AirAsia X will increase the frequency of its Kuala Lumpur-Tokyo (Handa) service from thrice weekly to six flights a week starting March 23.
Operated on an A330 aircraft, the flight operates between the Low Cost Carrier Terminal at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) and Haneda Airport, and strengthens the Malaysian capital's status as a transit hub. Passengers from Japan can take advantages of AirAsia's strong network in Southeast Asia and connect to Singapore, Bangkok, Phuket, Medan, Jakarta, Bali and Surabaya. Likewise, travellers from Singapore, Thailand and Indonesia have more flight options for travel to Tokyo. AirAsia X offers transit passengers on this route "fly-thru" bookings, which save them from having to collect baggage and check in again, go through immigration or pay airport tax during stopover. In the case of a flight delay, passengers will be moved to the next available flight.
AirAsia X chief executive, Azran Osman-Rani says: “The increase in flights to and from Tokyo is in response to the growing demand for the sector, which continues to see steady increase in passenger traffic and yields from the time AirAsia X first began flying into the Japanese city on December 9, 2010 (see story here).”
In late November, the airline added Osaka as its second destination in Japan (see story here). In addition, as part of its realignment plans to focus its services on core markets in Australasia, China, Taiwan, Japan and South Korea, the airline announced on January 17 the launch of its Sydney service, scheduled to begin on April 1 (see story here).
“With our wide network and strong brand affinity in Japan, we remain focused to grow our existing core markets, and are geared up to capitalise on the continuous increase in demand for air travel to and from Japan. We will also leverage on our affiliate airline, AirAsia, to provide a feeder network for intra-Asean travel as the world shifts its focus towards Asia and the emerging markets across Asean,” adds Osman-Rani.
All-inclusive, one-way fares for the service to Tokyo start from RM199 (US$65) for economy, and RM999 (US$326) for the premium fly flatbed seats.
For more information, visit www.airasia.com
Tiffany Sandrasageran
