I am a regular user of AirAsia. I can say I do not have much to complain about AirAsia simply because having regularly flown budget airlines during my student days, I understand the concept of budget airlines.

As a budget airline, one cannot expect the level of comfort a full service airline provides. Secondly, with regard to pricing and best deals, budget airlines like AirAsia do indeed provide good deals but one must know how to capitalise on it.

The first rule to know is that you gain only if you book your trip well ahead. Secondly, to take advantage of the attractive fares you have to plan your trip according to AirAsia's dates when those attractive fares are available. Naturally and understandably, not everyone will have the luxury of time to be able to always do this.

AirAsia does cancel flights and that is one of the grouses but then that is the risk one has to take with budget airlines. Service is comparable to other airlines though one cannot expect it to be on the level of a full fare airline. In fact some full fare airlines have deplorable service.

As for complaining to the CEO, I remember once faxing a letter of complaint to the CEO and the complaint was attended to that very afternoon with a telephone call from the CEO's office. I later received a personal reply from the CEO. I cannot imagine the CEO of our national airline calling me personally, let alone replying to my letter.

With their attractive pricing, I have now not only travelled around Malaysia but even flown to Bangkok, Jakarta, and I am now soon off to Manila. All because of taking advantage of AirAsia's good deals and they were indeed good deals.