Elite status: none
Aircraft type:
A320-200neo
Seat: 14F (exit row)
Padding:
Padding in the seat is good! Some lumbar and side support was nice. This flight was on a new aircraft with new interior.
Recline:
Recline was good with the seatback going back 5 inches. Good for a longer haul flight and comfortable.
Pitch:
Pitch in the exit row is very good. I had 6 inches from my knee to the seat in front of me. The total living space was 32 inches from my seat back to the seat in front of me.
I was also lucky to have an empty middle seat on the flight for even more room!
RGN-KUL
February 18, 2019
Distance: 1045 miles
Schedule:
Depart: 8:30AM
Arrive: 12:40PM
Scheduled: 2h 40m
Push back: 8:45 (15 minutes late)
Touch down:
Arrived at gate m later
Actual duration: h m
Cost:
Paid with: cash
Prices at time of booking:
Miles: n/a
Cash: $82 USD with extras included ($47 without any extras)
Extras purchased: exit row seat ($11 USD), meal ($3 USD), and 1 checked bag (20kg max) ($21 USD)
Payment method reasoning: I don’t chase airline status. Mileage redemptions were not good given the very cheap fares. I paid for a meal, checked bag, and exit row seat in addition at booking.
Boarding:
Boarding on Air Asia is by zone. 3 zones broken up by hot seats (exit rows and front rows) along with flex fare passengers make up zone 1. Zone 2 is the rear of the plane. Zone 3 is everyone else.
Boarding was fairly organized and flight attendants were quick to assist passengers with bags and locating their seats.
We were delayed by fog and the inbound aircraft by 15 minutes.
Service:
As soon as the seatbelt sign went off the flight crew started onboard service. They started with food and drink service. They began by handing out preordered meals and drinks first.
They ask for your boarding pass and stamp it once they serve your preordered items.
After they offered food for sale to everyone and announced to ring the flight attendant call button to order during the flight.
After meal service they offered duty free shipping from a cart. There is a catalog for onboard shopping as well.
Afterward they collected garbage from the meal service made announcements about duty free shopping.
The flight was mostly full and the crew did onboard service quickly. After 1 hour in the air all service was completed.
IFE and power:
None offered on this flight.
WiFi:
None offered on this flight.
Food:
Air Asia has an extensive on board menu. Everything is for purchase. They offer lots of regional food dishes from Southeast Asia. Prices are shown in Malaysian Ringgits. At the time of writing the exchange rate was approximately 4 Malaysians Ringgits per $1 USD. Prices are high for the region but not unreasonable.
I pre-ordered a chicken biryani since it is cheaper to order ahead. It cost $3 USD in advance.
The meal quality was quite good. It was fresh and not overheated. Had a good spice level and not too sweet.
Would I order it again?: Yes! For a longer flight this would be adequate for a reasonable price.
Drinks:
Air Asia’s onboard menu also has many drink options. All are for payment including water. Prices are shown in Malaysian Ringgits. At the time of writing the exchange rate was approximately 4 Malaysians Ringgits per $1 USD. Prices are high for the region but not unreasonable.
Drink options include coffee, tea, Coca Cola products, and sweet drinks. Alcohol was not offered on this flight.
I had a water included with my meal and brought a Coke from the lounge.
Best seats:
Exit row 14 with extra leg room and recline
Window exit row seats have more width with the arm rest built into the exit door.
Bulkhead seats row 1
Front “hot” seats
All others are standard seats.
Pros:
Very cheap fares and good service. The exit row is ideal for longer haul flights such as this. If you don’t need any extras you can fly for very cheap. Even with a couple extras it will be much less than traditional carriers.
Cons:
Everything has an extra charge including water. Feels like nickel and dime for everything though it ends up cheaper overall. You cannot bring your own food and drink onboard if you are not sneaky.
Would I fly again?
Yes! Air Asia has good service and will get you there for a cheap price even with the add on fees. For short flights they are ideal since you don’t need food or drink which can be a big savings over traditional full service airlines.
The new A320neo was noticeably more quiet in flight which is nice.
