ridiculous- do watch out for them. I certainly shan't be taking Indonesia Air Asia ever again.

AIR ASIA review : 3 June 2008 : by Paul Wakelam

Customer Rating : 4/5

Took two Air Asia flights this month, Phnom Penh to Kuala Lumpur, then KL to Denpasar. I had booked express boarding which was observed both times, there only seemed to be 2 or 3 people using this, had the complete choice of any seat on the plane both times but I might not pre book it again! Had a pre booked meal on one flight - it was terrible, some rice dish, small portion, lukewarm and everything dried up. The powdered tea tarik they sell on some flights was disgusting, I dont drink coffee or soft drinks so cant they also just offer a standard tea bag? They seem to prefer the currency of the destination you are heading to, but will convert other currencies and give you the change in the currency of your destination country. I approached the check in both times with trepidation, my bag was hovering around 16-17kg, but I didnt need to worry, I found the check in staff friendly and they didn't bat an eye at my overweight bag - a nice surprise. The flights were on an Airbus (newish looking) and an old scrappy 737 (definitely looking its age), both flights left on time (both flights not full either) and arrived on time. I would use them again.

AIR ASIA review : 28 May 2008 : by Dan Wilson

Customer Rating : 4/5

KUL - Alor Setar return. Both flights departed on time and service was efficient although cabin crew practically ran down the aisle with the food trolley so I couldn't order anything. Planes are new and comfortable enough for a budget airline. do dislike the lack of numbered seating though as the scrum to get on the plane is ridiculous.

AIR ASIA review : 27 May 2008 : by Andrew Millar

Customer Rating : 1/5

Like some other views here I fell victim to the baggage allowance and like others it was only western passengers being charged. I made a point of paying my excess in the most difficult way possible ($5 on the credit card, $3 in US and the rest in local currency). It was petty but I was very annoyed considering on the flight there they lost my bag and took 2 days to deliver it to me. Never again.

AIR ASIA review : 27 May 2008 : by Simon Grigg

Customer Rating : 1/5

Bali to Jakarta. My wife was booked to fly on a 9.45am flight to Jakarta. The night before at 9.30pm someone called from the Jakarta call centre and said that the morning flight was cancelled and that she would need to be at the airport in one hour to catch the new flight leaving at 11.30pm. We explained that the flight to Jkt was to connect to a flight to Semerang at 3pm the next day. The person in the call centre was quite offhand and explained that it was not Air Asia's problem. When we tried to find a solution he simply hung up. Ten minutes later we received an email with a new e- ticket for a flight at 1.35pm the next day - which would not have left any time to connect to the other airline. The next morning we went to the airport to find that the 1.35pm flight was now 3pm (no call to tell us) and that folks who had rushed to the airport at 11pm the night before were still waiting and that Air Asia staff had been curt and rude with them. We were told that we could get a refund. This we attempted to do at the office. We were told that since it was our choice to get a refund rather than wait we would be charged Rp30.000 for this. Air Asia were rude, dishonest, incompetent and utterly hopeless. My wife changed to Garuda, which, incidentally was about the same price with no 'baggage fees' and an allocated seat.

AIR ASIA review : 21 May 2008 : by Ken Paterson

Customer Rating : 1/5

Johor Bahru to Kota Kinabalu. Very poor service! On this flight they wanted to start charging for sporting equipment essentially penalizing primarily foreign travelers who come and support the tourism industry of Malaysia. The penalty itself was not so much what annoyed me but their inconsistent application of their own rules given that the Asian travelers behind me didn't have to pay when they also had sports equipment. Plus while flying Air Asia the previous month and on a separate journey an acquaintance took, we were both allowed to combine our partners' check in baggage into one bag but divide the weight between two. On this occasion they deemed this to be excess baggage and charged accordingly. Also in a previous journey, on advice by an Air Asia representative, I showed my scuba diving card and was told I would be allowed 20kg of luggage. This time I was told the limit was 15 and thus had to pay the excess. And on a previous flight to Tawau, once on the plane the passengers were told they were not allowed to consume their own food and drink on the plane. This did not stop the two air hostesses later on turning a trolley on it's side so they could sit on it.

AIR ASIA review : 21 May 2008 : by A Richards

Customer Rating : 4/5

Brunei - Kul return in A320. Clean aircraft with black leather seats in 3-3 seating. Crew fairly friendly, hot meal to purchase as well as other drinks and snacks. Flights on time both ways, would use again.

AIR ASIA review : 17 May 2008 : by Teddy Chiew

Customer Rating : 4/5

KUL-BKK return. Flight with new A320 and pleasant cabin crew. Full flight both ways and the leg room is poor (ok for the short flight). Didn't buy Express Boarding but manage to get a window seat both ways. Very surprised that Air Asia use jetway in BKK instead of stairway in KL LCCT. Will used it in future.

AIR ASIA review : 13 May 2008 : by C Ken

Customer Rating : 4/5

I took 4 flights recently. MFM-BKK, BKK-HKT, HKT-KUL, KUL MFM. I pre-purchased meal and express boarding. None of my flights were delayed or cancelled. In all flights express boarding was observed. For prepaid meals, that is printed on the boarding pass, which is then used to redeem the meal. All service was friendly. There is no IFE. This is one of the few low cost carriers that uses the new BKK airport. KUL not so good as LCCT is a poor airport and not serviced by rail. MFM low cost carriers do not have the luxury of airbridges although the airport is equipped with it. I would like to see a paid allocated seating service as a premium instead of express boarding to avoid the "rush".

AIR ASIA review : 30 April 2008 : by J Edwards

Customer Rating : 4/5

Air Asia X - Gold Coast to Kuala Lumpur return, in XL Seats. If you want a wide seat, a more private cabin and leg-room, the XL seats won't disappoint. The service onboard is excellent. The comfort kit (cheaper if pre-purchased @$5 or $6) contains eye socks, inflatable pillow, and a light blanket - you'll need the blanket. I ordered the Asian meal on both legs, and it was tasty and came with a complimentary bottle of water. Beer, softdrinks and assorted snacks priced reasonably. Consider taking your own glass/cup as all drinks are served with one of those little polystyrene cups. I took a small DVD player, which compensated for the fact that this flight offers Zero IFE.

AIR ASIA review : 28 April 2008 : by Torsten Kaminski

Customer Rating : 3/5

Bangkok to Yangon return and nothing to complain about. Boeing 737 with Indonesian language signs on tray tables looked pretty old with paint peeling off on the outside and yellowish wall coverings and luggage compartments, but seating comfortable and seat clean. Cabin crew nice and pleasant on these short flights. They were much cheaper than the competition and I do not see the point of paying so much more for a 1 hour 20 minutes flight. Check-in was hassle free and just like with any other local airline.

AIR ASIA review : 27 April 2008 : by P Monroe

Customer Rating : 1/5

Flight cancelled. Put on another flight and had a 2 hour delay. They did not post it on the flight status board so you did not know which gate to go to. It looked as though they cancelled flights to Chiang Mai until they had a full plane. The last six flights I took were all delayed by at least one hour. I had a seven hour wait at the airport for flights on April 25th. The cheap price would be worth it if they did not cancel flights and then delay flights to fill the planes. But you get what you pay for. International travellers should especially be aware that it is very unlikely you will make tight connections if you use this airline.

AIR ASIA review : 27 April 2008 : by Veiko Asu

Customer Rating : 3/5

KUL-DPS-CGK-BKK. Check-in went well on all 3 flights. In Jakarta, check-in counter for KL flight checked in passengers for Bangkok flight which I thought was a good example of good service. KUL-DPS and CGK-BKK flight 2/3 full and DPS-CGK just 1/3. We got into pretty strong turbulence on KUL-DPS flight and if that would happen on every flight I may not like the idea of flying that much any more! Flight attendants were smiling and helpful on all flights. You have to pay for food and I took a sandwich on KUL-DPS flight which was of a good quality. They accepted both ringgit and rupiah for payment. The last flight from Jakarta to Bangkok was delayed for 30 minutes and it was noted already by check-in counter. All in all a good experience and got good prices as well as to my next trip to Vietnam.

AIR ASIA review : 23 April 2008 : by Supawish Yoopensuk

Customer Rating : 4/5

BKK-MFM-BKK Economy class. Efficient service in Suvarnabhumi Airport, no delays. Seats are quite comfortable. Even though there isn't any AVOD system, there is music to listen to. My sister and I got 3 seats, which makes lots of space for both of us when we lift the armrest.. The flight attendants were friendly. Even though we had to pay for the food, there is quite a lot of choices to choose from. For the flight back, the ground staff were less efficient. No delays. We had to walk from the airport to the plane. Everything in the cabin was the same. Flight attendants were very good in language and kind. The landing was smoother than the flight from Bangkok. We had faced turbulence in the flight back, so the plane moved a little wildly. Baggage claim was quite fast, but the machine treated the bags badly. I would recommend this airline.

Air Asia review - by Supawish Yoopensuk

23 April 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

BKK-MFM-BKK Economy class. Efficient service in Suvarnabhumi Airport, no delays. Seats are quite comfortable. Even though there isn't any AVOD system, there is music to listen to. My sister and I got 3 seats, which makes lots of space for both of us when we lift the armrest.. The flight attendants were friendly. Even though we had to pay for the food, there is quite a lot of choices to choose from. For the flight back, the ground staff were less efficient. No delays. We had to walk from the airport to the plane. Everything in the cabin was the same. Flight attendants were very good in language and kind. The landing was smoother than the flight from Bangkok. We had faced turbulence in the flight back, so the plane moved a little wildly. Baggage claim was quite fast, but the machine treated the bags badly. I would recommend this airline.

Air Asia review - by Steve Kozak

15 April 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

Coolangatta to KL and back. Flight to KL was fine. The plane departed on time and the seats were OK. Pre-ordered a meal, but not worth it. There is no IFE of any kind. Return flight not as good. I booked an exit row seat, but found it less comfortable than an ordinary seat due to it being narrower as the tray table is stowed in the arm rest and the IFE equipment (not used on Air Asia) protrudes into the seat space. Furthermore, there had obviously been a problem with the toilet nearest me as it had been withdrawn from use - carpet all around looked wet and there was a constant odour of toilet cleaner throughout the flight. The cabin crew seemed efficient though not especially friendly. This is a low cost airline, so overall I was quite satisfied.

Air Asia review - by A Fernandes

11 April 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

CGK to KUL. The aircraft used was B737-300. Pretty old aircraft. Crew quite friendly when they try to sell refreshment to passengers. Flight delay about 2 hours. Wonder AirAsia recently just introduced Checked Baggage Handling Fee. With getting more new business ideas that not covered under AirAsia's fare, it will be more expensive if travel with them in the future. I think I would not consider them since sometime full service airlines are cheaper.

Air Asia review - by C Figueroa

2 April 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

CGK-Solo-CGK. Outbound flight on-time. Asked for a window seat and got it but was seated next to a huge guy so he was technically intruding into my space. Food sold on the flight was not good - I had a nasi kuning and it wasn't even heated! Was advised through sms a day before that my return flight would be "retimed" an hour late. In the end, the flight left two and a half hours delayed plus boarding was just a bedlam. Indonesia Air Asia should consider reviewing their punctuality.

Air Asia review - by David Brettell

31 March 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

On flights from Phuket to Bangkok they seem to operate a number of hidden policies. Hassle anyone with small children and babies so that they no longer book with Air Asia. Ensure they charge everyone for any extra luggage over the ridiculous minimal allowance (watch the number of credit card exchanges that take place at the check-in desk - I have witnessed one person paying extra for being 1 Kg over!). For the last two flights my family and I have taken on Air Asia from Phuket to BKK we have been told our luggage was over the limit. On the first occasion we were 2.5Kg over. Now, one of the full paying passengers is my 4 year old son who weighs a lot less than your average adult and certainly the difference is more than 2.5Kg. If Air Asia are so tight and mean with their allowance then I recommend they start weighing their customers and charging anyone over the maximum weight (which in Air Asia case would probably be 60Kg) extra. In our case we left some of my son's Christmas gifts behind. On our last flight yesterday, we had 1 suitcase (which weighs 7Kg empty alone, half of the ridiculous allowance) and 1 small soft bag to check in, all well under the allowance, so as to avoid the expected trouble aimed at families when checking in at Phuket. Alas, no dice. My hand luggage was 3Kg over (oh my god!). I was forced to remove the video camera and check it in. However, given that my 4 year old is entitled to carry hand luggage (Which the smiling, yet vacant, check-in girl, forgot to mention to us) we checked the video camera for no reason. As is usual the flight was an hour late. We sat in the aircraft going nowhere getting hotter (does running the a/c on the plane cost more for Air Asia, if so that explains why they let people sweat and stick to the damp inducing seats). People wandered up and down looking for their seat numbers, having not been informed of the no seat number policy. I am very pleased to say that we no longer need to fly Air Asia again. Their prices to BKK (because of flying into the new airport from Phuket) are twice that of other airlines which fly from Phuket to the original, old, airport. Thank you Air Asia for showing us how good the other airlines are when compared to your own. I wanted to write a letter of complaint to Air Asia but strangely enough, there is no complaints department contact details on their web site. Not what you would expect from an airline that is concerned about quality assurance.

Air Asia review - by Matt Voges

28 March 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

BKK-Chiang Mai-BKK. Air Asia was a basic point A to B airline. Nothing special, in fact, it was rather uncomfortable. I stand just short of 6" (under 2m) and my knees hit the seat in front of me. Flight attendants were nice, but check in was far from friendly. Not rude, but definitely not friendly. All things considered, the price I paid was still worth it. Make sure your bags don't go over the ridiculously low weight limit or you'll be spending more than your air fare. .

Air Asia review - by B John

28 March 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

BKK-Phuket. Plane old but in good shape. You will note from the reviews below that the Malaysia Air Asia is much more reliable than Thai Air Asia, also the Malaysia parent uses mainly new airbus aircraft while the Thai subsidiary uses the older 737s .

Air Asia review - by Alan Lacey

27 March 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

BKK to Krabi. Flight was delayed without explanation. Check in chaotic due to the 15kg baggage allowance. Most passengers had excess and had to go to the ticket desk to pay the charge then go back to the head of the check in line to get boarding passes. When the plane did arrive it was the ancient 737 referred to by another reviewer. It looked completely worn out. By contrast the crew were immaculate but did one run for food sales after take off then disappeared. A below average experience and with all the "extras" not as cheap as they appear to be. .

Air Asia review - by K Follit

25 March 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

Phuket to Bangkok March 14th. Flight delayed supposed to be 1 hour which ended up being 3 hours, which resulted in us missing our flight back to the UK. I found staff very unhelpful and kept telling usit was not their problem. We ended up having to pay for a hotel in Bangkok, then had to return to the airport the next day to go on the standby list. That 3 hour delay meant it took us an extra 31 hours before we arrived home. .

Air Asia review - by S Sabelus

25 March 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

We booked a flight from Bangkok to Phuket and vice versa. Our flight was delayed by 30 minutes from Bangkok to Phuket which wasn't a big deal as we weren't in a hurry going to Phuket. Trying to come back from Phuket to Bangkok was a real disaster. Our flight from Phuket to Bangkok was supposed to leave at 8.30pm and we were supposed to be at Bangkok airport just before 10pm, enough time to catch our connection flight to London at 0.10am the same night. However, we suffered a 4 hour delay and missed our connection flight to London. The staff were extremely unhelpful and until today we still don't know why the plane never turned up on time. We were told that the staff at Bangkok will assist us as we missed the connection flight but when we arrived at 2.30am at the airport no arrangements had been made and we were told to come back in the morning. No hotel was paid for us or a taxi and most people ended up sleeping at the airport. We went to the Air Asia desk in the morning and the staff again didn't help us at all. We ended up booking another flight with a different airline just to get out of Bangkok and we had to pay £900 pounds extra. It was the worst experience we ever had. We recommend that you avoid using Air Asia and rather pay a bit more for a more reliable and helpful service. We have never been treated with so much contempt by an airline. Disgusting. .

Air Asia review - by S Horton

20 March 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

Krabi to Bangkok. AirAsia should be ashamed for flying that ancient 737. The plane was in very poor cosmetic and structural condition. I am normally very relaxed while flying, but I have to admit I was quite uneasy on that junk aircraft. I booked my flight under the impression that they operate a fleet of new airbuses. That may be true on some flights, certainly not mine. I do not recommend them as a very good choice in Thailand, as you have much better options for only a slight difference in cost, such as Thai airways. .

Air Asia review - by Hans Builtjes

19 March 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

Used Air Asia last month, on a flight from KUL-HKT. Check in was smooth, price was perfect. Would use them again. Sales of food/drinks limited but at a fair price. Flight on time.

Air Asia review - by A Montgomery

16 March 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

Coolangatta-KUL and return. I have used this service for the first time and think it good value for money. Both planes left on time and arrived ahead of schedule. My pre ordered meal was served half an hour after my 0855 take off! I thought I was ordering a midday meal. Inflight entertainment non existent. Flight not full (both ways) which helped comfort factor. KUL Terminal for low cost airlines was third rate and you have to take a bus into the city. The faster rail connection is not available from this terminal. Bus costs RM 8 which is cheap enough. I'll use Air Asia again if they keep prices down.

Air Asia review - by Aina Kamaruzaman

16 March 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

KUL(LCCT)-LGK-KUL return. Check in was chaotic - with many people rushed to the line to get in the flight first. Some of the passengers are rude, making noise and not listening to the FA's giving instructions. The seat was comfortable, FA service was good and helpful. I will fly with them again for the best price and good quality of services.

Air Asia review - by M Widjaja

13 March 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

KUL-CGK new A320. Delayed for 40mins and no explanation given. Help desk staff supposed to help but ran away when several people approached for explanation. Boarding was mad, everybody were running to grab best seat. Seat pitch very small and not recommended for flight above 2 hours.

Air Asia review - by Joanna Pilarczyk

12 March 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

Unbelievably bad service. I have used them 3 times and every time was worse. I had a flight from KL to Guangzhou 17th Feb at 5:50 am. All lighting was not working, it was dark on board and crew was using torches. No one decided to turn back the flight towards KL. As I missed my flight from Guangzhou to KL (not my fault, we were stuck at Hangzhou airport for 3 days due to heavy snow), I decided to buy new ticket and I was charged around 100 $ (700 rmb) more than the plane ticket was indicating. I have tried to write a letter of complaint, but no email address is provided.

Air Asia review - by Paul Pybus

12 March 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

BKK-HKT Airbus 320. Late arrival of inbound aircraft caused a 45 minute delay. Brand new A320, boarded quickly and without fuss. Flight announcements clear and informative and good cabin service from happy attendants. Arrived HKT 30 minutes behind schedule, luggage arrived quickly. Could not fault and would use again even with slight delay.

Air Asia review - by M Chapman

4 March 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

Ground staff at Singapore Changi Airport do not manage express boarding properly. People running from the back defeats the purpose of this extra charge.

Air Asia review - by Andrew Wright

26 February 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

KUL-BKK-KUL. Really cheap tickets to BKK bought online. Didn't buy the Express Boarding option because you can't use the kiosks. It turns out you can't use them anyway for international flights from KUL. Still managed to beat the rush by being quick to queue and quicker to walk. The less mobile may have problems and I would advise buying the extra option. Airstairs used at KUL, but aerobridge at BKK. Check in only opens an hour before the flight so no point getting to the airport too early. 15kg checked luggage limits seemingly not checked at KUL, but were observed at BKK, though we were under. Cabin baggage not checked and some travelled with bags seemingly too big. The flight itself was quite good. We were slight early to BKK, slightly delayed back to KUL. Wouldn't like to travel with them more than 3 hours due to the comfort levels of the seat but otherwise quite okay as a bus to get you from A to B.

Air Asia review - by David Allan

25 February 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

KUL (LCCT) - LGK return. Newish A320 aircraft, smiling FAs and perfect flights only spoiled by people being first to board reserving rows of seats by placing plastic bags/newspapers etc on empty seats for their relatives. Complaint to FA was met with the comment that "Sorry, Malaysians are like that - if we tell them off, they will be angry with us!"

Air Asia review - by C Chan

21 February 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

OOL-KUL-OOL with AirAsia X. The seats in the Economy cabin were spacious compared to those in other airlines. FAs attentive and friendly. Pre-order your meal to save money. The radio channels inflight were boring. F&B sold at reasonable price (cheap by Aussie standard). Keep your Malaysian Ringgit to save more. For the price and the service, I'll definitely fly with them again.

Air Asia review - by I Kaningrat

7 February 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

CGK-DPS-CGK. They sell food and drink from back to front, by the time they got to my front row everything sold out, and it wasn't even a full flight, I got to DPS hungry. Learned the trick, I "free booked" a nasi goreng which was cheap and tasty from the first FA in sight before the plane even moved.