Interview with AirAsia X CEO Benyamin Ismail about AirAsia Business Class and Premium Flatbeds
Interview conducted by Aksel Ritenis, Editor-Sydney Times
AirAsia X CEO Benyamin Ismail
To coincide with the launch of a massive AirAsia Sale and the promotion of the AirAsia X Premium Flatbed marketing campaign Sydney Times Editor,Axel Ritenis visited the Air Asia Head Office in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia,.. known as Red Q in order to speak with the AirAsiaX CEO and get an overview of AirAsia X business plans and operations for the benefit of Sydney Times readers. This office known as Red Q is adjacent to the modern and impressive Klia2 International Airport and it is the “Air Asia Engine room housing up to 2000 staff at any one time”. It is a 6 storey open design building housing both top management and staff at all levels ,..and featuring numerous work and lifestyle benefits, such as pool tables, a Physio Clinic, a well equipped Gym, Staff Dining Canteens and even has Capsules for sleeping and a Slide from the top floor to the bottom floor. Downstairs on the ground floor there is a Pre-flight Briefing room/area for Air Asia Pilots and Cabin Crew.. Even a golf course and social areas on the roof overlooking the Klia2 airport ,..After a general tour of the building I was taken up to the 5th floor for an interview the interview with AirAsia X CEO Benyamin Ismail.
Sydney Times Editor in Chief, Aksel Ritenis visiting AirAsia HQ’s in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia
Interview with AirAsia X CEO Benyamin Ismail
Q 1.) Good Morning Ben,..it’s good to meet you in person finally,..and I appreciate the opportunity to speak with you as I know You are very busy ,..running a massive aviation enterprise.
How was your trip to Sydney last weekend for the Sydney City Surf for which you came on board as a major sponsor and actually fired the City Surf Starting Gun,…?
Oh,.. it was a great experience ,..and I always enjoy visiting Australia as it is one of our major markets,.. and I lived in Perth for many years where I went to school and studied at university. The excitement of the Sydney City Surf was amazing and we are looking forward to sponsoring other Races and community events as well. We enjoy sponsoring community events.
Q 2.) How is the aviation business going for you in general terms post Covid ,..I understand that you came through the COVID period without any Malaysian government assistance which many other airlines received,.. and yet you somehow You manged to keep on most of your staff..and you appear to have bounced back!
What is the general outlook at the moment ?
The immediate post Covid aviation landscape was characterized by massive pent up demand,..which was very good for us. It seems that irrespective of the passengers disposable income ,..Travel and flying is foremost in the mind of many Australians and now borders have been open travel is back as an absolute priority. It seems that consumers are prepared to sacrifice on domestic or home spending in order to travel…so the recovery in our sector has been good.. and a lot has changed for the better in terms of rationalizing and refining various systems and operations.
Modern Open Office and and an inclusive staff and social spaces emphasizes the modern collaborative management methods and style used by AirAsia for a new age-No rigid hierarchical management methods here.
Q 3.) Ben,.. you would no doubt be aware that with high interest rates prevailing in Sydney and Melbourne, many people are being placed under enormous financial pressure, in order to meet their committments,.. because of the Rent and Mortgage repayment increases,..Inflation is feeding through to increase cost of living expenses,..How is it that International Travel still remains such a strong priority,.. it seems a sort of contradiction,..Is this a Paradox?
“Well it seems that people have maybe changed their discretionary spending priorities ,…perhaps they have reduced their household domestic expenditure – reducing expensive or extravagant dining experiences or they are cutting back on Fine Wine ,..but it is clear they are redrawing their Lifestyle priorities ,..as clearly it seems,.. International Travel is the priority at present,..and by flying a budget airline such as AirAsia their airfare is going to be much lower ,..Maybe they are reducing food at home to spend more to go overseas.”
Q 4.) So what is your analysis of the current market needs and potential-any new Flight routes under consideration?
Well there have been a lot of a lot of cost savings at AirAsia so We are constantly looking at which markets need to be served,..and from our perspective Australia is a good growing market,.. and I I think that generally Australia’s economy and potential is pretty strong.
As far as new services and markets,..Maybe there are other pockets we can look at such as Adelaide,..and also Darwin is under consideration as a potential destination using the smaller aircraft because of the geo-location and the distances involved.,..There are a lot of opportunities and there are other secondary airports – Sunshine Coast, Newcastle ,..we are open to whatever makes perfect sense in terms of timing, convenience, connectivity , passenger experience etc
Q 5.) So how many actual destinations under your purview ,..I mean how many destination under AirAsiaX and what about China?
AirAsiaX which flies to Sydney,Melbourne,Perth Gold Coast and Auckland has 16 destinations but We are looking at extending that up to 18 soon,..but if the location is too far away then it may not make sense,..our destinations are essentially determined by the flight capacity in distance terms of our Fleet and Aircraft. AirAsiaX uses the widebody A330 aircraft. Of course the AirAsia Group also uses smaller aircraft like A320’s and actually has a massive network of 150 destinations. As regards China, it is starting to grow albeit a bit slower than some other markets post pandemic,.. and its mainly FIT at the moment but Groups should return again soon.
Q 6.) Oh right ,..can you tell the Sydney Times readers about your other markets and the countries you service? What about the big one China?
We are monitoring this situation closely,..but Groups and Travel agents have not come back to full steam yet -and Chinese prefer local spending rather than overseas at present but that seems to be changing now…but of course the Indian sector is massive – as they never really had the Covid restrictions in travel like China did,.. in fact the Indians filled the gaps for the Chinese when Chinese passengers had restraints on leaving China for overseas travel.
Two visionary leaders,..Tony Fernandes the Founder and Kamarudin Meranun
Q 7.) What about any opportunity to get into the European market and funnel new passengers into your system from Europe and facilitating Australians to fly to with you to Europe,.. to match the routing of some of your competitors,..offering those services?
Europe is always on our priority list ,…but,. as far as a Route to Europe and destinations in Europe ,..We are not there yet. We are always looking at demand and the product. At present We could potentially offer two stops from Sydney with a maximum 11.5 hours flight duration and they might be – Istanbul or Athens,but we don’t think two stops will be so appealing. We could possibly manage that,.. and yes , that might be under consideration,..The other one is Central Asia which is currently underserved as a destination ,.something like Kazakhistan could make sense.
So I think the big picture is I think with our operations such as TAAX (Thailand AAX),.. this could could be used as a staging post to connect to Europe- connecting from Bangkok through to Sydney !
Of course with our Philippines base already in existence,..there is the potential a A330 can fly through to the United States.
Q 8.) Is it possible to fly AirAsia X business class for the cost of economy class on other airlines?
Flatbeds
– Potentially it is possible to fly similar to economy but way cheaper than full price on a business class with a full service airline
– Business proposition is basically if you are price sensitive – if you fly business they are piling all the cost into the cost – food, wines etc – for us all the frills are not included and basically make sure you get a good night’s sleep and get a good value fare.
“One of the unique features on AirAsia X is our Premium Flatbeds which have more space and provide one of the best low cost high quality seats in the sky. What we offer in comparison to our key competitor in our category, is to be able to lie flat with a complimentary pillow, duvet and complimentary meal.
“Premium flatbeds are located up front of our widebody A330 aircraft, which are very popular for our Australian travellers and they are often priced similare or even lower during special sales than an economy seat on a full service airline.”
Q 9.) What is the offering on AirAsia X Premium Flatbed ?
-
Premium dedicated flatbed check in counter for vip service.
-
Priority boarding.
-
Priority baggage for collection on arrival.
-
A spacious seat in a private premium flatbed zone which reclines to become a full flatbed or to an adjustable level as desired.
-
Depending on the route and based on demand there are 12 or 18 Premium Flatbeds available.
-
Privacy screen, foldaway table, adjustable head and footrest, pillow and duvet, reading light and universal power port.
-
Up to 40kg of checked luggage as well as carry on allowance.
-
Complimentary meal of the guests’ choice from our Santan menu plus a bottle of water.
-
Additional meals/beverages available on request for purchase.
-
Complimentary travel insurance on baggage delay & 1 hour on-time guarantee protection by Tune Protect.
-
Unlimited flight changes up to two hours before your original departure time and four hours prior to your new departure time, subject to any applicable fare difference.
Q 10.) Why did you start offering Premium Flatbeds?
“AirAsia X is all about providing the best value and choice for our guests. Our products and services continuously evolve based on consumer demand. With AirAsia X you pay for what you need and save on what you don’t need so you have more in your pocket when you get to your destination.
“As a value airline we cater to all travellers, from business to leisure and so the Premium Flatbeds were always an option since our very first flight from Kuala Lumpur to the Gold Coast in November 2007.”
In 2013 AAX implemented another exclusive Quiet Zone which is located directly behind the Premium Flatbeds where passengers travelling with infants and children under the age of 12 are not permitted to book. Hot Seats are also available in economy for extra legroom.
Q 11.) What is the cost of a Premium Flatbed/Quiet Zone?
“We continue to provide the best value fares for every passenger depending on their needs. Similar to airlines the world over and the tourism and hospitality industry in general, our fares are dynamic and based on supply and demand. There is no secret to securing the lowest cost, it’s all about planning ahead and buying early as fares increase generally as demand increases, closer into the travel date.”
“Fares from Australia to Kuala Lumpur on a Premium Flatbed are often on sale from AUD559 or even less during certain sales periods, which represents incredible value. Across the Tasman Premium Flatbed fares between Sydney and Auckland start from AUD299.”
Pre-Covid, AirAsia X was flying over 6 million passengers (FY2019) with a strong passenger load factor over 80%.
Q12 .) Is it possible to upgrade on AirAsia X at the airport?
“We do offer upgrades at the airport if any Premium Flatbed seats are available and the cost depends on the route and length of flight – starting from AUD400 from Perth to Kuala Lumpur for example. Our Premium Flatbed seats which offer greater value than others in our category are as always in high demand and subject to availability so it is highly encouraged to secure the seat by booking the best available fare in advance.”
We obviously had to halt all operations during the height of the pandemic, however we’re gradually resuming normalcy and heading fast towards returning to pre covid levels in the not too distant future.
This year to the end of June alone, we’ve flown close to 150,000 guests from Kuala Lumpur to Australia and a similar number from Australia to Kuala Lumpur.
To Book a Flight :
