Beware of Air Asia.

[luther]

Beware of Air Asia.

 

I booked a direct flight from Chiang Mai to Krabi several months ago. The departure time and return flight have now changed to 6 hours later. This will cost me quite a lot of money. I received no email or warning that the schedule had changed. Just a new email with the revised itinerary, and just 5 days before I'm scheduled to fly.

[tifino]

 

at least they advised you...

 

https://www.airasia.com/cn/en/press-releases/notification-regarding-airasia-and-airasia-X-flight-delays-and-changes-to-flight-times-via-google-now.page

 

 

the way airlines change things, will be somewhere deep in the fineprint of terms and Conditions...

 

we had an entire TA flight cancelled in toto!   we assumed it was the aircraft, but turns out that particualar fight one of two each day, no longer exists... and it happened 3 days before we flew. Not just a little local one but the massive Melb-BKK one!

 -put us back 13 hours from the original ETA.

[millymoopoo]

Couldn't agree more, Airasia is sh;t. Flew Perth to Chiang mai via KUL and Don Muang, had connecting Nok air flight to CNX from there. KUL to Don Muang flight was delayed 4 hours, they sent SMS to me 1 hour before flight was due to leave, as I had 4.5 hours between in and out flights at Don Muang, 1/2 hour to clear immigration, collect bags and check in was not going to work. When I went to see rep at KUL customer service to get something else organised I was basically told 'tough titties' from rude woman. Lost my Nok air flight, had to pay for another.

And I was a premium flatbad customer...! If I'm treated like that I pity their cattle class flyers.

[BestB]

3 minutes ago, millymoopoo said:

Couldn't agree more, Airasia is sh;t. Flew Perth to Chiang mai via KUL and Don Muang, had connecting Nok air flight to CNX from there. KUL to Don Muang flight was delayed 4 hours, they sent SMS to me 1 hour before flight was due to leave, as I had 4.5 hours between in and out flights at Don Muang, 1/2 hour to clear immigration, collect bags and check in was not going to work. When I went to see rep at KUL customer service to get something else organised I was basically told 'tough titties' from rude woman. Lost my Nok air flight, had to pay for another.

And I was a premium flatbad customer...! If I'm treated like that I pity their cattle class flyers.

Some people clearly struggle with basic comprehetion . It’s a budget airline and you pay accordingly.

 

part of being budget airline is possible lateness or change of flights.

 

if you wanted trouble free flight you book and pay for full fare airline instead of picking cheapest and then whining ????

[Poopyface]

11 minutes ago, BestB said:

Some people clearly struggle with basic comprehetion . It’s a budget airline and you pay accordingly.

 

part of being budget airline is possible lateness or change of flights.

 

if you wanted trouble free flight you book and pay for full fare airline instead of picking cheapest and then whining ????

Nah, I disagree. 

6 hours delay for a domestic 2 hour flight is nonsense.

They should be flexible since it is on them, and at least give the option of changing day or money back.

Exactly which domestic flights in Thailand aren't budget?

 

OP, did you call them and ask if any options exist?

I understand AA to be mostly inflexible but it is worth a shot.

I also heard it is possible to get your airport tax part of the flight returned on AA if you cancel for any reason. Tho that's probably not much on that particular journey.

 

I just flew CM to Krabi with AA and it was a half hour late somehow...

 

[BestB]

40 minutes ago, Poopyface said:

Nah, I disagree. 

6 hours delay for a domestic 2 hour flight is nonsense.

They should be flexible since it is on them, and at least give the option of changing day or money back.

Exactly which domestic flights in Thailand aren't budget?

 

OP, did you call them and ask if any options exist?

I understand AA to be mostly inflexible but it is worth a shot.

I also heard it is possible to get your airport tax part of the flight returned on AA if you cancel for any reason. Tho that's probably not much on that particular journey.

 

I just flew CM to Krabi with AA and it was a half hour late somehow...

 

Bangkok airways , Thai airways are not budget , air Asia is budget, Nok is below budget ????

[Isan Farang]

19 minutes ago, BestB said:

Bangkok airways , Thai airways are not budget , air Asia is budget, Nok is below budget ????

Not only are Air Asia and Nok below par, Don Muang airport is a major hassle.

 

I divide my time between Ubon and Chiang Rai and use Thai Smile and Bangkok Air and have no issues paying the extra cost to avoid all the pain to save some Baht.

[fruitman]

I'm also done with air asia.

 

Last flight from Singapore it was 10 minutes before departure time but boarding even had not started. 

 

So i went to a desk from AA and ask them what was going on and if we had delay? Boarding would be closed 10 minutes before departure and that was now, they still hadn't opened...

 

She got angry and yelled to me that i had to wait...so i asked her that if we had a delay why didn't she give us any info on the screens? Again she yelled that we had to wait....

 

15 minutes later we could board but they didn't put the delay on the screens..

[faraday]

Yeah, I'm gonna walk next time.

 

[Isan Farang]

6 minutes ago, faraday said:

Yeah, I'm gonna walk next time.

 

 

[scorecard]

24 minutes ago, fruitman said:

I'm also done with air asia.

 

Last flight from Singapore it was 10 minutes before departure time but boarding even had not started. 

 

So i went to a desk from AA and ask them what was going on and if we had delay? Boarding would be closed 10 minutes before departure and that was now, they still hadn't opened...

 

She got angry and yelled to me that i had to wait...so i asked her that if we had a delay why didn't she give us any info on the screens? Again she yelled that we had to wait....

 

15 minutes later we could board but they didn't put the delay on the screens..

 

I watched an old Thai lady approach the NOK girl at the gate and ask whether the flight was late. Response, with no eye contact 'it's not your business' and she promptly returned to playing with her smartphone. 

[moe666]

A few years ago a friend visited me in CM from BKK, I told him to fly Bangkok Air but of course he goes on line and fines Air Asia much cheaper. Well he makes the reservation him and the girl friend go to airport, they have to much luggage sorry sir this will cost you, now they want to set together sorry sir this will cost you. After all said and done he admitted it cost him more than if he had flown Bangkok airways.

[Kelsall]

I use AirAsia and other budget airlines only when they are the only ones offering direct non-stop to places I want to go, short distances.  All other times it's Thai or Bangkok Airways.  I wouldn't dream of flying a budget airline long haul.

[CanuckThai]

Are the delays related to the construction at Don Mueang?   Air Asia, and almost all Thai domestic flights are rarely on time.  As far as domestic and short haul international, AA has, and will continue to have my business...

[chingmai331]

Luv AA to Hong Kong, every 6:10am without recent failure for a pittance. I want checked luggage and i will pay accordingly and I agree with this policy.

Every airline has day-to-day problems, often totally unforeseen.  Why cry so loud when you are inconvenienced? 

[madmen]

You want piece of mind? Book a full ticket [emoji612] with thai air and stop crying. Not hard to do

[madmen]

Double

[elektrified]

I think Air Asia is great. They have done this about 3 times (and they have the absolute right to). It's a budget airline. All 3 times they gave at least 5 days notice by email and also by SMS.

 

Not a big deal.

[elektrified]

5 hours ago, Poopyface said:

Nah, I disagree. 

6 hours delay for a domestic 2 hour flight is nonsense.

They should be flexible since it is on them, and at least give the option of changing day or money back.

Exactly which domestic flights in Thailand aren't budget?

 

OP, did you call them and ask if any options exist?

I understand AA to be mostly inflexible but it is worth a shot.

I also heard it is possible to get your airport tax part of the flight returned on AA if you cancel for any reason. Tho that's probably not much on that particular journey.

 

I just flew CM to Krabi with AA and it was a half hour late somehow...

 

They ALWAYS give the option of refunding the money or changing the flight.

[richard_smith237]

19 minutes ago, elektrified said:

5 hours ago, Poopyface said:

Nah, I disagree. 

6 hours delay for a domestic 2 hour flight is nonsense.

They should be flexible since it is on them, and at least give the option of changing day or money back.

Exactly which domestic flights in Thailand aren't budget?

 

OP, did you call them and ask if any options exist?

I understand AA to be mostly inflexible but it is worth a shot.

I also heard it is possible to get your airport tax part of the flight returned on AA if you cancel for any reason. Tho that's probably not much on that particular journey.

 

I just flew CM to Krabi with AA and it was a half hour late somehow...

 

They ALWAYS give the option of refunding the money or changing the flight.

 

I too am of the opinion that a change in schedule amounting to a 6 hour delay is unreasonable and excessive. An our or two, perfectly reasonable and acceptable for a budget airline. 

 

Of course, the best and most timely service is never expected from a budget airline, however, its not unreasonable to expect them to operated within 'reasonable' boundaries - 6 hours is not reasonable. 

 

Personally, I vote with my feet... and have flow Air-Asia once in the past 10 years - the flight was trouble free, however, you never know what's going to happen until you are in the air and on your way.... budget airlines are a gamble and quite often for domestic travel (with baggage) Thai-Airways are competitive... 

[jphasia]

Are the delays related to the construction at Don Mueang?   Air Asia, and almost all Thai domestic flights are rarely on time.  As far as domestic and short haul international, AA has, and will continue to have my business...

I am a frequent flyer with Air Asia for years now. What I mean by Frequent flyer is I am having more than 50 flights per year with them. My routes are domestic and regional. I rarely have a flight delay (except sometime during the mansoon due to weather but always less than 1 hour delay). I might be lucky with Air Asia.
I am also using Bangkok Airways sometime. Since last December, I have been using Bangkok Airways 10 times. Out of 10 flights, 8 have delayed between 1 and 3 hours. One flight, Chiangmai - Yangon (50 minutes flight time) was delayed 6 hours. My last flights with Bangkok Airways was last Saturday Yangon - Bangkok. Delayed 2 hours. Then last Sunday Bangkok - Yangon. Delayed 1and half hour. I might not be lucky with Bangkok Airways.
So for now, I am back with Air Asia.
Air Asia suit me because they have more flights that facilitate my connections and flight schedule. I am also always travelling without check in luggage and I am always on short haul, so don't care about meals included. If I am hungry, i just purchase a meal which is not expensive.

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[bkk6060]

Actually AIr A and Lion air are known to change schedules frequently based on demand.  They both have changed their times and number of flights from UTP to CM over the past several months.

On these short halls I only book a few days ahead.  

[elektrified]

9 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

 

I too am of the opinion that a change in schedule amounting to a 6 hour delay is unreasonable and excessive. An our or two, perfectly reasonable and acceptable for a budget airline. 

 

Of course, the best and most timely service is never expected from a budget airline, however, its not unreasonable to expect them to operated within 'reasonable' boundaries - 6 hours is not reasonable. 

 

Personally, I vote with my feet... and have flow Air-Asia once in the past 10 years - the flight was trouble free, however, you never know what's going to happen until you are in the air and on your way.... budget airlines are a gamble and quite often for domestic travel (with baggage) Thai-Airways are competitive... 

There is nothing wrong with Air Asia. I believe they have a very good safety record. I have flown Air Asia over 40 times. They sell tickets at a very reasonable cost (sometimes even free - only the cost airport tax!). But they over-book and as the flight dates get closer, they often need to consolidate the flights rather than fly 1/2 full airplanes which would be uneconomical.

 

5-7 days notice for a change in departure time seems very reasonable to me. As said before, they email and SMS the change and if not happy, they offer a refund or flight another day.

[Poopyface]

14 hours ago, Isan Farang said:

I divide my time between Ubon and Chiang Rai and use Thai Smile and Bangkok Air and have no issues paying the extra cost to avoid all the pain to save some Baht.

Last time I flew, it was $35 with AA and $200 with BA or TS.

For that big of a difference, I'll put up with AA.

[Poopyface]

1 hour ago, jphasia said:

... I might be lucky with Air Asia...

Air Asia suit me because they have more flights that facilitate my connections and flight schedule. I am also always travelling without check in luggage...

I am curious, how often do they weigh carry on stuff?

I was surprised to see 7km max for BOTH carry on and personal item, and was sweating the presence of the scales at the gate.

 

But nobody was getting weighed. .

[bubblehead]

15 hours ago, millymoopoo said:

Couldn't agree more, Airasia is sh;t. Flew Perth to Chiang mai via KUL and Don Muang, had connecting Nok air flight to CNX from there. KUL to Don Muang flight was delayed 4 hours, they sent SMS to me 1 hour before flight was due to leave, as I had 4.5 hours between in and out flights at Don Muang, 1/2 hour to clear immigration, collect bags and check in was not going to work. When I went to see rep at KUL customer service to get something else organised I was basically told 'tough titties' from rude woman. Lost my Nok air flight, had to pay for another.

And I was a premium flatbad customer...! If I'm treated like that I pity their cattle class flyers.

Singapore Airlines are your best bet from CNX to Perth. It costs a little more, you avoid BKK and the connecting times in Singapore are OK. Not worth saving a few quid any other way.

[Isan Farang]

9 minutes ago, Poopyface said:

Last time I flew, it was $35 with AA and $200 with BA or TS.

For that big of a difference, I'll put up with AA.

 

I just purchased a ticket CR - BKK with BA cost was 1.400 Baht, but we all have different requirements.

 

 

[NanLaew]

13 hours ago, Kelsall said:

I use AirAsia and other budget airlines only when they are the only ones offering direct non-stop to places I want to go, short distances.  All other times it's Thai or Bangkok Airways.  I wouldn't dream of flying a budget airline long haul.

Exactly. These LCC's are also point-to-point carriers and cannot be relied on for a lengthy, multi-point itinerary even if it's on their own routes. The clue should be in the need to collect and recheck your bags at each plane change.

[lipflipper]

Once you know how the Air Asia game of musical fares when you book online is played you rarely have problems. Yeah sure the occasional delay, the occasional change of schedule you can get great fares. When they have their semi yearly huge sales I simply book all my anticipated flights for the year and if I have a change of plans so what, it cost me a pittance. IMO if you pay strict attention to their website when you book there is little chance of cost surprises when you show up at the Airport for your flight.

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[farcanell]

2 hours ago, Poopyface said:

I am curious, how often do they weigh carry on stuff?

I was surprised to see 7km max for BOTH carry on and personal item, and was sweating the presence of the scales at the gate.

 

But nobody was getting weighed. .

Flew Phuket-KL- Phuket last week.

 

no weighting or equipment to do it, in Phuket, but they had scales and were weighting bags in KL... not all bags, but only those folk with two bags. 

 

I was in Australia a few months ago, where they both weighted and measured bags.