Airlines, Airports, Airplanes...

Please save yourself the headache and aggravation that will ultimately come when you fly with AirAsia. The "low fare" they give is not worth the hassle of being price gouged, waiting in extraordinarily long check-in lines, departure delays and poor customer service overall. When I look back on my flight to Bangkok with AirAsia, I regret not booking with Bangkok Airways or VietJet. I had flown these two airlines previously during my time in Thailand and had no major problems with either; however, my experience was quite different with AirAsia. From the time I arrived at Krabi International Airport (KBV), my ordeal with AirAsia was a series of disasters and frustrations. I had arrived at the airport two hours early anticipating that there would be a decent-sized line but that it would only take 30 minutes maximum to check-in my baggage and get my boarding pass. Boy, was I wrong! The line to check-in extended all the way from the counter to the airport entrance doors and it seemed as if there was no sense of urgency from the employees to expedite the process so that passengers did not have to worry about potentially missing their flights. Due to the mind-numbingly slow process of check-in, I had only an hour left before my flight was set to depart and I had to summon a member of the AirAsia staff to expedite my check-in. When I got to the counter after bypassing the line, I was informed by the agent that my flight had been delayed and that I would have to pay a fee because my luggage was more than the 15kg allowance I had originally paid for. Based on previous experience, I expected they would charge me somewhere between 40-50 USD. However, I was surprised when I was informed that they were charging me 2,799.98 THB (90.58 USD) in addition to the 385.20 THB (12.24 USD) I paid for my 15kg baggage allowance. The plane ticket I booked with AirAsia was 94.13 USD. In total, my baggage fees amounted to 3,185.18 THB (101.29 USD)! This was price gouging at it's finest. Once I paid the exorbitant fee for my baggage, I proceeded through security and into the terminal only to find out our flight was delayed yet again. Our flight was originally supposed to depart at 7:10 PM local time and we ended up boarding at around 7:40 PM local time; we took off around 8 PM. After we finally boarded the plane, I saw that there were a couple emergency exit row seats available and asked one of the flight attendants if I could have that seat given that it was empty. Given that I am fairly tall and have long legs, I assumed that they would allow me to sit there and enjoy the extra legroom. Instead, they denied me the upgrade and said I had to pay for that seat. I was so perplexed: the seat is empty and the plane is about to takeoff, why not just let me sit there? As if that were not bad enough, the flight crew did not serve us any food or drink during the flight to Don Mueang International Airport (DMK). The flight was only about an hour and 30 minutes so that was somewhat understandable; however, Bangkok Airways served us dinner and drinks on my first flight to Bangkok. So, obviously, they are just being cheapskates. If, after reading all this, you still want to fly AirAsia, go ahead; be my guest. But don't say I did not warn you!

The airport is alright. It is big, spacious, with shops and a big fish tank. But my experience when I returned to the UK was negative. I flew with Wizzair and the boarding agent gate, a female, was using her mobile most of the time which gave a bad impression. When I was about to show my boarding pass, the lady said in a very rude and unfriendly way: Proof you live in UK. Share code, visa? I was about to show a proof on the mobile but in just 5 seconds, no more, she yelled in a very bad manners: Step back!!! There are more people!!!! It was only 5 seconds and I was opening the file that shows I am living in the UK. This is not the way to treat people. I reported to the airport and Wizzair airline. I flew on Friday, 6th of February. I really hope they have a conversation and proper training about manners with the lady as she is giving a really bad reputation to the airport and to the city, Jeddah. Luckily, my experience in the country has been positive and I found very nice people during my trip. That lady is an exception. I assume she has had a very bad day and she may have been stressful but she must know how to control her emotions and work under pressure. I was shocked such as behaviour and I think it is important to let know. Saudi Arabia has an 2030 vision and Tourism is one of the factor. Staff like her is damaging the reputation of a great country.