HONG KONG – AirAsia is launching the first direct flight linking Hong Kong and the holiday island of Phuket. The carrier has also launched its one million free seats promotion, covering 70 AirAsia destinations in Hong Kong, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Brunei, Cambodia, China, India, Laos, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Vietnam and Australia.
Bookings for the promotion – available at www.airasia.com and mobile.airasia.com – are open from November 11 to 15 for travel from May 1 to October 30, 2010.
AirAsia said the new daily direct Hong Kong-Phuket flight, which opened for sale on October 5, has seen an overwhelming response, with all seats for the inaugural flight on November 15 selling out within 30 minutes.
Since sales for the flight opened for sale, AirAsia said its Hong Kong to Phuket route has performed exceptionally well. The fast take-up of tickets has led to a 100 percent load factor for the inaugural flight and load factors of at or above 85 percent for all other open flights. Demand for the Hong Kong to Bangkok route launched in September 2008 has also remained strong, with average load factors remaining at 75 percent, even during the current economic downturn.
The LCC has also announced the establishment of Phuket as its second home in Thailand. With most flights to and from Phuket recording load factors of above 80 percent, Phuket is regarded as one of the best hubs in terms of connectivity and accessibility. It is linked to eight cities by AirAsia, namely Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta, Ho Chi Minh City, Singapore, Medan, and now, Hong Kong. Beginning November 15, two new Airbus A320 aircraft will be based at Phuket International Airport.