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AirAsia is so cheap and successful as it perfected all features of a budget airline.

AirAsia only supplies the basic airfare, and everything else is priced extra as a add-on: meals, baggage, seat selection, entertainment, insurance, priority boarding, lounges, etc. Flight tickets have strict cancellations terms (often they are not refundable), and changing the booking details is subject to a fee.

Other reasons for AirAsia being so cheap are: operating from cheaper airports, choosing early morning or late night hours (cheaper gate fees), quick turnaround (short time for planes to wait on the airport), high load factor (frequent sales and promotions to ensure that almost all seats are full), and additional revenue from inflight advertisements.

To get AirAsia ticket cheap, try to book it as early as possible. AirAsia tickets get more expensive as the departure date approaches.

Make sure to check for ongoing sales and promotions. To get AirAsia ticket cheap, visit our Promo Radar for the up to date list of promotions.

Sign up for AirAsia BIG loyalty program. Your BIG points can be used to get AirAsia ticket cheaper - with an additional discount.

Air Asia is a safe airline – as a commercial airline, it has to be maintained the highest possible standard.

After the tragic loss of Indonesia AirAsia flight 8501 in 2014, AirAsia formed two internal departments – Group Safety and Group Operational Quality Assurance to oversee safety and quality assurance.

AirAsia is not included in the EU Blacklist, and is allowed to fly to the United States - which means there are no safety concerns raised against the airline.

According to Airline and Safety Ratings 2020 by AirlineRating, AirAsia Philippines is rated 7/7, AirAsia Malaysia – 6/7, AirAsia Indonesia – 6/7, AirAsia X – 6/7, AirAsia Thailand – 5/7.

Since its inception in 1993, AirAsia crashed once.

On 28 December 2014 Indonesia AirAsia Flight QZ8501 crashed into the Java Sea with no survivors. The Airbus A320-200 was carrying 162 people from Surabaya in Indonesia to Singapore.

AirAsia does not operate any Boeing 737 MAX, grounded by aviation authorities around the world after two new airplanes crashed withing five months.

Previously operating the Boeing 737–300, AirAsia has now completely converted to the Airbus A330-300 for long-haul flights and Airbus A320-200 for short-haul flights.

AirAsiaGo is owned by Expedia Group and it's a different entity than AirAsia. Also, AirAsia focuses on flight tickets, while AirAsiaGo sells AirAsia tickets alongside hotels, tours, and activities from Expedia.

AirAsiaGo used to be a joint venture between AirAsia and Expedia but has been taken over by Expedia in 2018.

Air Asia X is a long-haul subsidiary of the main Air Asia Group. The main differences between Air Asia and Air Asia X are in aircraft, routes and additional services.

Air Asia (and its regional subsidiaries in India, Japan, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, Vietnam) uses narrow-body aircraft with a single class cabin such as Airbus A320 with a seating capacity of 180 passengers. It operates shorter flights (up to 4-5 hours) within South East Asia.

Air Asia X and Thai Air Asia X use wide-body aircraft, i.e Airbus A330-300 with a seating capacity of 377 passengers. They operate long-haul flights (more than 4-5 hours) to Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, South Korea, Singapore, Saudi Arabia and the United States. Air Asia X has also the Premium Flatbed Class for more demanding passengers.

Aside from the mentioned differences, ticketing-system, website, branding, crew, airport counters, lounges and management style remain the same for both airlines.

Yes, in the lowest class - Low Fare - AirAsia has 15kg free baggage, but only for Indonesian domestic routes. Those routes are served by Indonesia AirAsia (part of AirAsia Group) and the flight codes start with 'QZ'.

In the higher classes - Value Pack, Premium Flex - there is 20kg free baggage included in the price of the ticket. The highest class - Premium Flatbed - allows for 40kg of free checked baggage.

To get a free seat, wait for AirAsia Free Seat sale event, that occurs once every few months. During Free Seat promotion AirAsia puts zero fare on millions of seats.

Please note, that zero fare applies to basic Economy class only, and excludes airport tax and fees (usually around 45 AUD / ~ 30 USD per passenger), and credit card processing fee of around 7 AUD / 5 USD. Also, you still need to pay for checked baggage and optional add-ons such as pre-booked meals and Pick A Seat.

Here's how to get a free seat on AirAsia:

1. Sign up for the AirAsia BIG Member loyalty program (it comes with the AirAsia account anyway). It may give you 24-hour priority access to the Free Seat sale event.

2. Choose the route and check if there is a Zero Fare ticket available. There are only a few 'free' tickets for each flight so you should be flexible with dates.

3. Book the Free Seat ticket, and on the payment page, choose the BigPay e-wallet payment method to avoid extra credit card processing fees.

Please note: certain periods (know as blackout dates) does not have any free seats. These dates usually involve public holidays, major celebrations, school breaks and weekends. Also, some destinations may also be excluded from Free Seat promotions. Keep it in mind when making plans.

AirAsia BIG is the loyalty program where you can accumulate BIG Points through various purchases so you can redeem a flight ticket for free.

BigPay is an e-wallet within the BigPay app; the accompanying prepaid MasterCard card can waive processing fees charged by AirAsia during the flight booking. The transactions on the card or app collect BIG Points that can go towards your next AirAsia flight.

The value of BIG Points used to redeem a free flight differs depending on the destination. It seems to be around 0.80 MYR (~ 0.3 AUD or ~ 0.2 USD) for regular flights.

BIG Points are valid for two years.

AirAsia does not provide free in-flight meals if you book Low Fare class ticket. You can buy a meal either onboard or in advance during the flight booking. Pre-purchasing your meal online is cheaper - you will receive a 20% discount plus a free drink.

Free meal is included in higher ticket classes - Value Pack, Premium Flex and Premium Flatbed.

There are three ways to check-in your flight in AirAsia:

1. Web check-in (online) on AirAsia website

2. Mobile check-in with AirAsia app

3. Airport kiosk check-in

Online check-in is not required, but it will help you avoid queues in front of checkin kiosks at the airport. In case of any problems – when you are not able to use any of the above methods – the AirAsia staff at the airport will help you to check in manually.

If you have received an E-Boarding Pass during your check-in process, you don’t need to print it. You can proceed straight to the gates (no checked baggage) or to bag drop counter (if you have baggage to check-in).

If the departure airport doesn’t allow e-boarding, you can easily reprint your boarding pass at the AirAsia kiosk or airport counters (if kiosks are unavailable). All you need is a 2D barcode that was sent to your phone via email or SMS during the check-in. 2D barcode scanners are available on the airports in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand (Bangkok, Chiang Mai & Phuket) and the Philippines (Clark).

AirAsia recommends arriving at the airport at least 2 hours for domestic flights and 3 hours for international flights. This allows for the less rushed and stressful travel experience.

The real optimal arrival time depends on the airport, your baggage (checked baggage to drop off or hand luggage only), your knowledge about airport procedures and time of the year. For busy holiday periods, special events or even weekends, you should add more time, just in case.

To check-in for domestic flights, you need an identity card. To check-in for international travel, you need a passport that is still valid for at least another 6 months.

Additionally, for international flights, to avoid problems at the destination, please make sure you have the applicable visa and a return (or an onward) journey ticket.

To contact AirAsia you need to use one of the online channels: Twitter, Facebook Messenger or live chat on AirAsia website. In 2019 AirAsia moved the customer support division to the digital platform, so there are no Call Center or phone numbers available. Although customers can’t call AirAsia anymore, the online channels provide extensive support with a fast response.