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British Mensa Travel Special Interest Group |
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Big
boys now? There have been passenger plane experiences I have loved – among the many, British Airways Concorde (of course!), Air France first class when the salad was so fresh the greenfly were still alive, and the old RAF VC10 flights to Hong Kong when they flew down the Kowloon slope into Kai Tak. There have been some I have hated: definitely ‘no frills’ about one service that wafted me from Luton to the comparative paradise of Amsterdam and back, for example. And there have been experiences so memorable that I’ll never forget them - the Lao Aviation twin prop, carrying half a dozen of us from Luang Prabang to Phonsavan and sounding, despite the gung-ho pilot’s enthusiasm, like the engines would seize up before we got anywhere near the destination; the 737 that rocked and rolled with the most violent of storms between Frankfurt and Vienna; and an American prop plane that lost its way as well as its radio and radar over the North Sea in less than ideal February weather. But, generally speaking, economy-seat services are all pretty much of a muchness within the range of very good to poor. Or, put another way, most of us know what we will get in the same way we know what to expect when anyone offers us an all-day breakfast. However, are the low-fare operators coming of age with services, not just prices, to rival the big players? Are they doing it differently? Can they surprise you? Recently, I opted to try a new low-fare service between Kuala Lumpur and London’s Stansted airport. The award-winning Air Asia and its long-haul arm Air Asia X operate from KL with a web that includes Australia, India and a fantastic regional list of the most popular destinations among clusters of places I did not realise I wanted to visit. I chose the flight on price. It was by far the cheapest on offer when I booked but I ended my KL-Stansted-KL round trip feeling that I would choose it again on quality and enjoy the price as a bonus. The return flight cost me 2,007 Malaysian ringgits (MYR) including fees and taxes, about £390; then I reckoned it was worth spending 50 MYR (about £10) to specify my seats on the long flights; I ordered meals, two on each flight, for a total of 76 MYR (about £15); I needed only a 15kg checked bag for 40 MYR (about £8), and spent 25 MYR (about £5) on a ‘comfort’ pack - total of 2198 MYR (this came out as £ 426.31 on my credit card). I spent a little more on the plane on iced tea, water and a vegan pot noodle – we intrepid travellers have to splash out on luxuries sometimes (though I spurned a £100 upgrade to business class at the Stansted check-in for the return flight). A year earlier I paid about £400 for a one-way London-Bangkok flight by Etihad (no complaint on this: Etihad is an excellent airline offering good prices and the £400 was competitive at the time) and another £30 or so flying down to Phuket, the local airport for my base near Khao Lak on the Andaman coast. This time, my feeder flights out of Phuket were about the same for KL and Bangkok, so no price advantages there. Though with the Phuket-KL flight, I bought Air Asia bus tickets to central KL and back to the airport – a very good bonus at a few baht added to my flight price. Price comparisons when I booked gave figures of £550+ for Bangkok-London-Bangkok. But the special offers around June saw prices crash, with London-BKK-London flights on Emirates, for example, at £375. So what is good about Air Asia X... and what is bad? Ticketing: Clear and easy internet routes explanations, seat availability and purchase (www.airasia.com). Itemised options for extras, including a ‘comfort’ kit of blanket, blow-up cushion and eye shield for light-sensitive sleepers. The money is calculated in Malaysian ringgits but the booking screen helpfully converted the total to British pounds for me. I got a choice when booking of specifying the weight and price for my checked-in baggage and could have changed it or paid at the airport. Check-in: Internet check-in and baggage drop for those who want it; usual check-in for the rest of us who slobbed about until the last minute. Very helpful check-in staff. Offer of upgrades at check-in. Time: On time, though the Kuala Lumpur-Phuket flight had the slot changed marginally, but notice was sent to my phone two weeks before the flight. Flights: Non-stop, about 12.5 hours. My linking flights were not the best, with the KL-Stansted flight leaving too early for a link flight from Phuket and necessitating an overnight stop in KL. I could probably have avoided this cost in time and money by choosing a more expensive flight out of KL or Bangkok, but getting into Stansted in the afternoon was very convenient. Aircraft: Airbus jets on all flights. On my flights, the interior was a restful grey, mushroom and blue, the seats comfortable and in good condition, ample leg-room for me; newer Airbuses apparently have a screen in the seat ahead, but mine did not and passengers used standalone screens in various odd, and apparently comfortable, postures. The air conditioning was a little too fierce for the first two hours of the KL-Stansted flight... enough for jackets and covers. Staff: Very bright, very enthusiastic and caring. Women in red uniforms, men in black. In-flight service: This was the most interesting aspect. Out went the ‘we are the best airline in the world’ flapping about and in came a quiet, efficient and friendly cabin service from a well-trained and helpful staff. Pre-booked meals were served soon after take-off and included a bottle of water. Those who had not pre-booked could choose from the meals (including one vegetarian dish and a burger option) available on the route and paid 18 MYR (about £3.60) a meal; and there were ranges of drinks, snacks (including pot noodles) and chocolate for sale - not enough to put 7/Eleven out of business but plenty of choice for air travellers’ survival. After that, the snacks and drinks options were available through the flight – passengers just pressed the call button when they wanted anything. Some took their own, as I did on the return flight, because my difficult vegan diet was a step too far for in-flight catering and I could not eat the vegetarian meals. The second meal on the London route was served two hours before landing. Same as the first service but different meal options (again, including one vegetarian). A quick duty-free sales service followed. All through the flights, attendants casually toured the plane with bags for rubbish. The result was quite remarkable. The plane stayed just like it was when it had been cleaned and the first passenger got on. I am not overly sensitive about such things but I found it did make it a more pleasant experience. In-flight English announcements were less easy to understand than on many airlines, somewhat surprising because English is so widely used in Malaysia. There was a variety of movies, TV shows and music, though probably fewer choices than the big airlines (certainly fewer than Emirates that offers 1,000+ choices). The use of entertainment costs a small amount. Thankfully, Air Asia X did not make passengers run the usual gauntlet of staff waiting to give them the big farewell. Just low-key crew members by the doors, steps and near the terminal to make sure we all left without wandering into another jet or exiting through some improbable hole leading straight to jail. In all, a relaxing, easy-going flight that was peaceful enough to sleep, read, watch movies... or just daydream, when I could work out whether it was day or night, of course. How did it all stack up against the big airlines? Say Etihad or Emirates (I have chosen them because they are both very good and among my usual first choices)? The Airbus is my aircraft of choice and Stansted was easily the best UK airport for my destination, so they were advantages for me (Etihad and Emirates also have Airbus jets, as well as Boeing 777s). The cabin service was the style I liked, leaving me to engage with staff or ‘isolate’ myself as much as suited my needs: I did not feel I had to live up to their routines and expectations of a passenger. The seats and leg room were comparable. Standalone movie screens would be less comfortable for me than screens in the seat. Meal quality seemed about comparable, though I have had excellent meals on Etihad on occasion and vegans are not usually the most reliable to ask about non-vegan meals. Special meals are more likely to be available on the big airlines; but taking my own food seemed more acceptable on an airline that did not include meals in the basic experience. Regional links and prices for Air Asia are exceptional, but you could fly on any long-haul airline and still make the same links at the same prices. A very good advantage is the bus service between the airport and the city at almost give-away prices if booked with your flight (long-haul or regional). The Air Asia X price was far cheaper at the time of booking than the big airlines. But maybe what I enjoyed the most was also the most difficult to quantify: the easy-going atmosphere that was so relaxing. Next time? Air Asia X and its ‘everyday’ low fares will be at the top of my list, but how could any of us resist fares like £375 return on an airline like Emirates? First published in VISA 86 (Aug 2009) |