When travelling within Asia, flying budget is always a good option. With most destinations reachable under five hours, paying for a no-frills flight is simply more cost-effective. It also helps that we have great low-cost carriers like Scoot, Jetstar, and Peach, though one budget airline flies a cut above the rest. That's AirAsia, which was just named the World's Leading Low-Cost Airline at the World Travel Awards (WTA) 2024.
If you haven't heard of the World Travel Awards, you can think of it as the Oscars or Grammy's equivalent of the travel and tourism industry. Since 1993, industry experts and avid travellers have voted in the awards to determine the best airlines, hotels, destinations, and more at the country, regional, and global levels.
This year, AirAsia snagged the World's Leading Low-Cost Airline title for the 12th consecutive year. It beat other nominees like easyJet, JetBlue, Wizz Air, and Air Arabia. AirAsia also bagged the World's Leading Low-Cost Airline Cabin Crew award for the eighth year running.
While it's not clear exactly why AirAsia consistently stands out to the WTA voters, AirAsia's impressive network of routes and competitive fares likely have something to do with it. The Malaysian airline currently serves over 130 destinations, with more routes coming across Asia-Pacific until 2027. It's also known for its quarterly 'free seats' sale, which unlocks super low-cost flights as low as USD 50. Then there is its travel booking app, a platform for booking flights, hotels, airport transfers, and activities that picked up an award of its own at the World Travel Tech Awards 2024.
All this to say: why not book AirAsia the next time you're thinking of jet-setting somewhere in the region? We'd suggest travelling either one of its newest routes: Siem Reap-Singapore (a first for a low-cost carrier) or Penang-Shenzhen.
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