Have you ever flown with Air Asia? If yes, then you know that the fun begins with making a reservation (and no, I am not getting paid to write this)!

The closest destination this Malaysia-based low-cost airline flies to Europe is Saudi Arabia, so it comes as no surprise that many Europeans are not very familiar with it. Besides the fact that Air Asia is Asia’s largest low-cost airline, it has been named the World’s Best Low-Cost Airline in four consecutive years (2009-2012).

When I started planning our Southeast Asia trip (Cambodia, Laos and Thailand), I only knew we will depart Paris with our usual airline, Emirates (I love their A380, my favorite airplane, and we like flying via Dubai). It was the arrival point in Southeast Asia that we were not sure about. Bangkok seemed like an obvious entry point, but I soon realized that flights from Bangkok are rather expensive (maybe because of the arrival timing: Chinese new year). So, I unfolded a map in front of me and started wondering what other options we may have? Flying via China seemed like soooo far away. Vietnam will be a trip of its own, we decided. Singapore? I suddenly had this flashback of reading about an airline called Air Asia, so I googled it. Wow. Kuala Lumpur Siem Reap (one-way) around 80€ per person (the prices can go as low as 33.51€ or 44.61USD in February). All hesitations were gone.

Yesterday I bought two one-way tickets (KUL -> REP) and after providing the usual contact information, the fun begun: choosing our in-flight meals! Bukhara chicken briyani combo, fried rice with satay combo, tandoori chicken tortilla wrap combo, black pepper chicken combo, spaghetti bolognaise combo for those craving Italian cuisine, and many more. We had 19 options to choose from, and honestly, how wrong can you go when prices are around 2-3€? We will see soon!