Quote: (07-13-2014 02:19 PM)buja Wrote:
Has anyone used Air Asia? What do you think?
Do you have to book way in advance or can you get reasonable fares a week before?
I'm planning a SE Asia trip using Singapore and/or Bangkok as a base.
Would like to see Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Burma, Indonesia.
(Are there other good regional airlines? Lion Air?)
I must have done over 30 flights with Air Asia over the past 5 years. They are great for my kind of travel, where I dont like to plan in advance, and when Im ready to hit a new country I can usually find a cheap Air Asia flight departing in the next 2-3 days.
I find their customers are a mix of young Western travelers & Asian families - not necessarily low class as mentioned above.
It is true that their terminal/hub in KL is a LCCT (low cost carrier terminal), which can get crowded, but it still has Starbucks/Wifi, ATMs, a bar, restaurants, a few shops, toilets, but none of the brand name shops you find in normal terminals.
Also be aware the Air Asia terminal in KL is a 20 minute drive from the KL International Airport if you are transferring from a standard airline.
In terms of making Singapore your base, be aware that it is quite expensive for accommodation and booze. Other low cost airlines out of Singapore are Scoot and Jetstar, which are both good as well.
Bangkok or KL would probably be better bases for you.
In terms of requiring a onward/return ticket, I have only ever been asked twice in those 5 years and I just showed them a fake outward flight e-ticket I created on MS Word.