Promotional offer from AirAsia X

05 August 2010

Passengers flying AirAsia X, the low-cost long-haul affiliate carrier of AirAsia, from New Delhi to Kuala Lumpur can avail themselves of a Re.1 promotional offer which is being offered by the airline on the occasion of launch of its services here.

As per the offer, passengers will have to pay a one-way fare of Re.1 plus airport taxes of Rs.2,377. On return, however, regular fares will be applicable.

This is the second Indian city in the airline's network after Mumbai where operations were launched in May.

The inaugural flight of AirAsia X from Kuala Lumpur to Delhi landed with 300 passengers earlier this week at Indira Gandhi International Airport's Terminal-3 which recently commenced international operations.

“The passengers were not just from Kuala Lumpur but also Australia and other countries,” AirAsia X chief executive officer, Azran Osman-Rani said at the launch of the airline's services here on Thursday.

The promotional offer can be availed of between August 10 and September 30 for which passengers should book their tickets on August 7 and August 8.

Daily flights will operate from Kuala Lumpur to New Delhi and back.

The Hindu

AirAsia in talks for budget hotel in Brunei

05 August 2010

AirAsia is interested to “do more” for its Brunei-based customers, including a possible third flight and a budget hotel in the Sultanate.

AirAsia CEO Dato’ Sri (Dr) Tony Fernandes, told the Borneo Bulletin in an interview, “We’d like to do freedom flights out of Brunei.”

However, he doesn’t think it’s realistic at the moment until “the Brunei government gives us more flexibility”.

He also recommended the nation’s national carrier, Royal Brunei Airlines, to concentrate more on their premium passengers as “not everyone wants to fly AirAsia” taking into consideration that some passengers prefer first class services.

“RBA should focus on that market and allow AirAsia to serve more people and bring more business to the economy,” he said and added that by allowing more flexibility would also encourage economic growth as more tourists would be able to visit the country thanks to cheaper flight fares.

He also said that the award-winning airline will try to provide more connectivity for Brunei and allow more individuals further access to other niche areas such as medical tourism. “If we can, we’ll do a third flight (to Kuala Lumpur) as it makes it more and more easy (for Bruneian customers).”

In addition to the cheap-fare airline, Dato’ Sri (Dr) Tony Fernandes is also the founder of the Tune Hotel that has been established in many countries, the latest being in London. Brunei, he added, will also have a budget hotel “real soon” as the CEO’s marketing team is currently “in discussion” with several parties here in Brunei and added “(We’ll) try to do it for BND$10,” which would be “possible, depending on the cost of the hotel”.

Commenting on Bruneian customers, he said: “I think they’re fantastic,” whilst adding that they have personally shared with him their appreciation of AirAsia and how “it’s made their lives more easier”.

“Sometimes we let them down with long delays etc but they’re very understanding and supportive.

“I’m very appreciative for the support and the genuine warmth we have received from Brunei,” he added.

By Siti Hajar

news.brunei.fm

AirAsia defers delivery of A320s

05 August 2010

PETALING JAYA: AirAsia Bhd has deferred the delivery of seven Airbus A320 to 2015 from the original delivery period next year as it foresees infrastructural constraints with the current airport facilities.

The low-cost carrier in a filing to Bursa Malaysia yesterday said it had signed an amendment agreement with Airbus SAS for the revision of delivery dates.

The seven planes are now due for delivery from April to November 2015 from the original March to October 2011.

“With the deferment, the delivery of aircraft in 2011 shall be reduced to eight planes from the original 15. Also, the number of aircraft delivery in 2015 will increase to nine from the planned two,” it said.

AirAsia said until the new low-cost carrier terminal was constructed, the present infrastructure at the terminal would not be able to accommodate AirAsia’s fleet expansion in the number of aircraft originally scheduled to be delivered in 2010 and 2011.

“The rationale to further scale down on the delivery of aircraft in 2011 is to enable AirAsia to optimise its fleet and avoid the costs associated with leaving idle or underutilised aircraft due to infrastructural limitations – avoiding having to incur depreciation, interest expense and other costs without earning revenue,” it said.

The Star

AirAsia X crossing trans-Tasman

04 August 2010

AirAsia X could be including flights between Australia and New Zealand by the end of the year but will not be catering to popular cities Melbourne and Sydney.

The Sydney Morning Herald reported the airline, which is 16 percent owned by AirAsia, is expected to designate flights from the Gold Coast and Perth to either Auckland or Christchurch.

Mr Osman-Rani said, "The airline would have a golden opportunity to enter the trans-Tasman market if Virgin Blue's proposed alliance with Air New Zealand resulted in the airlines shedding flights."

TravelBlackBoard

AirAsia holds contest for 100mth guest

03 August 2010

KUALA LUMPUR: Low-cost carrier, AirAsia, will hold a contest, called The Real People, Real Stories: COMMENT & WIN to celebrate its 100 millionth guest flown.

In a statement here today, AirAsia said the contest is open to the public and participation is simple.

"The participants need to comment on any video in any of the five categories listed in AirAsia's YouTube page -- www.youtube.com/AirAsia.

"Comments can be about how the viewer relates to the video, how the viewer has been moved by the video or simply an opinion," it said.

The airline said the top 100 comments could look forward to RM5,000 worth of AirAsia e-gift vouchers up for grabs.

The contest will run from Aug 4-Sept 5, 2010.

- Bernama

Indonesia AirAsia denies bankruptcy rumor

03 August 2010

The Indonesia AirAsia management has denied that the low-cost airline was on the brink of bankruptcy following its plan to close two local routes in October.

"We want to clarify the rumor. We are not bankrupted," AirAsia spokesman Audrey Progastama said on Tuesday as quoted by kompas.com.

He said Jakarta-Surabaya and Jakarta-Medan routes were closed as the airline began to focus on international routes instead of domestic routes.

Passengers who have bought tickets for the two routes will get reimbursement, he added

Airplanes from the two routes will serve Surabaya-Singapore, Surabaya-Bangkok, Surabaya-Kuala Lumpur, Medan-Singapore, Medan-Kuala Lumpur, and Medan-Hongkong/Maca routes, Audrey said.

He claimed that the Indonesia AirAsia load factor in the second quarter of 2010 reached 75 percent, a 9.8 percent increase from the same period of last year.

The Jakarta Post

AirAsia joins budget airline boom in Korea

03 August 2010

While low-cost carriers are gearing up to provide affordable air travel for budget-savvy tourists, AirAsia seeks to lead the way by opening up a new route via Seoul.

AirAsia, Asia’s largest low-fare airline, announced at a press conference on Monday its newest international route starting Nov. 1, which will connect Kuala Lumpur and Seoul.

To mark the launch of its latest route, the Malaysian company introduced a promotional round-trip fare of 120,000 won ($102.30) including all taxes and fees, for the travel period from Nov. 1 to Aug. 11, 2011, for those who book tickets on its website between Aug. 4 and Aug. 8.

After the promotional period, travelers will be able to purchase tickets for 25 to 30 percent lower than traditional airlines charge, depending on their purchase date, for the daily operation.

It took more than a year for the airline to earn an approval from the government, noted Azran Osman-Rani, CEO of AirAsia X, AirAsia’s long-haul affiliate.

“Seoul has been our priority market for the long-haul destination since 2007,” he said. “Malaysians have gone crazy about the Korean Wave. We couldn’t wait to launch this route for so long.”

According to an online survey conducted by AirAsia on social networking websites such as Facebook and Twitter, more than 2 million customers picked Seoul as the No. 1 destination they wish the airline to fly to.　

Seoul is the eleventh destination for the Malaysian company followed by cities in Australia, India, Taiwan, China and the U.K.　

AirAsia’s CEO Azran Osman-Rani poses with the Korea Tourism Organization’s president Lee Cham (fourth from right) at a press conference in Seoul on Monday.

Established in 1993, AirAsia was named the world’s best low-cost airline for two years in a row in 2009 and 2010 by Skytrax, a U.K.-based aviation research firm.　

Currently, AirAsia and AirAsia X operate more than 132 domestic and international flights collectively through a fleet of 94 aircraft.

The market for low-fare flights has grown over the past several years with an increasing number of budget carriers flying across Asia Pacific, enabling cost-sensitive customers to enjoy air travel more affordably.

Major players in the Asian sector such as Tiger Air, Thai Air and AirAsia have brought challenges to legacy European and American carriers, offering no-frills service at dramatically reduced prices, with a wide variety of options on in-flight services.

In spite of growing global demand, Korea has not been an easy market for budget carriers during the past few years.

In 2008, Singaporean Tiger Air initially intended to fly from Korea to China, Japan and Russia beginning in August last year, but eventually withdrew the plan after delays in its application process, due to the global economic slowdown and regulatory uncertainties.

Organizations like the Center for Asia Pacific Aviation argued that Korean government protectionism has been a major hurdle for the market, as the Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs failed to reject a request brought by national airlines to protect themselves from competition with overseas companies in 2008.

Meanwhile, Yeongnam Air and Hansung Airlines, two Korean low-cost carriers, suspended operations in 2008, citing rising competition and lack of demand.

By Shin Hyon-hee (heeshin@heraldm.com)

TheKoreaHerald