Budiey
AirAsia X contingent visits Seoul to mark the inaugural flight from Kuala Lumpur
SEOUL, 2nd November 2010- The World’s Best Low-Cost Airline, AirAsia X landed at the swanky Incheon International airport yesterday at 21:15 hours launching a new era of international air travel between Korea and Malaysia. Seoul, Korea is the airline’s twelfth destination after destinations in Australia, India, Taiwan, China, Iran and Europe.
The inaugural flight celebration took place today at a venue known as Platoon Kunsthalle, in Gangnam-gu, with the external building painted and branded in red to depict the airline’s striking colour and brand. Present as guests of honour at the auspicious ceremony were , Mr. Lee Jaekyong, Executive Vice President for Marketing Korea Tourism Organisation, Mr Abdullah Zawawi; Deputy Chief of Mission of the Malaysian Embassy in Seoul, and Mr. Lee Jin Bok; Advisor to Tourism Malaysia. Dato’ Kamarudin Meranun; Chairman of AirAsia X, and CEO of AirAsia X; Mr. Azran Osman-Rani represented the airline at the event. Also present were AirAsia X directors, invited guests from the travel industry, trade, airport authorities, hoteliers and media friends. Guests were entertained by a troupe of Malaysian Muhibbah drummers and a renowned Korean percussionist group; Queen.
AirAsia X Chairman Dato’ Kamarudin Meranun said, “We are very excited about this route. AirAsia X expands travel options for consumers everywhere that it flies. We are committed to serving the underserved. The launching of this route signifies a major advance in our mission to democratise long-haul air travel, as much as AirAsia has done in the short-haul sector.”
Kamarudin, who is also Deputy Group CEO of AirAsia, said “The AirAsia Group is witnessing strong synergies between its short-haul and long-haul wings.” They feed into each other. AirAsia has an unmatched route connectivity within the ASEAN region. AirAsia X connects travellers to destinations in northern China, northern India, Australia, Taiwan, South Korea and the United Kingdom. And the list is growing. It is an amazing feat when you consider that AirAsia X is just over two years old”.
To mark this special occasion AirAsia X unveiled yet another low fare offering; an unbelievable promotional all-in fare from as low as RM199 from Kuala Lumpur to Seoul for the booking period from 3 to 10 November, 2010 for the travel period between 1 April to 30 June, 2011.
Promotional seats are limited and available on first-come, first-served basis and made exclusively available online via www.airasia.com.
Azran Osman-Rani, Chief Executive Officer, AirAsia X, said “The airline is thrilled to have successfully expanded its growing network to Korea. In fact, the inaugural flight into Seoul recorded a one hundred percent full flight with its 12 Premium seats and 365 Economy seats on the airbus A330 fully taken. This proves that AirAsia X low fare offerings and direct connection will be able to stimulate new travel demands and further tap new markets and provide a new traveling experience for the low cost carrier sector in Korea. We are pleased to be able to contribute further in boosting the tourism industry and the economy of both countries. We are super confident that both Korea and Malaysia will experience record inbound tourist arrivals within the first year of our service, as what we have done wherever we have flown. Both Korea Tourism Organisation and Tourism Malaysia are without doubt among the best in the world, and we are excited to partner with them to break new records in both markets.”
The success of AirAsia X rides on the back of affiliate AirAsia’s leading regional network in Southeast Asia. With over 139 routes to 76 destinations and the highest daily frequencies to most Asian cities, both AirAsia and AirAsia X compliments each other in providing affordable travel and connectivity.
Mr. Azran Osman-Rani concluded that the arrival of AirAsia X into Seoul, Korea was the culmination of a collaborative effort between the airline, the Korean and Malaysian Government, Incheon Airport and tourism industry and was pleased with the endeavor shown to make the introduction of the service a success.
Guests flying on this new route will have the chance to experience the new comfortable ‘Premium FlatBed seats’ on the brand new A330 aircraft. The flatbed seats are standard business class specifications of 20” width, 60” pitch and stretches out to 77” in full recline position. The seats feature universal power sockets, adjustable headrests and built-in personal utilities such as tray table, drink holder, reading light and privacy screen. This new improvement offers unmatched comfort to the guests and position AirAsia as the market leader, further bolstering the brand as the epitome of innovation and excellence.
With over 11 million people, Seoul is the largest city in South Korea and represents the country’s heart for business, politics, education, and modern culture. Immerse yourself in rich tales of yesteryears when you visit ancient grand fortress walls and gates that stands along with World Heritage palaces, royal shrines and tombs. Though, not far from these beautiful relics lie modern shopping facilities that will make your head dizzy with delight at the wide variety of shopping choices. For a bit of family fun, head on down to the various theme parks such as Lotte World, one of the largest indoor amusement parks, Everland, Korea’s answer to Disneyland, or Seoul Land Amusement Park, which features 5 themed areas and rides that are sure to get your adrenaline pumping. If you’ve been caught in the Korean entertainment wave, then be sure to visit the hot spots where your favourite drama, movie, or music video was shot. Perhaps you can catch your favourite K-Idols in action in their own backyard. And certainly, there’s no need to remind you of all the great Korean cuisine that await you!
AirAsia is also offering great hotel rates and personalized travel packages under AirAsiaGo, its one stop travel portal at www.airasiago.com. Guests can obtain greater savings and more value for money on their accommodation in addition to the low fares that AirAsia X offers. Currently, AirAsiaGo has a wide range of over 70,000 hotel partners globally and over 5,000 activities and tours to cater to every traveler’s budget.
Never miss out on updates and promo deals by following AirAsia via Facebook (facebook.com/AirAsia) and Twitter (twitter.com/AirAsia).
*All in Fare includes airport tax. .
Flights and fares are subject to availability and are for one way travel only.
FLIGHT SCHEDULE FOR KUALA LUMPUR- SEOUL, KOREA
Flights From Departure/ Arrival Flight No. Frequency
Kuala Lumpur to Seoul 13:55 / 21:15 D7 2682 Daily
Seoul to Kuala Lumpur 23:20 / 05:05 D7 2683 Daily
About AirAsia and AirAsia X
AirAsia, the leading and largest low-cost carrier in Asia, services the most extensive network with approximately 139 routes covering destinations in Asia, Australia and Europe. Within 8 years of operations, AirAsia has carried over 100 million guests and grown its fleet from just two aircraft to approximately 96. The airline today is proud to be a truly Asean (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) airline with established operations based in Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand, servicing a network stretching across all Asean countries, China, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Australia. This is further complemented by AirAsia X, its low-cost long-haul affiliate carrier that currently flies to destinations in China, Australia, India, Taiwan, Iran, Korea, UK and soon Japan. AirAsia is the regional carrier with the largest destination network and highest flight frequencies. AirAsia was named the 2010 World’s Best Low Cost Airline in the annual World Airline Survey by Skytrax for two consecutive years.
For more information, please visit www.airasia.com.
