"AirAsiaX" Australian Announcment

[Lukas M]

Ok, AirAsiaX is less than 2 days off Announcing their Next Australian Destination, so its time to dedicate a thread to this one, any comments so far?

[Lukas M]

Does Newcastle have the facilites to go International by August, can the runway at NTL fit an A330. I have been told by Air Asia Employeeses Friends that they like AVV, but the "building of facilities" out there is a issue, but there building something out there at the moment

Anyway Lindsay Fox is quite powerful,and he wants them there, and I dont blame him, so my guess is:

1.AVV
2.MEL
3.NTL
4.ADL
5.PER

[Stephen Brown]

can the runway at NTL fit an A330

What sort of a backwater do you think Newcastle is???

B747-400, C17, C5, C141, An-124, B767, KC-10, KC-135

I've seen them all depart Williamtown....

[David M]

Does Newcastle have the facilites to go International by August, can the runway at NTL fit an A330. I have been told by Air Asia Employeeses Friends that they like AVV, but the "building of facilities" out there is a issue, but there building something out there at the moment

It's much biggerer than you may think.

[Adam P.]

Gold, Dave. Pure gold.

I've seen FA-18s depart Williamtown....:D

[Shameel Kumar]

"Azran Osman Rani, chief executive officer of AirAsia X, told AFP that a signing ceremony to confirm the purchase of the 10 additional A330s would be held on Thursday."

Link to Article (http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5hjSMx5pViIlRXUBP2S-i4-tFgTRQ)

Looks like new Australian route/s won't be the only thing AirAsia X will be making public tomorrow.

[Malcolm Parker]

What sort of a backwater do you think Newcastle is???

B747-400, C17, C5, C141, An-124, B767, KC-10, KC-135

I've seen them all depart Williamtown....

I think it's not so much the runway but the civil aircraft apron, however construction on this is already at full pace. When would the construction be finished on the tarmac? It was supposed to be end of this month, but recent bad weather has delayed this.

[Adrian B]

Rwy 12/30 is 2438 x 45 with PAPI HIRL and HIAL-CAT 1.

http://www.airservices.gov.au/publications/current/dap/WLMAD01-107.pdf

[Lukas M]

"Travel Weekly" tells us that the annoucement has been pushed back, because "another airport in another state" has given AirAsia a bright option for them to use, with "facilities all ready to use"

Would have be either Adelaide or Newcastle:confused::confused::confused:

[Kurt A]

Here's the article from Travel today


Bidding war for LCC escalates

AirAsia X has delayed an announcement on its second Australian hub after it was revealed a third Australian airport is now vying for the carrier’s services.

Avalon and Melbourne airports had been lobbying the airline, but the carrier’s chief executive Azran Osman- Rani told Travel Today the announcement has been pushed back a couple of months, with flights not expected until the fourth quarter.

“We had a good idea where we wanted to fly but we received a very attractive proposition from another Australian airport in another state,” Osman-Rani said.

He said the airport has the infrastructure in place to receive the Airbus A330 immediately. Sydney has been considered in the past but the presence of Jetstar makes it an unlikely choice.

One source suggested AirAsia X was trying to drive up the price on Avalon and Melbourne. Osman-Rani also dismissed media speculation that passengers will be able to fly from Gold Coast to London for just $1000 later this year.

“That might be the intent, but it has been blown out o proportion and really it is no more than a pipedream. We don’t even have the long range aircraft to do KL to London Stansted,” he added.

AirAsia X will today announce options for 10 Airbus A330 aircraft, taking its fleet to 25 aircraft.

[Michael Morrison]

I also think it is partly to due to the V Australia (supposed) announcement.

I would have been might ****ed if I were DJ and Branson had come out to do press for Air Asia X at the same time the V was launching (or rumoured ot be launching)

[Lukas M]

A340 for AirAsia X
AirAsia X is set to commence flights to London in March next year after signing a lease agreement for an Airbus A340 aircraft.

Travel Weekly


SO, we should just about be due for their next aussie move then I take it

[Steve Jones]

From the Malaysian Press:

http://www.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/5/11/nation/21213476&sec=nation

[Lukas M]

http://www.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/5/11/nation/21213476&sec=nation

Sounds like the opposite from whats on-offer from 9M-XAA. Sounds Interesting. Starting to sound like V'Australia's planes layout in terms of IFE and food ordering etc..

[Daniel F]

Starting to sound like V'Australia's planes layout in terms of IFE and food ordering etc..

V Australia is a full service airline. There is no food ordering...

[Lukas M]

Whoops, I meant Virgin America, you can pre-select your food on the screen and they deliver it to you!

[Rhys Xanthis]

Whoops, I meant Virgin America, you can pre-select your food on the screen and they deliver it to you!

I saw that on their website, a cool ordering system really

[Lukas M]

"Pay only taxes and charges, and we will fly you for free!!"
OOL-KL= $137oneway, or about $280return with all baggage, seat selection etc..

Travel= 10June-30April 2009

Basically crazy!!, great availability also, and very cheap connections on sale. Cant wait till there down here at MEL!

[Steve Jones]

Plenty of free seats in Feb/Mar 09, can't find anything before then, though.

[Bernie P]

Looks (http://www.airasia.com/site/au/en/pageWithMenu.jsp;jsessionid=6CD8A4C0EFB3C3E1335E0F 9E3F706314?name=About%20AirAsia%20X&id=12552f3e-ac1e00ae-138d56e0-2f030e97&rootId=261ac192-ac1e00ae-edd9de00-a5c8a10e&parentId=12552f3e-ac1e00ae-138d56e0-2f030e97)as though they want to go quite away within Aust!!!
scroll down to the bottom of page and see where...

[Chris Tully]

Whoops, I meant Virgin America, you can pre-select your food on the screen and they deliver it to you!

An option available to Qantas customers with the introduction of the A380.

[Bruce Bramwell]

An option available to Qantas customers with the introduction of the A380.

And you can eat your food on those Greeen Seats

[Andrew M]

An option available to Qantas customers with the introduction of the A380.

Really wow, that hasn't been made public until now has it ? :p

[J Brown]

A press conference is sked to be held at 1030 (KL time) today. Some may have recently noticed Perth has been added to the booking interface on their website.

[Steve Jones]

Interesting... Perth is within A320 range so I wonder if it will be an A320 or A330 service?

[Lukas M]

I would say A330, as it hold those X-tra long seats

[Scott Loveday]

The introductory fares will be bloomin cheap too. I have seen a few bits of paper running around KL with RM169 written on them. Giddy up.

Ellis, any confirmation?

[lloyd fox]

Travel weekly states 6 a week from November going daily in march 2009.

[Scott Loveday]

Courtesy of Ellis on the spot...

Confirmation. 6 x weekly, commencing November 2nd.

Fares from $99, bookings can be made from midnight tonight.

[Lukas M]

This WA news website is absolutly covered with AirAsia Advertising! (notice how it says "Book now")

http://www.thewest.com.au/Index.aspx

[Kieran Wells]

This WA news website is absolutly covered with AirAsia Advertising! (notice how it says "Book now")

http://www.thewest.com.au/Index.aspx

Just followed the link, however when you go to book flights it doesn't have Perth, so there must be going to be a fix applied to the website later tonite...

[Lukas M]

AirAsia's website is a mess at the moment, the booking engine dosn't even appear (personally they should update their website)

From the CEO
In a statement today, AirAsia X said the route will be serviced by the airline’s new wide-bodied Airbus A330 aircraft, giving passengers a level of service not normally expected from low cost airlines.

He said the average fare to Perth, including other cost like fuel surcharge will be just under RM400.
Thats around $130 one way!

http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Thursday/NewsBreak/20080515121111/Article/index_html

[Steve Jones]

Does anyone have a schedule? Are they decent times of the day?

[Will T]

Press Release
http://www.airasia.com/site/my/en/page.jsp?reference=aax_pr17


AirAsia Spearheads Kuala Lumpur Into A Global Low Cost Hub by Expanding Further Into Australia

AirAsia X Launches Kuala Lumpur-Perth with Free Seats Up For Grab!

KUALA LUMPUR, 15 May 2008 – The best is still to come for the world’s aviation industry and it’s happening right here in Malaysia. AirAsia X, the pioneer Malaysian based long-haul low cost airline proves that it is here to stay and it is all set to spearhead Kuala Lumpur to greater heights as a global low cost hub. This message came alongside AirAsia X’s announcement that it will soon be starting a new direct service to Perth, Western Australia from Kuala Lumpur.

AirAsia X will commence the service as early as November 2008 with six return flights per week between Perth and Kuala Lumpur and is already planning to increase to daily return flights by March 2009. The route will be serviced by the airline’s new wide-bodied Airbus A330 aircraft, giving passengers a level of service not normally expected from low cost airlines.

This is the airline’s third destination, following its launch to Hangzhou, China in February this year with five return flights per week, and Gold Coast, Australia in November last year with four return flights.

Tony Fernandes, Director of AirAsia X, said, “We believe AirAsia X is a history in the making that will put Malaysia on the global map as it is the world’s first truly low-cost, long-haul airline – we are a pioneer in this arena, and we are proud that a Malaysian company can be a trailblazer. It has been an exceptional seven months since we started the airline, as both of our current routes have surpassed our expectations and are performing extremely well. To date, we have carried over 50,000 guests between Gold Coast and Kuala Lumpur, and 30,000 between Hangzhou. Looking at what we’ve done with these two routes, we are confident of creating a bigger market in Western Australia and influencing the travel trends amongst the budget conscious travelers, to a point where we are looking at daily service to Perth by early next year.”

“We look forward to bringing new tourists to Western Australia by working very closely with Tourism Western Australia and the Perth Airport. The service between Kuala Lumpur and Perth offers travelers incredible connectivity to AirAsia’s network of over 100 destinations across all the ASEAN countries and China at unbelievable fares. Western Australia is experiencing strong economic growth which will help to drive new segments of tourist into Malaysia. Malaysia also has a long history of visiting friends, relatives and students to Perth. It’s amazing to note that in 2007, we carried 18.5 million passengers across our (AirAsia and AirAsia X) network,” added Tony.

The airline’s new planes (due in Q4 2008) will feature the latest technology (not seen before in Asia) for guests’ convenience and to enhance their experience, the following products will be made available – fixed-backshell seats with trademark sleek black leather upholstery, In-flight Entertainment featuring innovative content and applications, power points in all seats and even WIFI access – all combined with AirAsia’s trademark in-flight cabin service from its cabin crew to create an unparalleled in-flight experience complemented with industry-leading lowest fares.

Sheila McHale, Tourism Minister of Western Australia, said, “The introduction of direct flights between Kuala Lumpur to Perth should see visitor numbers and spend increase significantly as holiday-makers take advantage of low prices. Malaysia is already one of Western Australia’s top tourism markets with nearly 40,000 visitors every year, spending AUD157 million.”

Brad Geatches, Chief Executive Officer of Perth Airport, said, “The AirAsia Group has an outstanding reputation for service, reliability and value which will be embraced by the Western Australian market. Perth Airport is delighted to welcome AirAsia X to Western Australia. One of the region’s greatest airline success stories, AirAsia offers outstanding value for money to its customers and access to the AirAsia Group network which is one of the best in South East Asia.”

“More than half of the forecast 2.5 million international passenger arrivals and departures for Perth Airport during 2008-09 are expected to be to and from South East Asian destinations,” added Geatches. Perth Airport has recently announced an AUD1 billion vision for the future, with new regional, domestic and international terminal facilities to be built in the location of the existing domestic terminal.

In conjunction with the announcement, AirAsia X is making an offer not-to-be-missed by giving free FREE SEATS for guests who book between 16 and 17 May 2008. The travel period is between 2 November 2008 to 30 April 2009. Please log on to www.airasia.com for more information.

* excludes airport taxes and fees, fuel surcharges and is applicable for one way travel only.

FLIGHT SCHEDULE FOR KUALA LUMPUR-PERTH

(Flight from - Departure/Arrival - Flight No - Frequency)

Kuala Lumpur to Perth
1.00 am / 7.50 am D7-2712 1,2
11.00 pm / 5.50 am D7-2712 3,5
5.00 pm / 11.50 pm D7 2716 4
8.00 am / 2.50 pm D7 2714 7

Perth to Kuala Lumpur
9.05 am / 2.05 pm D7 2713 1,2
7.05 am / 12.05 pm D7 2713 4,6
1.05 am / 6.05 am D7 2717 5
4.05 pm / 9.05 pm D7 2715 7

1=Monday, 2=Tuesday, 3=Wednesday, 4=Thursday, 5=Friday, 6=Saturday, 7=Sunday

[Brenden S]

hooray, about time a new airline makes flights during daylight here.

[Rhys Xanthis]

ridiculous....free travel during the school holidays?!