Air Asia X - Cheap Flights Asia to Australia, UK and Europe
| Air Asia X is a 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 UAE 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. Air Asia has a short haul fleet of 86 aircraft with both Boeing 737s and Airbus A320s
The long-haul Air Asia X has a large order placed with Airbus for 25 A330 aircraft up to 2015 and then 10 (+5) next generation Airbus A350s to be delivered between 2016 and 2018.
Air Asia X services under the "D7" code are currently as follows:
Kuala Lumpur (KUL) to Gold Coast (OOL), Australia - The was the very first Air Asia X flight route and took off in November 2007. Flights D7 2702 / 2703 currently operate daily.
Kuala Lumpur (KUL) to Perth (PER), Western Australia - Daily service using the brand new A330 aircraft. Started November 2008.
Kuala Lumpur (KUL) to Melbourne (MEL), Australia - Popular service which runs 12-x-per-week. Started November 2008.
Kuala Lumpur (KUL) to London Stansted (STN) - Air Asia X operates a daily service to London Stansted using a leased Airbus A340-300 (ex-Air Canada).
KUL to Hangzhou (HGH), China - This 6-times-weekly 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) - Daily 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 using A330-300s.
KUL to Abu Dhabi (AUH) - 5-times-weekly flight using Airbus A340-300 equipment. Started November 2009.
In general, Air Asia X's "Promo" airfares do undercut the standard fares of major carriers - and one-way prices tend to be lower ex-Malaysia.
For example, return promo fares from Perth to KL start at around AU $270. Return fares from Melbourne to KL can be had for AU $570 and those from London Stansted to KL can be as low as £250 but are normally around the £400 mark.
The A330 services also have a Premium Seats section (used to be called "XL") - these have a 38" seat pitch. PER-KUL Premium return starts at around AU $640, MEL-KUL at around AU $980. The more spacious Premium Seats on the A340 Stansted service starts at £700-£1,000 return.
Air Asia X aircraft will undergo a complete seating refurbishment during the first half of 2010 and proper business class flat seats are to be introduced. The A340s will have 18 business seats and 309 economy seats. The A330s will have 12 flat business seats and 365 economy seats. We expect prices for the business seats to rise to reflect this investment.
As Air Asia X is a "budget" airline you do have to pay extra fees including assigned seating, meals and checking in luggage.
| AIR ASIA X FEES | UK (GBP) | Australia (AU $) | Malaysia (MYR) | China (CNY) |
| Luggage up to 15kg | 5 | 10 | 20 | 50 |
| Luggage up to 20kg | 11 | 28 | 55 | 138 |
| Luggage up to 25kg | 21 | 53 | 105 | 263 |
| Luggage up to 30kg | 28 | 69 | 155 | 325 |
| Pick "Standard" Seat | 5 | 10 | 25 | 60 |
| Pick "Hot" Seat | 20 | 40 | 100 | 240 |
| Meals for Return Flights | 12.60 | 10.50 | 30 to Aus 70 to UK | 40 |
| Comfort Kit | 5 | 13 | 25 | 63 |
Expansion of the network is expected - in 2010 Air Asia X will start India services to Mumbai (May) and New Delhi (August); 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. In Europe Paris is expected to be the next destination. A flight to Sydney, Australia could also be in the pipeline if regulatory approval is granted.
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 also allow ample time for connections. Passengers can also connect onto Air Asia's short-haul network around South-East Asia, again on separate bookings.
The best advice for using Air Asia X is get on their email list, and try to book the very lowest "promo" fares in advance. Due to their popularity, it can sometimes be hard to find the special promo fares as they sell out quickly. Also do check for offers from major airlines (eg Malaysian) - they are sometimes cheaper.
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