Flying Low Cost on Air Asia from London and Europe to Far East Asia

It was a matter of time before Europe and Asiawas connected by low cost budget airlines. Air Asia has done just that. You can fly on Air Asia from London to the Far East Asia for less than £300 for a return flight.

Air Asia is a Malaysian based air line with many subsidiaries in South East Asia. Air Asia subsidiaries exist in Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Philippines and Japan. AirAsia began its operations in late 1996 by Anthony Fernandes CBE, the group CEO.

Air Asia aims to introduce the low cost air travel model in Asiaand has been successful in its mission. The Air Asia slogan, ‘Now Everyone can Fly’ shows how serious the company is about making air travel affordable for everyone in Asia.

Air Asia’s operational airport in the UKis London Gatwick. Initial operations began at London Stansted and then they were switched to London Gatwick. There are five flights a week departing London Gatwick typically on Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Wednesday. The flights depart from the Gatwick South Terminal.

The destination of Air Asia flights from Europe is the Kuala LumpurInternationalAirportin Malaysia. Kuala Lumpur is Air Asia’s main airport from which it operates to many hubs in Asia. From Kuala Lumpur International airport you can connect to Thailand, Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Singapore, Macau, Laos, China, Philippines and other destinations within Malaysia.

From Kuala Lumpur, Air Asia also operates flights to Melbourne, Perthand the Gold Coast of Australia. Other destinations includeChristchurch inNew Zealand andOsaka andTokyo inJapan.

Londonis not the only airport in Europe Air Asia operates to. Air Asia operates to Paris Orly airport from Kuala Lumpur. Four flights a week leave Paris Orly. You can fly to pretty much any destination in Far East Asia with Air Asia once you have taken your flight from London Gatwick or Paris Orly. All that is required is a transit at Kuala Lumpur International.

You should take in to account that Air Asia is a low cost budget air line and you should prepare your self for travel accordingly. Surcharges apply for many items and as these vary you should check these points with the air line before booking.

Air Asiajust like any other airline has a reward programme, known as the BIG loyalty programme. The points on offer are known as Biggies. The Biggies on the BIG loyalty programme can be exchanged for free flights or various experiences such as sky diving in New Zealand or shopping in Japan.

On last count Air Asia was the owner of 54 aircrafts, excluding its subsidiaries aircrafts, and was flying to around 70 destinations. The Air Asia subsidiary Thai Air Asia operates from the Bangkok Suvarnabhumi airport. Popular destinations for Air Asia inThailand includeBangkok, Chiang Mai, Phuket, Krabi and many others.

Currently, Air Asia enjoys a monopoly in low cost budget flights to Far East Asia. One suspects it is just a matter of time before the low cost flights to theFar East become even more competitive with the entrance of new air lines.