Wednesday 2 November 2011

Expensive Cheap Air Asia

Air Asia, the world's best low-cost carrier is not cheap at times, in fact, it punishes air travellers on certain aspects. I found this out the hard way.

Excess Baggage Weight
In 2009, I brought 100 of my books for a book launch from KL to Kuching. I was very much over weight and was slapped with a whopping almost RM500 for the excess.

Not Sports-Friendly
Two years ago I was invited to participate in a golf tournament in Kuching and brought my own golf set from KL. Though I was not over weight, I was charged an extra RM50 for bringing a sports good. What is the logic? Why discourage sports? This is one of the fields that Air Asia should promote and encourage. In fact, I would go further as to suggest that it should encourage sports enthusiasts by offering FREE passage for their sports equipments. This could be one of the many good things it could give back to the community.

Punishment for Rescheduling Flights.
A one-way RM200 (rounded figure) flight became a RM500 flight, all because I changed my date. Except maybe for the insurance coverage, surely the other aspects are just purely management tasks and a part of the staffs' job which will not incur extra costs.

We understand, everything meant money to you (Air Asia) but please be logic and be fair to your passengers / customers. You are increasingly not living to your tag as being the cheap carrier. Maybe now you can modify your motto from " now everyone can fly" to "now everyone can fly, grudgingly."

8 comments:

  1. Squad,

    In this modern age where people chase after money, it is very easy to lose one's basic tenets in life - help other human beings where possible.

    For them the rule is, be unscrupulous in as far as making money is concerned. You see how Air Asia is doing it:

    1. You pay extra when you choose your preferred seat.
    2. You book your meal and you get the priority
    service.
    3. You book your tickets early you get more discounts.
    4. You bring excess weight, you'll be robbed in broad daylight.
    5. You bring sports equipments, you'll be charged extra.
    6. Pay extra for EXPRESS BOARDING and you need not queue up for the boarding.

    Every aspect is manipulated in order to make money - social responsibility is forgotten.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Dear Rizal,

    Now we know how Air Asia makes its money i.e. by some mysterious ways that will make you dry even before you board teh aircraft.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Robert Rizal Abdullah5 December 2011 at 18:16

    Dear Anonymous,

    Yes, it can be cheap but it is also expensive.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Air Asia is not my favourite airline because they don't even fly to Auckland or Hamilton where I live.
    Even if they do, I still have to do the following:
    1. Go through immigration, customs at KLIA
    2. find transport to go over to the domestic terminal, lugging my very heavy luggage with me upstairs, downstairs and into and out of lifts and skybuses.
    3. check in again at the domestic terminal for a connecting flight to Kuantan or Kuching.
    4. repeat the same thing again on the return flight home to Hamilton.

    Air Asia will definitely not earn my money. I can still fly; but not with Tony. I love my [free] Malaysian meals on Mas and being able to check through heavy luggage (salt fish and balacan, pusu, keropok etc) from Kuantan/Kuching to Auckland. Air Asia don't have this feature. Also when I fly by Mas I remain at the KLIA international terminal. No need to go to the domestic terminal in KL (no skybus reqd; I just use the free train and no booking reqd) Meals are excellent and very cheap at the food court for use by airport staff, downstairs. the [hotel] is also free, no booking reqd.

    David

    ReplyDelete
  5. Robert Rizal Abdullah9 December 2011 at 12:45

    David,

    Thanks for dropping by and leaving your foot print.

    ReplyDelete
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