AirAsia offers seat sale ahead of air fare hikes

MANILA, Philippines — Low-cost carrier AirAsia Philippines is offering base rates for as low as P1 from July 25 to 31 to support travel demand in the face of looming air fare hikes.

AirAsia announced the return of the AirAsia Big Sale, where base fares drop to as low as P1 for travels scheduled between Oct. 1, 2022 and Oct. 28, 2023.

AirAsia Philippines spokesman Steve Dailisan said the seat sale covers the 16 domestic routes, including newly-opened destinations Dumaguete and Roxas City and demand heavy Caticlan and Tagbilaran.

Dailisan said the AirAsia Big Sale serves as one of the low-cost carrier’s promos to mitigate the impact of the impending fuel surcharge hike.

He asked travelers to consider the seat sale for the trips they will take especially during the holidays.

“We at AirAsia are solid on our promise of making it possible for everyone to access world-class flying without hurting the wallet. We encourage our guests, especially those giddy to fly home to their families or spend time with loved ones out-of-town over the holidays, to plan around these promos to maximize their travel budget,” Dailisan said.

According to Dailisan, passengers may also maximize the seat sale by acquiring flight plus hotel bundles offered by AirAsia as well, wherein guests may avail up to 30 percent off for flight and hotel promos for as long as they were booked through the AirAsia Super App.

Dailisan added that travelers may also enjoy a 50 percent discount for purchases made in AirAsia’s travelmall, the firm’s online retail platform.

“There are many ways for our guests to hack ticket prices. For instance, they can book 30 days and above in advance, which assures them of our best ticket prices complemented by ongoing promos,” Dailisan said.

Last week the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) adjusted the fuel surcharge to Level 12 for August from Level 11 in July to allow airline firms cope with the rising cost of jet fuel.

Level 12 amounts to a fuel surcharge of P389 to P1,137 for domestic flights and P1,284.4 to P9,550.13 for foreign flights.

Together with flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL), AirAsia filed an application for authority to raise its fuel surcharge to Level 12 as permitted by CAB.

“AirAsia understands that this slight movement in the fuel surcharge cost might be of concern to some guests [and] this is why we complement this uptick with regular sale promos, such as the ongoing P77 base fare in select domestic and international routes and the upcoming AirAsia Big Sale happening next week,” Dailisan added.