AirAsia
reviews and complaints

http://www.airlinequality.com/Forum/air_asia.htm

The scoundrels at AirAsiaZest

Long, long time ago (in April 2013) I had the fancy of visiting Boracay (Phillipines) in Sep 13 during the korean thansgiving holidays - that being peak season I needed to book my flights early. However as future events have proven my stars were hardly on my side during those days. I booked two flight tickets from Seoul to Boracay via Manila (through Zest Airways) and hoped that a significant part of my vacation planning was over with the booking of flights. The search now starts to find some 'good' hotel in Boracay.

However around July I realised that I would have to move from Seoul to Melbourne in September and therefore Boracay would only remain in my dreams for the time being. Anyways as I pulled myself together from the white beaches of Boracay, I realized that my next immediate task was to cancel the flight tickets and get the refunds to my Korean credit card before I finally leave Korea. And that’s when I realized how sinister 'my stars' had been.

On visiting the Zest Airways website, I realized that there is no way to cancel my tickets online - apparently by that time they had been merged with bigger rogues at AirAsia and so the website only had a single phone number in Phillipines. All customers were to call that phone number to get their stories told. So around the 20th of July I start my series of phone calls to AirAsia Phillipines - if only words could capture the angst after each phone call. Over the next 20 days I ended up making atleast 7-8 phone calls to AirAsia Phillipines - on average each phone call took about 45 mins. Each phone call was a process of self discovery - the agents on the airlines counter always took the first 30 mins to retrieve my booking. The only explanation I always got was that Zest airways information had not been transferred to AirAsia - hence the reason why Zest Airways customers were literally in 'no man's land'.

In most calls they would say that your request for cancellation has been taken and refund request has been taken. However everytime I called back to confirm is cancellation/refund has been processed - they would always take the request again. Anyways after spending a total of 7-8 hours on the phone, I realized that there was very little progress - so now I contact these highly 'efficient' guys through 'eform' (an online form for customer issues in their website). Anyways after a few eforms they inform me around the end of August that your request for cancellation has been taken and will be processed in 'maximum 30' days. Since then the series of eforms have continued - they continue to understand my utter despair and frustration and always advice me to be patient - they always assure me that the refund request has been sent to the right team and issues have been escalated. I would assume that with so many levels of escalation my refund request is currently being handled by 'Mr. Tony'.

During all this time, AirAsia has always confirmed accepting my cancellation/refund requests but have never reverted back saying this is the refund amount - the essence of communciation with AirAsia is that every time it is completely new phase of discovery. They have multiple channels to reach out to customers - phone/eform/online chat/facebook/twitter - I have contacted them through all these channels in the last 6 months and its remarkable how smartly they have all been able to skirt around. I so wish to visit their offices once and see if 'indeed' there are 'real' faces sitting behind these channels. The only thing I can see them doing is singing their offers like 'sales' parrots - guess 'the sale of a ticket' is what 'running an airline' means to them. To me their customer service is way worse than even the shabbiest 'mom & pop's store'.

From whatever I have read/heard since then, there are numerous tales of such episodes - I would only blame things on my sinister stars that they led me to this trap. For others like me who might be also currently influenced by your 'evil' stars - do pause and think things through. Once your ticket is booked there's no getting hold of them!

I guess as a low cost airline AirAsiaZest really knows the value of 'time' - that’s how they have held on to someone else's cash for so long.

My luggage never arrived with me on a flight from DPS to OOL In Australia on the 6th of December. I filled out a lost baggage form and Kathy gave me a number to call to hear news about the luggage. The following three weeks I called this number daily only to reach an answering machine... "We are busy at the moment and bla bla we will call you back". NEVER happened. I was lucky one day and Kathy took the phone and said she would call back... NEVER happened. I called the OOL airport air Asia and they have me three numbers to call in Indonesia and Malaysia (stopped in Kuala Lumpur). The tree phone numbers... NEVER HAPPENED! One was wrong number, the second did not work and the last was a fax number?!? From here on I have tried Facebook message and so called LIVE chat without any form of reply?!? Anybody... Help, this is worst customer service EVER HAPPENING ;-) Goran Tufekovic, Denmark

Air asia is now charging a fee for travelling as a disabled person. A paraplegic is charged rm42 at each end to board the plane. The persons with a disabilities act requires that pwd have the same options as able bodied people.
I understand that air asia is a low cost carrier and has fees according to what the traveller wants. Want a meal, add on a charge. Want to pack more luggage, add on a charge. These charges are choices.
Being in a wheelchair is not a choice. It is unfair to make us pay extra for something we cannot change

On 11th november me and my friends has booked a flight from haneda transfer at malaysia to don muang bangkok. We have missed the flight at 10:30 am. One of airasia staff (Her name is noridah batan, she is a ground staff) is very rude towards us. She started to yell at us "if 137 people can make it why couldn't you four". So we asked her what shall we do in this case. So she adviced us to walk out of the immigration area without a boarding pass! Without telling us we can actually purchase a new ticket at the gate where she's incharge. When we went to service counter as she sugguested. The serbice is even worst. Airasia staffs told us to wait for approximately 4 hours. We kept asking them what can we do and all we received was "just wait". It's very simple if they will just let us buy a new ticket. Instead they kept us waiting without any service approched. I can not believe i'll receive an extremely bad service like this. Airasia is truea popular low cost airline but without any trainning and good customer service i'm sure i'll never fly with air asia again.

dear customer service,

This is my first time to book ticket Air Asia with my personal account .
On Friday 2 November 2013, I tried online booking several times but disconnected prior to completion . Finally I called the call center for ticket reservations from Jakarta - Kuala Lumpur return and received by Mr. Gilang . At that time I booked ticket and also asked what if I want to change tickets and answered for ticket changes can be done 48 hours before the day of departure and will be charged to changes in price and the price difference, but Mr. Gilang did not explain in detail what is meant by price changes . I was a bit relieved because there is still a possibility that there are changes in my schedule and in my mind was the price difference was fair. Thus I agreed, got booking number I4695L, paid and the transaction done .
Because there is changes in my appointment schedule in Malaysia, so I called back to the call center on November 6, 2013 and received by a woman ( I forget her name ) . I told her that I want to make changes to my flight schedule . But I was very shocked when she told me that if I want to make changes to the schedule, I will get penalty, then mentioned as my flight is the international sector so per sector fee is Rp 315, 000 for each way and this is not included difference in price, which means there will be the addition cost of more than 50 % price of my ticket price. I complained that I never got information in detail about this, because if I've been informed then I will think it over to fly with Air Asia. I finally reconnected with Mr. Gilang and I complained why he did not inform in detail what the meaning of price changes and gave me the list of that price changes that it is already available . I asked to speak with a his supervisor / manager, nut Mr. Gilang informed that he has reported to his superiors and the answer is the same . I asked again to speak directly, but Mr. Gilang refused . I asked his/her name, but Mr. Gilang did not want notified . At the end there is no solution that I expected and Mr. Gilang said that he will listen again recording a conversation with me and asked me to call back today 7 November 2013 .
I realize that I made mistake to not browsing again in detail on the web regarding the term & conditionnya since disconnected. But in my opinion, I chose to contact to the call center, so thi is the obligation of the sales officer, anyone who received my call and my booking to explain in detail the entire product, services and terms & condition of tickets that I have to be concerned .
Whether the customer is not allowed to speak directly with the supervisor / manager of sales officer considered if there is dissatisfaction about the customer services?
Finally I have to think twice to fly with Air Asia again because the motto of " Flight Cheap" becomes cheap against when its sales officer did not train properly in how to serve the customer and explain in clear on Air Asia .
Hopefully I get a response to my complaint.

Thank you & best regards,
Budi Rahayu (Ms.)
[protected]@gmail.com

The reason why my family opted to avail of advance booking under Air Asia was not merely to avail of discounted rates.It was more for convenience and looking forward to have our first family trip out of the country. The sudden cancellation of our flight from Clark has deprived us of this privilege and expectation of getting the services we deserve with our HARD EARNED Money. This sad state of Air Asia's post-customer care service and slow process of refund resulted in more inconvenience for me and my family. We want to forewarn other unsuspecting clients and potential customers to avoid this promotional scheme and deception of this airline. What adds to our frustration and anger is the process by which the company made us go through just to retrieve our payment. The burden and inconvenience and all this effort should be upon their management and not on innocent clients.

This learning is futile and useless if changes in your management, customer relations and marketing schemes are not realized soon. Hence your company survives at the expense of simple, honest individuals like us who want nothing but a fair deal and efficient service only.

We mailed the below email to air asia airlines. We need help. Please help.

From,
Mrs. Jyothi jain / mr. Sahul jain
Bangalore, india

Date : 24 / 08 / 2013

Subject : loss of checked in baggage weighing 21 kilograms at kuala lumpur lcct airport.

Respected sir / madam,

I, mrs. Jyothi jain and my husband mr. Sahul jain have lost our valuable baggage at kuala lumpur lcct airport, malaysia on 07 / 08 / 2013 during our travel from langkawi to kuala lumpur lcct airport.

Details of my travel are as below:

Departure : langkawi (Lgk) at 12. 50 hrs
Arrival : kualalumpur lcct (Kul) at 14:00 hrs
Pnr no : v7tyks
Airline : air asia
Property irregularity report id :bahkul13a02570

I would like to bring it to your notice the trouble and trauma that we had to go through due to your ill mannered staff at lost and found desk at lcct. After realising that my baggage was missing, i immediately took a step to report it to your lost and found desk and to my surprise i was asked question such as "do u know who took your baggage" and "would u mind calling the passenger who took your baggage". I was shocked at such behaviour from your staff. I had totally lost my mind as to what kind of questions were being asked to us. Had i known who took my baggage, would i report it to lost and found department? Aren't they trained enough to at least behave well with a tourist? Such rude and shocking behaviour is unbearable after we almost lost everything.

I was a tourist in your country, chose your country to celebrate my honeymoon and in turn i received such shocking responses. I had made more than 15 calls to know the status of the baggage but all in vain and not one single call from anyone from air asia. Being a tourist and a guest in your country, at the least we expected response calls from your lost and found desk. I am sorry to say but air asia has not made any attempt to trace my baggage, which made me go through a spoilt honeymoon. Imagine not having anything in hand and travelling in an unknown country. We had lost all our confidence. We were not left with a single cloth to wear for the rest 13 days of my travel until i did some shopping from kl. I was not even asked if i'm in need of some monetary help. It was the most ridiculous way of treating a guest in your country and also more importantly a guest in your airline company.

It has come to my knowledge, that the passenger who has my bag is not a malaysian. So it becomes quiet obvious that tickets would be booked using all the essential details like passport, contact details and also address of the passenger, which becomes very easy to trace my baggage. Secondly, i had requested the lost and found to put me directly to higher authorities who doesn't ask me questions like who took my baggage, so that i can converse well and somehow get my baggage, but your staff never co - ordinated.

According to the mail what i have recieved from central baggage tracing office, customer experience department, airasia berhad, your compensation to me is usd 20 per kg which equals to 21kg x usd 20 = 420 usd which is almost equal to the sony camera which was there in my baggage. Now, you tell me how will it be sufficient. What about my other things in the bag like my expensive mobile phone, my expensive clothes, my accessories, etc. ? More importantly, the harassment what we suffered after we lost the baggage. For the next 13 days we travelled with few necessities. Wasn't it an airline company's responsibilities to assure some kind of help?

You have to be fair with us. Please try to understand that the compensation what your airline is considering for us is definitely not sufficient. We have lost much more than what is expected.

Waiting for your response on this.
Thanking you

Regards,
Jyothi jain
Email id: [protected]@gmail.com
Mobile ph: +[protected]

Air Asia counter staff on 4 separate occasions have threatened not to allow me to board their plane because I did not have a return ticket. On each occasion I called their bluff because I had flown to the destinations for 20 years previously and have never needed a return ticket, and on each occasion I didn't know when/if I was returning. On each occasion I was eventually allowed to board the plane after what can only be described as an argument.

I have 3 other friends who have experienced the same thing, and said it was very unpleasant. 2 of them were infrequent travellers and buckled under the intense pressure and bought return tickets. They were very unhappy about this and feel that they were ripped off.

They were travelling to a country that issues visas on arrival, and have had no problem previously when flying with other airlines to this destination.

I tried to make a booking on Airasia.com on June 5th 2013. I entered my credit card details and and confirmed the payment. At this time my Ipad lost the internet connection and my booking was never confirmed. When I called Airasia's Taiwan office on June 6th I was told that they have no booking under my name, yet on June 13th Airasia deducted an amount of 55 512 NTD (New Taiwan Dollars ) from my account. I called the Taiwan office again and was asked to provide them with documentary proof, which I did. After waiting 10 days I called them again and was then informed that the correct procedure was to lodge an online complaint (of which I wasn't informed initially). I registered the complaint on Airasia's website (REF. No CAS 3896612-8YGQKW). I received an automated response promising a reply within 5 days and a resolution within 14 days. After waiting 4 weeks I started inquiry as to why nobody was responding and I was told to be patient, the matter is under investigation. Finally I received an email on August 4th informing me that Airasia cannot find any booking and asking me to provide a booking number. As stated in my complaint I informed Airasia that there was no booking reference and that is why I am surprised that they took money from my account. The email was an automated response so I couldn't reply and no contact details were given. It seems that airasia is not too interested in resolving the matter. I have now been waiting 2 months for my money to be returned. Money that Airasia should not have taken in the first place ! Your help to resolve the matter will be greatly appreciated. Andrew Staples

I had a duplicate ticket charge since last year 27 jun for rm462.00 flying from kota kinabalu (ak6273) - singapore (ak6274), refund policy is 60days from the day passenger file in the case. however, until today i have no news from air asia. i has wrote in many times and re-file the case. is either a email stating to wait for the refund or rejected request i got from air asia (crm). i cannot wait anymore as this money meant so much to me as a single parent and i always fly around with most airline due to my job and family commitment. i always have to follow up but nothing i get from them. i am desperate to have your help for this. please help me.

This is the email I sent to AirAsia, however, they are not reading it and keep sending me a rejection email.

Dear AirAsia,

Booking Nos: F4U8MI (This being the error flight)
A8H6YM(This being the correct flight)

I have already relayed this explanation to you recently, however AA sent me an automated reply stating that my refund was rejected but never stated the reason.

I really would ask for a REAL person to deal with this problem. I made this booking when you had the deals going in April. Your website was overloaded, which meant I was waiting, and waiting, being cut off, trying my best to get through, unbeknown to me, the first booking went through. At that time, I had made an error and click on the departure from Bali as 14 March 2014 instead of 14 February 2014. Without knowing this booking had gone through because of all the chaos online, I rebooked - this one for 4 February until 14 February.

If you would please read and access everything on these two bookings, you will see and know the error. Partly AA's fault because of the chaos going on at their website.

Please do not send me an automated reply. I'm 70 years old and cannot go through all this nonsense again. Also, we always travel with AA, but am thinking if we need or should go through that airline again.

I'm at the end of my tether and am now in the process of bringing the media onto this, and TV 'current affairs' and Today Tonight to take up my plight, and see if they can be of help. Also, if I have the same response from AA as I did a couple of weeks ago, then Consumer Protection is another avenue I can go down.

As I said, you will only understand how this was duplicated if a real person spends just a little time checking the dates.

Do you really want my husband and I to share two seats each when flying to Bali?

Common sense is needed here.

Please advise.

Sincerely

Maureen O'Loghlen-Kidd
(These bookings were made by PayPal****).

AirAsia made a double booking for me for a flight from Bangkok - Hanoi - Bangkok. I am not able to find an email address of AirAsia wichita functions. [protected]@airasia.com and [protected]@airasia.com is refused. Tha call centre in Thailand is only in Thai. The other call centre numbers I can't reach. I want to have a refund for their double booking, which was their mistake. Please help.

Air Asia's website shows a nice check mark beside Premium class tickets showing "cancellation" as one of the features available. However, just try and get that refund. Good Luck people. You will run up against a concerted effort of lies and misinformation telling you anything and everything to just try to get you to give up.

We recently tried to get our money back for a ticket purchased, not confirmed and more than two weeks before takeoff time. Forget it. We were told the following by three different operators:

"No refunds, doesn't matter what class ticket" (Hmmm...?)
"That's not on our website" (We showed them exactly where it was)
"You confirmed your ticket, now you can't get a refund" (No, we didn't)
"Your travel insurance you bought through us is far away in Hong Kong, it won't cover this and it's going to be too much hassle for you" (Nice coercion technique there)
"Don't worry, payment hasn't been made yet, just don't show up and you'll get your money back" (We checked with the credit card company, that was a lie)
"Your money has already been refunded" (Uh, no, we just got off the phone with them two minutes ago)

All lies. When confronted by the inconsistencies in their stories, one operator said "oh, that person is new they don't know what they're talking about". Hmmmm... so much for professionalism. I think everybody at AirAsia that we talked to doesn't know what they are talking about.

As far as not worrying, money was already taken out of my bank account so sitting around and forgetting all about it is the last thing I will do. Get ready AirAsia, we're gonna do battle I guess.

If this is a regular business policy and operating procedure, I'd suggest someone look into the possibility that this is a concerted effort by AirAsia to deny customers returns on tickets they thought would be refundable. Sounds like an excellent case for a class-action lawsuit.

This is not an exaggeration, I have the records of the conversations, I have the tickets, I have the printscreens of the website.

PLEASE DO NOT BUY TICKETS FROM AIR ASIA PEOPLE...

I was flying to Vietnam and was refused to get a boarding pass because I didn’t have a visa! Their employee was not educated well enough to be able to do her job! However, the rules are that because I’m a Danish citizen, I do not need a visa to Vietnam as long as these 3 conditions are met: DK citizens can stay up to max. 15 days, need to have a valid return ticket, my passport need to be valid more than 90 days.
Please see more here: http://www.vietnamonline.com/visa/denmark.html
Thier office in DMK Bangkok ALSO confirmed this, and therefore promised me a refund!
2 weeks later I just get an email saying my refund is rejected! I have sent them a long email explaining everything, I have called many many times, if they do pick up they hang up while I'm explaining. I have tweeted them several times, even tweeted their CEO Tony Fernandes... I haven't received any response from anybody... I think their strategy is to give the absolute worst customer service ever so people give up in the end... Trust me! I won't...

Think one extra time before you book anything with this company!

Thanks for reading

Daniel

When flying from Surabaya to Jakarta I lost my baggage. After Reporting they gave me a phone number to call for the status of my baggage +62 21 [protected]. However the phone is either nobody picked up or not active. Where the hell the customer service people are they really working?. Seems that the slogan " the best low cost" airlines just a rubbish. Really pissed off with this kind of Service. so stupid how a baggage can lost and make customer having trouble to check the lost baggage. Seems that I don't have anything else to do. Airasia sucks!

I am one of passenger of AirAsia who took the flight of D7326 on 15th Oct. 2012 from Kuala Lumpur LCCT to Chengdu Airport. And during this flight, I checked in my baggage. But when I got my baggage I found my camera in it which priced 3, 400 CNY was disappeared. And the CTU airport have weight baggage, confirmed there was 1.5KG missed, and gave me the property irregularity report.
The purpose I am writing is to express dissatisfaction of the attitude and efficiency AirAsia on this pilferage situation.
From 15th to now, I have wrote so many email and made calls to AirAsia. They refuse and delay to explain how the 1.5KG was missed. And refuse compensate me by The Montreal Conversation 1999.
Besides the attitudes of their staffs Nicholas Soo Hye Meng are passive. They just let me know there is no any discrepancies found related to any incidents of pilferage at our baggage handling area, and will not be able to compensate.

Would you let me know whether or not you can help me to follow up on this issue?

On 15/12/2012, i take my flight with air Asia. one of my luggage was broken. I'm very upset with their management of the luggage. my luggage wheel was missing n i am not get my broken wheel back. they didn't take the responsible when take care of customer luggage. Please take note of this matter. Air Asia is the big company that everybody knows. so please have a little considered about this problem. Until now i am really upset about what happened to my luggage. Thank you.

Be careful with AirAsia promotion to redeem BIG point with Staying in Tune Hotel. I experience bad thing. After redeeming and cut my points via website, I contacted the enquiry section of Tune Hotel for confirmation as procedure. They said the dates I requested cannot be used then asked me to change the dates. When I changed the dates they told me that no changes can be made once confirmed. What the heck! you cannot confirm, asked me to change the dates and then said i cannot change the dates! The redemption does not said the dates that is why i contact you for the dates! It is eaither stupid Tune Hotel customer service or unclear procedure between AirAsia and Tune Hotel. Really disappointed with this stupid promotion and i think have to let it go.

I flew Air Asia to Kuala Lumpur in August and in the ensuing six to seven weeks I have been receiving unwanted and unsolicited marketing emails from the airline. The delivery of these emails seems to have started since I complained to the airline about their service and the appalling condition of the airlines facilities at Kuala Lumpur airport.
I have repeatedly asked the airline's customer services to stop these emails as they are unsolicited and unwanted but am told that they cannot (or will not) cancel them!
There is a URL link at the foot of these emails for the expressed purpose of unsubscribing but that has never worked all the many-many times that I have tried to used it.
I am very angry with Air Asia; their agents from in flight cabin crew and ground staff to customer services have NO regard for, nor seemingly any concept of, customer service.
I would like to think that this will elicit a response and a successful result but I do not think Air Asia could care any less!

Guys ! Please think twice when you check in your luggage at airasia. Luggage tag given and status shown that delivered but when we arrived at station, our luggage went missing ! Dear airasia, who to blame on this matter ? Ur cargo staff ? I've doubt in traveling with you ! Many times my luggage tags went missing too ! There must be something going on behind there. . . (Definitely not a safe airlines to travel with, as our luggage at risk) until 16 days and i've yet to hear from any of you !