AFF Review: AirAsia X A330 Economy Quiet Zone (AKL-SYD)

[AFF Editor]

AirAsia X A330 Economy Quiet Zone Review (Auckland-Sydney) is an article written by the AFF editorial team:

AirAsia X A330 Economy Quiet Zone Review (Auckland-Sydney)

Are the savings worth flying AirAsia X from Auckland to Sydney? Find out as I review the airline's Airbus A330 Economy Class experience.

www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au

You can leave a comment or discuss this topic below.

 

[Mwenenzi]

Booking less than a week out, my ticket cost only NZD139 (~AU$129) one-way. That price only includes a seat, so I paid an extra NZD28 for a Value Pack with 20kg checked baggage, a hot meal and seat selection. I also paid an additional NZD33 to select a seat in the “Quiet Zone”, which is at the front of the plane. (More on this shortly.)

Even after paying for those add-ons, and the NZD8 credit card “processing fee”, the total cost came to NZD199 (~AU$185).

What was the *real* taxes and fees?
For my regular flights

MEL-CHC ~AU$145​

CHC-MEL ~ NZ$68​

AU has a $60 (now $70?) departure tax. NZ govt has increased some of its charges.
SYD-AKL charges may be a little different to MEL CHC.

Years ago CI used to fly CHC-MEL-TPE at a convenient sociably acceptable departure/arrival time. TT was a lot cheaper than NZ, QF, JQ. VA.
Like your below the radar AirAsia many would not know it existed.

 

[amp-qld]

I'm glad you were able to make the booking. Because Air NZ had reneged on their claim to be having year round MCY-AKL flights, we wanted to fly SYD-AKL on Air Asia X in December 2022. After many, many attempts at making the booking online and trying to phone Air Asia here or in KL, we gave up and booked Air NZ at well over $700 each one way.

 

[AIRwin]

After many, many attempts at making the booking online and trying to phone Air Asia here or in KL, we gave up and booked Air NZ at well over $700 each one way.

What was the error?

 

[amp-qld]

I would get to the very end of the process, having selected seats and chosen meals then it would just give me a circle of death and never finalise the booking. I tried different browsers, different computers, even trying with a wireless connection and got the same result every time. I tried phoning their Australian number and no reply. As my wife speaks fluent Indonesian (fully understandable to a Malay person, we even tried phoning their KL numbers but couldn't get through to a person. I tried a travel agent and they had the same result.

 

[Duffa]

Thanks Matt
Another useful and informative article.
So different to the fluff pieces on ET.

 

[Flightseeker]

We started flying with AirAsia when they first came to Melbourne. Their no frills product is superb and I'm not suprised they have a cult following for their meals, they are damned tasty and cheap. Qantas boss, what's his name, should take a ride and learn somethng. We even flew with them to Stansted before the GFC. It's pleaseing to see they have opted for a bit more legroom for down-under flights as their inter Asia planes are a bit squeezy. I'll be going across the ditch with them in preference to Qantas any day. I can also report that we arrived a little late for a flight in KL, but they took our bags and told us to run for the gate, if we made it before the gate closed, we could board, if we didn't our bags would be on the incoming passenger carousel. We made the flight. Like to see Qantas do that for you.

 

[AFF Editor]

What was the *real* taxes and fees?
For my regular flights

MEL-CHC ~AU$145​

CHC-MEL ~ NZ$68​

AU has a $60 (now $70?) departure tax. NZ govt has increased some of its charges.
SYD-AKL charges may be a little different to MEL CHC.

Years ago CI used to fly CHC-MEL-TPE at a convenient sociably acceptable departure/arrival time. TT was a lot cheaper than NZ, QF, JQ. VA.
Like your below the radar AirAsia many would not know it existed.

Here's the full cost breakdown on my ticket:

Flight:

1x Guest(s) 16.69 NZD
Airport Tax 36.11 NZD
Arrival Tax 47.00 NZD
Border Clearance Levy 5.20 NZD
Airport Fee 2.00 NZD
Fuel Surcharge 32.00

Subtotal 139.00 NZD

Add-ons & fees:

1x Mineral Water (250ml) 0.00 NZD
1x Pak Nasser's Nasi Lemak 8.00 NZD
1x Checked baggage 20kg 22.00 NZD
1x Value Pack Insurance (except D7 flights) 0.00 NZD
1x Seat add-on 33.00 NZD
1x Processing Fee 8.00 NZD
Value Pack Discount -10.78 NZD

Subtotal 60.22 NZD

Total amount 199.22 NZD

 

[bfm]

Matt,
You offer the view that the 9 abreast seats were a 'little squeezy'. True, but! As Gold Coasters, we have often used AirAsiaX on daytime flights (in the quiet zone) and haven't felt compromised (we are small framed).

On a recent A350 Singapore flight from BNE to SIN, where no Premium is offered, the 9 abreast seats were REALLY UNCOMFORTABLE!

So, while the Air Asia option may appear a compromise, in comparison to some others, they are OK (in our HO).

 

[stm1sydney]

Yeah, Air Asia is pretty decent for an LCC, but I can't get past the nine-abreast on the A330s. Just too squeezy.

 

[Mwenenzi]

Here's the full cost breakdown on my ticket:

So the ticket cost $16.69+$32=$48.69 for ~3:00hrs. The rest to various govt and regulatory authorities.

 

[AFF Editor]

So the ticket cost $16.69+$32=$48.69 for ~3:00hrs. The rest to various govt and regulatory authorities.

Well, there was also the $8 "Processing Fee" and I'm sure AirAsia makes a profit on the ancillaries. But yes, it was a good deal.

 

[henrus]

Just landed off today's Air Asia AKL-SYD flight. So first of all thanks to Matt’s review I stumped up the ~$35 and selected a seat in the quiet zone.

Web check in couldn’t have been easier but one odd thing is the first boarding pass I got online said I could go directly to the gate the second one (found by clicking a different option, can't remember which) said Auckland doesn’t support online boarding passes (this turns out to not be true as I saw many people board with a mobile).

Despite all this I visited check in about 2 hours prior to departure and there was no queue for web check in (probably 40 people in line for regular queue), the photo in Matt's review looks to be at the far end of AKL's desks however today it was really close to Air NZ's section. Security took a good 25 minutes but once through all good. Boarding started early and went by rows but the whole thing was done probably 20 mins before departure.

The quiet zone had about 5 people in it so I got a whole row to myself. There was a local wifi network with limited free entertainment/view the menu and no inseat power but I noticed the front row 7 had in seat power as did the other exit rows when I went for a walk further back, no idea if that's a feature of those rows. Additionally the window seat armrest raised in row 8 something I’ve only ever seen on Air NZ’s sky couch before and there was no music through the flight.

Service was great and those in the quiet zone plus the couple in flatbeds were personally welcomed and handed an arrival card before takeoff. I had a tiger beer for 15 MYR (~$4.60) but the odd thing was they were really pushing cash (likely for their cough exchange rate) they did accept my card but with hesitancy.

80-90% of the flight terminated in Sydney, landing in Sydney was a cough show, we were sent to the far runway and then after a long taxi the gate where the automatic docking guidance thing wasn't quite ready. The gate was near the usual Qantas ones but that customs hall was closed and in the other one there were massive queues with half of the smart gates broken. Regardless I stepped off the plane at 7:42pm and was on a train 18 minutes later.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Matt,
You offer the view that the 9 abreast seats were a 'little squeezy'. True, but! As Gold Coasters, we have often used AirAsiaX on daytime flights (in the quiet zone) and haven't felt compromised (we are small framed).

On a recent A350 Singapore flight from BNE to SIN, where no Premium is offered, the 9 abreast seats were REALLY UNCOMFORTABLE!

So, while the Air Asia option may appear a compromise, in comparison to some others, they are OK (in our HO).

Interesting. AFFer Johnk also finds the SQ A350 seats particularly uncomfortable

The difference of course with air asia is the aircraft type… the a330 was never really designed for 3-3-3, whereas the a350 is. TG does the a350 economy quite well… wide seats and ok legroom. Guess it can depend on how wide the aisles are.

 

[AIRwin]

Route ending January 2024:

AirAsia X Ends Auckland Service; Gold Coast 2024 Service Changes — AeroRoutes

Published at 0100GMT 19DEC23 AirAsia X in last week’s schedule update revised planned on service to Gold Coast and Auckland. From 01FEB24, the carrier will continue to operate 3 weekly Kuala Lumpur – Gold Coast terminator service. D7200 KUL2320 – 0935+1OOL 333 357 D7201 OOL1050 – 1725KUL 333 14

www.aeroroutes.com

 

[henrus]

Route ending January 2024:

Not only is SYD-AKL ending the relaunch of OOL-AKL will never happen with a further loss of OOL-KUL fliights between 29 Feb-28 March, 22 April-20 June and 15 July to 30 November.

Basically Air Asia X are not launching the OOL-AKL and they're also cutting back OOL-KUL flights to a 3x weekly service during peak holiday periods only next year.

 

[smus]

What seats are the best on A330-300 with 2-4-2 configuration? Quiet Zone is those places marked as 'hot seats', right? I bought a ticket on ALA-KUL flight, and since it's 8 hours long I think it's worth paying extra for more comfortable seats.