AirAsia Fares No Longer The Competitive Bargains They Were?

Lthrillho on 09/02/2024 - 16:47

Hello everyone,

Avid bargain-hunter, especially when it comes to travel, but I’m wondering if my recent experiences (ie. since AirAsia restarted flights to Australia) are shared.

I’ve flown with AirAsia from Australia twice, and most recently inter-SEA last year (cheaply) and remember the fares I got return to KUL from MEL were cheap - like $150-170 each way or thereabouts.

Since they’ve restarted flights to Aus, I’ve been very underwhelmed by their sale fares. They’re consistently more expensive than regional competitors Jetstar and AirAsia, and forgive me if I’m missing something (apart from Uncle Chin’s chicken rice) their 3-3-3 A330s are much more uncomfortable than the Dreamliners used by the aforementioned competitors.

Scrolling OzB just before, an ad for AirAsia popped up - the SPECIAL price of $300 each way to Kuala Lumpur! Just doesn’t seem competitive, and, while others have had sales in recent months/years, there’s been nothing worth looking at from AirAsia.

What gives? Anyone else think similarly or have I just happened to miss the decent sales (I am an email member).

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Comments

  • PrinceOfWhales on 09/02/2024 - 16:57
    +1

    Airasia has arguably the worst customer service and business ethic. I recently booked direct with them with add on baggages. 2 days later, they cancelled my baggages add on citing "time restriction / carrier policy. After spending hours to get past "Bo" the AI chat, the first customer rep told me to purchase baggages on the day of flight. Second customer rep told me to re-purchase online, with a marked up price compared to initial costs. They then will not reply to my subsequent emails (I have sent 3 follow up over a week since).

    I guess my only option now is to pay the mark up online price, and not to fly with them ever again.

    Also, I have now read some reviews on trustpilot and it seems like their common practice to do this.

    • Trying2SaveABuck on 09/02/2024 - 17:00
      -2

      Airasia has arguably the worst customer service and business ethic.

      you can have great service or you can have great prices - pick one

      • Gdsamp on 09/02/2024 - 17:05
        +11

        with Qantas you can have neither

        • Trying2SaveABuck on 09/02/2024 - 17:09
          +1

          that is because they have crap service due to delaying the upgrades of dozens of planes under Alan joyce to help the bottom line.

          It is living on a reputation it built 3 decades ago but has not really kept up with the high standards it had in the 80s and 90s

          it has also the ALP in their back pocket stopping fair and reasonable competition in Australia - which is a disgrace and imho the government and PM have no coped anywhere near enough criticism for

          • Gdsamp on 09/02/2024 - 17:11
            +2

            @Trying2SaveABuck:

            Alan joyce

            glad that smarmy fella got the boot

            • Trying2SaveABuck on 09/02/2024 - 17:12

              @Gdsamp: he resigned because he knew the upgrades and high capital expenditure was needed in the - i cant standis h that bloke but facts are he is very smart and stepped away at the right time protecting his reputation with share holders and leaving the company on a massive profit - he did f—k over 9000 workers but the big wigs dont care about poor ppl

        • freefall101 on 09/02/2024 - 17:18
          +2

          great service, great prices or great profits. And Qantas picked the last one for us.

    • john71 on 11/02/2024 - 13:49
      +1

      Ten years ago, I had to set up a dedicated Twitter account to harass Tony Fernandes to get a due refund from Air Asia. Sad but true. All that effort - well, a dozen creatively lacerating tweets - over $440z

  • Drakesy on 09/02/2024 - 17:11

    I still think they're the best value stress free budget airline going.

    The sales aren't as amazing as they were pre covid, however you have to remember we've had some 5 years of inflation since then including fuel and labour, oh and the ever weakening aussie dollar.

    • thrillho on 09/02/2024 - 17:34

      Understand your points, but AirAsia’s competitors seem to be comfortably and consistently undercutting them - and offering IMO better soft and hard products (as someone who has flown AUS to SEA on Scoot, Jetstar, and AirAsia).

      • Drakesy on 09/02/2024 - 17:36

        In order of quality i'd say Air Asia and Scoot are on par whilst Jetstar is floundering a long way behind.

  • Lunarboogie on 09/02/2024 - 17:50
    +1

    Which part of $300 from SYD - KUL isn't a great deal?

    It's more than that just get to SYD from CBR.

    AA is still a great airline in my books.

    • thrillho on 09/02/2024 - 17:56

      Just looking at Jetstar literally just then, heaps of dates MEL-SIN for $199 in coming weeks and months. One third cheaper.

      • Lunarboogie on 09/02/2024 - 18:00

        That's true. But I travel to KL often, not the lion city. And from Sydney, not Melbourne. So not quite the comparison for me.

    • Thrawn on 09/02/2024 - 19:13
      +2

      Pre-covid I was often flying on $300 return AirAsia SYD-KUL. Nowadays you can find sale fares on full service airlines for $600-$800'ish.. AirAsia is far less competitive than they once were sadly. Also the schedule is much more unreliable as well with cancellations.

      • billyb67 on 26/04/2024 - 11:46

        I just booked return to KL in a few months for $390 a few weeks back, so have to strongly disagree with your premise they aren't competitive anymore.
        Find me a cheaper flight than that?

    • Stewardo on 09/02/2024 - 20:32

      Costs more than that to park at Sydney airport

  • jv on 09/02/2024 - 17:50

    Since they’ve restarted flights to Aus, I’ve been very underwhelmed by their sale fares.

    Supply & Demand…

    Thank Albo for discouraging competition for flights into Australia…

    • Trying2SaveABuck on 09/02/2024 - 20:29

      worst PM we have ever had

      • nedski on 09/02/2024 - 22:57

        points to John Howard

      • Drakesy on 10/02/2024 - 00:13

        Tony Abott and Scomo don't rate?

        • Trying2SaveABuck on 10/02/2024 - 08:22

          Abbott was alright if anything he was 'good' he wanted to bring in the 7 dollar co-payment to keep medicare manageable long term because he knew the current situation was not sustainable and wanted to brig in full paid mat leave - the opposition lost their shit now people are paying 50 plus dollars to see a GP and women have significantly less money then man in retirement then men largely due to unpaid whilst in mat leave - funny how no one remembers that - he is also the only PM to meaningfully close the gap with 1st nations child getting rid of 1st nation only child care in which the left side of politics called 'forced' assimilation at the time but all the children improved in pretty much every metrics when not segregated - the opposition never mention that

          Scomo was bad im not defending him but he at least has 'adversity' fires floods covid but he handled almost all of them poorly outside of adversity he was fine but when put to the test he struggled.

          Albo has had almost nothing and is still bad AND IMHO the worst ive ever seen has overseen the most embarrassing referendum loss in Aus history, been unable to control inflation, seen cost of living sore, stopped competition for airlines whilst taking 'essentially' a the voice bribe from Qantas, energy prices are also going nuts cue AGL i could go on but he has been in power 2 years…. the fact him and Dutton probably the most unlikable opposition leader ive ever seen are neck and neck in polls tells you everything

          Turnbull would also be up there and Ruud a shocker too both contributed to the spiral of shit this nation is turning into

          I liked Gillard she was under-rated

          Howard was the best leader i have seen in my life here in Aus

          • Butterchurner on 10/02/2024 - 09:52

            @Trying2SaveABuck: Among the mix of interesting takes, you've persuaded me to point out referendums fail without bipartisanship 100% of the time. Arranging it is Albo's legacy but dooming it is the dogwhistler's. The polling said as much.

            • Trying2SaveABuck on 10/02/2024 - 10:33

              @Butterchurner: I agree, Yet he still charged ahead with a referendum?

              Wasted half a billion and 6mo of politicians time which should of been used focusing on Cost of living.

              Anyone defending what was a blantently stupid decision to take is to a Vote is bias and would back there political party like a football team not with common sense

          • MITM on 13/02/2024 - 23:25
            +1

            @Trying2SaveABuck: You would have loved Bob Hawke followed by Paul Keating. Chalk & cheese.

  • MITM on 13/02/2024 - 23:34

    Best fare I got pre-covid was Cebu Pacific Syd-Mnl $147 ret. Pre-Covid. New planes, half empty.

  • billyb67 on 26/04/2024 - 11:44

    Maybe you missed the good sale a few weeks back I booked return to KL for i think $390 ?
    Just as good a deal as ever.

  • derrko on 26/04/2024 - 19:48

    Air Asia out of Gold Coast haven't seen pre pandemic prices of $179 for ages. New normal pricing is $300's one ways.

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