Cheapest Route | $32 |
---|---|
Most Popular Route | MNL to ICN |
Shortest Flight | 1h 00m |
Longest Flight | 25h 40m |
Based in Manila, Philippines AirAsia is a super low-cost airline flying to more than 150 destinations. It’s part of the larger AirAsia family based in Malaysia. The airline flies domestically in the Philippines and all over Asia, plus a few key routes to Australia. It’s constantly innovating and experimenting in the airline space.
For instance, their latest venture is to position themselves as more of a one-stop travel agent than just an airline. I’ve taken too many of these flights to count over the years, and I’ve always found them very convenient and incredibly inexpensive – and even, dare I say it, quite fun. The airline operates a large fleet and offers a variety of different routes that often fit with my travel schedule.
Philippines AirAsia offers their own version of economy, premium economy and business class tickets, with some of the premium cabins available only on select planes. Within these classes, there are multiple fare categories to choose from: Low Fare, Value Pack, Premium Flex and Premium Flatbed. With Low Fare tickets, you’ll need to pay for all your checked luggage, seat selection and meals. These are included in the Value Pack, Premium Flex and Premium Flatbed categories.
For longer flights, if you can, I highly recommend splurging on a Premium Flatbed seat. Yes, that is an actual lie-flat seat on a low-cost airline, and I’ve greatly enjoyed trying this newest addition. With this category you get free baggage, unlimited flight changes up to two hours before departure, priority boarding, travel insurance (one-hour on-time guarantee and baggage delay reimbursement), a dedicated counter for assistance, priority baggage handling and complimentary meals.
The airline prides itself on the quality of the fluffy pillow and soft duvet provided in Premium Flatbed reservations, and guess what – they really are better than most. If you spring for this fare category level you can also take advantage of 3 free hours in the Plaza Premium Lounge at your departure airport.
Depending on which specific plane you are on, you will have several seat choices to make, offering different degrees of comfort for varying costs. Hot Seats are in the front of the plane and in the emergency exit rows. These also come with priority boarding.
Standard seats offer a somewhat tight pitch of 28 inches and a width of 16 to 17 inches. The Premium Flatbed seats offer 59 inches of pitch and seats that are 19 inches wide. For some extra space and privacy, you can choose Twin Seat options that leave an empty middle between you and your traveling companion.
Finally, Philippines AirAsia sells Quiet Zone seats. These come with softer lighting, earlier and quicker meal service, and no children under the age of 10. This is available on all short-haul flights and I always choose this option for the best guarantee of the most enjoyable atmosphere on these quicker flights.
As with many low-cost airlines, you’ll find there really is a fee for almost everything. Before booking my ticket, I always check the complete and updated list of fees, just in case something has changed since my last trip. I’d hate to arrive at the airport and find out that, due to a change of policy, I now have to pay extra for something. Plus, if I have to pay for extra luggage, I prefer to do that when booking my ticket and not at the airport, as the latter option is always more expensive.
When it comes to baggage, Philippines AirAsia is similar to most low-cost airlines – there are added fees for most bags. But what I like is that the airline offers 15 pounds of carry-on baggage to all passengers for free, and if you need more weight, you can pay a fee for an extra 15 pounds. The dimensions of each carry-on bag are limited to 22 x 14 x 9 inches.
The official policy allows you to bring just a single carry-on bag in addition to a small personal item, and this cannot weigh more than 15 pounds. Having flown this airline many times, I can confirm that Philippines AirAsia flights are usually full, with lots of families bringing plenty of baggage, so it’s wise to travel as light as possible to improve your experience.
When I have to bring extra baggage with me, I love the airline’s Fast Pass option. It’s available for select airports (for a fee, of course) and with this, you can carry up to 30 pounds of cabin baggage, use a dedicated check-in counter, get access to the fast lane immigration check and receive priority boarding.
Besides their fees for luggage, the airline also charges extra for seat selection (Hot Seats or Standard ones), itinerary or ticket changes, cancellations and bringing infants onboard. Personally, I have no problem paying for seat selection, as this is fairly standard on most low-cost airlines these days.
The Philippines AirAsia dining program is called Santan, after the beloved local coconut milk. A great perk with all AirAsia airlines is that you can pre-book your meals in the airline app or on its website. And I have to tell you, these meals don’t disappoint, unlike so many other low-cost airlines, where I usually have to bring my own snacks.
I personally love the veggie bowls, packed with plenty of fresh vegetables. The Pak Nasser's Nasi Lemak is a clear favorite with travelers – coconut rice and curried chicken with peanuts and anchovies served with boiled eggs. All hot meals are only available if you pre-book, and they also include a drink.
The airline also has a large selection of snacks, like noodles, chips, nuts and local favorites that I love sampling. These don’t need to be ordered ahead, and neither do drinks (including alcohol). But what everyone loves most on these flights is the Zero Coconut lattes – I recommend pistachio or watermelon.
There are no seatback screens on Philippines AirAsia, so you have to use your personal device to access the very robust selection of movies, TV series, music, games and magazines. I love the airline’s own magazine and suggest flipping through a digital copy yourself while onboard.
Amazingly – and unlike many other airlines that tend to charge – free Wi-Fi is offered to the whole plane. It works well and is always available, making it extra easy to load up movies and TV shows during the flight. I’ve also found that the flight attendants are always super friendly – I love chatting to them when they have a spare minute on the flight.
Philippines AirAsia has a loyalty rewards program that is absolutely worth it if you’re planning to scoot around Asia quite a bit. As a member, I have collected so many rewards that my husband can benefit from free tickets when we are in the area.
The loyalty program is accessed through the AirAsia MOVE app (more below), where you can find all of your earnings and check on available rewards. You can sign up for free in the app at any time and start getting perks. These include free flights, using points for shopping and access to promos and special deals that change regularly. The airline also offers credit cards that bring even more perks.
The top tier memberships within the app loyalty program are Platinum and Black, and these allow you to skip all lines, check in first, board first and receive your luggage first at baggage claim.
The AirAsia MOVE app allows you to book flights, hotels, transfers and rideshare services, as well as order food and shop for duty-free goods. Of course, you can also check in for flights and print baggage tags and boarding passes. I love the way you can do everything in one area, which keeps things nice and simple (unlike many other more convoluted airline apps).
One of the other things AirAsia does very well is partnering with many other airlines to allow you to book flights across a much wider network, all through AirAsia. The AirAsia MOVE app shows just how many possibilities there are – you’ll be amazed by the volume.
Another app function AirAsia allows in the MOVE app is ZoneUp, which allows you to bid for an upgrade on your flight. Not all routes and flights are eligible, but you can see within the app whether your flight is included. If so and your bid is successful, you will get a notification about 5 hours before you depart and will benefit from your upgraded seat onboard.
This Cheapflights-commissioned article is presented as-is, for general informational purposes only, and may not be up-to-date. The opinions contained in the article are original to the author and reflect their authentic experience, which may vary significantly from the experience of others. Find more perspectives in our user reviews below.
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