AirAsia X reaffirms Bahrain plans amid global volatility

AirAsia X is banking on the Middle East soon returning to normal and has confirmed plans to develop Bahrain as a key strategic hub, connecting travellers between Asia, the Middle East and Europe. 

The service is scheduled to commence on June 26, with the budget airline expressing optimism that  conditions in the region will normalise by then. 

The AirAsia group today also announced increased capacity to strong-performing and higher-yielding routes, such as to Almaty (Kazakhstan), Tashkent (Uzbekistan) and Istanbul (Türkiye), aiming to capture displaced demand.

Bo Lingam, Group CEO of AirAsia X said: “While we are operating in an increasingly challenging environment, we are seeing strong demand across our Asean destinations, which demonstrates the resilience of our network and the growing appetite for regional travel. 

"This reinforces our focus on Kuala Lumpur as a key aviation hub and its position as a global low-cost carrier (LCC) megahub, connecting travellers seamlessly and affordably across the region.

“Amid ongoing geopolitical uncertainty and supply chain disruptions, global jet fuel prices have surged to more than double 2025 levels. In response, we have implemented carefully calibrated fare adjustments, including a one-off fuel surcharge across the network. 

"We are optimising our network, reallocating capacity to stronger-performing routes and leveraging our Fly-Thru connectivity via Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok to capture demand efficiently.

“We are also actively negotiating with our key partners and stakeholders to contain costs across our operations. 

"As we progressively reactivate our full fleet, our unit cost will improve, and the strengthening Asean currencies also act as a natural buffer against USD-denominated expenses.”

Fancy a quick trip from London to Armenia?

One of the bonuses about visiting the UK is the easy availability of a range of cheap flights on budget airlines.

If you fancy a couple of days on the French Riviera, or maybe a weekend in Dubrovnik, then airlines like Ryanair, easyJet and Wizz Air offer a massive range of destinations.

Low-cost carrier Wizz Air recently added Yerevan in Armenia (above) to its destinations from Luton Airport. That's an exotic getaway.

Wizz Air is adding a 15th aircraft to its Luton base, alongside launching six new direct routes to popular and emerging destinations across Europe.

The newly announced services will also connect London Luton with Alicante in Spain, Lyon in France, Corfu in Greece, Faro in Portugal and Turin in Italy.

The new Yerevan route opens up a non-stop connection between the UK and the South Caucasus, making Armenia more accessible for tourists, business travellers and those visiting friends and family. A trip to Mount Ararat sounds enticing. 

The expansion follows Wizz Air’s acquisition of valuable take-off and landing slots previously held by TUI Airways at Luton, where it uses Airbus A321neo aircraft.

The new routes form part of Hungarian-owned Wizz Air’s fleet expansion. The Budapest-based airline now flies to over 200 destinations. 

Vietjet celebrates 9/9 with a pop-up fares sale

Anyone thinking about snagging a cheap flight from Australia to Vietnam should keep an eye out for one of budget carrier Vietjet's regular cheap fare blitzes.

Vietjet’s 9/9 Mega Sale, about to launch, offers "up to 99% off base fares" on flights from Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth to Ho Chi Minh City.

On top of that, travellers booking international routes will enjoy 20kg of free checked baggage, making it easier than ever to pack for a long-haul adventure.

The fares sale runs from 3am AEST on September 9 to 2am on September 10. Should you be tempted, and quick off the mark, use promo code SUPERSALE99 when booking direct on www.vietjetair.com or the Vietjet Air mobile app.

The fare deduction exclude taxes and fees but the 23-hour offer applies across Vietjet’s entire flight network with travel valid from October 1 to May 27, 2026.

While those napping up a deal can take advantage of the promotion to explore Vietnam’s vibrant culture, Vietjet also offers connections from Ho Chi Minh City to many domestic Vietnamese destinations and popular hubs across Asia.

To meet growing demand, Vietjet is boosting flights to Ho Chi Minh City: with Melbourne increasing to six flights per week from November 11 and moving to daily from December 6. Sydney grows to six per week from November 13, increasing to daily from December 7, while Brisbane rises to five flights per week from December 6.

But note that flights to Hanoi have been cut.

Keen on flying with screaming infants? This carrier makes it easier

 

Are you keen on taking flights with even more screaming infants than usual?

There is one airline that virtually guarantees that experience.

British carrier Jet2.com has taken the brave - or foolhardy - step of offering completely free flights for kids under two. It is the first in the UK to adopt the policy.

Clearly Jet2 has young families as its target market, as it is hard to see mature leisure travellers, or business folk, being keen on the idea.

The new "fly free" policy for infants starts immediately for all new bookings, whether a package or flight only, news hub Travel Mole reports.

It means all infants must be carried on a parent’s lap.

As an extra incentive for families to fly with Jet2, the airline is offering the check in of strollers, travel cots and other baby gear exempt from excess baggage fees.

And infants will still get a 10kg baggage allowance.

“As a family-friendly airline and tour operator, we are always looking at how we can make the experience even better for families travelling with us,” said Jet2 CEO Steve Heapy,

“By putting our customers first, we are making travel even more accessible for millions of families.”

But less enjoyable for others.

# Jet2 it is the third-largest scheduled airline in the UK, behind easyJet and British Airways. Jet2 is also officially the largest tour operator in the UK.

A budget choice between Tokyo and San Francisco

Never heard of budget airline Zipair?

Neither had I - until a press release dropped this week.

Zipair is apparently a budget subsidiary of Japan Airlines (JAL), which launched shortly before the pandemic.

Zipair, which styles itself as ZIPAIR (a bit shouty guys) will launch flights from Tokyo's Narita Airport to San Francisco in June.

It plans five flights a week using Boeing 787 Dreamliners.

“We are excited to welcome ZIPAIR service at SFO this summer,” said airport director Ivar C. Satero.

“We thank ZIPAIR and are committed to making this new service a success.”

Zipair was established in 2018 and is based out of Narita. 

It has a network of six international routes including Singapore, Los Angeles and San José, California.

See https://www.zipair.net/en