Air Asia Hand Baggage Policy

[Anansis]

Hello all,

I am planning to fly between Hong Kong and Bangkok with Air Asia soon. When I fly this route I like to do a fair bit of duty free shopping(!). The airlines website states that customers are only allowed to take one piece of handluggage into the cabin but it does not state whether this includes any duty free purchases or not (for some context, Ryanair explicitly forbid any extra duty free bags whilst Easyjet allow for a 'reasonable amount' in addition to your handluggage). Last time I flew Air asia they were pretty relaxed about this but the more turbulant the industry gets, the more airlines seem to be tightening their policies up (partucularly those which want to maximise ancilliary revenues)... :sad:

Does anyone have any recent experience of flying with Air Asia either short or long haul? Were they strict on hand luggage? I'd be grateful for any advice :ok:

[Chuchinchow]

Had you considered contacting Air Asia direct?

Or is that too simple a solution?

[Anansis]

Had you considered contacting Air Asia direct?

Or is that too simple a solution?

You mean call a premium rate phone number in Malaysia from the UK? :*

I was hoping that maybe a friendly fellow traveller who has flown with them recently might be able to share their experiences. Shared collective knowledge. That's what this forums all about isn't it!?

[Chuchinchow]

Can I bring 2 pieces of hand luggage onboard?

No. All guests (except infants) are allowed only one (1) piece of hand baggage onboard provided that it does not exceed the dimensions of 56cm X 36cm X 23cm and does not weigh more than 7kg. Such baggage must fit under the seat in front of you or in the enclosed storage compartment in the cabin.

That seems pretty conclusive to me. Does that answer Anensis' query for him/her?

That's the trouble with cheap flights on obscure airlines: you get what you pay for - and not a single extra gramme of cabin baggage more.

[Manchikeri]

The cost of an email to Air Asia is infinitesimal. Had you not thought of that?

Air Asia even provide this for potential passengers' enquiries: AirAsia - Online feedback form (http://www.airasia.com/my/en/faqdetailsform.html), or even this: AirAsia - Live Help (http://www.airasia.com/my/en/livechat.html?utm_source=homepage&utm_medium=howdoi&utm_campaign=livechat), or perhaps Anensis might care to use this: Twitter (http://twitter.com/#!/askairasia)

It seems that Air Asia seems more than approachable and only too pleased to answer potential punters' posers! Just use a leetle bit of gumption and initiative and all will be revealed.

[Anansis]

Thanks for the lovely replies guys. I expected better from a forum that I regularly contribute to, enjoy reading and learn a lot from.

Some airlines do not consider duty free purchases to be a constituent of your hand baggage allowance (Easyjet and Emirates being the prime examples). Others do (Ryanair being the classic example, explicitly stating so). Sometimes it is ambiguous and depends on the culture of the airline and the personel at the gate. Hence I asked whether anyone has recent experiences they can share.

All that needs to be done is to use a leetle bit of gumption and initiative.

Isn't that what posting here is an example of!? :confused:

cheap flights on obscure airlines

If that's what you think then I fear tha you are behind the times; Air Asia are a massively successful growing airline and an example of the future of aviation.

[robtheblade]

I have used Air Asia many times and have found them quite flexible re carry on.

Saying that, don't blame me if for any extras you may have to pay for.

[Manchikeri]

Thanks for the lovely replies guys. I expected better from a forum that I regularly contribute to, enjoy reading and learn a lot from.

Two people have taken the time and the trouble to do your dirty work by researching good - and supremely authoritative - sources of information.

All YOU had to do, Anensis, was to push a few keys on your computer and get through to Air Asia. No calling "a premium rate phone number in Malaysia from the UK": just a little bit of effort on your part.

What more did you want?

[Anansis]

What more did you want?
A bit of respect would be nice.

Two people have taken the time and the trouble to do your dirty work by researching good - and supremely authoritative - sources of information.
No. Two (?) people have taken the time to write patronising replies to what they perceived as ignorance without having read the original post properly.

You and Churchinchow have very similar writing styles (you both refer to me in the third person and make the same spelling mistakes e.g. my name; it's Anansis not Anensis). You wouldn't happen to be the same person would you!?

Thank you Robtheblade. I've generally found them to be pretty flexible too but it's been nearly two years since I flew with them. If this thread is still here in a week or so I will update it with my experiences.

[Tudor]

Hi Anansis, this is probably a little bit late but I've just noticed this thread. I fly regularly with Air Asia and the amount of hand luggage they allow into the cabin is absurd. I've seen people in the boarding lounge with five separate pieces of luggage and I'm talking about luggage they obviously arrived at the airport with, not what they bought there.

Air Asia could make a killing if they enforced their own policies (a la Ryanair etc) but I find that employees (and people in general) in South-east Asia (particularly Indonesia where I live) prefer to turn a blind eye to the indiscretions of others rather than confront people about them.

Anyway, I'm sure you'll have no problems taking all your shopping on board!

[Anansis]

Thank you for your reply Tudor. In the end I flew with Emirates between HKG and BKK (all the frills for a lower price) so I had no problems. Still, it's good to know for future reference. I only hope that their customers don't end up taking liberties to such an extreme level that they feel the need to clamp down. I'm always impressed by Air Asia's business model. Highly profitable low cost flying with high standards of customer service (proof that standards need not decline with price). Some of the European airlines should take note...