AirAsia makes the dream of flying accessible to everyone — a low-cost airline even wet market housewives love

▲ AirAsia is known as the “model student of the low-cost airline world.” (Photo / from AirAsia’s official Facebook page)

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AirAsia, a Malaysian airline, is the largest low-cost airline group in Asia. It currently operates over 85 destinations worldwide, with dense route networks in Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, and the Philippines. Currently, AirAsia’s two direct routes from Taoyuan are both to Malaysia — one to Kota Kinabalu, the capital of Sabah, and the other to Kuala Lumpur.

Known as the "model student of low-cost airlines," AirAsia made headlines on the 28th when flight QZ8501, traveling from Surabaya, Indonesia to Singapore, went missing, sparking widespread concern. In Taiwan, AirAsia is a well-known LCC (low-cost carrier) that’s famous for being “cheap.” Renowned budget travel writer 943 once described AirAsia as “even wet market housewives fall in love with it.”

By emphasizing the concept of “flying for everyone,” AirAsia inspired the mother of 943’s friend, who sold rice noodle soup in a Malaysian wet market, to purchase promotional tickets several times to travel to places like Taiwan and Thailand. With prices that allowed you to “just gather friends and go,” AirAsia opened a door for many who wanted to travel but didn’t know how to take the first step.

▲ AirAsia flight attendants’ bright red uniforms instantly convey a vibrant charm to passengers. (Photo / provided by AirAsia)

AirAsia currently serves 85 destinations across Australia, the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, China, South Korea, Japan, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Nepal, India, Saudi Arabia, Vietnam, Myanmar, Cambodia, and Laos. In 2014, the AirAsia Group established “Thai AirAsia” and “Japan AirAsia,” both of which may launch routes to Taiwan in 2015, offering Taiwanese travelers more diverse choices.