Not once but several instances of my flights with AirAsia have been delayed. The last straw was on April 22.

I was booked on flight FD5118 from Bangkok to Penang on 7.10pm, but this was 're-timed' to 9pm. The flight eventually only took off at 9.50pm, delaying my arrival by more than two hours. There were many tired, angry and restless customers. You can imagine the crowd waiting in Penang to board the aircraft back to Bangkok. Great branding exercise.

If AirAsia is squeezing every last drop of its aircraft usage by scheduling flights back-to-back, it needs an extremely reliable fleet. Currently it leases several aircraft which reportedly, according to their call centre and personnel on the ground, have 'technical problems' whenever the flight is delayed.

To me, AirAsia is doing a great disservice to customers. Sure, it is the cheapest method of air travel. And for some routes, the alternative by car or bus is not feasible. But when it comes to building a brand and customer loyalty, long delays are painful events that customers will remember for a long time.

This is a risk to AirAsia's bottom line that cannot be even quantified. Personally, I would not recommend flying AirAsia to my family, friends and colleagues unless you can stomach the delays. And if you are traveling for a business meeting, be ready to apologise to your clients.

But here are are some short-term recommendations for AirAsia.

Ensure flight times are accurately reflected on departure screens and on your website before passengers check in. This are in addition to SMS notifications. This will allow people to spend more time with friends and family before leaving.

Provide refreshments immediately when a flight is delayed (bottled water, decent food, please) This will not hurt your tight bottom line, treat this is as brand equity expense. (We will remember it.)

On the longer term (this means over the next few months) AirAsia either needs rationalise flight schedules to facilitate adequate down time or lease additional aircraft or address the root cause for the delays - e.g. people.

The sheer number of times their flights have been delayed or re-timed is clear sign of how effective their team is. At one point, AirAsia mentioned that they could run MAS domestic operations. With their rate of delays, they should not be allowed to do that.

AirAsia is fighting against some pretty big odds - rising fuel prices, regional competition and not getting Subang airport among other things, and I respect that. It is doing a fantastic job at giving MAS a run for its money.

But don't forget to do the basics right, AirAsia. Get us there on time. Every time.

I am writing this at 11.15pm on Sunday, April 24 and I am still waiting at the Penang airport lounge for the 10.20pm AirAsia flight to Bangkok that got delayed to 11.40pm.

See what I mean?