Rumours Air Asia X axeing LGW, ORY, BOM DEL ?

[scandicstar]

Rumours mongering that Air Asia X is planning to axe LGW, ORY, BOM and DEL due to fierce competition from the legacy carriers and also the cost of this european carbon thingy is eating into their revenue. Even compare to MAS the fare is closing in for this London - Kuala lumpur.

[Metro man]

Sounds about right, by the time you add in baggage fees, meals etc you get very close to what a normal airline would charge. Premium seats are well above a regular airline economy fare and not too far off some business class tickets.

If you are traveling one way with no luggage and you get a special low fare then they can't be beaten on price, but that's all.

[squarecrow]

I found it cheaper to go with a Middle East carrier and stopover for a short while. It was a promo though.

[Hogger60]

Air Asia X is looking to start KUL-SYD to try and stay ahead of Scoot out of SIN, and the only aircraft they have that can do the service with are now flying to KUL-LGW. Makes sense to drop a route that is barely breaking even at best for one that has a potential to be profitable, and try and get a foothold before Scoot launches in May-Jun.

[Silver Spur]

WHEN WILL IT HAPPEN?

My wife and I plus both my parents have KUL LGW KUL booked and paid already for Oct 2012. Will they still operate then? If not any idea whether I get a full refund?

[Billi360]

Other carriers may benefit from MAS route cuts

Reflects on the management so far.

[Sultan Ismail]

There has to be something seriously wrong in MAS when they cannot get Kuala Lumpur to Johannesburg to work. These destinations are due to be pulled in February 2012, yet Singapore Airlines, Thai Airways and Cathay Pacific can maintain a daily service.

Similarly with Zurich a couple of years ago, MAS pulled 4 flights a week yet the others still offer a daily service.

My own gripe as these are my destinations of choice. At least Changi is a good place to transit.

[ZFT]

TG to JNB is 3 times a week not daily

[Sultan Ismail]

ZFT
I stand corrected.

Into Johannesburg:

Singapore Airlines do offer a daily 777-200, Cathay a daily 747-400, Air France, Lufthansa and Emirates offer a daily 380-800. British Airways 2 x 747-400 etc. etc.

So why can't MH make it pay? Sad lah!

[Billi360]

Too many hands?

One tells about making money while another tells losing money but on the same subject. So now, which one is to be believed? Eg kinabalu 'hub'.

[sanook]

It's all about demand from O & D traffic and interline connections.

[kwaiyai]

Check out the Ticket price for starters and Compare it.

[Hogger60]

You are right, the LCC model that Air Asia X is running is almost strictly about O&D passengers. The do some connections with Air Asia, but do not interline (as it adds costs). Most passengers do self-connection if they want to connect to a thru-destination.

[Hogger60]

MAS may cut Sydney frequency

By Presenna Nambiar
[email protected]
2012/01/11

ON the back of recently announced additional frequencies to several destinations in Asean, Malaysia Airlines (MAS) may be announcing that it will cut one of its flights to Sydney.

According to sources, MAS, which flies direct to Sydney twice a day now, is expected to reduce its frequency to one flight a day to the benefit of long-haul budget carrier AirAsia X.

MAS flies once in the morning at 9am using a Boeing 777-200 and again at 10.40pm with a Boeing 747-400.

People in the know said that one of the slots will instead be used by AirAsia X to fly into Sydney, a much sought-after route by the airline.

MAS neither confirmed nor denied the news, preferring to take a neutral stance.

"The national carrier's remaining network is continuously being reviewed and necessary measures are being taken to ensure the routes are operated profitably. Malaysia Airlines will make the necessary announcements if there are further updates on the network review," the airline told Business Times via e-mail.

According to the Register of Available Capacity for Australian International Airlines, from March 2009 Malaysia is allowed 29,100 seats each way each week to and from Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth.

It could not be immediately determined if the number of seats allowed is total capacity of the four destinations.

MAS' current flights into Sydney would account for less than 9,000 seats to and from the city weekly.

The registry entry was last amended on December 11 2008.

It is understood that AirAsia X has been given the green light from the local Transport Ministry to start flights to Sydney in April this year.

The carrier, however, has denied this.

If MAS bends over for Air Asia X on this market, they might as well just turn over the keys to Tony and close the doors behind them. This has consistently been their most profitable route, and now they want to give it away?

[PoppaJo]

Air Asia already have a deal in place with Sydney Airport, they have a morning slot sitting there, getting approval is their problem.

More surprised that MH isn't 3/4 daily into SYD by now....

[nostep]

What next

Just heard that MAS is shutting down Auckland base, hmmmmm flights always full.

I wonder if Auckland is going to be Air Asia X next new route as christchurch isn't making any money!!!!!!!!

[scandicstar]

Well, it is confirmed AAX cannot make money on those 4 routes. In lieu they are taking 10x MH flts to DXB so they make it nice by saying they are offering to MH those routes. SYD is next and as all the other full load MH dest up for the grab simply say MH cannot make money.
I do not know of any other govts in the 3rd or 4th world practice this appalling parasitic behaviour.
If the ruling govt wins this up and coming general election. in the next 2 or 3 months.......Malaysia Airlines can kiss and say goodbye.

[jetjockey696]

Wuhoooooooo... my BAN sentence is over....

I think HOGGer60... is right..back not just yet... Mr Hogger60... we need to make believe that MAS/Firefly/ Mas wing. is going down the drain.. dont making money etc.. give it a few month.. typical Malaysian way.. someone will get caught embezzling etc.. . somehow due to miss management who fault of letting go of prime routes, stopping routes with full passengers load etc...hmmmm thennnnnnnnn some screaming from government...heads chopped, at which point MAS in deep caca. NEeds financial assistance to pay for new planes etc.. here comes GOD tony. with his bags of money from his financiers buy MAS..(Oops - help MAS) BUt comes with a price. TOny wants only 49%.. but in reality he and his Buddies owns all... Winner takes all...no one does it better..than MEEEEEEEEEEEE

BTW If anyone have noticed.. there is only two airlines in malaysia for many years. Many have tried to set up an passenger airline..to more competition all have failure to even take off.. even with one of the King's son backing... strange.. the newest is Eagle Express.. even that is having problems. the partnership of Berjaya Air and Lion Air has been dissolved because of someone want the money making Medan routes.. NO medan no partnership.

If you want to set up an airline in malaysia... make sure it CARGO.. everything else. the MAFIA will pay you a visit... NOOOOOOOOOOO cant do..lah. this MAFIA, you dont get to wear concrete shoes... you get to visit a plantation field with grenade...ask the mongolian model a few years back..

In a way..MAS can make money.. if you sack(fire) Remove BUT NOT reassign..to another position.... the excess management staff in MAS..I never seen so many Managers in a organsation... nearly everyone is appointed manager or supervisor. but not many workers. HMmm so All these self or friend appointed manager and supervisor never do anything except gossip..a bunch of old ladies, all grumpy and have no life outside MAS Mr Trump... "YOU ARE FIRED!!!!!"

Malaysian People please take you head out of the sand (sila mengambil kepala anda daripada pasir ... realiti muka). before its too late. If you are so in denial or too lazy to do anything.. let Air Asia take over. Save Face..

This situation is not good for the country.

[Hogger60]

AirAsia X to start KL-Sydney route

By B.K. SIDHU


It’s finalising whether to exit from Indian, European and Christchurch services PETALING JAYA: AirAsia X (AAX) seems all set to start ticket sales for the much-awaited KL-Sydney route next week and will begin mounting flights to the Australian city by April this year, way ahead of rival Scoot.
The airline is also said to be in the final stages of rationalising its route network where it would cut some routes which it deemed to be unprofitable and add Sydney and some routes to China (provided it can get slots there) to its network.
“We want to do that (Sydney) well ahead of the competition,'' said a senior official of the airline group.
Scoot is Singapore Airlines' long-haul low-cost carrier that has named Sydney as the first city of call out of Singapore and plans to begin flying the route by mid-year.
Competitive: AirAsia X offers reasonable rates for its Melbourne, Perth and Gold Coast flights/
The official declined to elaborate, but market has it that AAX will begin selling tickets for the sector next Tuesday and a team is planning to launch the sales from Sydney.
The first flight is slated to take off on April 1. However, all is subject to its internal planning, though the airline may be looking at daily flights for the KL-Sydney sector.
This puts an end to the near three-year wait and a bitter fight with Malaysia Airlines (MAS) over the route. MAS had previously lobbied against competition and the national carrier is still the only airline serving the KL-Sydney route after Jetstar withdrew from the sector in 2009.
This sharing of routes has been made possible after a share-swap agreement between AAX's sister company AirAsia and MAS on Aug 8 last year and both will collaborate rather than compete.
Currently, MAS flies twice daily from KL to Sydney and whether MAS will reduce the frequency to once daily and make way for AAX to take on the other slot is unclear.
“Choices and reasonable fares are what a traveller wants. But the biggest fear for travellers over the collaboration is the lack of competition and that is seen by the fare pricing for the Dehli/Mumbai sectors where the fares offered by AAX are somewhat close to that offered by MAS,'' said an industry source.
To be fair, AAX does offer reasonable rates for its Melbourne, Perth and Gold Coast flights and if the booking is made in advance, the savings can be up to 40% of the full-service fares. The airline is currently offering a 20% discount on its base fares for all its routes for a limited period.
Asked on the strategy for the KL-Sydney route, the official said:“We would offer lots of low fares and as we are already well known in Australia it should be (fairly easy to fill up our aircraft).''
Interestingly, those in the know claim that AAX is close to finalising details on whether to exit from the Indian (New Dehli, Mumbai), European (London and Paris) and Christchurch routes.
Sources said both MAS and AAX had had several meetings over the matter so that MAS could take over all the slots from AAX for the routes and carry AAX passengers that have booked seats with the airline.
The date for axing the route is said to be as early as February. AAX has, however, repeatedly said that “no decision on routes, whether to add new ones or cancel new ones'' had been made.
But those in the know claim that “all this adding and axing of routes is part of the understanding under the collaboration.'' Looking from the collaboration perspective, moving out of the European/India/Christchurch routes is seen as a compromise to get Sydney and some China routes.
MAS CEO Ahmad Jauhari Yahya in his executive summary of his business plan said that “we are close to finalising a connecting-service that will enable passengers on either airline to seamlessly connect between carriers and non-overlapping routes.”
Separately on Tuesday, AirAsia boss Tan Sri Tony Fernandes tweeted: “With all that's going on, we will need to get more planes. I will be speaking to the board. The growth in the low-cost arena is very exciting.''
Last Friday he was quoted in Paris as saying: “AirAsia will consider buying up to 25 Airbus A320 aircraft. Our growth will probably exceed the aircraft that we have right now, and the initial public offerings of AirAsia's units in Thailand and Indonesia will give us the ability to probably take more aircraft.''

JetJockey, I couldn't agree more. This is the latest in the saga. Looks like Tony is getting everything he wanted. This is reminding me more and more of Frank Lorenzo and what happened at Eastern Airlines in the 1980's, when Continental came in and took all the good parts of Eastern (reservation system, prime routes, etc), then left a hollowed out shell. Sad, so sad.

[QNH1013]

AirAsia X Re-Aligns Network

Dear fans, please be informed that due to soaring taxes and higher jet fuel prices, AirAsia X is re-aligning its network to focus on core markets and will be withdrawing services to India (Mumbai and New Delhi) and Europe (Paris and London) from our Kuala Lumpur hub as follows:

• Mumbai- Four weekly services will be suspended with the last flight on 31 January, 2012
• New Delhi- Daily services will be suspended with the last flight on 22 March, 2012. Flights in March will be reduced to four weekly services.
• London- Six weekly services will be suspended with the last flight on 31 March, 2012
• Paris- Four weekly services will be suspended with the last flight on 30 March, 2012

All Guests who hold bookings after these dates will be offered an alternative travel option at no additional cost to mitigate the inconvenience caused as a result of these route withdrawals. An e-mail stating options that are available will be send, including a full refund, a reroute to another AirAsia X destination (e.g, in Australia and North Asia), or a move to an alternative carrier where available.

AirAsia X will concentrate capacity in our core markets of Australasia, China, Taiwan, Japan and Korea. Announcements of our future expansions plans will be made soon.