Air Asia's dangerous procedures

[Tangan]

Last week I was on an Air Asia flight from Kuala Lumpur to Phuket and was shocked to see the procedures followed to ensure low fare paying passengers are kept out of "premium seats".

On the flight there was only one passenger who paid for the premium seat and as we boarded I noticed seats in rows 2,3,4 and the overwing emergency exit rows all had the tray tables down with a seatbelt draped over the top.

I assumed this was to stop boarding passengers sitting in those seats and that the tray tables would be stowed prior to takeoff.

NOT SO ....the tray tables remained in the open position for the entire flight.... yes for Takeoff and Landing thereby blocking the overwing exits. This is extremely dangerous .... had an evacuation been required the overwing exits were not available.:eek::eek::eek:

Is this "creative" thinking normal practice or did I just happen to catch a flight which was crewed by a negligent cabin manager?

Air Asia pilots ...you should ensure this practise is stopped immediately.

[PK-KAR]

Flight number and date please... :}
I haven't seen this being done in Air Asia flights, so either I'm lucky or blind.
Without flight number and date, this can't be followed up...

[PROBEUSMC]

I tried to buy a "premium seat" on air asia 3 times. I only succeeded once. The other 2 times the agent told me to "buy it at the gate". I got to the gate and they said "you have to buy it at the ticket counter, or onboard."

They also fill up the airplane in the dumbest way I have ever seen. The fill up rows completely before they start filling another row. The result? Full rows and completely empty rows. The solution? Passengers end up changing seats on their own, much to the consternation of the cabin attendants.

I have flown on them many times because it was convenient for me. Nonstop from where I was to where I want to go. I will never connect on them again. I have done it on two round trips. Giant PITA, and unreliable. Good for non-stops, and cheap. The cheap is not worth it if you have to connect, however.

I think their boarding technique has exacerbated their problem with passengers helping themselves to "premium seats". It is, after all, just another empty row of seats.

[rit]

I dont think the pilot need to action because they wont know anything at the back. I think this is the duty of SFA of the flight.
Flt number and date pls and if possible some photos of this.

[Massey058]

Well I'm glad there are other people out there that care about this. It's always been something about Low-cost carriers that has appalled me from a safety perspective.

Nowadays the only LCC that I will buy tickets on is Air Asia (the others are just too crap and dangerous). But I've obviously become too conditioned. On a recent trip to Bangkok I paid for a front bulkhead seat, on the return leg (QZ7717 15 AUG 10 BKK-CGK) I was in the second exit row and noticed exactly what you described.

The first time I encountered paid exit row seating was when I was booked on Valuair after they started doing it and I was appalled that on an otherwise full aircraft the exit rows could be empty with no-one to operate the over-wing exit in an emergency.

I hope Air Asia sort this out because they are the only LCC I am now willing to fly with but Tangan you are absolutely correct - this practise needs to stop.

[Tangan]

I travelled on AK826 KUL-HKT Sunday 5th Sept. Dep KUL 12:40pm

PK-KAR and rit..... I will be very interested to hear what your "follow up" uncovers.

Another thing I found interesting was that no reverse thrust was used on landing even though considerable braking was used on the above flight and the return flight. Do the A320s have carbon brakes or is this just another percieved money saving practice?

[rit]

They have been told that no need to use full reverse thrust(only idle reverse) for long LDA so for most INTL airport. They will not use full reverse.
Hopefully they will not use this procedure when operating at smaller airport just to save money from maintenance.

[IndAir967]

A320 SOPs for a lot of airlines involves not using full reverse when adequate
landing distance is available and usually a planned high speed taxi exit is
available.. :cool: Mainly an fuel saving/ engine wear and tear reduction
procedure.

[Karl Bamforth]

If you think you have seen something dangerous then brining it to the attention of the flight crew or operator would be a good idea, moaning about it on an internet forum stinks.

[babotika]

How exactly is this an appalling dangerous practise? The tray tables should be stowed before landing and I very much doubt that you would want to evacuate while the plane is still flying...

As to the use of full reverse thrust, with the current generation of carbon brakes and the landing distances usually available it's only effect is to make a lot of noise and burn fuel uselessly.

S.

[Pontius]

How exactly is this an appalling dangerous practise? The tray tables should be stowed before landing and I very much doubt that you would want to evacuate while the plane is still flying...

How about an RTO followed by an evacuation?

Didn't really think at all before posting did you :rolleyes:

[Time Traveller]

Karl - perfectly legitimate to bring up issues like this here. It seems to show this wasnt an isolated incident.

Also, since the CC put the tables like this, they might not be very receptive to suggestions from the general public. I once said to a Ryanair CC during push back - "are those big sports bags going to remain in the emergency exit row like that" and she said "its fine". I said, "that was a rhetorical question; they are not going to remain there". When she served me tea later, it was slammed down so hard it splashed everywhere. Good, open attitude to safety there then! :rolleyes:

[Tangan]

Babotika,

Before you try to discredit my concerns read my post again....the tray tables remained down for the entire flight ...yes for take off and landing.

I did not suggest that not using reverse thrust was dangerous.

[Tee Emm]

As to the use of full reverse thrust, with the current generation of carbon brakes and the landing distances usually available it's only effect is to make a lot of noise and burn fuel uselessly.

However, make sure you use full reverse immediately on touch down if the runway is slippery as the brakes don't work as well and reverse at high speed is most efficient.

[alberttky]

Next time please take a video clip.

[windbreak]

That's nothing, They also had a line training FO who didn't even hold an PPL licence, Bluffed his way through the system until hewas carring passengers without any licence before geting found out and still kept his job with AA becoz he was well connected:ugh:

[jetjockey696]

Guys all the grievances. can be addressed to Tony... its his shop.. he should know whats the paying public (PAX = guests in air asia) are saying about his service...

you can visit him on his:


Facebook. - tony fernandes...

blog: Tony Fernandes CEO Blog (http://www.tonyfernandesblog.com)

Email: [email protected]

[babotika]

Tray tables down during take-off and landing is a big no-no I agree, and it should be mentioned. I apologise if I misread the first post.

The differential braking effect occasionally caused by reverse thrust can be particularly dangerous while landing on a soaked runway, especially in a crosswind. I have veered off centreline quite significantly once, and a colleague once took out the edge lights and wrote off 4 mainwheel tyres.

S.

[FireWorks]

...a person like you on board who does not say anything at all during the whole flight to the Senior Cabin Crew Member.:=

Any Cabin Crew Member could make a mistake (Unfortunatelly)

[ojguilty]

<<The differential braking effect occasionally caused by reverse thrust can be particularly dangerous while landing on a soaked runway, especially in a crosswind. I have veered off centreline quite significantly once, and a colleague once took out the edge lights and wrote off 4 mainwheel tyres.>>

Then maybe you and your friend should learn how to fly. Good God, this is too funny.

[Ghostrider777]

That's nothing, They also had a line training FO who didn't even hold an PPL licence, Bluffed his way through the system until hewas carring passengers without any licence before geting found out and still kept his job with AA becoz he was well connected

i suggest you get your facts right......:=

[Humvee]

There is no such procedure in AirAsia. If someone is doing that, it means they do not adhere to the laid down procedure. These are minorities who rather follow their own unwritten procedure and are currently being clamped down hard by the management.

[Humvee]

With regards to premium seats on the A320, they are not premium but rather called "HOT" seats. AirAsia allows their guests to choose where they want to sit at a fee. If they do choose the seats categorized as "HOT" then it is more expensive. These are generally rows 1 - 5 and the 2 rows at the over-wings since it has more legroom. Other seats comes at a minimum fee if you want to sit together. The only way to buy the seats is online. There is NO other way to buy it, NOT at the counter and NOT on-board.
AirAsia is a very highly extensive internet dependent business module and everything that is required can ONLY be done online.