2 hours ago
3
September 23, 2025 — 5:00am
The airline: AirAsia X
- Route Kuala Lumpur (KUL) to Melbourne (MEL), flight D7202
- Frequency Six times weekly, increases to 14 times weekly during December.
- Aircraft Airbus A330-300
- Class Economy; seat 28A, window
- Flight time 7 hours 35 minutes – we arrive 15 minutes early
Checking in
This flight is part of a longer Melbourne-Cairo return trip; to get out of the death grip of price-gouging school holiday airfares, I’ve booked AirAsia for the Melbourne-Kuala Lumpur leg, connecting with an Emirates flight to Cairo. It’s a bit of a schlep; on the way back to Australia I’ve had an 11-hour layover in Kuala Lumpur, which I filled with a blissful sleep at the new Ibis Styles Sepang within the airport precinct. However, it’s carved more than $2000 from our family’s flight bill (at about $700 each for three fares). Check-in is self-service via a terminal – I scan the QR code on my boarding pass, stick the bag tags on, drop the bags after a quick-moving queue, and we’re good to go. Easy.
Baggage
Up to 20 kilograms of checked luggage for economy class passengers, plus seven kilograms of cabin luggage in a cabin bag and an additional personal item such as a handbag or laptop. Hand luggage is weighed as we pass security; I’m touching eight kilograms – can you hear my heart beating? – but I am waived through without comment.
Loyalty scheme
The airline has its own loyalty scheme, AirAsia rewards, which is free to join and not linked to any other carriers. You can convert points from bank or loyalty cards, and burn them to make a cheap airfare even cheaper.
The seat
The economy cabin is in a 3-3-3 configuration, and my seat (28A) is a window. I’m flying with my young teenager, so I’ve paid $25 per seat to ensure we’re sitting together. The seats measure 16.5 inches (42 centimetres) wide with 30 inches (76 centimetres) of pitch; the seats look small, they are small. Luckily I’m short, but the young man sitting near me says he has problems tucking his broad shoulders in.
Entertainment + tech
If you’re still rawdogging (the trend of no entertainment during the flight), this is the airline for you. There’s no Wi-Fi and no seatback screens, so everyone’s downloaded movies to watch on their tablets or phones. Importantly, there’s also no in-seat power, so make sure you’re charged up. The in-flight mag is a pleasant surprise; a pacey little read packed with handy tips.
Service
For such a pared-back flight, you might expect snarky staff and customers, but these passengers know the score and are prepped, and the staff laugh and joke delightedly as they wheel the drinks trolley through the cabin. It’s a genuine delight. They’re not just here for show; the bathrooms remain clean and tidy right to the end of the flight, and they’re kind and quick to help stow bags in the overhead lockers.
Food
Food isn’t included in the fare. You could pre-order meals online beforehand – they’re cheap at about $8 for a main – or roll the dice inflight, as the tastiest options sell out early. We breakfast in the terminal beforehand, and my huge box of leftover nasi lemak becomes an inflight meal. It’s Malaysia, so bags of dried mango from the terminal are a healthy-ish snack, supplemented with some not-so-healthy but delicious popcorn chicken and teh tarik [tea with condensed milk] from the inflight menu. AirAsia’s founder, Tony Fernandes, swears by the airline’s nasi lemak.
Sustainability
The airline has committed to net zero by 2050 and is improving sustainability through new ground-support technology and a younger, more fuel-efficient fleet, compostable packaging from sugarcane and cassava and reduced food waste through pre-booking meals.
One more thing
Voted Skytrax World’s Best Low-Cost Airline for 16 consecutive years, AirAsia kicks off flights from its base at Kuala Lumpur to Uzbekistan’s Tashkent from October 15, 2025.
The price
From about $650 return Melbourne-Kuala Lumpur in economy.
The verdict
You get what you pay for with AirAsia: there are no screens, no blankets and no power on this flight, so you have to be prepared – charge devices and download your entertainment beforehand, bring layers and snacks. But if you’re travelling on a tight budget – or in price-gouging school holidays – it’s an affordable way to get out of Australia’s hyper-expensive airspace.
Our rating out of five
★★★½
The writer flew at her own expense. See airasia.com
*For more information about air travel and sustainability, see iata.org
**Fares are based on those available for travel three months from the time of publication and subject to change.
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