From thoughtful cabin crew to the vibrant streets of Kuala Lumpur, a journey with AirAsia proves that the best travel experiences are about more than just the destination.

I love a good reason to travel but mostly I just love to travel.  And it’s not always about the destination.  It’s about the travel experience, including how we get there.  A good flight is the best way to have a great travel experience.

Many years ago, I flew Air Asia to India and as I boarded there was a flight attendant playing a ukelele and singing well enough to consider a change of career.  That experience has always been on my mind whenever I fly Air Asia but, a little disappointingly, never met again. That’s not to say my flights have been disappointing, I’ve just needed to find other reasons to identify why the flight has been enjoyable.

On a flight to Kuala Lumpur earlier this year to join in the fun of the Rain Rave Music Water Festival, my enjoyment of the flight was my observance of the most gorgeous flight crew task I’ve ever seen.

As passengers slept in the predawn hours, restlessly turning and twisting as we all do, they walked the aisles, gently moving spectacles, headphones, and pulling up coats being used as blankets by snoring kids.  It was a bit like a game of pick-up sticks, trying to make items safe and passengers comfortable without waking them up.

Air Asia has a message sometimes painted in livery on the side of the plane and sometimes in the messages broadcast in the plane with the quote by Air Asia boss Tony Fernandes saying, ‘Now Everyone Can Fly’. It’s a message that lets you know the airline is focused on affordability but there’s a new message Air Asia is starting to use as well and it’s a good one – ‘Go Somewhere Different’.  For me that means there are a lot of Air Asia routes that are affordable and also capable of taking you to somewhere you haven’t been before.

Interestingly, this overseas travel is about going to a place I’m familiar with but for an unfamiliar experience.

Many of us have travelled to Malaysia, many of us know our way around Kuala Lumpur and the shopping heart of the city, Bukit Bintang with its malls and markets.

Well, there’s a new twist that’s an easy and enjoyable few hours flying away.  The Rain Rave Music Water Festival was a music festival I recently attended in Kuala Lumpur.

So, the Rain Rave didn’t do what festivals normally do.  They didn’t seek acres of countryside to set up stages or use a purpose-built sports or concert stadium. They held this event in the streets of Bukit Bintang, creating a heaving crowd of dancers right outside the Pavilion and stretching back to Lot 10.

So, here’s an opportunity to attend a mind blowing, thumping music festival in the heart of a shopping precinct.  It’s an opportunity to have a go, no matter what your age, to step outside the mall and into a happy crowd of dancers and singers getting blasted with water cannons and laser beams sweeping the sky! Get into it, then get out of it, take a break and get back into it.

Maybe there’s an opportunity for Air Asia to expand their latest campaign to ‘Fly somewhere you’ve been to before to see something different.’  Bit long maybe?

Air Asia has taken many of us to many parts of the world, particularly throughout Asia, including India.

When I think of their message, ‘Go Somewhere Different’, I’m reminded of a very old school activity that this very old school writer still loves doing.  For me the best page of the inflight magazine isn’t just that it might have a story I’ve written but if you go towards the back there’s the map with all the route lines for the airline you’re flying with.

It always gets me thinking about where I want to go to next.  It might be a familiar destination to see friends and visit markets and experiences I’ve previously enjoyed.  Or it might light that little spark that gets me thinking about a place I’ve never been to.

Air Asia is a low-cost airline with a big list of destinations.  Those little lines on the map in your inflight magazine represent around 240 flight routes, more than 150 destinations across 25 countries from where your finger on the map starts to where another finger ends. Use your fingers on the map to trace those lines about where your Air Asia flight can take you.  Not just Mumbai, try Kochi!  Not just Kuala Lumpur, try Kuching!

Flying to Kuala Lumpur and then back to Perth with Air Asia was a reminder for me that this is an airline that has a massive route network and the impressive row of aircraft at Kuala Lumpur International Airport was proof of that.

Some of the things defining low-cost airlines are changing as well.  While Air Asia has always been quite strict on the carry-on size and weight of your bags (that metal frame always makes my bag suck in its belly) there are some things that are increasing the options and flexibility of your personal flight experience.

Get stuck into some great food you can buy on board that is great quality and far more appealing than the white sausage on many of our domestic carriers.  Who doesn’t love a Nasi Lemak for breakfast or lunch or dinner?  It’s the best meal for any time of day or night whether you’re on the ground or in the air!

There are customizable add-ons that allow you to play around with luggage options and seat selections that give you a sense of upgrade and personalisation.

I think what I enjoy most about Air Asia is the willingness of the flight crew to engage.  My kids always complain when I talk to everyone I make eye contact with.  Maybe in another life I’ve had Air Asia customer service training!  I really enjoy the effort that is made to ask how you are and not run up the aisle to the other end of the plane.

I like an airline that of course has a good safety record, and the wheels are up on time but the people who work for the airline inside the plane are just as important to my flight experience.  Now everyone can fly and go somewhere different and get a smile, and care taken with your glasses fall off when you fall asleep.

About the author: Chris Parry, an Australian travel writer, shares his personal travel experiences with AirAsia, reflecting on the people, in-flight moments and unexpected adventures that make every journey memorable.