Is AIR ASIA a good choice?

WHY USE AIR ASIA?

The answer is:
Price
Price
Price

This is a very successfull and ever expanding company that originated in Malaysia, but they have now several branches in for example Indonesia, Thailand and also the Philippines.They fly to India and Australia, almost anywhere in Asia basically.

They started flying back in 1996 with the original owners, but they went bankrupt. So the company with 2 aircrafts were purchased by the current owners for next to nothing, and they commenced their business in 2001, flying between Langkawi and Kuala Lumpur.

Nowadays they are the most successfull low cost airline in the world, having more than 88 destinations.
 There are different branches of Air Asia:

FLIGHT CODES	OPERATED BY
AK	Malaysia AirAsia
FD	Thai AirAsia
QZ	Indonesia AIrAsia
D7	AirAsia X
Z2	Philippines AirAsia
XJ	Thai AirAsia X
I5	AirAsia India
XT	Indonesia AirAsia Extra

 They currently fly to these destinations:

+ Australia

+ Bangladesh

+ Brunei

+ Cambodia

+ China

+ Hong Kong, China

+ India

+ Indonesia

+ Japan

+ Laos

+ Macao, China

+ Maldives

+ Malaysia

+ Myanmar

+ Nepal

+ New Zealand

+ Philippines

+ Saudi Arabia

+ Singapore

+ South Korea

+ Sri Lanka

+ Taiwan, China

+ Thailand

+ Vietnam

+ United States (Honolulu - Hawaii)

MY EXPERIENCES

 First time I used them was in April 2008. Bangkok-Jakarta.
I got a cold on that flight, because the Aircon was freezing cold, I was dressed with shorts and a T-shirt, and they offered no blankets.

I have basically good experiences with Air Asia.
To me, prices are very important, and MAN, have AirAsia brought them down!

Their motto is: Now Everyone Can Fly!

But not everything is as shiny and attractive as it first seems, though. It may be very hard to get some recompense from them, they will usually never admit they are at fault.

However, I do feel that the staff is usually friendly and neat, the planes are usually clean and good, with a feel of security on board.

Usually, I do NOT buy my flight tickets weeks ahead, I am a spontaneous traveller. Thus, I usually end up travelling with Air Asia in South East Asia, as it is quite easy to find cheap tickets almost until departure, except from the most popular destinations, like Bali.
  
Kuala Lumpur is the hub and birth place of AirAsia

KL is a very cheap and attractive destination and hub, and usually you will end up there at least on some stop overs.

I would really recommend you to spend some time in Malaysia if you are able. Accomodation is very affordable, and the food in KL is amazing also! and CHEAP!
The airports are quite far away from the City Center, but streets and infrastructure is very good, so you have many options: Express Train is quite expensive but fast. If you travel alone, this might be a good solution. If you are more people, sharing a taxi will better. Then there are cheap buses taking you downtown as well. Buy the ticket from the vending offices inside the airport. Very cheap!

I prefer to stay close to China Town in KL, Petaling Street.

Petaling Street is the old China Town in KL

Hotel Rain Forest, Jalan Petaling, is very close to the old China Town, and the prices are very affordable! However, there is another accomodation also called Rain Forest so be sure the get to the right one).

SAVE even MORE MONEY:

If you are going to Bali, you will find out that direct flights from abroad may be quite pricy.

It might be a good idea to choose a low cost flight from Bangkok, KL or Singapore to Jakarta first (There are more of them then just Air Asia - but from KL it is hard for find somebody who beats AirAsia, really!), and then travel further on to Bali.

You could also fly first to other destinations in Indonesia, like Yogyakarta, a lovely place to visit!
And after visiting that place, continue to Bali with a domestic flight.

Since I usually travel with a heavy check in luggage, it turned out to be cheaper for me to travel with Lion Air or Jet Star from Jakarta to Singapore and vice versa than with AirAsia, as they had a great allowance for luggage included in their low price.

I fly with AirAsia from Pattaya Utapao (UTP) Airport to Singapore and Kuala Lumpur many times, and the prices are incredibly cheap! UTP Airport is a small but easy to use airport. The problem is there are not many cheap transportation options from there to Pattaya, so I end up paying more for a taxi (1000 baht) then for the flight! It will take 1 hour from Jomtien to UTP, so be aware. Upon arrival in UTP, there will be a van take will take u to Pattaya with other tourists, and it is quite affordable.

CHECK OUT THE AIRPORTS they are using, before you travel.

 I would strongly advise you to check up on the airports they use, as this is a low cost carrier who will chose the cheapest options. They use the old airport for Bangkok flights: Don Mueang International Airport (DMK), and it is just terrible! Try to avoid it. It is old, very crowded, and the airport police and customers act like assholes.

I read about an American who flew from Manila to Davao, and he was very displeased with the airport they use in Manila: NAIA Terminal 4.

Air Asia will, of course, charge you for extra services, like luggage, seat space, food, drinks, blankets etc. So if you travel with a lot of luggage, it may be wise to compare the final prices with other carriers.

I often times use Skyscanner to find cheap flights,but when I find one, I prefer to buy the ticket on the site of the respective airline carrier, as you there can tailor your order better than if you buy it via another traveller's agency, who in turn will ask more to give you extra services.

Be aware during the booking process so they do not chare you twice, as they did to me once, when I used their App. (I recommend you to NOT use that app, just go on their website using a browser.)
Very irritating. After many months and complains made via VISA, I got some funds that I could use for another ticket.

Also be careful to use their hotel booking system. Last time I used it, I was charged for 7 days, even though I ordered only 2 days, as my ongoing flight was then. I never got the money back, so be aware. But the planes and the staff are excellent though, so I can recommend them.

Traveller's Insurance 

AirAsia will on their website offer you a Traveller's Insurance. If you only travelling ONE way with them, not have a return ticket within 30 days to the same location you travelled from (i.e. Kuala Lumpur), is is pointless to purchase that insurance, according to my understanding from it.
But if you are going from KL to for example Jakarta, and have a return ticket purchased at the same time, within 30 days, it can be a good idea to get the insurance, as it will be valid for up to 30 days.