Air Asia Not Too Good.

[Travel2003]

I recently flew with Air Asia to KL.

Flight delayed (late arrival to Bangkok).

No announcement was given about the delay.

Absolutely nothing.

Delayed with prox 40 minutes.

The male cabin staff flirted with some Thai ladies seated behind me during the entire flight.

They totally ignored the need from other guests, as they gave their fullest attention to these ladies.

One of the attendants even started to "hang" on my head rest, while chit chatting with the ladies behind me.

He was so forward he asked the ladies if he could sit down next to them during the flight.

At one time he held his black garbage bag, obviously ignoring me, sitting there with garbage in my hand, ready to deliver it.

He was too busy flirting.

Amazing.

Then to top it off, when several guests, including me, asked for a landing card (immigrations card) to be filled out, we were clearly told we did not need one.

Imagine the chaos when half of us lined up without the card.

When leaving KL, we are herded like sheep to the parking bays.

When asking one Air Asia employee about which parking ot the flight to Bangkok was, he told us number 53.

53 did not exist, but 52 and 63 did.

Needless to say half of us lined up at 63, which was the flight to Singapore.

The flights to and from Bangkok, clearly showed that the English language among at least the male cabin staff is way below standard, and might be a safety concern if an emergency should arise.

The amateurishness which clearly permeates both cabin crew and ground staff working for Air Asia, is worrying.

If this is a sign of the culture within Air Asia, I am afraid the next big carrier who will lose a plane out of the air, will be Air Asia.

[crudy21]

You pays your money, you makes your choice.

[maidu]

Yikes, sounds like a drag. Does Thaksin still hold major stakes in Air Asia?

I know if you take a stand and speak up (to Thais) about things that aren't right, they can get sorely offended right away. Anger often leades to vindictiveness within a couple milliseconds. Not cool for a flight attendant, some of whom are katoy, which exacerbates the issue, as they're even more sensitive (to being offended) and quicker to anger.

[arrytheippo]

Does sound bad! Just one point though, I've flown into Kl three times in the last 4-5 weeks on Air Asia and was told we didnt need a landing (immigration card), turned out to be correct, the immigration guys didn't ask for one. I think they use the biometric chips to read the data from the passport rather than the hand written cards

[koknia]

I have flown Air Asia dozens of times and while it ain't Singapore Air, I have never experienced something like that.

I would register a complaint.

[thaifkrlim]

Cabin Crew bkk - kul, are Thai or Malaysian?

[Travel2003]

I have flown Air Asia dozens of times and while it ain't Singapore Air, I have never experienced something like that.

I would register a complaint.

I did register a complaint.

They didnt even bother to reply.

Oh well, at least the Air Asia stewardesses are normally nice to look at during the flights.

lol

My brother never like that comment, since he lives with one of the Air Asia pursers (and yes she is pretty).

[Travel2003]

Cabin Crew bkk - kul, are Thai or Malaysian?

Im sure they were Malaysian (the guys malaysian/Indian mix).

[arkom]

Had a similar experience with them in KL, our flight back to Bangkok was delayed by 3 hours but they did not bother to us during check in. We actually found out the flight was delayed when we arrived at the gate to board, there was no announcement or anything. I asked the staff at the gate why they they did not send an email, SMS or inform us at checkin and got a blank stare in return.

By the time the new flight was supposed to depart, everyone had queued up again to board. The sign at the gate said KL-BKK so we all assumed that it was correct, but it turned out that the new was delayed AGAIN and the flight we were waiting to board was bound for Singapore!!!

They didn't bother to inform us of the delay or change the signage from BKK to SIN, when I asked them what happened to the Bangkok flight they no one could tell me. The finally told everyone the plane to BKK had mechanical problems and a new flight will be arriving soon and will be providing everyone with food and drinks. By the time the Malaysian version of McDonald's arrived it was time to board only to be told that the food and drinks they provided are not allowed to be take aboard.

Original departure was at 2pm after all the delays the actual departure time was 7pm.

3 days after the flight I got an email from Air Asia apologizing for the delay and was compensated with a free ticket to any of their destinations. We booked a return flight to Singapore which turned out much better but next time I will pay extra for a full service airline.

[FritsSikkink]

When you pay peanuts you get monkeys

[canman]

Does sound bad! Just one point though, I've flown into Kl three times in the last 4-5 weeks on Air Asia and was told we didnt need a landing (immigration card), turned out to be correct, the immigration guys didn't ask for one. I think they use the biometric chips to read the data from the passport rather than the hand written cards

True, they seem to have removed the requirement although it could be differant depending on which country the flight originated in.

[Travel2003]

Does sound bad! Just one point though, I've flown into Kl three times in the last 4-5 weeks on Air Asia and was told we didnt need a landing (immigration card), turned out to be correct, the immigration guys didn't ask for one. I think they use the biometric chips to read the data from the passport rather than the hand written cards

True, they seem to have removed the requirement although it could be differant depending on which country the flight originated in.

My experience was a few months ago (not more than 4).

[sanuk247]

Hard to find a truely professional airline around anymore unless your a first-class traveling passenger. Air Asia in my experience seems to have the same type issues over and over without any effort of correction. Flight delays, cancellations, misinformation to the traveling public, unproffesionalism, are right at the top of the list. Sorry to hear of your bad experience.

[scotinsiam]

Air Asia are cheap and nasty, I hate the new navigation of their site and all the "tricks & addons" I want to see the real price from the get go - I believe they even charge 100 baht now at the check in if you have not done it online - I happily pay more and travel with decent airlines. I wont use them again unless it is absolutely unavoidable - I have used them for years annd used to like them but no more.

[h90]

they are a cheapo airline not a quality airline.....

Fly Malaysian Air or Thai Air if you want quality....

I always thought all the male cabin staff are gay.....

[kalbo123]

Never had any problems with Airasia, I love them, cheap, new airplanes, and since most of their flights are short I don't need any service on board.

Delays and cancelations are normal, I can't think of any airline that never has a delay.

[lifeisthefun]

I've been flying Air Asia at least once every two months for the last 4 years with nary a complaint. I see no reason to pay thousands of baht more to fly an expensive carrier. Especially on short hauls AA is perfectly good. If you need to be pampered bring your mom along - you could buy tickets for the both of you for what you would pay on Thai.

I pack everything I need into my carry-on (they stare hard but haven't yet had me weighed) and gorge myself at the airport so I don't need to check in anything, saving time and money, nor buy any of their rather smelly food boxes.

And then I nod off gazing at those lovely stewardesses parading up and down the aisle. Btw, any one know where they find them?

[Travel2003]

And then I nod off gazing at those lovely stewardesses parading up and down the aisle. Btw, any one know where they find them?

Easy.

In Asia, being a air stewardess is still looked upon as something special.

We westerners have long ago realized they are just a waitress (whom also collects garbage) working on an airplane.

Nothing wrong or special about that job.

The amount of girls applying for this kind of job on this continent is still huge.

So AirAsia simply pick the prettiest ones.

Easy as that.

;-)

[Kananga]

Yikes, sounds like a drag. Does Thaksin still hold major stakes in Air Asia?

I know if you take a stand and speak up (to Thais) about things that aren't right, they can get sorely offended right away. Anger often leades to vindictiveness within a couple milliseconds. Not cool for a flight attendant, some of whom are katoy, which exacerbates the issue, as they're even more sensitive (to being offended) and quicker to anger.

Air Asia, Thai Airways, Nok Air, One to Go do not hire Katoey as cabin crew.

[martin81]

While you can be unlucky flying with Air Asia or with any airline I really dont think they do such a bad job.

In the last 5 years I have flown with them over 30 times and have never experienced any major delay more than 15 minutes or any other problem. And most of the flights has been very cheap like under 500 baht besides the mandatory airport taxes. And this is both for thai domestic and international flights to Cambodia, Vietnam, Phillippines, Singapore and Malaysia.

I am aware that they are not always so cheap when you book a few days before departure.

[Travel2003]

What actually pissed me off was the fact they never replied to my complaint.

Of course, cheap stuff is what it is......cheap stuff.

[FalangBaa]

The part about the male cabin crew being heterosexual and flirting with Thai ladies during the flight is unbelievable, so this invalidates your story.

I have flown with Air Asia over 50 times in the past 6 years to over a dozen destinations, and I've never had a major complaint. Small delays of a few minutes sometimes occur, and the airline itself is often not to blame for this. Overall, I'm 99% satisfied with Air Asia's service. I fly with them whenever possible. They fully deserve the award of Airline of the Year that they've won 5 times so far, and will probably win again in 2012.

Air Asia is one of the safest airlines in the skies. In over 10 years flying, they have never had a fatal accident or even an incident (non-fatal anomaly). If you don't believe me, check their Wikipedia entry. Very few airlines flying that long have operated without even one anomalous incident resulting in passenger injury or plane damage. Air Asia actually has the youngest plane fleet of any airline in the world. Therefore, I am and will remain totally confident in flying with them. It's not difficult at all to remove unwanted additional fees like insurance and hot seat allocation. Air Asia is a great airline, it is in fact expanding faster than any other airline in the world, has the lowest per-mile operating cost and the fastest aircraft turnaround, and in my opinion fully deserves the outstanding success it has achieved so far. Other low-cost airlines would be well advised to take note of Air Asia's business and operations model!

Edited May 10, 2012 by FalangBaa

[chuang]

You pay peanuts, you get peanuts...why complained..

[Travel2003]

The part about the male cabin crew being heterosexual and flirting with Thai ladies during the flight is unbelievable, so this invalidates your story.

Huh??

Are you Outing all male cabin crew in AirAsia?

Edited May 10, 2012 by Travel2003

[garrya]

What actually pissed me off was the fact they never replied to my complaint.

Of course, cheap stuff is what it is......cheap stuff.

Same happened to me. I complained about some issues and never received any response. Their helpline is not really a helpline.

The other day I called the thai help line but the staff was totally clueless. Obviously, they are not there to help but to fulfil the legal requirements.

[garrya]

The part about the male cabin crew being heterosexual and flirting with Thai ladies during the flight is unbelievable, so this invalidates your story.

I have flown with Air Asia over 50 times in the past 6 years to over a dozen destinations, and I've never had a major complaint. Small delays of a few minutes sometimes occur, and the airline itself is often not to blame for this. Overall, I'm 99% satisfied with Air Asia's service. I fly with them whenever possible. They fully deserve the award of Airline of the Year that they've won 5 times so far, and will probably win again in 2012.

Air Asia is one of the safest airlines in the skies. In over 10 years flying, they have never had a fatal accident or even an incident (non-fatal anomaly). If you don't believe me, check their Wikipedia entry. Very few airlines flying that long have operated without even one anomalous incident resulting in passenger injury or plane damage. Air Asia actually has the youngest plane fleet of any airline in the world. Therefore, I am and will remain totally confident in flying with them. It's not difficult at all to remove unwanted additional fees like insurance and hot seat allocation. Air Asia is a great airline, it is in fact expanding faster than any other airline in the world, has the lowest per-mile operating cost and the fastest aircraft turnaround, and in my opinion fully deserves the outstanding success it has achieved so far. Other low-cost airlines would be well advised to take note of Air Asia's business and operations model!

Good sense of humour, well done.

[h90]

The part about the male cabin crew being heterosexual and flirting with Thai ladies during the flight is unbelievable, so this invalidates your story.

I have flown with Air Asia over 50 times in the past 6 years to over a dozen destinations, and I've never had a major complaint. Small delays of a few minutes sometimes occur, and the airline itself is often not to blame for this. Overall, I'm 99% satisfied with Air Asia's service. I fly with them whenever possible. They fully deserve the award of Airline of the Year that they've won 5 times so far, and will probably win again in 2012.

Air Asia is one of the safest airlines in the skies. In over 10 years flying, they have never had a fatal accident or even an incident (non-fatal anomaly). If you don't believe me, check their Wikipedia entry. Very few airlines flying that long have operated without even one anomalous incident resulting in passenger injury or plane damage. Air Asia actually has the youngest plane fleet of any airline in the world. Therefore, I am and will remain totally confident in flying with them. It's not difficult at all to remove unwanted additional fees like insurance and hot seat allocation. Air Asia is a great airline, it is in fact expanding faster than any other airline in the world, has the lowest per-mile operating cost and the fastest aircraft turnaround, and in my opinion fully deserves the outstanding success it has achieved so far. Other low-cost airlines would be well advised to take note of Air Asia's business and operations model!

Maybe the "male" staff were former females after a gender change?

[lifeisthefun]

Maybe the "male" staff were former females after a gender change?

It's usually the other way around this part of the world, sweetheart.

[surangw]

they figure no one died, they did their job.

[StreetCowboy]

I find Air Asia very professional. I regularly fly KL - BKK. They operate tighter turn-arounds, and so suffer more delays, particularly on the later flights in the day, which is frustrating, if for example, you are rushing to get to the gogo bars before closing from the last flight.

I get frustrated with most airline web sites not being able to give me a straight quote early in the proceedings, which makes it very difficult to shop around; Air Asia are perhaps worse than most for this, since you can choose to forego the baggage allowance and in-flight meal to save money. However, it remains the case that I book my tickets based on destination and timetable; I don't actually find Air Asia necessarily the cheapest, but they have a flight at a time I want to the place I want to go.

I think there's only one air line I would rate as "too good", and that's Cathay Pacific. Singapore Airlines especially, and Emirates come close, but (in my experience) their reliability has put them a tier below CX.

SC