Air Asia Newbie

[mja1906]

As a newbie to Air Asia who is just about to book their first flight, can anyone give me some of the things to look out for in Air Asia's policy ?

There are so many bad stories about Air Asia with people being caught out on things such as weight, bookings, cancelled flights etc

Don't wanna get caught out, so any tips would be appreciated!

PS What does happen when they cancel flights ?are you reimbursed by them?

[KhunDave]

Just bear in mind that you will get exactly what you pay for and nothing more. If you book the minimum 15kg luggage allowance, don't expect any leniency whatsoever. If your plans change and you need to re-schedule expect to pay more - perhaps quite a lot more if you got a particularly good deal at the outset. If you go into the process with your eyes wide open, and not expecting the kind of support you might get from a full-service airline you'll be fine.

If you have the time, I would suggest having a read of the Air Asia terms and conditions. They can look a bit intimdating, but they're really quite straightforward and once you've read them you'll know exactly where you stand.

Cancellations are a lot less frequent than they were a few years ago in my experience. If it happens they will book you onto the next available flight, or give you a voucher for future travel if you want to cancel.

[ArthurPewty]

They offer a fine service...for the price! I have flown with them many times and I have experienced a few delays. Now for my point. If you are delayed do not go for a stroll as I did on one occasion. The staff told me 1 hour, so I took a walk. I just happened to notice that there were no people milling about after 20 or so minutes and dashed back. They were closing the gates and I just got there in time. When they can go, they go!

[PattayaParent]

If they cancel your flight they will rebook you on another one, don't know about their refund policy in that situation as I just rebooked another day.

Other than that no problems with Air Asia, just be on time and don't be overweight on your bags and book as much online as you need (bags, seats, meals, etc.)

[KhunDave]

And of course remember that all flights are point to point. You can't through-check bags to another flight, even if it's another Air Asia flight.

[prism]

Also keep in mind that they enforce the 45 minute check in requirement before flight departure. One time I was a few minutes late and they only let me on my flight because I didn't have any bags to check in.

In my experience, I find that the morning flights are more punctual and the afternoon and evening flights experiences more delays.

Edited December 1, 2009 by prism

[tonititan]

I haven't really had any problems with Air Asia. One thing to be careful of, though...make sure you understand which fare of ticket you are buying, and what the restrictions are for that fare. The cheapest tickets are the "Economy Promo" tickets. Of course I snatch those up! To my dismay, I just realized that there are no name changes permitted for those fares, and my travel partner for next month can no longer go. So, the ticket is worthless. I think with the "Economy" tickets, you can change the name/date for a small fee. If you don't need the flexibility, go for cheap! Just make sure you know what you're getting.