 | |
| Brief information | |
| IATA code | AK |
|---|---|
| Seat | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia |
| Passenger volume | 50.7 million (2015) |
| aims | Malaysia, Thailand, India, Indonesia |
| Internet | www.airasia.com |
history
The airline was founded in 1993 as a state company in Malaysia and the first flight took place on November 18, 1996. AirAsia struggled to establish itself on the domestic market and only made losses in the first few years. In December 2001, the Time Warner ex-manager Tony Fernandes bought the heavily indebted airline for a Malay ringgit and expanded the fleet with new aircraft and opened new routes. From this point on, the company focused on the cheap segment and converted AirAsia into a low-cost airline. The realignment was so successful that the plan was now with full budgets to expand into neighboring countries. At the end of 2003 the subsidiary became Thai AirAsia founded in Bangkok in order to attack the national flight market of Thailand, as in the home country Malaysia. The expansion to Indonesia and Indonesia AirAsia was founded. Now more flights between these countries have been added to the program. 2010 Philippines AirAsia, 2012 the AirAsia Japan and 2013 AirAsia India founded. The airline has thus developed into the largest low-cost airline in Asia. Since 2014 there has been increased investment in long-distance routes. To this end, the airlines became AirAsia X, Thai AirAsia X and Indonesia AirAsia X and from their home bases there are now flights to Australia, China and Japan.
fleet
AirAsia has a very young and modern fleet of aircraft. The average age is 5.6 years (as of August 2016).
AirAsia has a fleet of 77 Airbus A320, Thai AirAsia 49 Airbus A320, Indonesia Air Asia 19 Airbus A320, Philippines AirAsia 15 Airbus A320, AirAsia Japan 2 Airbus A320 and AirAsia India 8 Airbus A320. AirAsia X 22 Airbus A330, Thai AirAsia X 6 Airbus A330 and Indonesia AirAsia X 5 Airbus A320 and 2 Airbus A330.
AirAsia is currently the largest customer of the Airbus A320. The company has ordered a further 260 machines.
Alliances
AirAsia works very closely with its own subsidiaries. In addition, the company cooperates with the budget hotel chain Tune hotels, the financial company Big prepaid and the cell phone company Tune Talk. These are all companies that belong to the group of companies owned by owner Tony Fernandes.
Route network and hubs
AirAsia, together with its sister companies, offers around 400 flights a day on national and international routes covering Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand, and international routes, mainly from Kuala Lumpur to Australia, Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia, China, India, Laos and Myanmar , to the Philippines, to Singapore, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, to the United Arab Emirates, to Great Britain and Vietnam. Each airline has its own home base. AirAsia (Hub: Kuala Lumpur International Airport), Thai AirAsia (Hub: Don Mueang International Airport Bangkok), Indonesia AirAsia (Hub: Soekarno – Hatta International Airport Jakarta).
Other hubs are:
- Kota Kinabalu International Airport
- Penang International Airport
- Kuching International Airport
- Senai International Airport
- Langkawi International Airport
- Chiang Mai International Airport
- Phuket International Airport
- Surabaya Juanda International Airport
- Medan Kualanamu International Airport
- Denpasar Ngurah Rai International Airport
- Banding Husein Sastranegara International Airport
Classes of carriage
The company is a low-cost carrier with very affordable tariffs that fluctuate based on demand or the time of advance booking. Only the pure transport service is included in the tariff. Special services have to be paid extra:
- Seat fee (if you want a special seat, it is higher for the more comfortable 'hot seats' where you can stretch your feet (near the front or exits)
- Entertainment fee for the video program on the back of the seat
- Checked baggage charge (calculated based on weight, not items; excess weight must be paid for baggage over 15 kg) Each passenger is allowed to take one piece of luggage with a maximum of 7 kg and 56 cm x 36 cm x 23 cm as hand baggage into the cabin .
- In-flight meal fee
- Fee for the use of a wheelchair
- Convenience kit fee (pillow, blanket, and eye patch)
Lounges
At Kuala Lumpur International Airport, the airline offers the use of the AirAsia Premium Red Lounge for a fee.
Frequent flyer program
The AirAsia group offers a frequent flyer program under the name AirAsia BIG at. On the basis of sales, you collect BIG Points on flights and additional services, which can then be used to purchase flight tickets.
Check in
AirAsia offers check-in via the website, self-check-in via machines at various airports and of course the usual check-in at the counter.
Booking options
On the Internet
AirAsia sells the tickets mainly through the Air Asia Group website. Mastercard and Visa credit cards are accepted as payment options, but only the MasterCard SecureCode cards, which are not widely used in Germany, or the Verified by Visa cards. The usual Mastercard and Visa cards are not accepted for booking!
- The only banks that offer Mastercard SecureCode in Germany are currently DZ Bank, KarstadtQuelle Bank, Deutsche Bank, Wüstenrot Bank, Advanzia Bank and the savings bank organization nationwide. The Lufthansa Miles & More credit card also uses the SecureCode procedure.
- At the DKB, it is now possible to register for Verified by Visa with the DKB Cash Visa credit card. In any case: ask your bank!
In sales offices
The only alternative is to buy the ticket at one of the numerous AirAsia airport sales stations or through small agencies in Asian countries, which of course add their own commission to the ticket price. There are Air Asia sales stations in:
- Cambosha: Phnom Penh
- China: Macau, Shenzhen
- Indonesia: Aceh, Bali, Bandung, Batam, Jakarta, Makassar, Manado, Medan, Padang, Palembang, Pekanbaru, Solo, Surabaya, Yogyakarta
- Malaysia: Johor, Kedah, Kuala Lumpur, Kelatan, Terengganu, Penang, Sbah, Sarawak, Selangor
- Myanmar: Yangon
- Singapore: Singapore
- Thailand: Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Hat Yai, Krabi, Narathiwat, Phuket, Surat Thani, Ubon Ratchathani, Udon Thani
- Vietnam: Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh
- Australia: Call Center 1300 760 330
- Great Britain: Call Center 0845 605 3333
- International: Call Center: 603 2171 9333/9222
