Air Asia X is quickly becoming the world’s most prominent long haul budget airline. The Malaysian based carrier began with flights from Kuala Lumpur – Perth, Australia. These were followed by additional flights to Melbourne, Gold Cost, Taiwan, London and Abu Dhabi. A second foothold in Europe is just what the carrier needs.

Air Asia X has chosen to fly to Paris Orly airport instead of the regular international Charles de Gaulle airport. Again this is in line with its London route where the airline uses Stanstead airport. The strategy has proven successful for two reasons. Firstly, the landing fees are considerably cheaper as these are secondary airports. It also means that connecting passengers can use one of the many low cost budget carriers to make a connecting trip. As Paris Orly airport is the busiest French airport for domestic flights, this will put Air Asia X in a more prominent position to serve the whole of France and not just Paris.

Reports have claimed that approval for the route was granted when Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak spoke personally with French President Nicholas Sarkozy during their meeting at Elysee Palace. This followed a four day visit to France by Razak where he had lobbied various officials to grant the landing rights.

Budget airlines are now very common in Europe, though none of them appear to offer long haul services. What is interesting is that passengers can now fly from Europe via Kuala Lumpur, all the way to Australia on Air Asia x. This means there are some potentially ground breaking deals to be had for those who book far in advance. The main problem with the Stanstead route has been the sheer demand have increased prices dramatically and it is virtually impossible to get the £99GBP fares that were commonly available when the route launched.

Expect the usual array of newspaper bashing about budget airlines and small seats. In fact, as was discussed in our recent article 5 facts about choosing the best Air Asia X seat, the Air Asia X seat pitch is actually the same as many full service airlines such as British Airways, Lufthansa and United. Like anything though, you get what you pay for and passengers should not expect luxury treatment here. Staff are very courteous, but everything from meals and drinks to pillow and seat assignments costs extra.

NeverFlyEconomy.com will bring you the latest on the new route are more information becomes available.

This article will give you five facts that everyone should know before choosing the best Air Asia X seat for your next flight. As well as informing you of the best Air Asia X seats and explaining the truth about the Air Asia X seat pitch, this article will also explain how to actually go about securing these seats for your next flight.

Tip #1: The real Air Asia X seat pitch
Many major newspapers around the world incorrectly slate Air Asia for having very small seats with only a 31” seat pitch. Well 31” isn’t that small and it is actually the same as British Airways, Lufthansa and United Airlines have. Even tall people can still fit in these seats no problem.

Tip#2: Seat widths
Air Asia X use Airbus A330 aircraft equipped with 9 seats (3-3-3) across. Most airlines that use the aircraft have 8 seats across (2-4-2). Air Asia was smart about it and reduced the width of the aisles and the armrests making the seats only slightly narrower. If you are fine with a regular Economy seat, then you will find Air Asia X seats to be comfortable enough as well.

Tip#3: Seat recline
The genius behind the 9 seat across plan was clearly having a bad day when the seat recline options were chosen. Air Asia X seats do not recline, instead the base slides forward to create an angled back. If you are in a regular seat this will kill most of your legroom and make it very uncomfortable. This is not an issue with exit row/bulkhead seats or if you are a small person. Air Asia X has listened to customer feedback and is replacing these seats with regular ones in 2010. Until then, remember to bring a neck pillow.

Tip #4: Exit row seats
It is worth mentioning that all seats on Air Asia X have individual TV screens with video on demand. The TV for exit row seats is in the armrest, which normally makes these seats slightly narrower. Air Asia X decided this would make these seats too small. Instead, the airline made the middle seat in the Exit row very narrow and always leaves these seats empty. This is a great as it means the remaining exit row seats have unlimited legroom and they have an empty seat next to them. These seats can be booked in advance, for a fee, anytime including at time of booking and are labelled as hot seats. These normally cost 100 Ringgit, £20GBP or $40AUD.

Tip#5: Bulkhead seats
Bulkhead seats are a similar story to Exit row seats. The middle seat is always free as it is too narrow for anyone to sit in. The downside of bulkhead seats is that their legroom is slightly limited when compared to exit row seats. Furthermore, they are more likely to have babies in them as these seats are next to the bassinet. Still, if exit row seats are not available, these are excellent seats to have. Again, you can book these on the Air Asia X website when you book you ticket or at any time until you have checked in. Also note that if these seats are empty, you will not be permitted to sit in them unless you have paid the extra hot seat charge.