A while back we heard some rumors that Air Asia X, a low-cost long-haul carrier would be opening up a new route out of the U.S. Back then we heard:
Azran Osman Rani (CEO of AirAsia X) has been talking to JFK and 2 California airports regarding launching long haul service from KL. There's nothing definitive lined up, but the time-frame would be in about a year.
This weekend, we were tipped off about a thread over at Airliners.net where a member noticed this plane adorned with an Oakland Raiders logo peeking out of an SIA hanger at the Changi Airport in Singapore. There's a lot of speculation going on in the comments of this thread, ranging from the Raiders owner Al Davis forking out money for a new team jet to the rumor we like the most--Air Asia X is going to start an Oakland service soon.
Reading through the entire thread is a bit like spying on boys in the gym class locker room, except the boys are talking about airplanes and football and nothing about whether they like, like like you or not. Anyways, what we've been able to deduce is that there is a possibility that Air Asia X would kick off their possible Oakland to Kuala Lumpur service by painting a Raiders logo on the tail, based on the evidence that Air Asia does this already for two European football teams.
Indeed a listing on Skyliners has noted that an A340 was painted with the Oakland Raiders logo and is nicknamed "Autumn Wind One," leading us to think Air Asia X will start service out of Oakland this fall.
There is also the "possibility" that someone faked the photo, that Al Davis needs a jet to fly back and forth from his crypt, or that this is just a very expensive advertising campaign to sell football tickets for a pretty awful team. As one Airliner.net commenter wrote, "We'll just have to wait and see."
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