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AirAsia X Suspends Services

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Old 12th Mar 2012, 17:11
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AirAsia X Suspends Services

here we go again... good luck getting your money back......


anyhooooooow....


AirAsia X, the long- haul, low-fare unit of AirAsia, will be suspending its Kuala Lumpur-Christchurch-KL route as part of the realignment of its network to focus on its core market.

In a statement on Monday, AirAsia X said the current four times weekly KL-Christchurch flights will be suspended with the last flight on May 30 (from Kuala Lumpur) and May 31 (from Christchurch).

AirAsia X said it will offer guests with bookings after these dates an option of full refund, a re-route to another AirAsia X destination such as Australia to Kuala Lumpur or Kuala Lumpur to North Asia, or a re-book of a return flight prior to May 31.

"All changes will be made at no additional cost to mitigate the inconvenience caused as a result of withdrawal and affected guests will receive an e-mail stating the available options," it said.

Its chief executive officer, Azran Osman-Rani, said the decision to withdraw from Christchurch was made taking into account the strategic focus in consolidating network on markets AirAsia X has built stable and profitable routes.

-- BERNAMA 12/03/2012
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Old 12th Mar 2012, 21:02
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Which routes do they have still?
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Old 12th Mar 2012, 21:54
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Quit a few

Those they whacked from MAS the North Asia routes Haneda, Osaka, Incheon DXB bla bla
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Old 14th Mar 2012, 17:56
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Looks like old Tony's plans are starting to unravel.By the time people get wind of the real accounts of Air Asia , he would be holidaying in Seychelles with a few hundred mill in the bank.
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Old 15th Mar 2012, 13:46
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AirAsia X cancels Christchurch

email from Air Asia...


Dear Guest,

Please be informed that effective from 1st June 2012, AirAsia X will be suspending our flights to/from Christchurch.
We will be sending individual notifications to all guests affected by this suspension, in stages, based on your respective flight dates, via email and SMS.
The email notices will also outline the various service recovery options offered which are:

i. cancel your reservation and opt for Full Refund/Credit Shell; or
ii. move to any of our other operating flights from/to Christchurch, before the 1st June 2012*; or
iii. reroute your flights from/to Christchurch to/from an AirAsia X port in Australia (Sydney, Gold Coast or Melbourne) to Kuala Lumpur# or any other AirAsia X destinations.
Please take note alternative arrangements has to be made on your own for the trans-Tasman travel.

*at no cost, subject to availability
# at no cost
In order to avoid undue congestion and delays in replying to your queries, we request that you contact us in relation to any queries you may have, only after you have received your individual notice.
For further explanation on the reasons for our flight suspensions, please refer to our Press Release on 12th March 2012.
***Important Notice**

For Option iii)

Guest who choose to transfer their Christchurch-Kuala Lumpur flights to an AirAsia X service Australia-Kuala Lumpur (Sydney, Melbourne or Gold Coast)or vice versa will need to make their own arrangements and payments for trans-Tasman travel.

For guests who have purchased domestic flights within New Zealand to connect with AirAsia X’s suspended Christchurch services, Air New Zealand and Jetstar will allow AirAsia X guests to transfer the payment made for the domestic flight to a trans-Tasman fare. There will be a call centre fee per person per segment for this service and fare difference if applicable.

(Example: A guest who paid for a return domestic flight from Auckland to Christchurch to fly with AirAsia X, who transfers their AirAsia X ticket to the Sydney-Kuala Lumpur service, can transfer the domestic payment towards a flight from Auckland to Sydney to connect to the AirAsia X service.)

To arrange this transfer, guest will need to contact the Air New Zealand or Jetstar call centre, verify connecting travel on AirAsia X, and arrange for their domestic flight to be transferred to a trans-Tasman flight (and pay any fare difference and the contact service fee).

Guests opting for Jetstar will need to contact Jetstar before 26 March, 2012 with the above details.

Call centre details:
- Air New Zealand: 0800 737 000
- Jetstar: 0800 800 995

Before booking trans-Tasman travel please consult airline timetables to ensure your flight to Australia provides time to complete customs and immigration, pick up any bags and check-in at AirAsia X for your flight to Kuala Lumpur (and vice-versa for the return flight from Kuala Lumpur to Australia and returning to New Zealand). A transfer time of at least 4 hours is recommended but please note that neither AirAsia X nor the trans-Tasman carrier can be held accountable for any missed connections.

Sincerely,
AirAsia X Sdn Bhd
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Old 15th Mar 2012, 13:47
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Devil

Hype is what all that Fatty can spew out. To say he is a talented spin doctor is an understatement.

1) airasia x will fail without profitable routes stolen from MAS.

2) What about the huge order of A330's guess MAS will have to absorb these or fatty will pay the penalties.

3) airasia has a huge order for A320's / Neo's and will have to expand at a phenomenal rate to pay for the orders or pay the penalties.

4) The PM's brother's bank financed fatty so that explains the share swap deal with MAS. (kazannah bailing out fatty and cronies)

5) The math just doesn't gel and you don't have to be a rocket scientist to see that the greed involved with the kickbacks from the aircraft purchases to line the pockets those involved is the driving force behind all this.

6) The Leprechaun is an interesting gimp of fatty. Look at his accounts through his consultancy and perhaps an interesting electronic trail will surface.

Good luck fatty, what goes around comes around.

Wooblah.
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Old 15th Mar 2012, 14:01
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MAS–AirAsia swap was a mistake: Najib as Khazanah chief must take responsibility

The Pakatan Rakyat Manifesto/ Policy Committee thinks that the share swap deal between Malaysian Airline System (MAS) and AirAsia was a mistake and Najib as the chairman of Khazanah should be responsible for this mess.

From the onset, the justification of this collaboration is suspect. If the intention is for MAS to focus on premier services while AirAsia on no-frills services, no exchange of equity is needed.

Since the collaboration took place, a lot of aggressive route and capacity cuts have been undertaken, mostly involving MAS. Furthermore, it has killed Firefly’s (MAS’ low cost carrier) lucrative budget services that were giving AirAsia a run for its money.

Clearly, this is a form anti-competitive behaviour displayed by MAS-AirAsia. Having AirAsia's chief executive, Tony Fernandes, and his deputy Kamarudin Meranun on the board of MAS only serves the interest of AirAsia at the expense of consumers.

Additionally, The Edge has also reported that the share swap deal faced resistance from the Malaysian Airlines System Employees Union (MASEU). It is understood that MASEU’s representative had met with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak to air the union’s unhappiness.

No bailouts and advisory fees paid must be clawed back

Unfortunately, all this confirmed the predictions made by independent, not-for-profit research institute REFSA (Research for Social Advancement) on 12 Aug 2011, soon after the swap was announced. REFSA said that this collaboration would result in less frequent flights, reduced job prospects for airline staff and fewer opportunities for all Malaysians due to less connectivity.

Speculations are now abounding on the possibility of the Prime Minister asking Khazanah to buy back the stake exchanged with Tune Air.

In light of this development, we hope that Khazanah will not be bailing out Tune Air. Considering the fact that MAS reported RM2.52 billion net loss for 2011, its largest loss in history, Khazanah must buy back the stake at a lower price to reflect MAS’ terrible performance since the deal was made.

At the same time, advisory fees paid to the GLC that advised on the deal - CIMB Bank - should be clawed back since the deal was obviously flawed. In less than 6 months after the deal MAS reported this massive loss.

Pakatan Rakyat Manifesto/ Policy Committee

Rafizi Ramli

Dr. Dzulkifli Ahmad

Liew Chin Tong
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Old 15th Mar 2012, 14:09
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Air Asia X, the Flying Pie in the Sky ..

Regarded as one of the most spectacular airline success stories in the world, AirAsia has, nevertheless, had its share of criticisms: frequent flight cancellations, harsh terms and conditions for ticket purchases, deceptive behaviour and poor customer service. Recent events have thrown these flaws into sharper relief and provided some quite astonishing insight into its business ethics.

On 12 January 2012, AirAsia X announced the closure of flights from Kuala Lumpur to London, Paris, Mumbai and Delhi. Since then, affected AAX customers have suffered immense stress due to the airline’s mishandling of their needs.

These customers were initially overjoyed when AAX offered them not just a refund or a credit shell for future flights, but also the option of re-booking to another airline at no additional cost. The last option was a surprise because it generously went beyond the airline’s standard terms and conditions for ticket purchases. Furthermore, they would be travelling on a regular airline despite having paid for a discount one. It was almost unbelievable.

True to its promise, AAX soon sent out offers of alternative flights on MAS. The last of its European flights occurring on March 31, those scheduled to fly in April received them in late January with a seven-day period for acceptance. Unfortunately, that was the last piece of good news for these customers for, then, the game changed dramatically.

Vague replies

Despite many customers losing no time in eagerly accepting the offered MAS flights, no valid e-tickets appeared as the days and weeks went by. E-mails to AAX went unanswered no matter how many were sent, and its contact centre was notoriously difficult to get through. Those who did manage to get through were given vague replies that kept changing. One fed-up person who persisted has this to say:

"First I was told I would get tickets "within 3 days". Then it changed to "an e-mail offering alternatives within 3 days". That then changed to "within one week". I was then told tickets "2 months before departure". Then it changed again to only the e-mail offering the alternatives 2 months before departure, and the e-ticket within a week of responding to that. Now, once again the rules have changed, and we're being told that the actual e-ticket is coming out 1 month before departure."

The delay was blamed on the inefficiency of MAS in breaking up AAX’s block bookings into individual reservations, a trivial exercise, in fact. AAX finally settled on the “one-month before departure” promise which it advertised on its Facebook/AirasiaUK page, in a general circulation e-mail to all those affected, through direct communication with its CEO and customer care team. This tight margin did not satisfy those from some countries such as India because they needed valid tickets to apply for European visas. They were cruelly told to opt for refunds if they could not wait.

Then, even those who did not need to apply for visas started feeling the chill when it gradually sank in that what the airline meant was not one month before one’s outbound flight, but one month before the flight date on the re-booked ticket.

The difference is crucial. There are those leaving on an unaffected flight in March but returning after flight closure, say in May. This means that they are unable to get a return ticket before they leave with potential problems that this might cause at immigration checkpoints in London and Paris.

This situation will also befall any traveller with forward and return journeys more than a month apart after AAX closes its European flights. Even if they clear immigration, it means that they face the stress and worry of continually having to check their e-mails for a ticket home while on holiday, an unacceptable situation. Many desperate pleas to get AAX to redress this issue fell on deaf ears.

In some cases, AAX would only have needed to advance the delivery of return tickets by only a few days ahead of the promised dateline to enable these customers to fly out with return tickets. This can hardly be considered a big favour towards paying customers and the lack of response and inaction were astounding. But worse was to come.

Failed to deliver

The associated online community watched with bated breath as March 1 approached, when AAX would have to deliver valid e-tickets for the first of its cancelled flights on April 1. The day arrived but not the e-tickets. There was no official apology from AAX, no reason given and no official promise to redress the issue or provide a new timeline.

The situation prompted an online fury as customers vented their disgust and frustrations. In a tweet issued immediately past the dateline, the CEO of AAX, Azran Osman Rani, incomprehensibly blamed the delay on MAS being busy with Board meetings with the implication that the deal had yet to meet with official approval, despite all the promises. When pressed later in an e-mail exchange with an affected customer, Azran laid the blame squarely on MAS as follows:

“I’ve been sending the same message to MAS in the same upper-case letters, demanding the same answers.”

“We’re already dealing with passengers in the same predicament, already flown off, and not having e-tickets. Everyone’s upset. We’re upset.”

"... I am fighting. We are going to MAS physically. Everyday. ..."

Azran then offered the astonishing opinion that, “Right now, it looks like it (the e-tickets) may only come a few days before the actual flight,” an assessment so drastically different from the confidence of his previous “one month before departure” that it can scarcely be explained in terms of mere workload or the inefficiency of MAS. Observers could not fathom how any process could be so sluggish as to be unable to issue even a single re-booked ticket for the cancelled London and Paris flights and some begin to doubt if the mythic e-ticket would ever appear.

Indeed, many believe the real reason to be AAX’s purposeful slowness in paying MAS for these tickets in order to ease its cash flow requirements. And, by delaying the issue of e-tickets, by creating anxiety and uncertainty, AAX is intentionally driving many waiting customers to the refund option which is cheaper for the airline compared to the purchase of seats on MAS. At time of writing, no one with cancelled European flights in April is known to have received e-tickets.

Dirty tricks?

Observers now suspect that AAX’s offer to re-book affected customers on alternative flights at no additional cost was not unusually good customer service but, rather, a financial ploy. According to this hypothesis, the airline cannot afford to refund an estimated 30,000 customers all at once but, by stringing them along in this unpleasant way, it can pay out refunds slowly and progressively, only needing to provide re-booked tickets for those last few remaining. This allows AAX the benefit of a continuing, interest-free loan from ticket holders for as long as practical. Some who opted early for the refund option complained that they received significantly less than what they originally paid for as a result of not having been refunded in the same currency as in their booking. There are also inconsistent reports of how fast refunds are processed, from nine to well over 30 days.

Having suffered a 56% fall in net profit in the last quarter of 2011 compared to the same period last year, the airline may reasonably have an eye on its cash flow. Yet, the alienation of customers and trashing of its brand name can hardly be considered a reasonable price to pay.

AAX has a long period of cancelled flights to Europe, stretching perhaps till the end of this year. These ticket holders are told that offers (not tickets) of alternative flights will be made only two months before departure. For many, this is insufficient as they do not know if the alternative flights will align with their connections and, hence, are unable to plan their holidays in detail. This already drives many to prefer refunds instead. But those who are still waiting for offers do not yet know the horror of waiting for their e-tickets after they accept these desirable flights. Yet, they might learn from the strident anger and desperation of those on AirAsiaUK | Facebook

Malaysia Chronicle..Kumar Gan
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Old 16th Mar 2012, 00:00
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How about the theory that it could actually be good management decision in this case? If the route is not profitable, perhaps the aircraft should be redeployed to a more profitable route - right? Sounds reasonable to me. Why not make more money on another route?
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Old 17th Mar 2012, 04:21
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How about the theory that it could actually be good management decision in this case? If the route is not profitable, perhaps the aircraft should be redeployed to a more profitable route - right? Sounds reasonable to me. Why not make more money on another route?
I think the point is not that they closed down the route, or redeployed the aircraft. Any company has the right to do that when they see the need. It is the way they lie to, and continue to screw the passengers after having closed down the routes. They will do anything to delay your refund. But I guess it just comes down to, you get what you pay for.
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Old 28th Mar 2012, 16:00
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MAS To Fly Akx-ticketed Passengers

Malaysia Airlines Bhd (MAS) will fly AirAsia X Sdn Bhd's (AKX) passengers on selected routes following the signing of the Re-Accommodation Agreement (RA) with transaction value estimated at RM51.62 million.

In a filing to Bursa Malaysia, MAS said the agreement was to facilitate the re-accommodation of AKX-ticketed passengers following the suspension of AKX's services on the Kuala Lumpur-Mumbai; Kuala Lumpur-New Delhi; Kuala Lumpur-London; and, Kuala Lumpur-Paris.

MAS said it has, in the past, upon request, on an ad-hoc basis, provided uplift and re-accommodation of passengers of other airlines including AKX, in line with normal industry practice.

"These ad-hoc uplift and re-accommodation are subject to the availability of excess seats on MAS flights and to its commercial benefit," it said.

The airline said the RA would allow MAS to fill its projected excess capacities and to gain incremental revenue.

"The RA will not create any material financial impact nor will it have any effect on the share capital and substantial shareholders' shareholding of MAS in the current financial year," it said.

Meanwhile, in a statement, MAS said it would receive upfront cash payments or pre-payments on tickets for the re-accommodated passengers before the departure as stated in the terms of RA.

"To date, MAS has received a pre-payment of RM20 million in cash," it said.

MAS said the RA would benefit MAS as it was able to achieve higher passenger numbers on its flights which would be incremental to its normal load patterns.

"Hence, the related revenue from this arrangement is pure incremental revenue for the airline and would significantly contribute to the profitability of MAS," it said.

It said economy and premium class passenger holding confirmed AKX tickets issued before Jan 13, 2012 on the four routes would be transferred for travel on MAS between March 28 and Oct 27, 2012.

-- BERNAMA
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