airasia is not cheap anymore?

[fenandri 3]

i was doing dummy booking as i was looking for the cheapest flight option for my trip to sri lanka for may 2013. first thing first, of course comparing AK and MH come to my mind. i was quite surprised that AK offers price two times more expensive than MH offerings. for a vv flight AK offers 1894 MYR while MH only charges 847 MYR. i understand that MH flight KUL-CMB arrive in CMB at an ungodly hour (23:55pm), but the fact that AK charging more than double is shocking considering MH has PTV in every seat and serve you full meal. anybody experience the same thing? i hope malaysians can be smarter on spending their money. i also anticipating for malindo to starts operation as competition will benefit us more.

[flee 5]

I never book AK unless it is during their sale. That is when their airfares are the lowest. A relative just booked some 0 fare tickets to SIN for travel next week - total return flight cost about RM 180.

 

MH currently has a promotion going on - so their tickets should be cheaper:

http://www.malaysianwings.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=18618&hl=

[Y. J. Foo 0]

It's all about timings when it comes to air tickets - during upcoming CNY AK was the cheapest for KUL-KBR vv at around RM280. I managed to get FY for total of RM138 during end March to early April while they had sales.

 

I always make comparisons when making airfare bookings and as you've mentioned AK is not always the cheapest, especially once you factor in luggage et al (FY gives you 20kg).

[Radzi 2]

. i understand that MH flight KUL-CMB arrive in CMB at an ungodly hour (23:55pm),

 

You'll get better time soon.

 

 

Kuala Lumpur – Colombo eff 31MAR13 Service increases from daily to 10 weekly. New flight is now open for reservation

MH185 KUL1110 – 1200CMB 738 146

MH179 KUL2305 – 2355CMB 738 D

MH178 CMB0055 – 0705KUL 738 D

MH184 CMB1300 – 1910KUL 738 146

 

As with everything else, shop around and compare price before you buy.

[fenandri 3]

but AK is a low fare airlines that their nature is to be cheaper than a full service airlines. didnt malaysia have some kind regulation that control airlines ticket price? i just think its not fair for our sweetheart MH

[flee 5]

but AK is a low fare airlines that their nature is to be cheaper than a full service airlines. didnt malaysia have some kind regulation that control airlines ticket price? i just think its not fair for our sweetheart MH

The number one rule for consumers is "buyer beware"! As Capt Radzi wisely advised, always compare prices before buying. And I would add that this advice applies to everything we buy, not just air tickets.

 

Fair to MH? MH already enjoys lots of privileges and taxpayer subsidies/bailouts. What more can we give to MH?

 

Airasia fares are priced according to supply and demand as well as competitor's price levels. Consumers like us should not be lazy. If we want to save money, we should do some research before we buy our tickets. This is a modern business model - based on real time supply and demand. The old model that many legacy carriers employ is not as flexible or nimble as fares are usually fixed in advance, regardless of fluctuations in demand or supply levels.

 

So the smart consumer who does his/her homework will reap the rewards...

[Kenneth Chong WT 0]

Did you try booking Sri Lankan?

 

UL is about 1300+...can fly the 340!

[Mohd Azizul Ramli 2]

I am not sure of the exact date of your travel, but using 1 May 2013 as outbound date and 8 May 2013 as inbound date, Tiger Airways' KUL-SIN-CMB proved to be the cheapest at RM 813 all in return in Economy.

 

I urged every forum member to compare prices before making ticket purchases at ALL time. Doing price comparison is easy peasy in this internet age. www.kayak.com is my favourite website. There's always a surprise on which airline will come out on top.

 

Beginning all ticket purchase process with a price survey at kayak.com should become a habit!

[J. Suri 0]

Azizul, how's www.skyscanner.com.my compared to kayak.com?

[JuliusWong 0]

Did you try booking Sri Lankan?

 

UL is about 1300+...can fly the 340!

KUL-CMB is a combination of A320 and A340 nowadays, depending on morning or evening flight.

[Mohd Azizul Ramli 2]

Azizul, how's www.skyscanner.com.my compared to kayak.com?

 

I tried doing the same booking at Skyscanner too and this is the result:

 

Cheapest ticket: Skyscanner for RM 772 (Jetstar KUL-SIN-KUL + Tiger SIN-CMB-SIN) vs RM 813 quoted by Kayak (Tiger KUL-SIN-CMB-SIN-KUL)

No. of search result: Kayak 242 results vs Skyscanner 137 results

No. of direct airline's result: Kayak 12 airlines vs Skyscanner 8 airlines

 

Other:

- Kayak lists down the cheapest price for Economy, Business and First class too for the same itinerary. Skyscanner does not.

- Kayak search results can be filtered by alliance (Star, Skyteam and oneworld). Skyscanner does not.

- Layout wise, I think Kayak's is more easy on the eyes than Skyscanner's.

- Kayak compiles their prices from airline websites, Bravofly, Budgetair, Opodo, Lastminute, Expedia, ebookers, Wegolo, Hacker Fare et. al.

- Skyscanner compiles their prices from airline websites, Tripsta, Airtickets24, Expedia, Skytours, Asiatravel, ebookers et al.

 

So overall, I still prefer Kayak but I would suggest one to research at Skyscanner too, just in case Skyscanner gives the best quotation, as in this instance.

[Khalil Abd Halim 0]

still being a low cost airline and charging fare (for ticket only) considerably higher than full service airline is non-sensical. AirAsia is always my last option.

[S V Choong 4]

still being a low cost airline and charging fare (for ticket only) considerably higher than full service airline is non-sensical. AirAsia is always my last option.

Seconded

[Josh T 0]

still being a low cost airline and charging fare (for ticket only) considerably higher than full service airline is non-sensical. AirAsia is always my last option.

Couldn't agree with you more.

[khairuddin abu hanifah 0]

In my opinion, price war will start immediately when Malindo Airways begin their operations. AirAsia is now taking full opportunities whatever available before the battle begins.

[tktoh 0]

Try looking at the AK air fares from KUL to SBW the last 3 days before Chinese New Year on 10/02/2013.

The ticket price increase from normal RM100++ and RM200++ to the ridiculous RM800++ and RM900++.

They sure know when to suck the blood of travellers desperate to return to their hometown during festive celebration.

[Mohd Suhaimi Fariz 2]

Try looking at the AK air fares from KUL to SBW the last 3 days before Chinese New Year on 10/02/2013.

The ticket price increase from normal RM100++ and RM200++ to the ridiculous RM800++ and RM900++.

They sure know when to suck the blood of travellers desperate to return to their hometown during festive celebration.

 

I think it's simple economics - high demand with limited supply equals expensive prices.

[tktoh 0]

Of course low supply and high demand dictates a higher price. But how high is the limit ?

For a so called "low cost" airline, charging a price 4 times higher than its normal price is simply plain robbery knowing travelers have no choice but to accept it.

Ethical ? Definitely not.

[KK Lee 5]

Of course low supply and high demand dictates a higher price. But how high is the limit ?

For a so called "low cost" airline, charging a price 4 times higher than its normal price is simply plain robbery knowing travelers have no choice but to accept it.

Ethical ? Definitely not.

 

Or normal price is 4 times cheaper that peak period?

[flee 5]

Of course low supply and high demand dictates a higher price. But how high is the limit ?

For a so called "low cost" airline, charging a price 4 times higher than its normal price is simply plain robbery knowing travelers have no choice but to accept it.

Ethical ? Definitely not.

Well, everyone knows when major festivals are - so those who don't plan their travels in advance and wait till the last minute will definitely be fleeced. Its the same problem that ladies have when they go to the salon for the hairdo at the last minute - they pay thru the nose! Also the same at bus stations - tickets are sold by touts at enormous profits.

[Naim 6]

no issue lah this, when cheap buy, when no cheap buy elsewhere cheaper.

[alberttky 0]

 

Stiffer competition expected for MAS, AirAsia and Firefly with Malindo flying in

 

 

PETALING JAYA: The local aviation industry is set for more interesting times when Indonesian low-cost carrier Malindo Airways takes flight in May.

Although established players Malaysia Airlines (MAS), Firefly andAirAsia remain optimistic on the outlook for the year, the entry of Malindo 51%-owned by Malaysia's National Aerospace and Defence Industries and 49% by Indonesia's largest low-cost carrier Lion Air - will definitely grab the attention of both industry observers and travellers alike.

 

Affin Investment Bank Bhd analyst Sharifah Farah said in a recent report that Malindo's commencement of operations here would also coincide with the scheduled completion of the low-cost carrier hub KLIA2.

 

“Upon the commencement of the new airline, we expect airlines to offer cheaper fares and various promotions to garner market share and/or retain market share,” she said, adding that the main concern would be AirAsia's ability to maintain its load factor without significantly compromising its yield in the face of new competition.

 

Sharifah noted that against the backdrop of a fragile economic outlook, which had already negatively impacted air travel, historical trends showed that low-cost carriers would likely fare better than full-fledged carriers due to their lean cost structure, competitive pricing and the switch by business travellers to cheaper fares.

 

She said this was evident in the number of passengers carried by AirAsia Malaysia, which grew 10.2% year-on-year to 14.5 million for the nine months to Sept 30 last year. Similarly, AirAsia's Thai and Indonesian arms saw passenger numbers grow by 19.6% and 12.8%, respectively.

In contrast, for the same period, MAS experienced a 3.7% drop to 9.7 million passengers due to weak international travel.

 

MAS' regional senior vice president for Malaysia/Asean Muzammil Mohamad recently said the airline was forecasting between 10% and 15% growth with a few more destinations and more frequencies, which would go hand-in-hand with ticket sales revenue growth for the year.

 

He said although the industry outlook for the year would be challenging, the airline was optimistic about its prospects.

 

Sharifah said the direction of the jet fuel price would continue to be the biggest challenge for the aviation industry. Over the past one year, the crude oil price has remained elevated, ranging between US$85 (RM259.25) and US$115 (RM350.75) per barrel, while the price of jet fuel also remained high within the range of US$120 (RM366) to US$137 (RM417.85) per barrel.

 

Sharifah has an assumption of US$120 (RM366) to US$125 (RM381.25) per barrel for the house's earnings model for the industry in 2013.

 

http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2013/1/7/business/12536492&sec=business

Let's see what this does to fares...

[Waiping 12]

Somebody told me in China, most airlines sell there tickets cheaper towards departure. Can someone verify this and whether we'll see the same happening here.

[S V Choong 4]

Somebody told me in China, most airlines sell there tickets cheaper towards departure. Can someone verify this and whether we'll see the same happening here.

Yes it is true, they are trying to fill up the seats.

[Mike P 0]

Somebody told me in China, most airlines sell there tickets cheaper towards departure. Can someone verify this and whether we'll see the same happening here.

 

not quite happening here. They will charge bloodily high on the flights where departure date is near.