Cut-Price? AirAsia Online More Expensive than Qantas, British Airways and Singapore Airlines ..
THE SURVEY *
Holiday Airfare Survey was conducted on Wednesday 23rd of November, with all Singapore-Perth return flight searches being made online 10am - 5PM. In each instance, the lowest economy fare offered by each airline was the one selected and featured in the survey - all fare data was taken from each airline's own website, not from airfare aggregators such as Expedia.com. For all holidays there was a standard departure date of 05/12/2001 and return of 31/12/2011, though the actual arrival and departure times obviously differ among the various operators, kept within 24hours. Screen captures at the base of this article will evidence each fare.
The Holiday Airfares Survey has revealed opportunistic low-cost operators are frequently more expensive than full-service airlines like Qantas and Singapore Airlines. We conducted our study and discovered that AirAsia hiked their holiday airfares so high, the no-frills operator is now more expensive than the top-shelf full-service carriers.
Holiday Airfare Survey was conducted on Wednesday 23rd of November, with all Singapore-Perth return flight searches being made online 10am - 5PM. In each instance, the lowest economy fare offered by each airline was the one selected and featured in the survey - all fare data was taken from each airline's own website, not from airfare aggregators such as Expedia.com. For all holidays there was a standard departure date of 05/12/2001 and return of 31/12/2011, though the actual arrival and departure times obviously differ among the various operators, kept within 24hours. Screen captures at the base of this article will evidence each fare.
The Holiday Airfares Survey has revealed opportunistic low-cost operators are frequently more expensive than full-service airlines like Qantas and Singapore Airlines. We conducted our study and discovered that AirAsia hiked their holiday airfares so high, the no-frills operator is now more expensive than the top-shelf full-service carriers.
As explained by a guest on Tripadvisor: "If you check, most of the airlines are full-service - and among the most awarded airlines in the world. They don't demand extra fees in addition to the booking for seat allocation, stowed luggage, food and drink, et al. The MOST expensive holiday fare on the sample routes by a considerable margin was the 'cut-price' - AirAsia - boasting fares that include none of the comforts/necessities of the full-service outfits. So, why are they so much more darned expensive?"
The respected full-service carriers - but not MAS - all offer direct flights. As AirAsia is not able to offer a direct flight, could that perhaps explain why it is more expensive than other airines? Well, another 'cut-price' airline in the survey is Tiger Airways, which also has its own stopover on the Singapore to Perth route, yet its fare is one of the lowest in our pre-holiday survey.
Currently, there is an AirAsia Singapore campaign touting new year flights to Melbourne and Perth from SGD $189, as opposed to their current holiday gift to you, where you pay SGD $932 for no legroom and crap service. How many $189 flights do they actually release for sale to the public, hmm?
Malaysia Airlines are offering the lowest fare of ALL the carriers, albeit with a short stopover under an hour and a half. Should we applaud MAS? Well, let's just say fares like this wouldn't have occurred before the recent takeover of Malaysia Airlines by the politician-laden board of AirAsia. Rest assured, 'Teflon Tony Fernandes' and Malaysia's bent politicians are already showing telltale signs of what they have in store for the two former Malaysian competitors. Stay tuned for our new expose in the next issue - our special Christmas follow-up to our original AirAsia scam report.
Finally, we priced flights Singapore to Melbourne. Incredibly, before we factor in the typical extraneous 'cut-price' costs, versus none on full-service carriers, AirAsia was already over $200 more expensive than Qantas. What the heck? Isn't AirAsia supposed to be a cut-price operator? Again, let's not forget that we haven't included any of the add-ons that you will incur with AirAsia, such as food & drink, check-in luggage, seating allocation, et al. Let's add $50 for that. Take a good look at yourself, AirAsia?? We are going to be onto you like Sea Shepherd blitz around Japanese whaling boats.
The moral is do not blindly rely on cut-price carriers to offer cheaper flights - they frequently do not. They are polished conmen marketeers and they are clearly relying on people blindly assuming that 'cut-price' will be significantly cheaper than full-service carriers. Further, shop around - in advance. Last minute deals are for hotels, not airlines - AirAsia push the prices way up when they know we most desperately need to travel, during holidays plus when it's unexpected and on short notice. Do not use aggregators such as Expedia.com for anything but research - they are significantly more expensive than going directly to the airline's website. Do not believe their lowest price guarantees - as that is a marketing scam. Use the aggregator to shop online for the cheaper alternatives, then go to the airline website and be nicely surprised by the 10-30% you will save.
THE EVIDENCE *
1. Singapore to Perth - terms as above
Malaysia Airlines
Tiger
British Airways
Qantas
Singapore Airlines
AirAsia
2. Singapore to Melbourne - terms as above
Qantas/BA
AirAsia
http://airasiaannus.blogspot.com
Salam bro'
ReplyDeletekamu baru tahu ke.
india ni dah lamaGLC pun dah banyak dapat habuan.
Firefly kan lebih murah.
Dah di PAKSA tutup.
Dari : Selayang
Dari awal lagi saya sudah meragui perkhidmatan Air Asia. Kita lihat sahaja apabila hendak menaiki pesawat, kita diarah bersusun sebegitu rupa (tak mesra penumpang), sebelum kita check in, di lapangan terbang antarabangsa Kuching, kita akan lihat alat timbang. Apa erti itu semua? Kerajaan seharusnya melihat perkara ini. Saya cadangkan supaya Firefly terbang lagi antara Kuching dengan Kuala Lumpur.
ReplyDeleteAir Asia ni dah lah charge air port tax kepada penumpang tapi x bayar pun airport tax tu kepada MAHB. Dah tu, penumpang yang muncul(turn up) pun dia x pulangkan airport tax tu kepada penumpang. Kalau seorang dah berapa? bayang berjuta2 penumpang. AK x bayar kat MAHB tu. Dah la suruh buat LCCT2, x nak duduk plak!! Nak semua free kot! mintak turunkan airport tax, nak murah bagai tapi facilities nak canggih, bayarnya idok. Dah lama curi laluan Firefly! X malu betoi. Sebelum tu Air Asia ambil alih FAX, siap dapat geran dari gomen, tapi rugi. Sudahnya kapal2 yang rosak dengan hutang semua MAS dipaksa amik & serap tu yang jadi Firefly pada tahun 2007. Tup tup bila tengok Firefly untung, terhegeh2 nak ambil alih laluan utama Firefly; Kuching & KK masa derang sibuk buat Share Swap(Share Suap!!) Yang pelik tu, Firefly sebenarnya making profit, siap kasi 2 bln bonus, staff MAS pun x dapat macam tu. Untung tapi kenapa derang nak 'tutup' laluan Firefly!!! Ramai staf Firefly di Kuching & KK kena cari kerja lain. Air Asia tu, asyik nak menangguh penerbangan siap transferkan penumpang dia ke MAS pada harga kos!! EEiiiiii, x malu betul!! Sebab tu MAS lagi rugi, Air Asia makin untung. Putar alam betul, airport tax x bayar, flight asyik delay, curi duit rakyat!!!
ReplyDelete