Got to read this news about Air Asia (AK) going into India's market. Read on.
Mumbai: Low-cost carrier AirAsia India maiden is all set to launch operations from June 12 with a Bangalore-Goa maiden flight. The airline is offering a promotional fare of Rs 990 ($17) for flights between the two cities, cheaper than a second-class train ticket.
‘Our first flight is on Bangalore-Goa route,we are committed to making air travel affordable,’ said Mittu Chandilya,Air Asia. This is the fourth budget carrier in the country, after IndiGo, SpiceJet and GoAir.
AirAsia India reportedly sold out 25,000 promo seats within 48 hours of opening for bookings, the airline said in a release. Tickets for its inaugural service were sold out within 10 minutes.
The carrier's founder and chief executive Tony Fernandes, a millionaire former music executive, was in a celebratory mood ahead of the flight. Tony Fernandes further twitted "It's a proud day for me as my dad was from Goa," on Twitter.
More from here: http://www.deccanchronicle.com/140612/business-latest/article/low-fares-choose-how-you-want-fly-airasia-set-maiden-flight
Friday, June 13, 2014
Saturday, January 28, 2012
AirAsia’s action on ACCC claims
Here's an interesting article regarding the lawsuit filed against Air Asia:
AirAsia is carefully reviewing the contents of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) claims, filed in the Federal Court of Australia on 17 January 2012 in relations to fares published on the airline’s website for Australian consumers.
In a media statement released on 26 January, the airline said it takes legal and everyday commitment to its consumers very seriously and always seeks to conduct business in a fair, ethical and proper manner and in full compliance with the applicable laws.
The issue in question of whether all taxes and charges were displayed to customers for relevant flights appeared to have arisen for an IT issue in September 2011. Corrective action was taken by the airline as soon as they were aware of the matter, focusing on getting all relevant information to customers and resolving the issue on the website.
The recently released $99AUD promo fares for the new Sydney to Kuala Lumpur route by AirAsia X have not been affected by the issue.
More from here: http://www.etravelblackboardasia.com/article/81217/airasias-action-on-accc-claims
Friday, January 27, 2012
Lawsuit hopefully an eye-opener for AirAsia
Came across a news article in Malaysiakini with some comments on AirAsia's operations:
YOURSAY 'Please don't be penny wise and pound foolish by continuing with promo prices we never get to see. Don't spoil a good brand, please.'
AirAsia blindsided by fares issue
Vijay47: In all fairness to AirAsia, I do not understand this ‘hidden costs' issue. Sure, there is often a difference between the sensational advertised price and the final amount payable but remember that not all tickets even for the same destination on the same day cost the same - the early bird catches the cheaper worm.
Most importantly, the final price is always stated before you enter your credit card details. How can you then claim to feel cheated? AirAsia is not SIA (Singapore Airlines) - it is a budget airline that operates to make some profit, it is not a charity.
Having said that, I feel AirAsia is cunning in its inclusion of insurance almost without our knowing. It should be ‘Click to include', not the reverse.
They should also ponder why CEO Tony Fernandes is personally attacked so much, something that does not occur with other airlines. Perhaps people fear that Tony is another Tajudin Ramli in the making, especially with the AirAsia-MAS hook-up.
And owning an EPL (English Premier League) team does not help either.
Malaysiasakit: AirAsia blindsided by what? Incompetent executives or by the company's greed? Even if you start a milk bar (kedai runcit) in Australia, you need to observe legal requirements on price labelling, food safety, signage and licensing, etc.
How a public-listed company do business in a foreign country without proper legal due diligence is beyond me.
Meanwhile, the company is stuffing up travel plans of customers who booked tickets for London, Paris, New Delhi and Mumbai. Don't expect us to believe this is an oversight.
Onyourtoes: See, when issue like this emerge, it is always the technical glitch or an IT issue. It is not just AirAsia, almost all corporations are like that - things which are not in their immediate favour, it is glitches and IT issues while things to their favour, they never make mistakes or have any glitches.
By the way, it is not sufficient just to be "in full compliance with all the applicable laws". That is the minimum requirements that everyone must adhere to.
Corporations need to do more than that - is this not what most of the corporate bigwigs were talking about all the time, social responsibility and being fair and even-handed with consumers and customers?
Wanderer: This is a typical response from Malaysian-owned companies - play ignorant and that means ‘innocent' from fault.
Why not have the courage to admit the mistake and promise to remedy the situation with a sincere apology to its customers?
AirAsia, your response is not good enough. Show responsibility and sincerity.
Clever Voter: AirAsia would have realised by now the meaning of responsible business. You can dazzle the local public with much PR (public relation) messages, but not in the more advanced societies.
This is a good lesson for this so-called low-cost airline. I am always wary of their business model and cost structure. You can fool some but not everyone.
WeCANLive: Again I am stressing this. The ACCC (Australian Competition and Consumer Commission) is not an Australian watchdog. It's just wanting to protect Australian interests.
All of you all talk so much. Why not you go online and book a ticket to Sydney and tell me whether any other airline has a cheaper return fare to Sydney. Then you start talking to me.
Yes, definitely there are hidden costs - how do you expect an airline to be profitable. If you want real cheap, do not pre-confirm seat numbers; do not book the bus ride; do not eat.
Kgen: Don't take us for morons. Do you think the ACCC will take legal action over a temporary computer glitch? Deceptive fare pricing is something AirAsia has indulged in from day one.
They make it particularly hard for people to compare prices between airlines. AirAsia needs to hide their real price because they practise a sliding scale pricing depending on when you book.
Those who book early get good prices while latecomers are charged more then regular airlines. Shame on AirAsia for not being transparent on prices.
As for their service, it is really the pits. If you need to contact them to correct something which may not be your fault, God help you because you'll be psychologically, mentally and physically traumatised by AirAsia staff.
Bob Teoh: How many lies need AirAsia have to tell - that it was not aware of the incomplete pricing information until the Australian authorities filed a case against it? Come on, AirAsia's promotion pitch has always been like that from day one.
If that's not enough, it now blames a computer glitch. Tony, why can't you just display an all-in price and let passengers whether they still want to fly with AirAsia. I bet they will still fly with you.
This will also make easier on your booking software and save passengers doing all the unnecessary numerous clicks.
Please don't be penny wise and pound foolish by continuing with promo prices we never get to see. Don't spoil a good brand, please.
GoneBananas: Being up-front in business is the only way to go. Thanks for giving AirAsia a smack on the wrist on behalf of all customers who have been pissed off about their sneaky ways for years, but don't have the legal resources to take legal action against corporate malfeasance and greed.
Jeremy Ng: AirAsia may be cheaper, even after adding all the other charges. But their promotional tag lines are obviously misleading.
Take the example of the very low promo fare advertised which you find it difficult to get. As a responsible corporation, maybe AirAsia should indicate the number of seats offered at this price. Without this, it is opened to abuse and cheating.
As a marketing tool, it does attract many consumers attention and interest. It is time our local authorities take the lead from the Australian suit to implement some controls to stop AirAsia and others from misleading consumers.
Ksn: Now that AirAsia is caught with its pants down, please do not come up with cock-and-bull stories. Start now to quote prices, to and fro, including minimum baggage - checked in and hand - one meal and airport charges. That is basic.
Charge for other services at reasonable rates. Do not charge for telephoning AirAsia and website booking, which is pure nonsense.
Start now because you have a lot of lost credibility to redeem. My view is that with transparency, you can do better business and do not forget there are other options for travelers in and from the region, may be paying a little more.
Give it some serious thought, Tony. This issue with Australia should be an eye-opener for you and AirAsia.
Anonymous_3da0: The only reason they're taking this seriously is that it is a legal action filed in Australia.
More from here:http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/187574
YOURSAY 'Please don't be penny wise and pound foolish by continuing with promo prices we never get to see. Don't spoil a good brand, please.'
AirAsia blindsided by fares issue
Vijay47: In all fairness to AirAsia, I do not understand this ‘hidden costs' issue. Sure, there is often a difference between the sensational advertised price and the final amount payable but remember that not all tickets even for the same destination on the same day cost the same - the early bird catches the cheaper worm.
Most importantly, the final price is always stated before you enter your credit card details. How can you then claim to feel cheated? AirAsia is not SIA (Singapore Airlines) - it is a budget airline that operates to make some profit, it is not a charity.
Having said that, I feel AirAsia is cunning in its inclusion of insurance almost without our knowing. It should be ‘Click to include', not the reverse.
They should also ponder why CEO Tony Fernandes is personally attacked so much, something that does not occur with other airlines. Perhaps people fear that Tony is another Tajudin Ramli in the making, especially with the AirAsia-MAS hook-up.
And owning an EPL (English Premier League) team does not help either.
Malaysiasakit: AirAsia blindsided by what? Incompetent executives or by the company's greed? Even if you start a milk bar (kedai runcit) in Australia, you need to observe legal requirements on price labelling, food safety, signage and licensing, etc.
How a public-listed company do business in a foreign country without proper legal due diligence is beyond me.
Meanwhile, the company is stuffing up travel plans of customers who booked tickets for London, Paris, New Delhi and Mumbai. Don't expect us to believe this is an oversight.
Onyourtoes: See, when issue like this emerge, it is always the technical glitch or an IT issue. It is not just AirAsia, almost all corporations are like that - things which are not in their immediate favour, it is glitches and IT issues while things to their favour, they never make mistakes or have any glitches.
By the way, it is not sufficient just to be "in full compliance with all the applicable laws". That is the minimum requirements that everyone must adhere to.
Corporations need to do more than that - is this not what most of the corporate bigwigs were talking about all the time, social responsibility and being fair and even-handed with consumers and customers?
Wanderer: This is a typical response from Malaysian-owned companies - play ignorant and that means ‘innocent' from fault.
Why not have the courage to admit the mistake and promise to remedy the situation with a sincere apology to its customers?
AirAsia, your response is not good enough. Show responsibility and sincerity.
Clever Voter: AirAsia would have realised by now the meaning of responsible business. You can dazzle the local public with much PR (public relation) messages, but not in the more advanced societies.
This is a good lesson for this so-called low-cost airline. I am always wary of their business model and cost structure. You can fool some but not everyone.
WeCANLive: Again I am stressing this. The ACCC (Australian Competition and Consumer Commission) is not an Australian watchdog. It's just wanting to protect Australian interests.
All of you all talk so much. Why not you go online and book a ticket to Sydney and tell me whether any other airline has a cheaper return fare to Sydney. Then you start talking to me.
Yes, definitely there are hidden costs - how do you expect an airline to be profitable. If you want real cheap, do not pre-confirm seat numbers; do not book the bus ride; do not eat.
Kgen: Don't take us for morons. Do you think the ACCC will take legal action over a temporary computer glitch? Deceptive fare pricing is something AirAsia has indulged in from day one.
They make it particularly hard for people to compare prices between airlines. AirAsia needs to hide their real price because they practise a sliding scale pricing depending on when you book.
Those who book early get good prices while latecomers are charged more then regular airlines. Shame on AirAsia for not being transparent on prices.
As for their service, it is really the pits. If you need to contact them to correct something which may not be your fault, God help you because you'll be psychologically, mentally and physically traumatised by AirAsia staff.
Bob Teoh: How many lies need AirAsia have to tell - that it was not aware of the incomplete pricing information until the Australian authorities filed a case against it? Come on, AirAsia's promotion pitch has always been like that from day one.
If that's not enough, it now blames a computer glitch. Tony, why can't you just display an all-in price and let passengers whether they still want to fly with AirAsia. I bet they will still fly with you.
This will also make easier on your booking software and save passengers doing all the unnecessary numerous clicks.
Please don't be penny wise and pound foolish by continuing with promo prices we never get to see. Don't spoil a good brand, please.
GoneBananas: Being up-front in business is the only way to go. Thanks for giving AirAsia a smack on the wrist on behalf of all customers who have been pissed off about their sneaky ways for years, but don't have the legal resources to take legal action against corporate malfeasance and greed.
Jeremy Ng: AirAsia may be cheaper, even after adding all the other charges. But their promotional tag lines are obviously misleading.
Take the example of the very low promo fare advertised which you find it difficult to get. As a responsible corporation, maybe AirAsia should indicate the number of seats offered at this price. Without this, it is opened to abuse and cheating.
As a marketing tool, it does attract many consumers attention and interest. It is time our local authorities take the lead from the Australian suit to implement some controls to stop AirAsia and others from misleading consumers.
Ksn: Now that AirAsia is caught with its pants down, please do not come up with cock-and-bull stories. Start now to quote prices, to and fro, including minimum baggage - checked in and hand - one meal and airport charges. That is basic.
Charge for other services at reasonable rates. Do not charge for telephoning AirAsia and website booking, which is pure nonsense.
Start now because you have a lot of lost credibility to redeem. My view is that with transparency, you can do better business and do not forget there are other options for travelers in and from the region, may be paying a little more.
Give it some serious thought, Tony. This issue with Australia should be an eye-opener for you and AirAsia.
Anonymous_3da0: The only reason they're taking this seriously is that it is a legal action filed in Australia.
More from here:http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/187574
Friday, November 11, 2011
Cebu Air Inc : CEB slashes all international and domestic fares to P11
Today, November 11, 2011, Cebu Pacific is offering another great fare sale. Read on:
Offers more than 111,111 seats
The Philippines' largest national flag carrier, Cebu Pacific (PSE:CEB) highlights November 11, 2011 (11.11.11) with an P11 seat sale to all its 17 international and 34 domestic destinations. This is available from November 11 to 13, 2011 or until seats last, for travel from June 1 to December 15, 2012.
Passengers can book P11 flights to any of CEB's international destinations, namely: Bangkok, Beijing, Brunei, Busan, Guangzhou, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh, Hong Kong, Incheon, Jakarta, Kota Kinabalu, Kuala Lumpur, Macau, Osaka, Singapore, Shanghai or Taipei.
The airline's 34 domestic destinations are also up for grabs. They are: Bacolod, Boracay (Caticlan), Busuanga (Coron), Butuan, Calbayog, Cagayan de Oro, Catarman, Cauayan (Isabela), Cebu, Clark, Cotabato, Davao, Dipolog, Dumaguete, General Santos, Iloilo, Kalibo, Legaspi, Laoag, Manila, Naga, Ozamiz, Pagadian, Puerto Princesa, Roxas, San Jose (Mindoro), Siargao, Surigao, Tacloban, Tagbilaran, Tawi-Tawi, Tuguegarao, Virac and Zamboanga.
The seat sale fare is exclusive of government tax and fuel surcharge.
"CEB has continuously pioneered creative pricing strategies, and has given Filipinos seat sales as low as P0.88, P1, P8.21 and P12 for this year alone. We remain an innovative airline that offers the lowest fares in all the markets we fly to, for the benefit of even more air travelers," said CEB VP for Marketing and Distribution Candice Iyog.
"Next year, we plan to expand our China and ASEAN operations, starting with twice weekly Manila-Hanoi-Manila flights to be launched on March 17, 2012. The airline also announced flight and seat capacity increases to Beijing, Brunei, Singapore, Ho Chi Minh and Bangkok. With CEB, there are a lot of flights, routes and destinations to choose from," Iyog said.
This promotion is only available via www.cebupacificair.com or through travel agents using the Amadeus global distribution system. Travelers can also avail of CEB's free web check-in and free seat selection service for their travel convenience.
The latest seat sales and promos can also be found on CEB's official Twitter and Facebook pages.
CEB currently operates 10 Airbus A319, 18 Airbus A320 and 8 ATR-72 500 aircraft. By the end of 2011, CEB will be operating a fleet of 37 aircraft - with an average age of less than 3.5 years - one of the most modern aircraft fleets in the world. Between 2012 and 2021, Cebu Pacific will take delivery of 23 Airbus A320 and 30 Airbus A321neo aircraft orders, and 2 Airbus A320 aircraft on operating lease agreements
More from here: http://www.4-traders.com/CEBU-AIR-INC-7641135/news/CEBU-AIR-INC-CEB-slashes-all-international-and-domestic-fares-to-P11-13886746/
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
How To Find Cheap Airfares In Any Season
Here are some great tips on finding a good deal on airfares. Read this helpful article:
It used to be all so simple, back when airfares changed so infrequently that airlines actually printed them on their schedules. You'd call your favorite travel agent to find the best deal, pack your bags and jet off. And there were only two kinds of fares: coach and first class.
Now, with airfares changing literally by the second and an alphabet soup of different offers, finding the "best" deal is a challenge. This step-by-step guide will get you ready for takeoff.
Sign up for free airfare alerts
Why do all the work hunting down a low airfare yourself when you can have someone else do it for free? Many airfare search and listing sites, such as TripAdvisor.com/flights, Travelocity.com, Hotwire.com, Bing.com/travel and, of course, Airfarewatchdog.com offer e-mail airfare alerts when prices go down. This chart compares many of the leading airfare alert sites. (By the way, only Airfarewatchdog lists fares on Southwest Airlines).
Learn about sales on Twitter
Because some of the best unadvertised airfare sales last only a few hours (even if they're good for travel over a long period), even the best-intentioned email alert can be too late. The beauty of Twitter is that it's instantaneous. Many airlines and alert sites now tweet this deals instead of emailing them.
Get e-mail from your airlines
Next: Sign up for e-mails and frequent flyer programs. Airlines are trying to woo customers to book directly with them by offering special deals when you subscribe. Sign up for emails from foreign-based airlines and from US-based carriers.
Next step: are you a flexible travel date flyer?
Doesn't really matter when you go as long as it's cheap? Some websites offer flexible date search up to 330 days ahead; others (mostly those powered by a company called ITA Software) only do searches in 30-day increments. Read more about flexible travel date searching.
These sites can be helpful if your dates are set, but you also might want to try "meta search" sites such as Kayak.com, Tripadvisor.com/Flights and Momondo.com. Warning: None of them include Southwest's fares, however, or fares on the smaller but growing Allegiant Airlines.
"Meta search" vs. online travel agency
So what's the difference? For one thing, online travel agencies such as Expedia have toll-free numbers with agents standing by to help you book or re-book a flight; meta-search sites don't. But there are many other differences.
Airline websites sometimes have the best fares
Increasingly, airlines aren't sharing their very best fares with third-party sites such as Kayak. Case in point: recent fares to London from the West Coast for $420 round-trip including tax that were only available on Spanish airline Iberia's website (similar fares were twice that elsewhere). So once you've found a fare, definitely check airline sites directly.
Watch out for promo codes
From time to time, you'll receive promo codes in your e-mail because you signed up for e-mail from your favorite airlines and online travel agencies. These codes can only be redeemed if you book directly on the airlines' websites, another way they try to cut out the middleman. (Airfarewatchdog lists any promo codes we find on the AirfarewatchBlog).
When to use your miles
Rather than cashing in 25,000 or even 50,000 miles for a domestic economy class ticket that might have cost you $250 or $300, why not splurge for a trip to Europe (50,000 miles on some airlines) that might cost many times more? Or upgrade your $400 economy class seat to a $2,800 business class fare for 30,000 miles on domestic routes? A general rule: if the economy class fare is $400 or more, spending 25,000 miles is a good deal. Less than that, you might be better offering paying cash and saving your miles.
Getting the best last-minute airfares
You'll often get the best fares if you book at least 7 to 21 days ahead of departure. Otherwise, your best bet is Priceline.com's "Name your own price" feature or Hotwire.com. Also take a look at Lastminute.com which packages last minute airfares with hotel and rental car deals -- sometimes for less than what you'd pay for airfare alone.
When to use a real live travel agent
As good as do-it-yourself online sources can be, your friendly neighborhood travel agent may have some tricks up her sleeve to save you money. Let's say, for example, that you get an airfare alert that fares from Houston to Honolulu are $800 round-trip. But who knew that Dallas to Honolulu, same dates, is $300? Or that you can fly from Houston to Dallas for $100 and connect onward? A savvy travel agent.
Getting a refund when the fare drops after you buy
Several domestic US airlines will give you a full refund, in the form of a voucher good for future travel, if the airfare drops between the time you buy and time you fly -- if and only if you fly on the same itinerary. Find details in this chart.
Factor in the fees
A low fare on one airline could turn out to be not so low once fees are added on. Airlines are making most of their profits these days not from selling you airfares but with all those fees for baggage and other perks. In addition to checked bag fees (chart) there are even fees for using your frequent flyer miles and for other services such as changing a travel date or bringing a pet on board.
Is there a "magic" hour or day to buy?
In a word, no. It's true that the airlines' weekend deals come out Monday to Wednesday, and some airlines announce their sales early in the week, but if you limit yourself to searching just on those days, you'll miss out. A good fare can pop up any moment of the week.
Best days to travel
Although a low airfare can appear at any time, one thing's for certain: it's cheaper to fly on a Tuesday or Wednesday. Saturday is also a low-fare day. If traveling internationally, Monday to Wednesday is often the sweet spot.
Airfare predictions
Speaking of "when to buy," Bing.com/travel purports to offer accurate airfare predictions, indicating whether the site thinks a fare will go up or down, and it's certainly worth a try, but it's not always accurate. To see if an airfare is currently on the high or low side, do a web search for "historic airfares" to see airfare trends on a particular route. Two useful sites: Farereport.com and Kayak.com/trends.
More from here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/george-hobica/how-to-find-cheap-airfare_b_1069287.html
It used to be all so simple, back when airfares changed so infrequently that airlines actually printed them on their schedules. You'd call your favorite travel agent to find the best deal, pack your bags and jet off. And there were only two kinds of fares: coach and first class.
Now, with airfares changing literally by the second and an alphabet soup of different offers, finding the "best" deal is a challenge. This step-by-step guide will get you ready for takeoff.
Sign up for free airfare alerts
Why do all the work hunting down a low airfare yourself when you can have someone else do it for free? Many airfare search and listing sites, such as TripAdvisor.com/flights, Travelocity.com, Hotwire.com, Bing.com/travel and, of course, Airfarewatchdog.com offer e-mail airfare alerts when prices go down. This chart compares many of the leading airfare alert sites. (By the way, only Airfarewatchdog lists fares on Southwest Airlines).
Learn about sales on Twitter
Because some of the best unadvertised airfare sales last only a few hours (even if they're good for travel over a long period), even the best-intentioned email alert can be too late. The beauty of Twitter is that it's instantaneous. Many airlines and alert sites now tweet this deals instead of emailing them.
Get e-mail from your airlines
Next: Sign up for e-mails and frequent flyer programs. Airlines are trying to woo customers to book directly with them by offering special deals when you subscribe. Sign up for emails from foreign-based airlines and from US-based carriers.
Next step: are you a flexible travel date flyer?
Doesn't really matter when you go as long as it's cheap? Some websites offer flexible date search up to 330 days ahead; others (mostly those powered by a company called ITA Software) only do searches in 30-day increments. Read more about flexible travel date searching.
These sites can be helpful if your dates are set, but you also might want to try "meta search" sites such as Kayak.com, Tripadvisor.com/Flights and Momondo.com. Warning: None of them include Southwest's fares, however, or fares on the smaller but growing Allegiant Airlines.
"Meta search" vs. online travel agency
So what's the difference? For one thing, online travel agencies such as Expedia have toll-free numbers with agents standing by to help you book or re-book a flight; meta-search sites don't. But there are many other differences.
Airline websites sometimes have the best fares
Increasingly, airlines aren't sharing their very best fares with third-party sites such as Kayak. Case in point: recent fares to London from the West Coast for $420 round-trip including tax that were only available on Spanish airline Iberia's website (similar fares were twice that elsewhere). So once you've found a fare, definitely check airline sites directly.
Watch out for promo codes
From time to time, you'll receive promo codes in your e-mail because you signed up for e-mail from your favorite airlines and online travel agencies. These codes can only be redeemed if you book directly on the airlines' websites, another way they try to cut out the middleman. (Airfarewatchdog lists any promo codes we find on the AirfarewatchBlog).
When to use your miles
Rather than cashing in 25,000 or even 50,000 miles for a domestic economy class ticket that might have cost you $250 or $300, why not splurge for a trip to Europe (50,000 miles on some airlines) that might cost many times more? Or upgrade your $400 economy class seat to a $2,800 business class fare for 30,000 miles on domestic routes? A general rule: if the economy class fare is $400 or more, spending 25,000 miles is a good deal. Less than that, you might be better offering paying cash and saving your miles.
Getting the best last-minute airfares
You'll often get the best fares if you book at least 7 to 21 days ahead of departure. Otherwise, your best bet is Priceline.com's "Name your own price" feature or Hotwire.com. Also take a look at Lastminute.com which packages last minute airfares with hotel and rental car deals -- sometimes for less than what you'd pay for airfare alone.
When to use a real live travel agent
As good as do-it-yourself online sources can be, your friendly neighborhood travel agent may have some tricks up her sleeve to save you money. Let's say, for example, that you get an airfare alert that fares from Houston to Honolulu are $800 round-trip. But who knew that Dallas to Honolulu, same dates, is $300? Or that you can fly from Houston to Dallas for $100 and connect onward? A savvy travel agent.
Getting a refund when the fare drops after you buy
Several domestic US airlines will give you a full refund, in the form of a voucher good for future travel, if the airfare drops between the time you buy and time you fly -- if and only if you fly on the same itinerary. Find details in this chart.
Factor in the fees
A low fare on one airline could turn out to be not so low once fees are added on. Airlines are making most of their profits these days not from selling you airfares but with all those fees for baggage and other perks. In addition to checked bag fees (chart) there are even fees for using your frequent flyer miles and for other services such as changing a travel date or bringing a pet on board.
Is there a "magic" hour or day to buy?
In a word, no. It's true that the airlines' weekend deals come out Monday to Wednesday, and some airlines announce their sales early in the week, but if you limit yourself to searching just on those days, you'll miss out. A good fare can pop up any moment of the week.
Best days to travel
Although a low airfare can appear at any time, one thing's for certain: it's cheaper to fly on a Tuesday or Wednesday. Saturday is also a low-fare day. If traveling internationally, Monday to Wednesday is often the sweet spot.
Airfare predictions
Speaking of "when to buy," Bing.com/travel purports to offer accurate airfare predictions, indicating whether the site thinks a fare will go up or down, and it's certainly worth a try, but it's not always accurate. To see if an airfare is currently on the high or low side, do a web search for "historic airfares" to see airfare trends on a particular route. Two useful sites: Farereport.com and Kayak.com/trends.
More from here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/george-hobica/how-to-find-cheap-airfare_b_1069287.html
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
AirAsia offers FREE SEATS to Singapore and special promo fares to Langkawi, Kota Kinabalu & Miri, in conjunction with additional flight frequencies
For those planning to go to Singapore this period, have a look at Air Asia's promo below:
AirAsia, the world’s best low cost airline for three consecutive years, is enhancing its connectivity from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore, Langkawi, Kota Kinabalu and Miri by introducing additional flight frequencies to these destinations.
With the new additional flight frequencies, flights from Kuala Lumpur – Singapore has been increased from 11x daily to 12x daily (starting 30 Oct 2011) and 13x daily (15 Dec 2011).
Kuala Lumpur – Langkawi will be available 9x daily (30 Oct 2011), Kuala Lumpur – Kota Kinabalu 13x daily (10 Nov 2011) and Kuala Lumpur – Miri 4x daily (10 Nov 2011).
In conjunction with the added flight frequencies, AirAsia is offering special promotions to all travelers. For Kuala Lumpur – Singapore, the airline is offering FREE SEATS* exclusively for the 12th and 13th additional flights.
Enjoy special low fares from Kuala Lumpur to Langkawi from as low as RM9*, to Kota Kinabalu from RM29* and to Miri from RM29*.
Booking period for this exclusive promo will be from now until 2 October 2011, for the travel period from 30 October 2011 – 2 May 2012. Log on to www.airasia.com to find out more.
AirAsia Regional Head of Commercial, Kathleen Tan said, “The added flight frequencies is set to provide our guests with more convenience, as now there are more options on flight times for these destinations. Coupled with this latest promotion offering incomparable low fares from Kuala Lumpur to Langkawi, Kota Kinabalu and Miri plus free seats to Singapore, we are confident that it will be met with enthusiasm by our guests and we can expect to see excellent passenger loads.
“This promotion reinforces our vow in enhancing satisfaction, by means of providing incomparable holiday experience at very low fares and accompanied by a vast array of superior products and services. Come and take advantage of this excellent promotion to fly away for a short holiday. Be sure not to miss out!”
The promotion is also available via mobile at mobile.airasia.com, and via AirAsia apps for Blackberry, iPhone and Android phones. The apps are available for download at Blackberry App World, iTunes App Store and Android Marketplace by searching for the keyword AirAsia.
To make holidays more interesting and memorable, guests may log on to www.airasiago.com to be able to mix and match their preferred tour and activities, apart from affordable holiday packages and lodging from over 70,000 hotels worldwide. Together with the partnership with Expedia, the travel portal has 130,000 hotel partners around the world.
AirAsia keeps abreast with the social media community via their Facebook and Twitter accounts. Guests are able to receive real-time updates on latest promotions and interact with AirAsia via facebook.com/AirAsia and twitter.com/AirAsia
*Excluding airport tax & fuel surcharge, and for one way travel only. The promotion is only applicable for travel on the aforementioned additional flights.
More from here: http://www.etravelblackboardasia.com/article/78292/airasia-offers-free-seats-to-singapore-and-special-promo-fares-to-langkawi-kota-kinabalu-amp-miri-in-conjunction-with-additional-flight-frequencies
Monday, September 19, 2011
New airline to operate in Zamboanga
This is a great addition to the Philippine airline industry. Check this news about a new airline in Zambonga:
The Aero Majestic Airways is set to start operations from Zamboanga City to Cagayan de Oro and Zamboanga City to Dipolog City and vice versa on September 19, 2011.
Aero Majestic Airways Ticketing Officer Jenny Delo Santos Hau said their airplane is a YS 11, 64 seater and will be piloted by Capt. Maximo Vallejo.
She said flights for Zamboanga City to Cagayan de Oro will start on September 19 while the Zamboanga City Dipolog route will start on September 27. The promo fare will be P999 for both routes.
“El routes diatun nohay na otro airlines. This will help the senior citizens, businessmen lessen their travel time.” Hau said.
If a passenger will take the bus, it will take more or less 12 hours to reach Cagayan de Oro, while the same distance will only take one hour by plane. For Dipolog, the bus will take about 8 hours while it will only take less than one hour for plane.
Zamboanga to Cagayan flights will be on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and Zamboanga to Dipolog flights will be on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
According to Hau, more than 30 tickets were already sold for the trip to Cagayan and Dipolog.
For those interested, they can get their tickets at Jet Travel Zamboanga City International Airport with telephone number 991-8118 and Aero Majestic Airways Inc. with telephone numbers 955-0955 and 955-0517.
More from here: http://www.zamboangatoday.ph/index.php/news/13-top-stories/6253-new-airline-to-operate-in-zamboanga-.html
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