Just got back from 5 days in Bali heaven. Flew Air Asia just a week or so after their first Perth - Denpasar flight, got home today about 5.30 am, flight was supposed to land at 4.30 am, more on that later. We thought we'd share a few insights to those who have yet to experience the new airline. Well, it can best be summed up in 3 simple words immortalized by Clint Eastwood - Good, Bad & Ugly!
The Good - Brand new aeroplanes, glossy interior, very courteous crew, we caught the 4.45am flight from Perth and it was only about 10 minutes late, no problems. No pillows, no drinks, no nothing - but that was all expected.
The Bad - VERY small seats with very little legroom. Now know how a sardine feels! All packed in tight & no room to move. If you tall like my hubby or a ‘larger' size - you just won't fit! BUT - the entire flight they leave the lights on! AND they play nice soft music in the background. AND after an hour or so when everyone has gotten to sleep (on the way home we left Bali afre midnight) the captain comes on the speaker with an advert about Air Asia not charging a fuel levy, how you can book meals on the web etc. Every one's awake by now. AND about an hour or so later when we've all back to sleep, yet another loudspeaker announcement that the crew will now be collecting rubbish! Please - let us poor sardines sleep! BIG HINT - you must take earplugs, a sleeping mask & a blow up travel pillow so you can at least get some sleep. Please Air Asia - at least turn the lights off! You know, the little switch marked 'LIGHTS' - the one you flick when taking off & landing!
The Ugly - Denpasar airport! Arrived at 8.30am no problems, straight through VOA in 5 minutes or so, immigration only had 2 - 3 staff but then opened another counter so we were through in about 15 minutes, not a big deal. BUT Air Asia had no immigration forms on board the flight, just customs & health, so for those who got off the plane & walked straight past the young fellow handing them out right at the plane door, hurrying to VOA & immigration, there was probably a very long walk back to the plane to collect one. Luggage took a while but all in all, just 1 hour from landing to walking into hotel. Lucky we were the only plane landing at the time. This was the good part. Leaving was a nightmare last night, no this morning!
Spent a brilliant 2 hours or so in the Prada Lounge last night, well worth every Rupiah of the 100,00 it costs! Brilliant! Hot showers, a few cold beers, soft seats, nibblies and only a hand full of people there. They called the flight the normal 15 - 20 minutes before take off time and the young chap in the lounge directed us to gate 2. Trudged all the way there - it's almost the opposite end of the airport from the lounge, only to be told that gate 2 was going to Brisbane, Perth flight is going from gate 9 - way back the other end from where we had just come from! Yes we should have checked ourselves but there are no monitors in the lounge, staff told us they would tell us when & where - so check first!
Finally got back to gate 9 to find an enormous queue 30 - 40 meters - turns out planes to Seoul, Osaka, China, Perth & one other are all leaving from the same gate at the same time! Only 2 guys manually checking boarding passes, one by one by one. Then airport staff begin urgently calling particular flights because all airlines beginning to fall far behind take off time. Korean Air - hurry, hurry!! Garuda Indonesia - hurry, hurry!! Air Asia - hurry, hurry!! 20 - 30 of us get taken to head of the line, get pushed through - only 2 baggage scanners! Get through fairly quickly, then physical bag check - just 1 person - hurry, hurry! Downstairs to embarkation hurry, hurry - what? no plane - just a bus? Wait, no hurry! Get on bus! Quick! Quick!Second bus almost backs into us as we are leaving, phew, missed by inches! Bussed out past all of the above planes, finally to ours. Take off ¾ hour late some 1 ¼ hours after initial flight call - so also landed ¾ hour late! Breezed through Perth immigration 6- 8 staff, bags waiting, customs a breeze 6 - 8 officers - landed to home in under 1 hour. Great job!. Phew - Bali's a dream, their Airport was a nightmare.
So - would we fly Air Asia again? Yes - but NEVER the 4.45am Perth - Denpasar or the 12.30am Denpasar - Perth schedules. For the future it's got to be daytime flights.
Bali's brilliant at the moment - warm, friendly, cheap - Rp8000 to A$1.00 - but lots of locals concerned about the Jakarta bombings, they're scared they'll be next. We never had any safety concerns. Loads of heavily armed police patrolling the beachfront, Discovery Plaza - not may others visible though? Security at hotels, Matahri's, Careforre etc very vigilant.
Would we go back - YOU BET! Just 9 weeks and we'll be there again - Gotta love it!