Review: Melbourne to London with AirAsia X
by admin on August 21, 2009
Here at Adioso, we like to “eat our own dog-food“, that is – we like to use the products that we promote, namely: airlines. About a month ago, I did exactly that and took up the challenge to fly the most popular (and longest) route-combo on Adioso: Melbourne to London via Kuala Lumpur with AirAsia X.
So the big questions is: Is this the best way to get to London?
First off, let’s look at some options - The AirAsia method is via Kuala Lumpur and is in two legs, first Melbourne to Kuala Lumpur (approx 7 hours) then Kuala Lumpur to London-Stansted (approx 14 hours) totaling 21 hours flying time. I did a quick search on Webjet and found (to my surprise) that there are actually no direct flights to London at all from Melbourne on any carrier, full service or otherwise.
I guess this makes sense, as it’s too far for a plane to fly in one leg. So first conclusion – You’re going to be stopping off somewhere no matter how you do it. If you look at the travel times above with the full-service carriers, they have between 3-9 hour stopovers and cost between $1960 – $2300.
The tickets we’d booked were during a sale, and the total cost including taxes + meals was about AUD$850 return. Our tickets had come from the initial launch sale, but since then I’ve found (through Adioso) return tickets available as cheaply as AUD$620 (right now they’re about $1000). We’d elected to stay overnight in KL (I think the hotel cost about $60 between two) to be able to sleep, shower and rest between the two legs as who really wants to travel non stop for 30 hours.
The first thing to note is that the two legs are not on the same type of plane: The Melbourne to KL leg is on an A330, while the London leg is on an A340. Why should you care, unless you’re a plane geek? In a word: comfort.
For the A330′s the upsides are that they’re brand new, ultra clean and very modern. The downside is, the seats are rather small, fairly hard and don’t recline*.
*Update 13-April-2010: AirAsia are aware of the seat issue and are currently in the process of retrofitting all planes with more comfortable, reclining seats.
Now, remember that this is only a 7 hour flight. I say “only” even though 7 hours is a long time, but if you were to watch 2 normal movies (or one Lord of the Rings) and eat a meal, you’d basically be there. Which brings me on to a point I’ll cover shortly: Bring a copy of Lord of the Rings.
The London leg was in the larger A340′s. These are slightly older planes but have bigger/better padded seats, more leg room and are generally far more comfortable. I would go as far as saying that this plane was significantly roomier than any of the Qantas 747′s I’ve flown in recently.
So, in summary – the short leg was a little cramped, but at least it was short and, to be honest, only cost us AU$82 each. The longer/more expensive leg was roomy, more comfortable than full-service carriers I’d travelled with recently and still a lot cheaper.
On a plane, you want to be entertained – on our outbound Melbourne leg, the plane was not equipped with any entertainment at all. The in-flight magazine mentioned personal media-players, but the actual hardware seemed nowhere to be found. We later learned that this was a temporary problem, and sure enough, on the London leg (and on the way back) the media-players came out in force. I think they cost about AUD$10 but I have to say, whilst the players themselves were fine, the selection of media left a lot to be desired – There were maybe 6 movies (2 of them in Malaysian) and a few single episodes of average TV shows (Everybody Loves Raymond springs to mind).
In our case, this didn’t bother us too much, as we had a laptop, an iPod and two iPhones, but not everyone was so fortunate and many had to spend the time worrying about contracting swine flu instead (see face-masks picture).
The food was about what you’d expect for plane food – not great, not intolerable and actually tasted a lot better than it looked (see below). You get one meal + snacks on the 7 hour flights, two on the 14 hour and as many drinks as you can afford. I recommend you pre-book meals online if you’re planning on eating as otherwise you have to wait for the second round through and cash/change handling (slow).
So, is this the best way to get from Melbourne to London? Well, although it was a little uncomfortable at times and I didn’t get to see the latest Adam Sandler movie (actually, I did – Click was one of the movies on the players: 2 and a half stars) I can’t argue with getting a shower/sleep in-transit whilst saving $1000 – $1200 and arriving with myself and my wallet feeling a lot better.
Can you get these super-cheap deals all the time? Well, maybe not all the time. That’s what Adioso is for.
Great review, thanks!
by hp88 on August 21, 2009 at 5:25 am. #
Thanks for this, may now consider flying this way next year.
by Kristy Bolsinger on August 21, 2009 at 5:28 am. #
Great review. Which hotel did u stay at in KL? I’ve not stayed there yet but was gonna try out http://tunehotels.com/ next time I’m transiting through KL. They’re close to the LCC terminal that AirAsia X uses.
by Michael Fox on September 5, 2009 at 8:56 am. #
I stayed in the Concorde Inn, mainly because I hadn’t done my research and wasn’t aware of Tune Hotels and the layout of the LCCT
I’d definitely recommend Tune (assuming it’s relatively cheap) over anything else simply due to proximity/convenience. The LCCT Tune Hotel is essentially in the terminal (maybe 10min walk/1 min shuttle away), whilst everything else, including the main terminal is about a 20 minute bus ride minimum.Next time, I’ll definitely give Tune a shot!
by Fenn on September 7, 2009 at 2:55 am. #
I want to explore the option of flying into London mid August 2010 and out of Rome (or other european city) mid september. Any ideas?
by sean on September 14, 2009 at 12:10 pm. #
Hey Sean, I have to admit, I’m no expert on Europe (yet) and to be honest, Adioso doesn’t have many European flights (yet!), but here’s some quick thoughts: Between now and then, keep an eye out for AirAsia sales (I’m assuming you’re in Australia, btw) which will often get you to Kuala Lumpur very cheaply, then on to London (Stansted) equally cheaply as described in the review above. Once in Europe, I found the best/cheapest way to get around was to travel between major low cost carrier hubs (like London) off to the other cities. For example, whilst in Europe last I went to Aarhus (Denmark), Granada, Faro, Lagos & Lisbon, but pretty much all flights I took it was MUCH cheaper to go via London with a low cost carrier than flying direct (ie: Aarhus to Granada would have been $400 direct, but only $160 via London). So, in answer to your question, I would plan on flying out of London regardless (probably) and if Rome is your last location in your trip, perhaps just fly back to London cheaply right at the end, ie: http://adioso.com/it/rome-to-london.html From the limited European flights Adioso has, it looks like you can get beween Rome/London pretty cheaply. Another site I’d recommend (until Adioso has more inventory) for Europe is SkyScanner – It’s pretty good for Europe stuff and should help you out. Good luck!
by Fenn on September 15, 2009 at 3:15 am. #
Great Review, we are looking to fly to London next yr June and im looking to book our flights soon. The review has helped me make the decision, service isn’t too bad and i rather save $1000 and enjoy spending it in EU.
by Adam M on September 23, 2009 at 1:10 am. #
awesome thanks alot , i wana go dance in some dub clubs over there. im sick of wobble. use ma list at wobble if you go. btw anyone like soccer here cause i like it
by steve occonel on October 14, 2009 at 4:01 am. #
Hi, We are flying fom Melbourne to KL then to London stansted with air asia. We have a six hour wait in KL and have been told that the budget terminal pretty much just a big shed! Is there anything there to help time fly a little eg. shops, showers, somewhere to snooze etc. or can we leave the airport for a few hours. Just not sure whether we will need to pay for a visa or whether its just easier to wait there for our connecting flight. thanks : )
by Pia on October 17, 2009 at 2:10 am. #
Hey Pia, You don’t need visas (assuming you’re Australian) for Malaysia, so you can happily take a bus into KL if you like – That said, but the time you get off/get bags/get bus and leave enough time to get back for check-in/etc, you’re not going to have a heap of time in KL. Here’s the options I’d consider: 1) Perhaps go to the Tune Hotel (at the low cost terminal) and get a room for minimum price/length and have a shower/lie down (probably <$50). 2) Go to the full terminal (free shuttle bus) as it’s a bit more comfortable/air-conditioned and laze around there (there may even be showers, I’m not sure). 3) Consider one of the other transit hotels (like Concorde Inn), which are at the main terminal, but may have shower/short-stay room access. Cheers (and have fun!), Fenn.
by Fenn on October 19, 2009 at 1:10 am. #
Fantastic work! I think I love you
BTW Viva Macau offer another escape route from Oz. Thye now fly from Mel as well as Sydney to Macau. So, you can get to HK/Macau/South China direct (granted not quite as cheap as Air Aisa.) Please add them to your truly wonderful resource!
by Joe on October 27, 2009 at 6:27 am. #
Hey Joe, Glad you like the site! Also, hadn’t seen that Viva Macau now flew Melbourne as well (thanks for the tip!). Will definitely add that inventory ASAP. Cheers! Fenn.
by Fenn on November 3, 2009 at 7:58 pm. #
hi, you can actually fly to London direct with Quantas
by sandra on November 4, 2009 at 11:06 pm. #
Hi, Got some great airfares with Air Asia as you suggested. Melboourne to London, stop over in KL, around 4,500 for 4 of us (including twin 15 year olds). Wow! We've firmed up our itinerary and want to know the average cost per day of hiring/leasing a car while we are in europe in August/September. We'd want a car for about 4 days, pick up London, drop off Edinburgh. Then another car two weeks later when we leave Edinburgh and travel to London, France and Spain for three weeks. Is the french leasing idea best for the longer portion of car hire/lease? Any ideas? Cheers, Sean
by sean on November 15, 2009 at 7:27 am. #
The only problem I suppose is if the first flight has a major delay or is cancelled.
by Jed on January 1, 2010 at 6:36 am. #
Thanks for the posting, I am travelling Oz/Gold Coast to KL to UK/Stanstead & return with AirAsiaX and I’m now hoping the experience is not going to be as bad as I previously expected!
by SteveJ on February 1, 2010 at 12:10 am. #
Hi, Great review. Can you tell me if the flight into KL and then the next flight out to London are the same terminal or do we need to transfer to somewhere? Flying to London with Air Asia in March with 2 kids. Not sure if it was a great choice now!
by Kym on February 4, 2010 at 9:24 am. #
Hey Kym, Both the inbound and outbound flights are from the same terminal: the Kuala Lumpur LCCT (Low Cost Carrier Terminal) so you won’t need to transfer. That said, I will warn you that the LCCT is not the most comfortable place in the world (Malaysia is hot and humid). If you’ve got a bit of time in your layover (ie: more than 5 hours) you may want to consider a hotel room at http://www.tunehotels.com/LCCTTransit_KualaLumpur_Malaysia.aspx, which is at the LCCT and offers a “3-hour Refresher Package” – which will let you rest in air conditioning and shower/etc. Also, room rates are cheap (~$30) if you’re staying overnight. The LCCT has all your normal things like McDonald’s and various cafes, so if it’s only a short layover, you’re fine to just find an air conditioned venue and take a seat there. Good luck and have a great trip! Fenn.
by Fenn on February 4, 2010 at 11:49 pm. #
Great to finally find a review on Air Asia going to London! I am travelling (with husband) from Perth to London (via KL) on Air Asia in May with 3 kids under 6 – eeek! There is only 3.5 hours between flights & we have to check-in at least 2 hours in advance in KL. Is this possible?? How easy is check-in in KL & getting baggage etc. Are the flights generally full? My youngest will be turning 1 a few days after we fly & has not been allocated a seat – so not only am I freaking out at the size of seats but that I will have a child on my lap for 24 hours! Really hoping there are vacant seats or we may go mad! That said all 5 of us are flying for less than $3000 & we wouldn’t be going otherwise. Any helpful hints greatly appreciated. Was the flight into Stansted delayed at all? Do they allow you to take food & drink on the plane?
by Marie on February 9, 2010 at 6:08 am. #
Hey Marie, Glad you like the review and I have to say, you’re a braver person than I with your travel plans! 3.5 hours should be (just) OK for you to do a transfer, providing your flight isn’t delayed. The low-cost terminal is not all that big, so you won’t have to do a huge walk from one end to the other – just picking up your bags and dropping them straight off again. AirAsia only works this way (ie: they’ll never tag your bags through more than 1 leg) so the staff should be helpful/enable you to jump the queue if you’re cutting it fine. Even if you are running late, AirAsia do try and sell the concept of connecting two flights together (for Australia to London for example) so they SHOULD be understanding at least if something does go horribly wrong and the plane is delayed. From memory, in our flight we actually had a tail wind and arrived early! In terms of food – I’m not sure what the official rules are about bringing your own, but I do remember plenty of people who had brought-on food with them. Remember that you can’t bring external liquids on to planes due to safety laws, but that doesn’t stop you from buying food/drink AFTER you pass the security checks/customs, which I would highly recommend (water particularly) as it’s far cheaper than on the plane. Pre-book your meals if you can (it’s very slow otherwise). Regarding space (as mentioned in the review), the Australia->KL leg is quite small/cramped (but shorter) but the planes used for the London leg (A340′s) are quite big/spacious. It’s going to be as good as you’ll get anywhere (short of upgrading to above economy class). It may be a bit of a painful trip, but just think of the money you’re saving and the holiday you’re getting! Good luck! Fenn.
by Fenn on February 9, 2010 at 6:39 am. #
Most recently, my wife and I were stranded in Abu Dhabi when AirAsiaX announced they were canceling service to/from Abu Dhabi in January this year. They didn’t notify us, their stranded passengers, until Feb 10th. Neither did they offer any accommodation nor answer our emails asking for help. We had to get back to Malaysia on our own. They won’t reimburse our additional expenses either.They said they would refund the Abu Dhabi/Kuala Lumpur portion of our trip, but it will take them 30-50 days to process the refund. Such an attitude!Watch out for these guys. If you are considering using AirAsiaX, It might be a good idea to develop a plan B… just in case.
by PaulK on March 3, 2010 at 9:00 am. #
Fantastic review. It has put my mind at ease over a lot of issues as I have just booked Perth to London via KL in November (for 490 bucks I might add!). Do you know how long before flights you can check in with Airasia. I have a 10 hour stop over in KL and it would be great if I could land and check in right away!!
by Joel on March 6, 2010 at 10:55 pm. #
Thought I’d add a comment now that we’re home and have experienced travelling with Air Asia.Flights were a little cramped, but luckily on the return trip we were able to spread out as a the flights were not fully booked. The in-flight entertainment was rubbish and they only take MYR payment no credit cards.Only need to book a Comfort Kit for the first leg of your journey and then take it with you. I made the mistake of booking us one for each flight, and then realised that everyone keeps them!I wouldn’t prebook the food. Between 3 of us we didn’t finish one meal on 4 flights. The food was not good at all. I would take your own snacks and buy something else if you need. With regard to stopover times – we had 7 hours in KL on the way to London and booked a transit stay at the Concorde Inn. It was great. The room is from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. (I think) and costs in the region of $50. Only a 15 min taxi ride from the airport 42MYR. It was definitely worth the money to be able to get away from the airport and relax and refresh for the next leg. Take your bathers – the pool area is lovely.I would fly Air Asia again for the cost benefit.
by Kym on April 12, 2010 at 2:48 am. #
Thanks for this, may now consider flying this way next year.
by Din Freebies on July 23, 2010 at 3:13 pm. #
Just got back from UK flying Air Asia : Perth – KL – Stansted with 3 kids under 6!! Perth – KL flight was great. New plane, friendly staff – they even checked our luggage in all the way through to Stansted (this is being trialled now as only 3 hours between flights). There was no entertainment offered on this leg so bring something with you. We took our own food for this leg as only missing breakfast.KL – Stansted not so much fun… Older plane, seats not great, staff ok. Took our own food for kids & ordered adult meals – food was ok. Paid for Entertainment but was pretty average & headphones were terrible – bring your own. Main problem couldn’t get a bassinet seat for this leg as booked out by people who didn’t have a child!!!!!! So had a screaming baby on my knee for 13 hours!The way back was much better Stansted – KL check-ins very quick at both airports. New planes, much better seats & room. Had bassinet seat & baby slept for 10 hours! Food fine, staff helpful & friendly. There was a 6 hour wait in KL & couldn’t get into Tune hotel (you need to book in advance) so that was pretty long with 3 kids as not much to do.So would I fly with them again? Absolutely. Saved thousands, which we got to spend in UK. All flights on time.Tips – pre-book baggage. Have cash on you for onboard purchases – they prefer Malaysian Ringits but will accept Australian Dollars on the Aus- KL flights & Pounds on the KL-Uk flight (just costs a bit more). If you have a long stopover pre-book Tune hotel – free shuttle bus from airport. Buy water as soon you go through to departures as expensive on board & warm. You can only check-in at KL LCCT 3 hours in advance & the airport is quite warm & humid even with air-con going. The plane does get pretty cold so the comfort pack is worth it for the thin blanket, or bring your own.Happy travelling!
by Marie on July 24, 2010 at 5:52 am. #
We booked a couple of tickets Melbourne – KL in the dying hours of Air Asia’s 3 day sale for May 2011. We’ve flown Tiger before landing at the LCCT in Singapore which is easier in fact to negotiate than Changi.Just back from the USA on Qantas and noticed up the back of their planes on either side a few rows of 2 seats (window & aisle) so have booked the AA seats right up the back as well. We’ll see how that pans out. For a longer flight like KL – London I’d probably pay extra for a hot seat. Going to KL and reading reviews not sure how could the AA inflight entertainment will be. Have hired the DVD players before on Jetstar going Melb-Darwin-Singapore but have my own netbook so my wife and I can both watch something together. Have a double jack attachment to plug two headphones in.Normally we stop over in Singapore. KL we passed through the International airport last year on a Sing-KL-London flight on Malaysian. Really nice airport. Whether AA fly from here to Stansted not sure.. it might still be the LCCT. Last year we flew out of Stansted to Turkey. Stansted is a really modern, light, clean airport with lots of food choices and no hardship to spend time at. When I heard AA would fly into and out of Stansted I thought this is a real positive. From Stansted into London is about 45 mins by bus, mainly through open green English countryside. We were staying in St Johns Wood so caught the bus near Lords Cricket Ground. Further out from London past St Johns Wood were some towns and villages I’d be more than happy to stay in if staying around London for longer.
by MelbMan on August 20, 2010 at 5:02 am. #
I am a little nervous about booking these flights myself (even with all the good reviews) and was wondering if the travel agent would book these as one component of our travels? Also is the
by stacey wilson on September 26, 2010 at 11:31 am. #
skybus needed in the booking?
by stacey wilson on September 26, 2010 at 11:31 am. #
We flew AirAsia In Feb this year. Because the Australia to KL to UK trip is still relatively new my partner and I found Air Asia was providing very good service to ensure these sectors become a hit. And I must admit they passed with flying colour, (excuse the pun) All flights were ontime, and all landed a few min early. The planes were clean. Food was fine, nothing to rave about but it was simple and didn’t make me feel to full. The only problem we had was at OOL airport when trying to get our bags. My partner and I will be booking with them again for our next trip to KL.
by Chris on September 27, 2010 at 9:14 am. #
Are the hot seats much bigger/comfier or better? Anyone try them 1 time so u can compare the 2?
by Rob on September 30, 2010 at 4:50 am. #
My family of two adults and twin teenagers travelled Melbourne to London via KL return recently and found Air Asia to be excellent. Definitely worth the discount on fares! We had hot seats for all but the return leg from KL to Melbourne. The teenagers and I are all around five foot ten and found the standard seats a little cramped for leg room. The hot seats were 'better but not heaps better' according to my kids. I guess if they were any taller they would have found the hot seats 'heaps better'. By the way, there is no extra width with the hot seats. We adults liked the extra leg room and would pay for them again.
by sean on October 1, 2010 at 9:00 am. #
I have just had a look on the air asia website and I am wanting to book a flight to London via KL in Aug/Sep 2011 but the site said that all the flights are sold out or they do not fly on these dates. Will the release more flights as it seems unlikely they have sold out so far in advance. Any help would be appreciated as I really want to fly with AA. Thanks
by Stakka00 on October 10, 2010 at 7:57 am. #
Although we can’t be certain, I very much doubt they’d have sold all seats that far out – it just wouldn’t make sense for them business-wise.More likely they’ve held back most seats to release closer to the time.
by Tom Howard on October 10, 2010 at 11:40 am. #
I’ve been using AirAsia for several years… And i should tell you that i totally agree with your article.They are great.
by cleaners Melbourne on December 29, 2010 at 8:11 am. #