Low cost Asian airlines go mainstream
An Air Asia plane on the runway. Photo: Auswandern Malaysia / Flickr Creative Commons
Every once in a while, I’ll meet grizzled older travelers who talk about traveling in Southeast Asia before the advent of Air Asia. It was either spend ridiculous amounts on flying or spending 10+ hours on a rickety bus.
Budget airlines were once a secret of the locals and savvy backpackers. Now they’ve become much more accepted. This NY Times article promises to give them much wider exposure: Short hops, low fares, around Asia.
That being said, there are drawbacks. You have to be careful to uncheck all the extra fees they try to add, such as travel insurance, extra baggage space, and an in-flight meal.
One major issue that cropped up in the comments was whether these airlines accepted U.S. credit cards. One theory was that certain countries have such high rates of identity theft that U.S. banks refuse to process payments for those countries.
Have you ever flown on a budget airline? What was your experience like? Share your advice in the comments.
April 16th, 2010 at 8:48 am
I personally haven’t traveled a budget carrier, but have thought bought it. It would make a great comparison/contrast travel article — budget air vs. high end air. As long as the carrier is friendly, has good service, and is clean, who cares if they’re budget or not.
April 16th, 2010 at 8:07 pm
I flew from Bangkok to Phnom Phen on Air Asia and it was a decent price and hassle free. I also flew from Hanoi to Luang Prabang on Lao Airlines. No problems with either airline and definitely cheaper than the major airlines.
April 17th, 2010 at 1:27 am
I flew on Air Asia in March 2010 and had no problem paying online with my US Bank credit card.
April 18th, 2010 at 8:09 pm
I have! My credit card company called me immediately to confirm my air-asia purchase.
I decided NOT to go with NOK b/c of it’s safety record, so Air Asia was a great (andslightly more expensive) choice.
I work for a US carrier, so I was a little critical of the dirtiness of the cabin on the way to phuket… they had calk in holes in the wall but hadn’t painted over them yet, and the overhead bins looked like they hadn’t been cleaned on the outside.
Besides that though, it was a great ride and I eenjoyed it. On the way home, we had a brand new 737 that was clean through and through. Great way to get around thailand
April 22nd, 2010 at 1:03 am
[…] » Low cost Asian airlines ɡο mainstream :: Vagablogging :: Rolf Potts Vagabonding Blog […]