DMBTraveler

I return from a day trip outing in Lebanon to a pleasant surprise when checking my e-mail. I have received approval of my VOA for a trip to Burma. My excitement is diminished a bit by the tedious process of booking my ticket online with Air Asia.

What started out as a US$188 RT ticket ends up by default to US$231. Several selections of the back arrow on my browser and I am back to US$188. I unselect the US$15 check bag fee then cancel the Travel Insurance conveniently chosen for me by the kind people at Air Asia.

Also I decline additional fees to select a seat. I think I can stand to sit anywhere on the airplane for a flight less than two hours. Thinking I am done with fees I am charged another US$6 to pay for my ticket because I do not have an Online Banking account with one of their preferred banks in Vietnam.

What A Pain ….

Air Asia does offer one thing I think I might like which is the ability to purchase in advance an in-flight meal. Although the choices seem appetizing, I am afraid they might charge me a fee to eat my selection.

Southam

Air Asia resembles the "budget" or "no-frills" airlines elsewhere and does not sound any more annoying than the rest of them. The full-service airlines can be more accommodating; just choose one of them instead and pay more money.

DMBTraveler

Southam,

"Budget" or "no-frills" does not or should not equal annoying. Southwest a budget no-frill airline is often a pleasure to fly and has a very simple easy to use online booking process.

IMO, Air Asia needs to improve their online ticketing process because no matter what type of airline you are, good customer service should be important.

jacketwatch

I agree. For me CS is a huge factor in choosing a service, a business, etc. I don't like feeling like I'm being chipped away at.

HappyTrvlr

I had a lot of problems booking and couldn't get through to their US phone line in SF. Finally, booked it all online OK. The flight, plane, crew were all very good, on time, new aircraft.
We got a very low price, added seat selection( didn't need to do that)..It was US $50. Saigon -BKK, vs quadruple that on other airlines.

DMBTraveler

HappyTrvlr,

I had the same experience as you did while flying Air Asia with an odd twist.

I sat right in front of the exit rows (12 seats) with only one passenger on the opposite side occupying one of them. During the flight another passenger got up and move to one of the free seats. The passenger sitting on the opposite side complained to the flight attendant that he paid extra to sit in "an exit row seat" and if this passenger did not pay he should not be allowed to sit there. After being told it was THB$350 extra to sit there the passenger returned to his original seat.

Interestingly, the complaining passenger proceeded to lay down across all the seats in his row which by his own admission earlier he paid to sit only in "an exit row seat", not all of them.

For a moment, I thought about challenging him and the flight attendant but IMO obviously he is a miserable person and traveler.

Cowboy1968

I travelled from Singapur to Bali with Air Asia last fall.
Compared with the budget airlines I am used to in Europe, I found their website easy to handle, the costs for preferred seats or meals moderate, and attitude or friendliness on board and at check- in in SIN outstanding.

DMBTraveler

Cowboy1968,

Like you I had a good travel experience on Air Asia. However, if you found their website easy to handle compared to some airlines in Europe then I need to send some of my IT friends to Europe instead of Asia