What’s it Like Flying on Air Asia? 8 Important Things to Know First

Air Asia is a popular low-cost carrier that offers a wide range of routes and great prices. So what’s it actually like? We’ve taken many Air Asia Airlines flights and certainly have some information to share in this review! Here are 8 things to know before flying with AirAsia.

Air Asia Review: 8 Things to Know First!

1. Air Asia Flights Are Very Inexpensive

The biggest draw to Air Asia is definitely the price of tickets! Frequently, Air Asia will come up first when searching on Skyscanner for the best flight deals.

We’ve taken cheap flights all over Southeast Asia, from Nok Air in Thailand to Vietjet in Vietnam, and Batik Air in Indonesia. So how much will Air Asia flights actually cost? Well, that all depends. Know that the base price for flight tickets is just the beginning if you have a lot of bags or special needs. 

To be honest, we’ve sworn off Asia Asia in the past which we will share more about soon. Yet, whenever we’re in Southeast Asia we find the perfect route and are lured back into booking! 

→ Check the Prices for Your Next Flight 

2. Strict Air Asia Baggage Limits

One thing that you should know about AirAsia is their baggage policy. Now, this doesn’t differ completely from other low-cost airline companies, but it is definitely something to be aware of. 

Air Asia gives you 2 bags (carry-on and a personal item) and they can’t weigh over 7kg combined. Also, the dimensions must not exceed 56cm x 36cm x 23cm including the handles, wheels and side pockets.

In the past we have checked in for our Air Asia flight and every single bag was being weighed! Once a representative even came around at the check-in gate and weighed them before boarding.

However, the last two times we’ve flown with them our bags weren’t weighed at all! Whatever the case, it’s better to be safe than sorry. The last thing you want on vacation is to be hit with a massive extra baggage fee.

When booking your flight you will have the option to add on additional baggage and pay more for the extra weight. If you know you will need more than 7kg it is typically the cheapest to add it right when you book.  If you want to know more you can find the information here!

3. Countless Routes Around Asia

Although we usually only fly them when traveling in Southeast Asia, know that AirAsia has flights around the world. Air Asia has thousands of routes so there are many destinations to choose from. 

With its large fleet size and wide range of cheap domestic and international flights, it will be easy to find your location of choice. Believe it or not, it’s even been named as the world’s best low cost airline 13 years running by Skytrax!

Some of the major hubs you’ll find Air Asia Airlines at are Bangkok, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, and Manila. We’ve regularly used them while traveling around Thailand in between the major cities and islands.

Such as the Bangkok to Phuket route. Below is a list of its subsidiaries so you don’t get confused when you see them. Know that they are all part of the same company! Also, be sure to check out our Vietnam vs Thailand guide if you’re having trouble deciding between the two countries.

• AirAsia
• AirAsiaX
• Thai AirAsia
• Indonesia AirAsia
• Philippines AirAsia
• Thai AirAsia X
• AirAsia India

4. AirAsia Food & Drink Options

Like many budget airlines, in-flight meals and drinks aren’t included with your tickets. They don’t even offer water or a complimentary drink on AirAsia! If you have to buy food they do have some basic noodle dishes and sandwiches available. 

Nevertheless, we would advise you to eat before you get on the flight as the AirAsia food has never looked very appetizing to us. We usually take advantage of our Priority Pass and hit the club lounges before boarding.

5. Watch Out for Air Asia Cancellations

Now for the not so great part about our Air Asia review! Something we’ve unfortunately experienced more than once is cancelled flights. Normally, you’d think this would happen at the airport… but no! With AirAsia it’s always occurred a couple of days before our flight is even supposed to take off.

As you can imagine, this can cause major issues if you’re on a tight flight schedule. One of the best parts about being digital nomads is the flexibility to figure stuff like this out. Yet, if you were on a 10 day vacation to Bali with a connection to your next flight then you’re going to be upset.

We’re assuming the last minute cancellations were because they didn’t fill up enough seats for the flight for it to be worth it. We’ve also known other travelers that this is happened to in previous years.

The worst part is we were never refunded and only offered an AirAsia credit. We can chalk this up to taking a chance on cheap airfare in Asia. However, it did made us skeptical about booking with them in the future. 

6. Basic Seats & Comfort 

While Air Asia has one many awards, know that it’s STILL a low cost carrier. Don’t expect the comfy seats and extras you find with other companies like Singapore Airlines and Emirates. We recently took the longest non-stop flight in the world from Singapore to NYC and the seats were crazy comfortable!

For this reason, we tend to not book long-haul flights with Air Asia Airlines. The normal seats don’t offer much extra legroom and their is zero in-flight entertainment available.

Trust us when we say we’ve definitely traveled on worse airlines! Just make sure to temper your expectations as you won’t have the luxuries you may be used to. 

7. Weird Times of Air Asia Flights

Something we’ve noticed when searching for cheap fares with Air Asia (check them here!) is that the flights can be at strange times. This isn’t uncommon with other budget companies so it’s nothing unexpected. Still, if you’ve never visited Asia before then it might be a bit of a turn off! 

For example, we’ve taken Air Asia flights which had a wild departure time of 1am from Kuala Lumpur International Airport.  This meant we didn’t arrive in Bali at our final destination at around 4am.

We did save some money doing it this way, but also had to arrange a private transfer to our accommodation. We also had to be sure our hotel would have someone there to check us in that early which can be difficult if you’re not staying at a luxury resort. 

8. Always Book Directly With Air Asia Airlines

This isn’t Air Asia’s fault but it is something to be aware of when booking. So often when searching flights you will use a third party like SkyScanner or Kayak to compare different deals.

However, when you go to actually book the Air Asia ticket it will give you the option of what company you want to use. On our very first trip to Asia (before we were full-time travelers) we made a reservation using a website we’d never heard of.

Unfortunately, when we got to the airport we didn’t actually have a ticket! As we were standing helplessly at the Air Asia check-in counter, the representative told us that we weren’t in the system.

Luckily, we had an email with the flight confirmation to get a refund but we had to wait for the next flight at the airport. Since then we always click out of third party websites after finding the deal and book directly with AirAsia.

→ 11 Best Ways to Save Money on Flights with Skyscanner

Is Air Asia a Good Airline? 

We’d be lying if we said we LOVE flying with Air Asia. Still, over the past few years we have been having slightly better experiences with them.

It’s not the first company we look to fly with but do so out of convenience with our travel schedule. Their overwhelming amount of routes from countries we love keeps bringing us back!

To end our Air Asia review, we’re going to say that you should book an airline and route that works best for you. If you are traveling around Southeast Asia make sure to check out our other airline reviews to compare different companies! 

Have any questions on this article or want to make your own Air Asia review? Leave us a comment below!

Safe Travels,
Brigitte & Jake

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Nothing Familiar Travel Tips 

 Flights: We always find our cheap flight deals using Skyscanner. That’s how we flew from Norway to Poland for under $20 USD, and Thailand to Vietnam for less than $50! 

 Accommodation: Compare multiple sites to get to the best deal such as Booking.com, Agoda, & Vrbo!

Rental Car: We use Discover Cars to explore when traveling. A quick travel tip is to ask for a weekly rate than just booking 2-3 days.

 Tours: Check out Get Your Guide to find thousands of activities around the world. From street food tours to skip the line entry passes! 

 Travel Insurance: Never travel abroad without protection. We’ve been using SafetyWing for the last few years on the road and they are there when we need them.

 Packing Lists: Find all the inspiration you need with our Amazon packing lists. Including our electronics and camera gear, must-have medical items, and long flight essentials! 

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