phuketbound

I hear what you are saying, and they were going to charge me 1000 baht to change the ticket..which is a lot considering I only paid 2000 total for the ticket.
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LDMA Wow, that is shocking, and discriminatory. Nice to see them fighting for their rights though. One more reason to fly Air Asia, eh?

MisterStretch

What kind of shite is that? To change a flight on AA costs 550 baht, I've done it several times.

PB...unless you are trying to move your flight up to a time that you aren't already here, just do it at the service counter when you arrive at BKK, it's on the top floor to the right as you are looking out.

Quick service...minimal hassle. Better than dealing with it on the phone.

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ozfarang81

as well as the rebooking fee you would have to pay the fare difference. the discounted fare you paid originally may not be available on the flight you want to change too. if you want flexibility, better services etc etc - dont fly air asia! But for the prices they offer it usually suits me fine for thai domestic or intra-asian services.

Yes they are frequently delayed, but hey when you pay what equates to $30 or $40 aussie on some domestic flights - i dont complain. budget airlines schedule very tight turnarounds between flights to maximise their schedules, so if there is one delay in the morning it follows through that aircraft for the whole day and is impossible to makeup.

the good news? Thai Air Asia are now receiving the brand new airbus A320s. So the 20+ year old Boeing 737-300s are on their way out and will be completely gone within a couple of years so the reliability should get better!!!

Peter Tan

Greetings from Malaysia. I followed the trackback link from my blog to here. I would like to comment on josh_ingu's opinion on equal access to budget airlines for disabled people.

Freedom of movement is a basic human right that everyone should enjoy and should not be limited only to people who can walk. Disabled people should not be denied equal access to budget airlines on the same basis.

Air travel is no longer a luxury. We fly for business, education and even to seek medical treatment. I travel often to attend conferences and trainings in the Asia Pacific.

We have to understand that disability is not other people's problems. People do become disabled through illness, accidents and old age. This applies to ourselves and the people around us. As for me, I became disabled at the age of 18.

As much as I dislike paying extra due to other people's problems and convenience, bear in mind that there is a possibility that some of the people who can walk now can become disabled. What happens then? If it can happen to me, it can happen to anyone else. This is an issue that everyone should be concerned with. Think about it.

Cyrille

I flew Air Asia BKK to krabi last week.

Delayed 2 hours outwards and 70 minutes on the return.

It's only fair to add that apart from the delays the service was excellent, but I'll be looking at other options next time.

LDMA

=

You did kind of show your hand there Josh....

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Peter Tan

LDMA,
After the protest by disabled people against AirAsia's discriminatory policies, they met us and allowed us to book online with the condition that we inform their call centre of our condition. However, wheelchair users are required to sign an indemnity form to absolve the carrier from all responsibilities should anything happen to us. I filed a complaint with the Ministry of Transport in Malaysia regarding that. I am not sure if this condition is still in place.

josh_ingu,
I am not here to look for a quarrel, so there is no need to nitpick on the petty. If you say what you said is not your opinion, ok, fine. I was just commenting on "what you said." Additionally, I did not assume that you have a position. How you assumed that I assumed you have a position is beyond my understanding.

Flying is not a luxury. It is a matter of choice. You can decide you want to take a bus from Singapore to Bangkok. Nobody will stop you from doing that. You can even decide you want to walk the entire length of the journey. That would make taking a bus a luxury. That is also a choice.

What I am talking here is the equalization of opportunities. It is about choices. It is about providing to disabled people the same that is provided to non-disabled people. It is as simple as that. There is no reason to subject disabled people to a narrow band of services only as we live among you in the community.

A "private entity" that is providing service to the public must make that service inclusive or run the risk of being branded practicing discrimination. The policy of not allowing one category of people to buy tickets is akin to telling a group of people from a certain ethnic group that they are not allowed to buy tickets too.

Cost has often been used as an excuse not to provide services or facilities to disabled people. Providing services and facilities for disabled people should be factored in as the cost of doing business. That is what AirAsia seems to be doing now by agreeing to spend RM6mil to upgrade their facilities and make it accessible to disabled passengers.

There is one thing that I agree with you. This is a tricky issue but that does not mean that we cannot come to a win-win situation for everyone concerned. Anyway, this entire debate, argument or whatever you want to call it is summed up in the Social Model of Disability. If you have the time to spare, please do look it up.

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Cyrille

^ Good points, Peter, and I tend to agree with you.

It's not as if providing adequate facilities for the disabled is going to 'bust' air asia, and it's unlikely their profits are so small that any costs of such facilities HAS to be passed onto travellers.

Josh's connection between this issue and the provision of two seats for an obese person is weak, IMO. That's hardly the same as providing the minimal facilities needed for those who face hardship because of disability.

tomcat

Agree with P. Tan (and wish he would post here on other issues)...

SD's mother used to fly up from Phuket on AA 5 times a year. She switched to Nok because of long delays, gate changes that required a little ol' lady to hotfoot it across the terminal in competition with the young and thriving, and utter contempt for AA staff.

When the Chinese bite their fellow Chinese, you know there's a problem.

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phuketbound

^^ I totally agree with you, Peter. Disabled people should be able to have the same opportunity and choices as able-bodied people. There should be no if, and, or but, about it. Period.

timjack

Look anything to get those god dame rust bucket bus's off the road. Air Asia is crap but I put up with it for a hour or so rather than 9 hours on a badly driven bus.

My biggest problem is Air Asia are so lazy they can't even transfer your bags from one flight to another.

For example CNX Chiang Mai - BKK - Krabi, you have to trudge all the way to the baggage collection area, claim it and then lug it all to check it all in again.

Air Asia are the rudest staff I have ever had to deal with, and they always proudly know nothing that may help a guest as they like to call you.

Stick with NOK.

More NOKs less bus's I say.

LDMA

I'm going with Nok when the time comes to move back to the UK. Although this will mean a trip across town between DM and Suwannabhumi, the reliability and night and day service compared with Air Asia makes this a no brainer.
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I think one problem comes down to Air asia confusing no frills with quality.

Air travel cannot just be considered in terms of the product (ie the seat on the aircraft), and this is how I feel I am treated....we take you point to point and that's all we care about. Whether Air Asia like it or not air travel is primarily a service, and there seems to be a failiure in a large number of other vital human interfaces which are basic requisites for a service. Laziness where there is no cost saving can NEVER be justified with a service. I refuse to believe that there are no profits in this business, that cannot be ploughed back into staff training and analysis of where the service is so badly failing.

Nobody has ever addressed this point and will raise it again. For the same price as Air Asia, Nok Air allows you to reserve your seat online. So, no crush. Where is the cost saving in not allocating seats? Air Asia are trying to lower service standards in the name of "no frills", in order that they can make a fast buck by charging people not to be treated like cattle and to be allowed on first.

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Peter Tan

Cyrille, tomcat, phuketbound,
I have been saying the same things that I said here for so many times that I am beginning to sound like a broken record. Nevertheless, I am glad you all understand the predicament faced by disabled air travellers and what needs to be done. If the world has more people like you all, life would have been much easier for disabled people. Thank you.

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LDMA

I think this thread is one great reason why people should always include trackback links when posting links to blogs. Thanks for your input Peter!

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