Air Asia X - Cheap Flights Asia to Australia, UK and Europe
| Air Asia X is a medium and long-haul budget airline that launched flights back in 2007. Air Asia X is based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and flies to cities in Australia, UK, China and India with future plans to serve other destinations worldwide. |
Air Asia X evolved from budget short-haul carrier Air Asia and its subsidiary Fly Asian Xpress. The company Air Asia Bhd is listed on the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange and has satellite operations in Thailand and Indonesia, carrying over 20 million passengers annually. It is planned that Air Asia X will have it own stock market listing in the near future.
Air Asia has a total fleet of 97 aircraft including Air Asia X's 7 Airbus A330s and 2 Airbus A340s. Air Asia X has a very large order placed with Airbus for a total of 25 A330s up to 2015 and 10 (+5 optional) next generation Airbus A350s to be delivered between 2016 and 2018.
Air Asia X services under the "D7" code currently operating from Kuala Lumpur (KUL):
KUL to Gold Coast (OOL), Australia - The first Air Asia X flight route which took off in November 2007. Flights D7 2702 / 2703 currently operate daily.
KUL to Perth (PER), Western Australia - Twice daily service - started November 2008.
KUL to Melbourne (MEL), Australia - Popular twice daily service - started November 2008.
KUL to London Stansted (STN) - Up to twice daily service using a leased Airbus A340-300.
KUL to Hangzhou (HGH), China - This daily service to Hangzhou (Shanghai) has been running since February 2008.
KUL to Tianjin (TSN), China - 5-times-weekly service to Tianjin (Beijing).
KUL to Taipei (TPE) - 9-x-weekly service to Taipei service, started in July 2009.
KUL to Chengdu (CTU) - This 4-times-weekly service to the middle of China commenced October 2009.
KUL to Mumbai (BOM) - 4-x-weekly service started May 6th 2010.
KUL to New Delhi (DEL) - Daily service to commence in August 2010.
The service between Kuala Lumpur and Abu Dhabi (AUH) was suspended in February 2010 after 15 months of operation.
Further expansion of the network is expected - operational rights to Seoul, Korea have been granted; a flight to Tehran, Iran is in the pipeline; Paris, France could be the next Euro destination; a service to Sydney, Australia could also be started if regulatory approval from the Malaysian government is gained; possible services to the USA with west coast (Oakland?) served via either Honolulu, Taiwan or Korea; east coast US (New York area) could be operated from London Stansted; Jeddah in Saudi Arabia is also being considered.
Air Asia X Seating
The Air Asia X fleet has recently (H1 2010) undergone a major refurbishment. The enhanced premium seats are now angled lie-flat. These 20" wide seats have a pitch of 60" upright and 77" fully reclined. The seating layout is as follows:
Airbus A340 - 18 Premium seats in a 2-2-2 configuration. 309 economy seats (32" pitch) in a 3-3-3 configuration.
Airbus A330 - 12 Premium seats (2-2-2 configuration). 365 economy seats (31" pitch, 16.5" width) in a 3-3-3 layout.
Note - The standard economy configuration of the above aircraft in the industry is normally 2-4-2 (8 seats). So Air Asia X is squeezing in an extra seat which means the seats and aisles are narrower and the cabin may feel more claustrophobic to some passengers.
Air Asia X Pricing
In general, Air Asia X tends to hold aggressive "Promo" fare sales a few times a year - these are the very best times to book, but you must be quick as special fares sell out quickly. Join their email list to get advance notice of any sales.
Normal return fares from Melbourne to KL are around AU $570, from Perth to KL AU $400 and from London Stansted to KL around the £490 mark. Decent promo fares can cut these fares in half. You should always check airfares from major airlines (eg Malaysian) - they are occasionally cheaper.
Premium fares are around AU $1,450, AU $950 and £1,300 for Melbourne, Perth and London flights respectively - again watch for lower promo fare offers.
As Air Asia X is a "budget" airline you do have to pay extra fees including assigned seating, meals and checking in luggage. Note, surcharges apply if not pre-booking extras online:
| AIR ASIA X FEES | UK (GBP) | Australia (AU $) | Malaysia (MYR) | India (INR) | China (CNY) |
| Luggage up to 15kg | 8 | 11 | 30 | 450 | 67 |
| Luggage up to 20kg | 12 | 18 | 50 | 750 | 112 |
| Luggage up to 25kg | 20 | 29 | 80 | 1,200 | 179 |
| Luggage up to 30kg | 30 | 43 | 120 | 1,800 | 268 |
| Pick "Standard" Seat | 5 | 10 | 25 | 380 | 60 |
| Pick "Hot" Seat | 20 | 40 | 100 | 1,520 | 240 |
| Meals for Return Flights | 12.60 | 10.50 | 30 to Aus 70 to UK | 300 | 40 |
| Comfort Kit | 5 | 10 | 25 | 380 | 63 |
Air Asia X can provide some cheap flight opportunities between Europe - Asia - Australia during promo sales - but remember, you do have to book flights separately via KUL and you should allow ample time for connections. Passengers can also connect onto Air Asia's short-haul network around South-East Asia, again on separate bookings.
If you are serious about flying long haul but only have an economy budget then you should invest in the:
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