AirAsia has revamped their website at www.airasia.com ! The new and improved website is now  loaded with cool new features, innovative functions, simplified layout and a touch of fun.

Once again, AirAsia should be proud of people behind all this. I personally like the new design very much, it simply the best in a way that how they presented the data. We just need a few clicks to get where we want.

What do you think of the new design ? Visit Airasia to experience their new look.

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KUALA LUMPUR: Long haul budget airline AirAsia X will fly more people to Hangzhou, Shanghai, with direct daily flights beginning March 28.

AirAsia X will depart from Kuala Lumpur at 8.10am and arrive in Hangzhou at 1.10pm every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and at 5.20pm every Tuesday, Saturday and Sunday.

The flight route is serviced by Airbus A330-300 with 383 economy seats including 28 premium seats.

“The response has been extremely good as our load factor has been above 70% on the Hangzhou-Kuala Lumpur route,” said AirAsia regional commercial head Kathleen Tan in a statement yesterday. She added that it takes only 75 minutes to go to Shanghai by bullet train.

Hangzhou is a major tourist attraction in China, which is well-known for its West Lake, Longjing Tea Fields and Six Harmonies Pagoda.

AirAsia has 198 flights weekly flying from various destinations in Asean to nine destinations in China including Hong Kong and Macau.

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KUALA LUMPUR: Low cost carrier, AirAsia, is now offering a self check-in service at several airports in Malaysia and regional countries.

The service is available at the Low Cost carrier Terminal (LCCT)-Kuala Lumpur, Johor Bahru, Kota Kinabalu, Kuching, Jakarta, Bali, Bangkok, Phuket, Chiang Mai and Hat Yai.

For added comfort and convenience, customers can also utilize its web-based check-in service, the carrier said in a statement here on Wednesday.

AirAsia said the initiative was part of its on-going mission of using the information, communication and technology (ICT) forefront to exploit technology and practice cost efficiency.

By adopting a cost effective service and liberating the traveling experience for customers, the innovative service will also avoid airport congestion, long queues and reduce waiting time at no extra cost, it said.

According to AirAsia, customers can still opt to check-in the conventional way, at its airport counters.

“We have invested quite a significant amount to develop our ICT facilities in order to keep-up with global standards.

“Now, we have equipped ourselves to fully exploit the benefits of it and achieve a competitive excellence in the market,” AirAsia Bhd’s group chief executive officer, Datuk Seri Tony Fernandes said. – Bernama

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Another history was recorded yesterday where the world’s first budget airline alliance was forged yesterday between AirAsia and Australia’s Jetstar. The alliance will enable both companies to pool resources and expertise, procure new aircraft and revenue-sharing deals which could lead to cost savings of between A$200mil and A$300mil annually.

Other than the cost saving of which will only be materialized 16 months from the signing date, what can we expect as the customer from this deal.? Based on what has been reported in the media, I summarized as follows :

• Negotiating on how they can procure fuel in bulk for the needs of both carriers in markets that we operate in and this will lead to significant savings for us.
• Sharing spare parts and that is a big (area for cost savings)
• A key component of the agreement is its ability to influence aircraft makers to manufacture robust planes that suit the LCC specifications as most planes made today are more suited for full service carriers and remodification costs a lot more. Qantas Airways Ltd CEO Alan Joyce, who was at the press conference, said the parties “have the purchasing power to influence aircraft makers’’ to design the next generaton of narrow body aircraft for the LCC industry.
• The next step for the partners would be to look at joint venture on routes and other commercial actitivies including joint procurement of hotel inventory for holiday packages.
• Whether AirAsia X gets to fly the controversial Kuala Lumpur-Sydney route which has been dropped by Jetstar a year ago as they focused on Tokyo route.
• Are we able to Fly to Tokyo through AirAsia X alliance JetStar !

We just wait and see how they going to make all this happen.

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Datuk Seri Tony Fernandes was awarded the Capa (Centre for AsiaPacific Aviation) Legend Award for 2009 and become the youngest receipient so far.

The Capa Legend Award (Aviation Hall of Fame) is given to outstanding individuals who bring about a revolutionary force in the aviation industry.

Fernandes said it felt “odd” to win the big individual award and joked that maybe the judges were giving him a signal that he should be on his way out of the industry.

Fernandes said he was pleased that his fairy-tale success in introducing a budget carrier had given a lot of motivation to children and university students to believe in their dreams.

He said the award proved that Malaysian companies were capable and to win during a time of financial crisis meant even more for AirAsia.

Via : TheStar

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