ozzieeagle

Wow would have thought I would have heard it on here first.

One of the Palace fans that Resides in Indonesia confirms the following...

http://forums.cpfc.org/showthread.php?t=177873

350 quid return.

Amazulu

It's good news. They were talking about AUD450-odd for Perth-Stansted one-way. We are flying Air AsiaX to KL in a few months so will see what they are like.

ally gud

I'm excited too! I receive an email from Air Asia and they already announce the booking flight to London TODAY! i think they start from KL to London at RM 499 (economy seat) and RM 2,999 (XL seat). Come to think of it, i always take economy class. I'm not sure about XL seat! Maybe for bigger size people?

spartacus

Heard on the radio this morning. Sounds like an absolute steal.

bcworld

A few things to bear in mind:

You can't book Aus - Stansted on a single ticket. You need to book Aus - KL and then KL - LON seperately. All the usual gotchas therefore apply. Personally I wouldn't do this trip without a KL stopover. Air Asia X's long haul 'fleet' - currently 2 aircraft, has very high utilisation, around 1 hour turnaround - so delays can mount up and I don't think cancellation is uncommon.

Their new airbus A330 has 3-3-3 seat config.....this is very high density, similar to UK charter operators, although I think the legroom is better.

The flights do not operate into and out of the main terminal in KUL - they use the low cast carrier terminal which is essentially a big tin shed, very light on facilities & comforts and has no link to the main airport. Another reason to have a stopover rather than transit.

Obviously it's pay for all extras - for Aus to UK rtn you would be looking at around $150 for bags, meals & seat assignments. Strictly no taking of your on food on board.

The point I'm trying to make is that often once you add in all the extras, costs of stopovers etc the fare can come very close to that of the legacy carriers.

I'm flying them myself (in XL) from Gold Coast to KL next month on the way back to Xmas in the UK. XL was cheaper than Economy when I booked!

Amazulu

The way to do this is go AAX to KL or Tiger to Singapore and then pick up a full service flight from there. I did this on a recent trip to America. Tiger for Perth-Singapore and then Singapore Airlines to San Francisco. I saved over AUD1200 doing it this way.

AAX have also leased an A340 to fly to London so it might have a different seating arrangemnent to their A330s.

bcworld

That's essentially what I'm doing....I'm picking up Emirates in KUL through to Glasgow...when I first looked into it the fare at Xmas would work out about $2000 vs $3000-$3500 leaving on a full service carrier from Brisbane. BY the time I booked I saved about $800.

cookem

Maybe already posted, haven't got time to check your links above, sorry:-

http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/s...1-3102,00.html

Hutch

Just did a price check flying Melbourne/KL/London return mid July, three in economy - $5013 including comfort bag, meals and seat provision. Substantial savings no matter how you look at it.

bcworld

It will probably start off as 2-4-2 like their leased A330 which is also in that config. However I believe their plan is to fit the new seats eventually. Not much info out there but I think the new planes at least have IFE (for extra $'s) whereas there is nothing on the leased planes.

I think no IFE would be an issue for some people, especially those travelling with kids.

http://www.airliners.net/photo/AirAs...43E/1421175/M/

themerlin

That looks a bit tight but it could be the lens used.
RE no IFE, person DVD players are dirt cheap now days

If you have to make two booking Gold Coast to KUL then to london, what happens if the first flight is delayed, do you loose your second flight?

moneypenny20

They're talking $500 GC to London from March. Be interesting to hear what people think of the service in months to come. Still doesn't tempt me to go back for another visit though. Still a bloody long time in a tin can.

bcworld

If you miss it, the airline is under no obligation to help you out, and I honestly don't think they would. Air Asia have some very Ryanair-esque policies when it comes to flight cancellations etc.....so I've read anyway. You would have to rely solely on your travel insurance.

Pollyana

Thanks for that, I was going to ask if anyone could list the catches. A flight that cheap to the UK was bound to be in the same league as the old Britannia Charters - pay for all the extras, and travel peasant class through the worst terminals.
I'll stick to good old Quaintarse

Deutschmaster

I've travelled with Air Asia around Malaysia,. Hmmm I suppose it's OK flying squish class for an hour or two because it's a short flight and I didn't think that there was a point to pay more for one of the more expensive airlines.

I loved the bit where everybody just bundles on to the plane from the terminal. They were allegedly doing it by boarding card number, but the airport staff looked as if they were under so much pressure to get everyone on quickly they were just pretending to look at the boarding cards. It was like bundling out of the classroom at the end of period at school. I felt sorry for the oldies on the flight who were caught up in the scramble.

But flying Oz - UK, it's a long way. I'd love to know what the terms and conditions are. I'm sure that around Malaysia you are not allowed to consume your own food and drink on the plane - you must buy it from the hostess. Paying for a cup of coffee for a short flight hardly breaks the bank, but i'd love to know how much food you end up buying between OZ and uk.